Anyone else not enjoy The Witcher 2?

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Flogger23m

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Recently decided to play the Witcher 2. Had a copy for a while and just got around to trying it. Was hoping it would be good but I am not seeing the appeal or praise it attracts. The gameplay itself is rather terrible. You essentially mash the mouse button for everything. Which means your player ends up putting fires/light sources on instead of striking an enemy. What a terrible design; for a PC focused developer I would have thought they would have mapped different keys for different functions instead of using the console style "action button" that does everything.

Movement/cover system is terrible and not precise at all. You get pulled into cover when you don't want to and you can't get out quick enough when you need to. And the direction you come off in is rather random which makes stealth attacks (or any attacks) impossible to do correctly. Its another one of those games where moving down a hallway is as difficult as rocket science.

To top it off, the game "cheats" for difficultly. As in spawning enemies out of thin air right behind you. The AI itself is dumb and often doesn't even seen you cut down enemies just mere feet away. I suppose the awkward spawning of enemies behind you is a way to make up for a lack of real difficulty?

I don't see how anyone can enjoy the combat/gameplay of the game. Is it the story that people like? I haven't played the first game which might be why I don't find it to be engaging at all. I find that it tries too hard to be edgy or "adult" which doesn't work out well to me.

Also had some technical issues. A few freezes, one of which was fixed by minimizing, but this resulted in low frame rates (around 15-20). When the game works right I get what looks like 60 with super sampling and all settings maxed out at 1080. Running a GTX 970 OCed with a 4670K at 4GHZ.

Am I the only one who didn't enjoy The Witcher 2? I really doubt I will bother to finish it. I do hope their Cyberpunk game is better though. That one has a much more interesting theme IMO.
 
It was OK....Nothing compared to the first one though. Eagerly awaiting the third one.

A little too political for me. I just wanna kill monsters. I don't give a crap about who's king, or who's fighting for the throne or blah blah blah. Just give me a sword & I'll make it right. ;)
 
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Much to my surprise, lots of people dislike The Witcher games.

I picked it up on steam sale after hearing people praising the hell out of it for years and found it nearly unplayable. I was surprised how many people came out of the woodwork agreeing with me when I posted a similar rant. I have no idea how the negatives get swept under the rug. The controls / UI are simply terrible, chunkier than Kelly Clarkston. I didn't get more than a couple hours into the game before uninstalling.
 
I remember I thoroughly enjoyed it, as well as the first one.

But I recently installed the EE version of Witcher 2 and played through the tutorial and prologue. Thought it was terrible. Controller played like ass, mouse/kb were laggy and unresponsive. I did read afterward the prologue is considered shit though. I started playing other stuff and haven't continued.
 
Didn't like the combat and controls (first one); really wanted to like it for the story, quality graphics, etc, but couldn't get into it. Was actually just thinking of trying again.
 
I couldn't get into either Witcher game. Tried to, several times, but they just never hooked me.
 
I bought it, wanted to like it, played few minutes and haven't played since. I guess that I don't like the "hey, I'm a game for adults" style. Oh, the controls.......
 
Same reason why I didn't like Witcher 2 or Dark Souls. If a game is supposed to be difficult because the controls and combat are clunky and cumbersome, then that's just a stupid game.
Don't get me wrong, I also don't like games where you can button mash to win.

A game that does combat I thought was Batman: Arkham City. It rewarded well planned and timed button presses. I did find it a little ridiculous (and easy) though flying between 8 different enemies at the speed of light when you start comboing, but that type of combat is so much better than the Witcher 2 or Dark Souls.

Another thing I didn't like was how you had to sit down and prepare all of your potions to buff yourself. I know it's supposed to be realistic, but taking 5 minutes every fucking time I wanted to buff myself (and oh man do you need to buff yourself of get slaughtered) was just inane.

And also yah, the whole "Ooooo mature themed game, PLAY ME!" angle didn't work for me either.
 
Tup3x said:
I bought it, wanted to like it, played few minutes and haven't played since. I guess that I don't like the "hey, I'm a game for adults" style. Oh, the controls.......
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its a story driven game, deserves more than a few minutes. Anybody that didn't play past the kayran even is really doing themselves a disservice judging the game and if you didn't beat the prologue you really have no idea what the games like at all.

