When Polish developer CD Projekt released its PC role-playing game The Witcher, last fall, the game received generally high marks from reviewers, but with a small host of caveats. The English-language translation was stilted, load times were lengthy, and some players reported serious stability issues with the game.
Now CD Projekt wants a second chance to make that first impression, as the developer today announced that it will address lingering issues in the game with a rerelease titled The Witcher Enhanced.
"The leading idea during the development of The Witcher Enhanced Edition is to create a game that is devoid of all of the major criticisms levied at the original release," CD Projekt CEO Michal Kiciñski said in a statement.
The developer said the new version will address a host of issues, starting with an 80 percent reduction in load times and increased stability on certain system configurations. CD Projekt said its work will go beyond the scope of a normal game patch, with the English-language translation being completely redone. The world of the Witcher will also sport a little more variety, as the enhanced game will have more than 50 new non-player character models, ensuring adventurers bump into familiar faces a little less often. Other changes include a revamped inventory system and more than 100 new animations and new lip-synching for more natural dialogue scenes.
All those changes will be made available to customers of the original game, but the Witcher Enhanced package will include a number of enticements above and beyond the gameplay changes. The box will include a "making of" DVD, a soundtrack CD, an 80-page instruction booklet, a 112-page official guide, a 50-page short story, and a DVD with the D'jinii Mod Editor, allowing users to make their own adventures. The developers are even including two new adventures with eight new quests between them to start players off.
CD Projekt has given The Witcher Enhanced a May 16 release date in Eastern Europe. The studio is hoping to make that a worldwide release date and is currently in negotiations with various publishing partners.
Brilliant game.
The thought of buying the same game twice almost makes me sick... but then I say to myself, "HELLO, it's the Witcher, not the Sims!" ... and its all right.
*Jaw drops to the floor* WOW!Guess i will just have to wait for this version to come out then.I've been playing the demo lately(which is like, about 8 hours long!) and this game is really fantastic.Release it already!!
Best RPG ever!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The New SW: KOTOR 3 should be like it!
Have a look here: http://pc.ign.com/articles/883/883140p3.html IGN's already encouraging people to buy The Witcher Enhanced Version this summer... September 16th I mean ;)
the Witcher is the best RPG i have ever played....very deep story....i got my copy from gamestop on day first...i was really excited about this game....and it has one of the best CGI intro ....
A very good RPG had the pleasure to play it for 2 days at a relative and its worth buying, specialy this new version WOOT!!
Played demo, enjoyed it, only had 1 crash in 10+ hrs of play (played it thru a couple of times). Combat system & skill upgrades are very cool. You gotta come w/a little strategy b/c you're usually out numbered. It's great to hear they're giving it some more polish & gameplay. I would recommend it b/c it looks good, plays well you can find it for cheap right now.
Might get it if it turns out to be a good improvement.
Long live PC role playing games!!! Make it exclusive for PC!!
That's good! But can they make a game that my PC can run more smooth?
Also 1 more thing, people should stop complaining about being 'beta testers'. Consoles in theroy are WAY easier to make games on. Mainly because theres only ONE PS3 and ONE Xbox360. Whilst there are THOUSANDS of different PC builds. What works on one might not work on another, you cant expect them to get a game perfect on every system first time can you??? Exactly stfu Also, have you ever Beta Tested a game?? No? well i have and they are truly one giant pile of bugs and glitches.
I loved the witcher, i thought it was a great game and surprisingly indepth and unique especially for a companies first game. I think its great how they are redoing the entire game to fix the problems in the original unlike other companies that just say "hey we made a bit of money, screw them". Might buy the redone version just to add to there number of sales, to help encourage these guys to make Witcher 2 or whatever from the lessons they've learned from there first installments.
May 16th now = sometime in September. Bummer.
PC developers just can't win. If they take plenty of time to really polish a game, the fanboys hit the forums whining about how long a game is taking. If they rush it out the gate with a little spitshine and then give you a FREE PATCH that fixes almost everything wrong with it, the fanboys hit the forums and whine they're using us as BETA testers. You know who says that? People who've never even KNOWN a BETA tester. And sometimes these smaller companies (You know, ones that don't have EA, Blizzard, Take-Two or somesuch in their names?) need to put the game out to make money fast so they can keep the studio going. So I'm thrilled that they're doing this, especially since it isn't costing people who bought the game early any extra (another benefit to them not being EA). Deal.
'Enhanced' sounds rather over the top to me, especially since what's been described in the article is, in essence, a patch (since it'll be downloadable), albeit on a larger scale than usual. I think The Witcher 'Finished Edition' would be more appropiate but then, a name's a name. There's only 2 real issues that stand out about the original in my mind. 1st and foremost: there are no scabbards! I don't understand why some devs decide that it would be better to sheath ours swords in...thin air. It's like the swords are magnetically attached to Geralts back, except they're hovering just a few cm's away. Plus - for example - in the final cutscene of the game, Geralt has the steel sword (with scabbard) but not the silver one. Where/when did he lose that? And not once did I see it mentioned that they we're going to add scabbards, though they did say 'among many other changes', so here's hoping that's included. Also, there's that little clipping issue; raindrops falling though roofs, Geralt's hair going straight through his swords, etc. Apart from that, CD-Project have done a pretty damn good job with this game already and they're the 1st company I've heard of who actually seem to care about the critisisms enough to iron the issues out in this way. I only wish Obsidian had done the same with KoTOR 2.
