The Witcher 2 is a game full of choice and interesting characters, but it's not without its flaws.
General Gameplay - 8/10 - The Witcher 2 does not feature an open world, but there is a decent amount to explore in the available areas. I do wish there were fewer invisible barriers though because it really limited my ability to arrive at locations or explore in my own way. When there is only one possible path, it gets quite frustrating when you accidentally go the wrong way, and I went the wrong way on numerous occasions. I openly admit that I do not have the best sense of direction. I mean, there's a reason I own a GPS device, but I don't think I would have gotten as turned around in The Witcher 2 if the game had a better map. For me, the map was almost entirely useless. I referred to it on plenty of occasions, hoping that somehow it would help me out, but usually I was better off just wandering about and accidentally stumbling upon what I was trying to find. I think the map would have been much more successful if it had actually labeled locations more clearly, such as important characters' homes, and incorporated a waypoint that did not jump around whenever it felt like it. A compass would have been helpful too. On the other hand, I really liked the crafting, alchemy, and conversation systems. Crafting allowed me to create the best equipment in the game, and this made battles much more approachable. In addition, materials for crafting were abundant in the game world, and generally I did not have trouble locating these. Alchemy was great because it gave me the option of making my own bombs, which I used often in combat, and potions. In the end, this saved me a lot of in-game money. Lastly, I love dialogue in RPGs, and I enjoy choice, so it was great to have so many options. I could be a helpful, considerate person or a total jerk. It was up to me. I could also choose to side with different people in the game, and this influenced the way entire chapters played out. Because of that, the game is worth at least two playthroughs.
Combat - 8.5/10 - I've seen a lot of people complain about the combat system and level of difficulty, and I agree that it's not perfect, but I honestly didn't have a huge problem with it. The Witcher 2 is a game in which leveling up is necessary before attempting to fight higher level enemies. I've played plenty of similar RPGs, so this didn't bother me, and my experience with The Witcher helped too. In terms of build, I put the majority of my points in the Sword tree, but I did level up bomb-making (Alchemy tree) and both the Aard and Quen signs (Magic tree). There were some great abilities such as the dodge roll that helped me out a number of times, and I relied on both bombs and the aforementioned signs as well. Combat was let down by some inconsistencies and trouble hitting enemies. For example, I leveled up the Quen sign, a defensive barrier, all the way, but the minute an enemy hit me my barrier went down. This would be fine if the same thing happened with enemies, but that was not the case. If an NPC had Quen up, it was pretty much impossible for me to break through his/her barrier. It didn't matter how many times I stabbed the person or how many bombs I threw. It seems to me as if there should have been some balance. In terms of hitting enemies, sometimes I could not make contact with a foe who was right in front of me. I'm not sure what was up with that, but it was definitely frustrating in the heat of battle.
Story - 7/10 - There's been a lot of praise heaped on The Witcher 2 for its story, and the game certainly had its interesting moments, but in many ways I found the narrative convoluted and disjointed. There was a lot going on plot-wise in The Witcher 2. Complex plots are great, and I certainly welcome depth in storytelling, but these things in and of themselves do not equal a strong story. I wasn't truly emotionally invested in the game, especially toward the end when I should have been the most engaged. In my opinion, the story began with a bang, and I was definitely invested, but the plot lost steam as the game progressed. I had to consistently remind myself what the focus of the main plot even was, and some of the various rulers and their different stances did not come across as clearly as I'd hoped. I did really enjoy the plot line in which Geralt recovered memories and worked to discover more about his past, but I wish I'd cared more about the present. At the end of the game, I found myself looking forward to The Witcher 3 because of my interest in Geralt's past relationship with Yennefer, so I hope the story moves in that direction. From what I've read, that looks to be the case. I also want to add that the dialogue was great and also believable, so I appreciated that.
Character Customization (8/10), Depiction (7/10), and Development (9/10) - (average) 8/10 - In terms of character customization prior to gameplay, there's none, so this is not the game for you if you only play games where you can build your own character. You play as Geralt, and he has his own distinct personality. You do get to make decisions throughout the game, which is great, but Geralt is still Geralt. I mean, you're influencing his actions by making these decisions, but he's not a truly dynamic character, although he is well-developed. The other main characters are, for the most part, well-developed also, and this added depth and interest to the story. Of course, you also get to choose whether Geralt specializes in alchemy, magic, or the sword, and that makes for some fun decisions too. I also liked the way certain females, such as Saskia, were portrayed as strong, positive, and important figures. Not all games contain the same. Also, CD Projekt Red should be commended for tackling sexuality and making it clear that the game is meant for adults. However, their attempt is not without its flaws, although I'm sure the experience varies from playthrough to playthrough. For me, with the exception of perhaps Triss, there was zero depth to any of Geralt's other trysts. I mean, sure they were fun and entertaining, but they didn't portray anything meaningful, and they certainly didn't add to the story. I will say that they are optional, so you don't have to take part, but I did because I had hoped it would lead to additional interesting character interactions, but it didn't. I did play The Witcher though, so I think I was expecting a little too much there. After all, things have improved greatly since the time of the collector cards. I do hope CD Projekt Red continues to present positive female characters like Saskia who are more than just eye candy. Unfortunately, a lot (not all) of the other female characters were portrayed as either conniving, power hungry women or dependent, sex objects.
Graphics - 9/10 - In my opinion, the graphics were very good but perhaps not quite to the level of hype surrounding them. Of course, playing on the 360 took things down a notch too. I installed the game to my HD, so I didn't experience super long load times or constant graphical problems like other reviewers. There were some weird issues like Triss' hair popping around, but it all seemed pretty minor to me. Overall, I thought the game looked nice, and I think they did a great job with the character models.
Voice Acting - 9.5/10 - The voice acting in The Witcher 2 was definitely top notch. I was almost always impressed by the performances of the various actors. They helped create believable and entertaining characters. However, I did not particularly care for the voice acting done for Triss. I found her voice grating and honestly pretty dull. I understand they changed her voice actor from the first game, and I wish they hadn't.
Music/Sound Effects - 9/10 - The music was good too, and I enjoyed listening. My only minor gripe with sound is that the other effects were really loud. I had to turn the volume of general sound down almost all the way just so the chirping of birds didn't drown everything else out. Other than that easy fix, the rest was great.
Controls/Menus - 8/10 - The controls were fine, and I easily adapted, but I usually do in the majority of games. My biggest issue was that sometimes they were not responsive during combat. It's no fun to persistently jab a button while Geralt just stands there nonplussed. In combat, this can result in death. The menus were okay but perhaps a bit too complex. In the beginning, it took me a while to get the hang of all the different options/screens. If you're new to the RPG genre, you will definitely find them clunky, and veteran RPG gamers will probably admit the same although the style is nothing new.
To wrap things up, I would definitely say that The Witcher 2 is worth playing. I'm an RPG lover, so I like to give most games in the genre a chance, and I'd say go for it if you're like me. The game has a lot of good things like cool characters, great voice acting, and some fun gameplay elements. I wouldn't call it groundbreaking though, and it's not without its flaws. The story of a man trying to recover his memory has been done before and more successfully in my opinion. Play Planescape: Torment if you're skeptical. Of course, you'll have to deal with outdated graphics, but it's well worth it. Anyway, I do recommend The Witcher 2, but I would say to approach the game with an open mind and not crazy high expectations. You might think it's the greatest game ever, but you might not. In the end, I think the interesting characters and various choices in the game are the best things about it. I plan on eventually playing through the game again and doing things a lot differently. After all, gaming is at least partly about escaping to different worlds and doing things you'd probably never do in reality, so a game full of choices is a great way to do that.