The prologue is the only shitty part of the game really
 
Phlorge said:
its a story driven game, deserves more than a few minutes. Anybody that didn't play past the kayran even is really doing themselves a disservice judging the game and if you didn't beat the prologue you really have no idea what the games like at all.

The prologue is the only shitty part of the game really
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First few times quit at the prologue. Final time I really gave it a shot, I quit at the Kayran. Controls were awful trying not to get hit and constantly dying, ruins the immersion factor for me.
 
I found it to be the clunkiest game I've ever played. Only way I could even tolerate the combat was with full combat rebalance 2 mod, fov mod, and a xbox 360 controller. The story could definitely be better as well as more monster fighting. I put it on easy after that and I'm just blowing through It in a way I can actually enjoy it. It got interesting for me once king foltest got killed and you go into flotsam. I'll probably finish it after I'm done with gta.
 
You need to play with a controller otherwise it's a pain plays more like the souls series once you have the controller mapping figured out.
 
Had no issues with the combat system, using M+KB.

But if you are used to just mashing on a controller in games with regenerating health and calling that "combat" normally...no wonder you will fail at combat in this series...bigtime.

I miss games like the old X-wing.
You died...you died.
No savegame.
Back to start.
Games are to easy these days and people whine too much.
 
I havent enjoyed either witcher so far tbh. And this type of game is kinda up my alley.
 
Phlorge said:
its a story driven game, deserves more than a few minutes. Anybody that didn't play past the kayran even is really doing themselves a disservice judging the game and if you didn't beat the prologue you really have no idea what the games like at all.

The prologue is the only shitty part of the game really
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I was at the Kayran part. Problem is I have no idea what the hell I am supposed to do. Which is my other problem with the game. Nothing is clear. I got some potion and crafted it. Where am I supposed to go? What am I supposed to do? Some information would be helpful. It is a game after all. Running back and fourth on the map is an absolute pain, largely because the movement is terrible and slow. The pathways are very particular; you have to get to a certain spot and wait for a little QTE popup and play a slow animation each time. They really need to give a rough idea/location on what you are supposed to do.

Factum said:
Had no issues with the combat system, using M+KB.

But if you are used to just mashing on a controller in games with regenerating health and calling that "combat" normally...no wonder you will fail at combat in this series...bigtime.

I miss games like the old X-wing.
You died...you died.
No savegame.
Back to start.
Games are to easy these days and people whine too much.
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Unless something changes later in the game that is exactly what the Witcher 2's combat is. Actually, everything is. Even though there is an option to disable QTEs in the menu I still frequently come upon QTEs. Like the fight scenes in the town. The whole game can basically be described as mashing the mouse button, and occasionally pressing Q. Get an enemy stuck on a wall and they can't even fight back. :p Just mash that mouse 1 button.

And I found the menu system to be clunky as well. You can't go from the craft menu to the map without going back in game, then hitting M. And waiting for the painfully slow fade in effect each time gets tiresome. And then the odd menu hot hey layout and the tiny round icons for the mouse; seems like it was intended for a controller.

Far from the worst game ever, but it certainly is a chore trying to do basic stuff in it. I suppose the difficulty is the "lets make people feel special about themselves because we make walking down a hallway 10 times more difficult than it is in the real world!" type rather than the think with your head type. :p
 
Kayran fight is bit tricky, but this video should help (it also shows the location where you need to go). You will need to use the trap spell against the tentacles, and then at last part climb on to the rock to reach the center of the creature. After that part the game is mostly very much fun, it´s just the prologue and Kayran being bit glitchy at times that can piss off people.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oschdW3HKUs
 
I think the appeal is the open ended storytelling similar to Mass Effect series. The story is pretty deep and if you liked it that might make it interesting to replay making different choices and seeing the consequences. Also, the developer has a good reputation/image with gamers.

I'd rate it a B. Story is overly complex, combat clunky, map system poorly done. Technically they did a nice job with the graphics vs other 360 games (I played 360 version, not PC version, was offered free with games with gold a few months back).
 
biggles said:
I think the appeal is the open ended storytelling similar to Mass Effect series. The story is pretty deep and if you liked it that might make it interesting to replay making different choices and seeing the consequences. Also, the developer has a good reputation/image with gamers.