Half the people on here don't have a clue. The added content is free, console games don't guarantee that they are finished and this is a very cool move from the Developer for their game that played fine on my computer and will play even better with the new enhanced version! Thank you.
Cool news. You all can hate on me but I wish it was for a console version of the game... My PC is crap. (Actually, it hit crap status a few years ago…)
It's a shame that I've already played this... for me is difficulty to go back to the same game. BTW, I've realy liked the witcher, and with more models and animations will be even greater... probably one of the bests RPG ever!!!
I loved witcher and I really appreciate the great patch, but it is true we were just beta testers on the PC. Now they're gonna patch it up and release it on the consoles.
Great news!
So you know that games are finished when you buy them on consoles? Its just a patch man! Want me to comment on the fact that if Bioware had bothered to finish Mass Effect, the game wouldn't turn into a powerpoint presentation when the action heated up? Ahhhhhhhh..... Nah!
I will be buying the enhanced version but I would like to see in the package the 'real' dice board game, I would be willing to pay extra for this.
So there is no difference between this release and the collectors edition other than the official guide?
good news, seriously they needed more character models. (think GH3 audience and thats what its like...ok maybe not that bad but still)
The new content and the fixes will be available free of charge for those who already own the game. The "Enhanced version" will be available on the CD for those that don't already own the game. So quit your whining.
I suppose this is a decent announcement...it's good to see that companies, (or, at least this company) cares about what their consumers are saying. Nevertheless, it should be a patch, not an entirely new game. I already gave 50 or so dollars to buy The Witcher, why would I put out more money for exact same plot, just with a few enhancements? That'll mean losing all my current progress, and having to start over... If not getting the so-called 'enhanced version' means my loading times are a bit longer, so be it. I won't be putting out another 50 to get the exact same game.
yeah this announcement is annoying really.... y not just do it right the first time, they knew what would be the issues but they chose not to do it. stupid really
now thats what i called an enhanced version with some seriously awesome extras
now thats what i called an enhanced version with some seriously awesome extras
"litewo, that's why consoles get games year later." Nope. I got Mass Effect and Gears of War, both polished games, long before PC users. I can't believe a developer would ship an unfinished game, then pass off the (supposedly) finished product as an "enhanced" version. They should call it "The Version We Should Have Shipped."
I'm all over it. Usually modders are left to this task. It's good the company itself is stepping up to the plate. Smart move.
This is great news, I already liked the original game now the enhanced version will be even better. Way to go developers!!!!!!!!!!!!
litewo, that's why consoles get games year later. That's why you can do nothing with the game if something is wrong on console. That's why you don't have anything like The Witcher on consoles and will never do. Go play your finished(!) brainless shooters.
This is exactly why players are leaving the PC platform in droves. On a console, you know a game you buy is a finished product. How do Witcher fans feel about paying to be beta testers?
What I did first I downloaded the original Polish sound (I bought russian edition - the only available in local shops). Russian translation sucked too. But what I tell you - it cannot be translated. It has specific language and well... english-speaking people just don't speak in such manner... I doubt they have any analogues. Also it will get AO rating if every word from Polish version will be directly translated. Otherwise it will be as castrated as present translations are. Everything else - that should be a patch really not new version.
QFT E.) a video game company that cares about the people playing the game they created has listened to, fixed and added content for the players.
"A.) Right now pigs are flying out of a frosty hell." Hilarious! LOL "E.) a video game company that cares about the people playing the game they created has listened to, fixed and added content for the players." Complete agree with this comment. More companies should start to listen to the people who play their games. And an absolutely smart move from the people from CD Projekt to give the users that already have the original access to it for free.
This game already went above and beyond my expectations, not it's going even further. I'm impressed.
One of these unbelievable things happened. A.) Right now pigs are flying out of a frosty hell. B.) Osama bin Laden is giving an american a hug. C.) i "really" love my job. D.) Kevin Federline realizes hes white...and stupid. E.) a video game company that cares about the people playing the game they created has listened to, fixed and added content for the players.
This is just insanely awesome. Im gonna buy it again. Full price, and i won't even complain!
Dang! I just started this game and put about 4 hours into it yesterday. Now I want to wait till it gets "enhanced". Oh well, I have other games I can play. This is a very cool thing for a developer to do. I'm very impressed. :)
This is just great news. That is how a developer really cares about its audience.
wow.. this is great It must have been a greater success than I thought Awesome.. I'm a TES and Gothic fan (even though G3 was a bit of a let down).. now I'll be looking into and forward to the Wither too (I mean.. it's getting a mod editor... TES Contruction Set ring a bell?) WOOT FOR A BOOMING GAME INDUSTRY!
Fantastic news - looks like the "enhanced" version will make the game worth playing again. This is one of the few games that i played all the through without a hint book and enjoyed every hour. The release of the first patch made it even better because of the quicker load times. For those who haven't played it - you should, you'll really enjoy it.. My only advice, save often so you can go back in time if you miss something important.
It is confirmed (by cdp & cdpr) that ALL of additional content (re-recorded VO, code improvements, editor, mods etc.) will be avaible for free for registered game owners (as downloadable patch or something :)). So, don't worry :).
I was literally about to go out and buy Witcher but I'll leave it to this comes out now.
"OMG please change the way he runs !!" What's wrong with the way he runs? Anyway, great game.
OMG please change the way he runs !!
Wow, this is amazing. Now if they can just make the voice-acting and script a little less ridiculous...