The Witcher: Enhanced Edition Director's Cut
Steam StoreРазработчик: CD PROJEKT RED
Описание
Check out other games from CD PROJEKT RED
Check out other games from CD PROJEKT RED
About the Game
The Witcher is a role-playing game set in a dark fantasy world where moral ambiguity reigns. Shattering the line between good and evil, the game emphasizes story and character development, while incorporating a tactically-deep, real-time combat system.Become The Witcher, Geralt of Rivia, and get caught in a web of intrigue woven by forces vying for control of the world. Make difficult decisions and live with the consequences in a game that will immerse you in an extraordinary tale like no other.
KEY FEATURES
GERALT OF RIVIA: A ONE-OF-A-KIND PROTAGONIST- Take on the role of Geralt of Rivia: a charismatic swordmaster and professional monster slayer.
- Choose from over 250 special abilities, combat skills and magical powers to build a character best suited to your style of play.
ORIGINAL FANTASY WORLD DRAWN FROM LITERATURE
- Enter a harsh fantasy world inspired by the writings of renowned Polish author Andrzej Sapkowski, where nothing is truly black or white, right or wrong.
NON-LINEAR STORYLINE
- Immerse yourself in an epic narrative full of turns, twists and ambiguous moral decisions which have real impact on the storyline.
- Accomplish quests in a variety of ways and see how the narrative culminates in one of three different endings depending on your actions.
STUNNING TACTICAL ACTION
- Engage in elaborate, yet intuitive real-time combat based on real medieval sword-fighting techniques.
- Battle using six combat styles, dozens of potions, complex alchemy system, modifiable weapons and powerful magic which all add tactical depth to the fluid real-time experience.
- Motion capture performed by medieval fighting experts at Frankfurt's renowned Metric Minds studio, resulting in 600 spectacular and authentic in-game combat animations.
ABOUT THE WITCHER: ENHANCED EDITION
The Witcher: Enhanced Edition takes all of the acclaimed gameplay that garnered the original game more than 90 industry awards and introduces a number of gameplay and technical improvements.- Superior dialogue and cutscenes: Over 5000 rewritten and re-recorded lines of dialogue in English, completely redone German language version, as well as over 200 new gesture animations create a more consistent experience and make characters behave more believably in dialogue and cutscenes.
- Enhanced inventory: A separate sack for alchemy ingredients, as well as a simple sort-and-stack function streamline item organization and usage.
- Technical improvements: Numerous technical enhancements feature greatly reduced loading times, improved stability, combat responsiveness, faster inventory loading, an option to turn auto-saving on or off, and more.
- Character differentiation system: The system randomizes the appearance of dozens of in-game models in order to add more variety to monsters and NPCs.
The Witcher Enhanced Edition comes with these bonus items:
- An interactive comic book
- D'jinni Adventure Editor
- Two new adventures offering 5+ hours of gameplay
- Official Soundtrack
- “Music Inspired by The Witcher” album
- “Making of” videos
- Official Game Guide
- Two maps of The Witcher's world
Поддерживаемые языки: english, french, german, spanish - spain, italian, czech, russian, hungarian, polish, traditional chinese (text only)
Системные требования
Windows
- Supported OS: Microsoft® Windows® /XP/Vista
- DirectX Version: DirectX 9.0c (included) or higher
- Processor: Intel Pentium 4 2.4 GHz or Athlon 64 +2800 (Intel Pentium 4 3.0 GHz or AMD Athlon 64 +3000 recommended). Athlon XP series, such as the Athlon XP +2400, is not supported
- Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce 6600 or ATI Radeon 9800 or better (NVIDIA GeForce 7800 GTX or ATI Radeon X1950 XT or better recommended)
- Memory: 1 GB RAM (2 GB RAM recommended)
- Sound: DirectX version 9.0c-compatible sound card
- Hard Drive: 15 GB Free
Mac
- OS: macOS 11.0, macOS 12.0, and macOS 13.0
- Processor: Intel Core i5 or Apple silicon (M1/M2)
- Memory: 4 GB of RAM
- Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce GT 650m (1440x900), AMD Radeon HD 6750M (1440x900), Intel HD 5000 (1366x768), or Apple silicon (M1/M2)
- Hard Drive: 14.25 GB free space
Display compatibility notice: 1440x900 resolution is the recommended resolution for best performance. It is not recommended to use native Retina resolutions.