I'd rate it a B. Story is overly complex, combat clunky, map system poorly done. Technically they did a nice job with the graphics vs other 360 games (I played 360 version, not PC version, was offered free with games with gold a few months back).
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1. Wrong forum (PC forum, not crapbox)
2. Comparing the 2 different versions (PC vs cut-down console edition) is bad. FFS, just look at this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5giXgNCh3z8
 
I enjoyed both, but I can understnad some of the sentiments. For me though, Witcher 2 was boring in the intro area. It was in the first town that I got interested and finished the game. Witcher 1 I got bored in chapter 3, but chapter 1/2 was fun. Gameplay did suck for that though. Still enjoyed it a great deal.

I don't think the combat is too great, but I don't think it's bad. Slightly above average imo. It's just difficult to get a handle on. But I'm far from the best player.
 
I stopped playing the Witcher 2 an hour or two in because I couldn't deal with the clunky controls. I really hope they smoothed things out in the Witcher 3.
 
Managed to get 10 hours into it and then I was bored to tears. I was able to deal with the clunky combat/interface but the map was the worst I've ever seen in a modern RPG. Go where? Where the fuck is it?
 
I've tried many times to play the Witcher series, but everytime I just find it... Not fun... And end up playing something else.
 
I really enjoyed the Witcher 1, but had to force myself through the later parts of the game. Witcher 2 is very pretty and is a polished game but I didn't find myself drawn into the story or the gameplay as much as the first. Witcher 2 feels very linear and too much travel by foot.

Looking forward to Witcher 3, but not overly excited about it. I get the feeling Witcher 3 might be a boon for the series much like Inquisition was for Dragon Age.
 
I enjoyed Witcher 2, but I much prefer the first game. I think the story and the combat were both more to my tastes in the original. The second game did feel button-mashy to me. While the combat in the first game with the stances was simple, it was still satisfying.

The first area in W2 was pretty dull (Flotsam I think?). After moving on from the first area, the game got much better IMO.
 
The forests outside of Flotsam I feel was in the running for best visuals (design, aesthetics, and fidelity) at the time.

Strictly statistically speaking way more people are not going to like a game than are going to like it. Even if you look at the most popular mainstream games the amount of people who don't care about them (strictly in terms of actual potential gaming audience) dwarfs those that do. Just look at the best selling console titles for last generation instance and compare title sales vs hardware sales as their is rather reliable and large data set for those.

So I don't really see why people should get concerned about not liking a particular game.
 
Played it some more. Started to grow on me more. Not a fan of the combat/movement still. Story/decisions are somewhat interesting. Turned the difficulty down to easy. Will just try and quickly run through the game so I can finish it quickly since I started it.

dark_reign said:
Managed to get 10 hours into it and then I was bored to tears. I was able to deal with the clunky combat/interface but the map was the worst I've ever seen in a modern RPG. Go where? Where the fuck is it?
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Have to agree here. Lack of details and odd panning.
 
I enjoyed both but mainly due to the story & setting, I can agree with many of gripes regarding controls and how 'fluid' it plays tho.

I've also always felt that when presented with a choice I had to pick the lesser of two evils and that is, for me, a welcome change to the usual 'be holier than thou' or 'evil for evils sake' choices you tend to get.
For Witcher 3 in one of the trailers they said something like 'A world that might not be worth saving' and that was the moment I preordered it.
 
I thought it was fantastic, one of the better RPG's I had played before the current renaissance in isometric RPGs. Had meant to go back and experience the alternative branching story lines but unfortunately its hard to motivate myself to replay games when I have a massive backlog consisting of a hundred or more titles.
 
I loved the first, but I haven't managed to get far in 2. The prologue just goes on and fucking on forever, especially painful if you put the game down for a few months and want to start over when you come back. I've made it to Flotsam about 3 times and then been too burnt out to continue.

That said I've been playing it again recently in preparation for 3 and I've finally (just) made it past that section. Maybe using an xbox controller has helped this time. I totally agree with the complaint about lighting / putting out fires by accident when you're trying to do something else. The one-button-does-all control scheme can get fucked. Not to mention QTEs, but I seem to recall they've already admitted those were a bad idea and won't be in 3.

They took the combat in a weird direction in 2 though, after the super-simple first game, but it's not exactly more complex, just more clunky, and ultimately I'm not that keen on it. And there are loads of upgrades and things, but very little indication of what items you should be aspiring to, or saving up for.

But I still really enjoy the world itself (and the books on which it's based), it feels a lot less "Disney" than something like Elder Scrolls, the main characters are a bit more layered and interesting, not just "the hero" or "the woman".
 
