Publisher: CD Projekt RED / Namco Bandai Partners
Cert: 18+
Platform: Xbox 360
Genre: Action role-playing, hack and slash
The Witcher 2 has finally made its way onto a console and the results are surprisingly good. For the uninitiated, the Witcher 2 tells the tale of a half-man half-demon monster hunter with supernatural powers and is based on a series of cult short stories by Polish author Andrzej Sapkowski. What this means for the gamer is the world of Temeria and its narratives are a cut above the standard hokum found in most games professing grandiosity. This, the enhanced edition, is a port of the award wining 2011 PC game, and it includes all the recent DLC and a revamped interface system designed for console gamers. Although the game isn’t as big or long as Skyrim, the narrative of the Witcher 2 is more varied, personal and mature.
CD Projekt RED have done a good job of shoehorning the PC game onto Xbox 360 but the rather noticeable screen tearing hints at the strain the console is under. That said, the control system and visual interface are a credit to the developer’s determination to make their game accessible. More casual gamers may feel frustrated by the steep learning curve and the relatively unforgiving difficulty levels but there’s a tutorial and an included guidebook for them. Anyway, RPGS are rarely about the casual gamer.
The Witcher 2 is one of the best PC games in recent years and it deserves to find a wider audience on Xbox 360.
Buy or Rent: Buy
Graphics: 3/5
Gameplay: 5/5
Replay Value: 4/5
Overall: 4/5
Reviewed by: Bryan Collins