- OS: OS: macOS 11.0, macOS 12.0, and macOS 13.0
- Processor: Processor: Intel Core i5, Core i7, or Apple silicon (M1/M2)
- Memory: 4GB RAM
- Graphics: Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce GT 650m (1440x900), AMD Radeon HD 6970M (1920x1080), Intel Iris Pro 5200 (1440x900), or Apple silicon (M1/M2)
- Hard Drive: 14.25 GB free space
Display compatibility notice: 1440x900 resolution is the recommended resolution for best performance. It is not recommended to use native Retina resolutions.
Отзывы пользователей
A rough gem with an awesome story and a wonky/horrible combat system. Worthy for rpg fans and people who do not mind a bit of an old school jank
I did a replay in 2017 to export a 'personalized' save for Witcher 2/3, but I guess I didn't do it on Steam with screenshots and all, thereby not 'officially enough', so here we are : )
CD Projekt has a long history of releasing unfinished games, and this was no different in 2007. Witcher I uses the tried-and-true Aurora engine of Neverwinter Nights fame, so the numerous bugs in the pre-Enhanced Edition weren't really of the 'fall through the floor, crash to desktop' kind. There were unfinishable quests, scripted events that wouldn't trigger if you did things in a 'bad' order, etc. When the EE dropped, 99% of the bugs were gone, there was voice-acting in something like nine languages, and loading time issues were gone.
Mods I used:
- https://www.nexusmods.com/witcher/mods/256 - there are a lot of mailman quests, and being a quick runner helps. It's a bit of a cheat since you can outmanoeuvre enemies far too well, but I don't mind cheating. WeMod has good support for Witcher I, btw.
- https://www.nexusmods.com/witcher/mods/657 - they say there's a part of a quest missing, and this mod restores it.
- https://www.nexusmods.com/witcher/mods/659 - make Leuvaarden buy an infinite amount of Salamandra badges off you.
- https://www.nexusmods.com/witcher/mods/688 - I wasn't particularly impressed with dice poker, so this helped me get on with it.
I used this wiki not to miss anything: https://witcher.fandom.com/wiki/The_Witcher_quests
A classic, to be sure.
---{ Graphics }---
☐ You forget what reality is
☐ Beautiful
☑ Good
☐ Decent
☐ Bad
☐ Don‘t look too long at it
☐ MS-DOS
---{ Gameplay }---
☑ Very good
☐ Good
☐ It's just gameplay
☐ Mehh
☐ Watch paint dry instead
☐ Just don't
---{ Audio }---
☐ Eargasm
☐ Very good
☐ Good
☑ Not too bad
☐ Bad
☐ I'm now deaf
---{ Audience }---
☐ Kids
☑ Teens
☑ Adults
☐ Grandma
---{ PC Requirements }---
☐ Check if you can run paint
☑ Potato
☐ Decent
☐ Fast
☐ Rich boi
☐ Ask NASA if they have a spare computer
---{ Difficulty }---
☐ Just press 'W'
☐ Easy
☐ Easy to learn / Hard to master
☐ Significant brain usage
☑ Difficult
☐ Dark Souls
---{ Grind }---
☐ Nothing to grind
☐ Only if u care about leaderboards/ranks
☐ Isn't necessary to progress
☑ Average grind level
☐ Too much grind
☐ You'll need a second live for grinding
---{ Story }---
☐ No Story
☐ Some lore
☑ Average
☐ Good
☐ Lovely
☐ It'll replace your life
---{ Game Time }---
☐ Long enough for a cup of coffee
☐ Short
☐ Average
☑ Long
☐ To infinity and beyond
---{ Price }---
☐ It's free!