Flogger23m said:
Played it some more. Started to grow on me more. Not a fan of the combat/movement still. Story/decisions are somewhat interesting. Turned the difficulty down to easy. Will just try and quickly run through the game so I can finish it quickly since I started it.



Have to agree here. Lack of details and odd panning.
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I would keep it on normal but add the mod that gives two attribute points per level. Makes the game much more enjoyable and you don't feel stupid OP.

When you get to the elven ruins remember not to get frustrated lol.
 
I hated the first one because the combat was repetitive and the controls sucked. Never got further than a few hours before I uninstalled it.

If you're going to force me to pay such stringent attention to the timing every single time I click the fucking mouse button, it gets old fast. Having to select a new style every time someone sneezes in your general direction - if you insist on me being that interactive with this boring clickfest, give me FPS-style combat like Oblivion any day.

EDIT; while I think about it, the only reason The Witcher got any attention at all was because it bridged a dry spell between Bethesda/Obsidian releases (and Bioware had temporarily ditched the PC for consoles with Mass Effect). No other high-profile RPGs were released that year.

Luckily now that we have the attention of quality RPG makers again, we can ignore painful games like The Witcher.
 
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I liked both games. I highly recommend a controller (360 works great) for Witcher 2. While Witcher 1 works great with KB/M, part 2 doesn't do as well.
 
Kinsaras said:
I liked both games. I highly recommend a controller (360 works great) for Witcher 2. While Witcher 1 works great with KB/M, part 2 doesn't do as well.
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This. It sounds to me like most of the people griping never tried it with a controller. But its definitely the way to go. I used to be one of those idiots that believed there was some badge of honor in "KB/M 4 lyfe" and not letting a controller near my PC, but then I tried a 360 controller with Dark Souls and realized how silly I'd been. You certainly wouldn't play CS:GO with a controller, but 3P exploration games generally don't require twitch aiming, and so for that they're a godsend.
 
defaultluser said:
Luckily now that we have the attention of quality RPG makers again, we can ignore painful games like The Witcher.
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Like what? I'm not interested in the turn-based (or effectively turn-based), super-analytical spreadsheet rpgs, I always found the Elder Scrolls games to be missing any sort of heart or personality, DA:I is probably ok, except it walks the same line between being an action rpg and a retro "pause and line up all the actions for your party" rpg as DA:O which doesn't really appeal to me. Something like Mass Effect is probably the closest in terms of mechanics (and I love a bit of Mass Effect), but, well, that's in space.

I like the world of the Witcher. I can take or leave the combat, but it's a world I enjoy exploring and characters I enjoy learning about. If you're more interested in some sort of swords and sorcery sudoku, or something you must "beat" like Deal Souls, I can see how it wouldn't appeal, but that doesn't mean there are a whole lot of options with a similar action rpg focus.
 
Both Witcher games start slow and aren't very compelling. They eventually open up, although the gameplay for both was never really great. One of those situations where the world makes up for so-so gameplay. #2 was almost like poor-man's Demon's Souls, at least control-wise.
 
It took me a few tries to get going on TW2, mostly because my PC couldn’t run it when it first came out, and it took even more effort for me to go back and play through TW1 after that. Yeah, The Witcher games have horrible controls, movement, combat, and a steep learning curve to start out. TW1 was a lot worse than TW2 in terms of controls and combat, but I managed to make it through that one and enjoyed it thoroughly once I got into it.

You pretty-much have to just stick with them for a few hours until you get used to it, then they are amazing. The storyline, character development, characters you meet along the way, and the richly fleshed out game world all make it a wonderful unique experience.

Unlike any other RPG game I've ever played (and even lots of books and movies), being in the world of The Witcher is like living in a real medieval setting, instead of just a fantasy world where everything is completely made up. Even though it has elves, dwarves, monsters, etc, it just feels more real than any other work of medieval fantasy I've ever experienced.

It's definitely worth enduring the learning curve. And hopefully TW3 will improve on the controls and combat mechanics, though I'm still expecting it to be a little clunky compared to Elder Scrolls or whatever - you just have get the feel of it, then it gets to be amazing fairly quickly.
 
^
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I agree the world feels more real than any other rpg I have played. And it makes you, or at least me more vested in the story, and actually care what happens to the world not just main characters.

Definitely my favorite fantasy rpg.
 
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