Video Game Reviews
The Witcher 2 Cover Art
The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings
CD Projekt Red kind of came out of nowhere a few years back and delivered a game that would quickly become a cult smash-hit.
The Witcher introduced us to a unique fantasy setting in which the hero, Geralt of Rivia, plied his trade as a monster hunter called a Witcher.
Not quite human anymore, the Witcher is a creature who’s prowess at fighting is renowned, and Geralt was top of his class.
The original game truly was a diamond in the rough, devoid of a lot of the hype that often surrounds games and, happily, a pleasant surprise for anyone who tried it out. A sequel was pretty much inevitable.
Wither 2 Screenshots
Assassins of Kings
That sequel has arrived in the form of The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings. Supported by considerably more fanfare that the previous game, this second title from CD Projekt Red once again demonstrates that this particular development studio is more interested in quality over quantity.
The player once again assumes the role of Geralt. The game begins with the hero as a prisoner in a dungeon, where he is interrogated regarding the events that make up the prologue. From there, it’s off into a wide world of adventure that will have RPG fans drooling.
The Witcher 2 Graphics Are Superb
The Witcher 2 Excellent Sequel
To call the story in The Witcher 2 expansive is something of an understatement. The game features four different beginnings, and 16 possible endings.
If the player still has saved games from the original game on their PC, those will come into play, too. Each decision the player makes and each action they undertake has the potential to spin the tale off in a new direction, even if it is not obvious at the time that the decision is made.
That’s something that CD Projekt Red are good at; delivering a subtly branching plot line that, while it still follow a general course, delivers varied experiences for different players - and even play-throughs. Decisions made might have obvious consequences fairly early in the tale, or may come back to haunt the player a long way down the line.
The Witcher 2 Exploring
This is the masterful approach to the multi-branched plot in evidence. The story isn’t the only complex part of this game. In fact, the whole thing is pretty intricate. Aside from careful made choices and well-picked actions, the player will also have to deal with several other complexities – not least of which is the character of Geralt himself. The player does not get to choose what he looks like, or what his class and race is. This is prescribed. Even so, there is a lot that the player can do to personalise this unique and interesting character.
Like all role playing games, the player will gain experience and levels as the game progresses. These allow him to choose to improve skills in four branches of the game’s skill tree. Further, certain skills can be modified with mutagens, that improve the player in various permanent ways.
Aside from character progression, the player will be able to modify Geralt in terms of equipment, whether it be armour, weapons, potions or modifiers applied to existing equipment. The player will be able to use alchemy skills to create potions and bombs, gathering needed ingredients in the massive game world. The player will also be able to have certain specialised equipment crafted by in-game craftsmen, and will naturally be able to gather a wide variety of weapons and other equipment as they explore their surroundings and defeat enemies.
The Witcher 2 Fighting
The Witcher 2 Verdict
The Witcher 2 is complex, deep, challenging and extremely satisfying; it’s awesome depth and rich, massive setting will suck you in and have you spending many hours in Geralt’s beautifully crafted reality. It’s games like this that makes being a gamer great, despite a handful of flaws, and it stands testament to the skill of CD Projekt Red.
We cannot wait to see more from this studio – particularly if those games deal with the awesome world of the Witcher.
Verdict:
The Witcher 2 is an excellent example of what a RPG video game should be: deep, complex, challenging and utterly engrossing.
Developer: CD Projekt Red
Publisher: Namco Bandai
Distributor: Megarom
Platform: PC
L.A. Noire Summary
La Noire is an open world Game made by Rockstar Games and takes place in Los Angeles in the 40's. You play Phelps a police officer who climbs the ranks from patrolman through traffic, vice and arson by collecting clues and solving crimes.
The Game is very addicting if you like Games like GTA and although repetitive at times there are a lot of crimes to solve and places to explore which makes this Game entertaining.
The storyline and missions are based on real situations and what makes the game play unique is how it allows you to use your intuition and analyze the suspects body language, eye movements and crime scenes to solve the case.
L.A. Noire Screenshots
When I first got the Game I spent almost 6 hours playing it straight. There was a few quirks in the Game but nothing major that I would give it a bad rating. The vehicle movements and the driving are the same as GTA which in my opinion is one of the best Games when it comes to driving. While you are searching for clues it uses vibration and chimes to indicate objects you can examine and when you find clues you can open use your notebook to perform your investigations and write down clues for examination later when trying to solve the cases.
There are several ways to upgrade your character, when you interrogate suspects and witnesses you will gain intuition points if you get them to talk and give up the information.
If you fail to get useful information because you ask the wrong questions and read their body language wrong then the task of solving the case is much more difficult.
La Noire is an open world Game made by Rockstar Games and takes place in Los Angeles in the 40's. You play Phelps a police officer who climbs the ranks from patrolman through traffic, vice and arson by collecting clues and solving crimes.
The Game is very addicting if you like Games like GTA and although repetitive at times there are a lot of crimes to solve and places to explore which makes this Game entertaining.
The storyline and missions are based on real situations and what makes the game play unique is how it allows you to use your intuition and analyze the suspects body language, eye movements and crime scenes to solve the case.
L.A. Noire Screenshots
When I first got the Game I spent almost 6 hours playing it straight. There was a few quirks in the Game but nothing major that I would give it a bad rating. The vehicle movements and the driving are the same as GTA which in my opinion is one of the best Games when it comes to driving. While you are searching for clues it uses vibration and chimes to indicate objects you can examine and when you find clues you can open use your notebook to perform your investigations and write down clues for examination later when trying to solve the cases.
There are several ways to upgrade your character, when you interrogate suspects and witnesses you will gain intuition points if you get them to talk and give up the information.
If you fail to get useful information because you ask the wrong questions and read their body language wrong then the task of solving the case is much more difficult.