☑ Worth the price
☐ If it's on sale
☐ If u have some spare money left
☐ Not recommended
☐ You could also just burn your money
---{ Bugs }---
☑ Never heard of
☐ Minor bugs
☐ Can get annoying
☐ ARK: Survival Evolved
☐ The game itself is a big terrarium for bugs
---{ ? / 10 }---
☐ 1
☐ 2
☐ 3
☐ 4
☐ 5
☐ 6
☐ 7
☑ 8
☐ 9
☐ 10
I lost all my money at poker, against a prostitute.
The world of the Witcher is truly a cruel, unforgiving place.
Edit: I later managed to defeat her and actually helped her with her quest and she didn't even let me smash. What a bïtch.
Don't listen to people saying to skip this game. Its a little flawed in comparison to the others, and the combats ass but you quickly get used to it. it has tons of charm and the quest lines and characters are great. Its really fun overall. I recommend playing this one first if you haven't played any witcher games before. Dont skip its actually a gem in my worthless and skewed opinion. I rate it 12 thumbs up so theres that.
Some games make the player ask questions about morality, science or life itself.
This one makes you ask different kinds of questions, such as:
What the hell is going on?
What the fuck am I doing?
How the fuck do I complete this mission?
What was that button again?
So... who is this character?
How can I bang her?
Regardless: Still one of the best fantasy RPGs out there.
I bought all 3 Witcher games as part of a bundle, and played them chronologically with no previous experience with the series. Boy, am I glad I trudged through this.
While the gameplay is janky and graphics a little lackluster (by 2020 standards, I'm a spoiled bih), I remain impressed by the depth of the writing and how the choices you makes reflect on the npcs around you.
If you're going into the Witcher for story, highly recommend buying and playing, especially since it goes on sale so often. The Witcher is a rare series that gets exponentially better with each release, so I feel that having the knowledge of 1 going into 2 really helped elevate the experience. 3 stole my heart and refuses to give it back.
Would I play this game again?
Hell naw. But I'm glad I did it.
Should you still play the Witcher 1 in 2020?
That’s a fair question to ask, considering that this game is now 13 years old with its release in October 2007.
Cons
With a game that is 13 years old, it’s clear that its age will show in some aspects. One of these is the outdated graphics . (Especially if you play without any mods, like I did). Also, there aren't a lot of different character models for the NPC’s, so you will encounter a lot of clones. Personally, this didn’t bother me that much, but it may be distracting for some players.
The game has a slow start . In the beginning, you may find yourself annoyed by the point and click combat or the slow start to the story. But I will promise you, the game really does get better the further you get. After some time, I even found myself enjoying the combat, I just needed to get used to it.
The Navigation was a bit frustrating. It’s really annoying how often the direct way is blocked so you have to walk all the way around, even though you can already see your destination.
There is no fast traveling. During some parts of the game, you can teleport to certain locations, but that doesn’t change the fact that 40% of your play time will just be walking around from one place to another, which can feel a bit annoying at times, especially considering the amount of backtracking needed if you really want to finish all side quests and contracts.
Fighting feels very clunky. There is no active dodging, and if you get stunned when fighting more than two enemies, you can proceed to grab a cup of tea while watching said enemies slowly beat Geralt to death because no matter how frantically you press your keys, you will not get out of that situation.
There is no animation cancelling. Animations have to finish before you can start doing something else. After you drink a potion or eat something, Geralt has to stand still for the whole duration of the animation before you can move or drink another potion. This may be intended but feels unnatural and a bit clunky. Every normal person can move while drinking, especially while being chased by monsters. But our Geralt here is different. He likes to drink his potions in peace of mind, as if he has all the time in the world, not minding the monsters attacking him while doing so.
If you play on normal difficulty, the game will be too easy , especially later on. The only boss fight that felt challenging to me was the Chapter 1 boss fight, because I hadn’t levelled my Aard sign at all (note that with levelled Aard sign, it is also very easy). But the later boss fights, especially the final ones in Chapter 5 and the epilogue, are way too easy if you know how to use alchemy and signs. Because of that, I recommend playing the game on the hardest difficulty and not on normal difficulty.
