I’ve yet to unlock most of my swordsmanship abilities

Posted by Rousutt Rousutt over 6 months ago

 In the first chapter of the game, we’re introduced to the racial tensions that undergird Temeria and its peoples. Dwarves and elves are second-class citizens, confined to ghettos and reservations. Bands of outlaws live in the forests, running something of aguerrillawar against the humans, while the uneasy peace between “elder races” and humankind results in bloodshed in the human settlements. In chapter one, this tension ultimately results in a riot in Flotsam, a bloody pogrom against the non-humans. The quests so far have been slightly more in-depth than in many RPGs I’ve played. Before setting out to kill off monsters, you first must learn something of their lore. This can be done by finding a book on the subject of your hunt. The more interesting quests involve the main storyline, however. The side-quests serve something of a tutorial purpose, and help strengthen Geralt, but offer little else. I’ve said it before, but the nature of side-quests in most RPGs – especially the “Kill Five of X and Return to Y” grinding – is tiresome. No matter how lovely The Witcher 2may be, I did weary of some of these quests. On the other hand, the drunkard troll at the bridge was a great deal of fun. Not the sort of beast I’d want to drink vodka with, but one of the most interesting characters in the game so far. Cutscenes loom large in The Witcher 2, and I’m still of a mixed mind on them. The writing is actually remarkably good, and by and large so is the voice-acting. However, the limitations of computer http://www.rsgaming.com animation continually rear their ugly heads. Arm gestures are uniformly awkward and immersion-killing. I want everyone in the game to just stop moving their hands and arms while talking. It’s distracting. The writing and acting are good, and the story is engaging and full of mystery, but I do think it drags on at times. To be honest, it’s one of the most well written stories I’ve encountered in a role-playing-game in quite some time, but it’s still a bit long-winded for my taste. Then again, I’m hopelessly impatient when it comes to storytelling in video Runescape games. I also find combat in the game somewhat lacking. It’s better than Skyrimbut it, too, lacks some of that oomph that makes action Runescape games work. Click-and-slash wears thin too quickly, and the magic signs, traps, and bombs – while they do improve tactics – don’t do enough to make combat as engaging as it ought to be. On hard difficulty, some of the fights can be truly punishing, but I’m still deciding how I feel about combat in general. It could be better, especially with an improved defensive mechanism and less button mashing. Then again, I’ve yet to unlock most of my swordsmanship abilities, and maybe the combat improves along with the rest of the game. Overall, Chapter One was a lot of fun. I marveled at the detail in each costume and across the terrain. Flotsam was an interesting hodge-podge of politics and intrigue, of racial tension and brutal self-interest.