Also, you can’t pick up loot during combat. The game makes you wait around 3 seconds after combat finishes before you are allowed to pick something up.
In conclusion , the negative points mostly concern the lack of convenience we are used to from newer games. Most of these points only caused me minor frustration and didn’t stop me from playing and enjoying the game.
Pros
It’s worth discovering how the story of the Witcher games started, because it’s a great, immersive story. For someone who read all the books and already played Witcher 3, it was a great experience to discover how the games continue to develop the story from the books.
The world . The world of the Witcher is grey and cruel, but it’s also rich in lovable and humorous characters and filled with a lot of lore to discover. Most characters are layered and have good reasons for their actions; almost no one is just evil for the sake of being evil but rather convinced that what they are doing is the right thing.
The choices you make affect the story. A lot of times, there are various outcomes to a quest based on your decisions. The world isn’t simply black and white. The developers stayed true to Andrzej Sapkowski’s notion of “Choosing the lesser evil” from the books. Even though the most canon choice is to stay neutral in the conflict presented in the game, it is up to the player if he wants to side with one of the two factions (Sco’iatel or Order of the Flaming Rose) or not.
The soundtrack : This game has one of the best video game soundtracks imo, the music helps creating an immersive atmosphere.
The levelling system : You can personalize the combat by putting skills in magic signs, alchemy, bombs or the different sword styles.
Combat tactics : I love the fact that you have be tactical in combat and that alchemy and signs actually matter. In order to deal damage, it is crucial to pick the right sword (silver for monsters and steel for humans), the right style and to use the right potions. You can’t just mindlessly slice through enemies
play time : There are a lot of things to do in the Witcher, there are a lot of side quests, contracts and trophies. If you don’t plan on rushing the main story, you have around 50 hours of content.
Price: I picked it up for like 1-2 Euro on sale, and the amount of content you get for the price is amazing.
Conclusion
The worst part of this game is definitely its controls and the general inconvenience, which may make it feel like a slog to some players. But if you manage to get used to that, it’s still a very good game with a great world and story. I recommend the game to everyone who isn't too bothered by aged controls and I think it's still worth your time to play this game in 2020.
“Evil is Evil. Lesser, greater, middling… Makes no difference. The degree is arbitrary. The definition’s blurred. If I’m to choose between one evil and another… I’d rather not choose at all.”
― Andrzej Sapkowski, The Last Wish
I've never played this game before so I've decided it's about time since I love The Witcher universe & I was looking for games to remind me of the good old times during this quarantine. What I didn't expect was to be quarantined in game due to "catriona". Coincidence? I think not.
But all jokes aside, this is a great game & it really gave me that nostalgic feeling I was looking for. Despite clunky combat, backtracking simulator, old graphics- it still has its charm & a great story that keeps me going. 7/10
Not just a game, but a lifestyle!
After the release of The Witcher 3 game, more and more people have been taking an interest in the first one. Everyone wants to know if this game is worth playing or if it's OK to just skip to the 2nd or even the 3rd game.
- My answer to that is simply YES !
I believe that playing this first one is important to the story, even more so after The Witcher TV series came out. Several people in that series are seen or at least mentioned in the 1st game.
If you are new to The Witcher games and are about to start, you must first understand that these games are very long and not intended for casual gamers.
It took me just a little over 2 weeks to finish the first game, but I don't regret it all all, In fact, I consider it a real conquest and time well spend.
You don't just play though the Witcher games, you imerse yourself in them and start to live them as you play. From reading about people, monsters, and locations, to preparing potions for the next fight, this game requires you to study and prepare.
Because this game is really old at this point and everyone really just wants to get to the 3rd game, I recommend doing these two things:
- Play the game on EASY.
Trust me, it won't be that easy, but at least it will save you a bit of time.
- Install some visual mods.
Don't worry, it's easy to do and they make the game look a lot younger. Still old, but a lot easier to tolerate.
Because I mentioned using visual mods, here is a short list to get you started:
- Rise of the White Wolf Enhanced Edition (Nexus mods)
- The Witcher Overhaul Project (Nexus mods)
- Hi-Res Character Models (ModDB)
- Geralt Face Retexture (Nexus mods)
- Perfect Blood (ModDB)
- Realistic Moon (ModDB)
[*]Perfect Rain (ModDB)
To break the game down into chapters:
Prologue
You will hate yourself for playing this weird, old, and ugly game.
Chapter 1
It will feel slow, you won't like the combat, and it will look ugly.
Chapter 2
Everything will look a lot bigger and feel a lot slower, but you start to get used to the combat and visuals.
Chapter 3
Everything is even bigger, but you feel at home and are now used to everything.
Chapter 4
Things will feel a bit more relaxed as you take a break from the normal world.
Chapter 5
Everything has gone to shit and you are stuck in the middle of it, but once you get some important quests out of the way, you won't care as much about the small details.
Epilogue
You will feel a sense of accomplishment and will look forward to playing the 2nd game.
~ DIFFICULTY ~
🔲 My 90 year old grandma could play it
🔲 Easy
✅ Normal
🔲 Hard
🔲 Dark Souls/Sekiro
~ GRAPHICS ~
🔲 MS Paint
🔲 Bad
🔲 Meh
✅ Graphics dont matter in this game
🔲 Good
🔲 Beautiful
🔲 Masterpiece
~ MUSIC ~
🔲 Bad
🔲 Not special
🔲 Good
✅ Beautiful
~ STORY ~
🔲 This game has no story
🔲 Like playing Temple Runners for the story
🔲 It's there for the people who want it
🔲 Well written
🔲 Epic story
✅ Imagine Kingdom Hearts but on crack
~ PRICE ~
🔲 Free
🔲 Underpriced
✅ Perfect Price
🔲 Could be cheaper
🔲 Overpriced
🔲 Complete waste of money
~ REQUIREMENTS ~
✅ You can run it on a microwave
🔲 Average
🔲 High end
🔲 NASA computer
~ LENGTH ~
🔲 Very Short (0 - 2 hours)
🔲 Short (2 - 15 hours)
✅ Average (15-50 hours)
🔲 Long (50-90 hours)
🔲 Extremely long (90-110 hours)
🔲 No ending
~ FUN ~
🔲 I'd rather watch paint dry
🔲 Hard to enjoy
🔲 Repetitive
🔲 Actually pretty amusing
✅ The kind of fun youll remember
🔲 Ride of your life
~ REPLAYABILITY~
🔲 It's a one-time experience
🔲 Only for achievements
✅ If you wait a few months/years
🔲 Definitely
🔲 Infinitely replayable
~ WORTH BUYING ~
🔲 No
🔲 Wait for sale
✅ Yes
I have owned these games for a long time, but after watching the Netflix series i told myself i was going to play through them. I am starting with the first game. The game is starting to show its age (12 years old) but once you get used it, and the controls/combat it's a lot of fun. 8 hours in and i just started Act 2.
The Witcher has a very special place in my heart because this game changed the way how I looked at RPGs. I can't describe this masterpiece but I'm here to give you a review so lets get started. I'll try my best to give you detailed pros and cons for the first Witcher game in the trilogy.
Pros
+The Witcher series is best known for its story telling. This game is no exception.
+One of the very few games to blur the lines between good and evil from the start to the end..
+Serious, mature storytelling within high fantasy universe.
+Probably has the best soundtrack and music in the trilogy.
+Memorable characters and locations with strong background and stories.
+Choices you make have actual game changing consequences.
+Potions can be used mid-battle and you could pause while combat for strategic view.
+Nearly every quest is unique and detailed.
+Multiple endings, deep branching quests.
+Can be enjoyed by casuals as the entire game can be played with just a mouse.
+Steam cloud support
+Supports Windows 10 as well as older Windows operating systems.
+The developers and the creative crew has spent a lot of time working on the source material, game's setting, characters, creatures, dialogues and lore. Thousands of lines were recorded in multiple variations.
Cons
-This might sound very odd but its almost as if the entire combat is rhythm based.
-Terrifyingly awful character models. Oh what have they done to you Geralt, you poor thing!
-Combat is very clunky, dated and sometimes even unresponsive.
-Voice acting is very inconsistent.
-Every single character in the game is poorly animated.
-The story suffers from some pacing issues.
-After a certain point you'll realize most places you visit are dull and use recycled assets
-Long loading times and poorly directed cutscenes.
-Lot of backtracking. The promised fast travel option never made it to the final release.
-A.I can be pretty dumb. This applies to both enemies as well as NPCs
-PC version lacks full controller support
-Few bugs and glitches here and there
-No Steam achievements
-The Witcher hasn't aged very well as compared to its sequel but I think you can forgive it as its been made using a very limited budget.
Should You Buy The Witcher??
Well absolutely yeah!!! You're looking at one of the best and well crafted games in the industry. The Witcher easily became one of my favorite games in the list. While it be really good for some it's not something revolutionary or ground breaking.
I'd also like to point out that this game is a direct continuation to the Witcher novels by Polish writer Andrzej Sapkowski so expect few references from the previous events and characters in the books here and there. The overall plot isn't deeply connected with the third game except for the very end. This game introduced Andrej Sapkowski's universe to the whole world (despite the fact he doesn't really like the games; reason - money).
-One of the reason the game looks a bit unnatural and suffers from technical issues can be explained with that fact that CD Projekt Red decided to use Aurora game engine from Bioware. Aurora was a very dated game engine last used to build Neverwinter Nights in 2002 and since then wasn't touched until The Witcher's release in 2007. The problem doesn't end there. Aurora engine was designed for games with isometric in mind and The Witcher was developed as a third person open world role playing game with complex animation and cutscenes. The engine was deeply overhauled and customized to suit CDPR's needs. Hundreds of bugs and technical errors were fixed a year later with the Enhanced Edition patch. They also tried their best to reduce long loading times but it didn't always work out. In simple words, they pushed the bars of the tools that were available to them.
The Witcher is also CDPR's most important game because Witcher 3 and Cyberpunk 2077 would not have been possible otherwise. Today CDPR became a landmark for high quality AAA open world RPG landed the studio a new name and worldwide appraisal. I think it might be worth playing the first Witcher despite its flaws because it has a very deep story.
My Rating: 8/10
Many think this game was bad, it's not. What people really mean is, "this is from 2008 and I don't like that."
Each of the three games had their pros and cons. The combat is a con for most folks but its really not that bad. You have to use certain sword styles against different opponents and you have to time your mouse clicks to keep the combo going. The difference being, in W2 you have to time your clicks but style doesnt matter as much and in W3 you just left click until dead or spin to win.
The alchemy portion is probably the best of the three. You have to learn your ingredients from books or people otherwise you just cant make your potions, and you absolutely need alchemy to survive. In W2 and W3 alchemy is great but the only thing you need to win is Cat and Swallow.
The story of W1 is wonderful you meet so many great characters that come back throughout the series and you can see how the relationships Geralt has made have lasted over the years. The main story is long, in depth, and very interesting. You begin to slowly unravel the mystery of the Wild Hunt and the White Frost.
The politics are ever present as well. Geralt always seems to find himself at the court of kings and you can learn about the political turmoil brewing in the region as Nilfgard starts to breath down the necks of Redania and Temeria.
All in all, don't just write this one off as aged garbage. If you are truly a fan of the series and the lore its a must. There are even small hints at subplots throughout the series that will reward you for playing them in order. I hope you enjoy the Witcher as much as I have.
Combat is not as bad as you have heard, but then again i grew up in the 80's and 90's so ive seen worse, and enjoyed worse! I actually like the combat, it is different from anything i have played in over 10 years.
For a dollar and some change?!?!?! seriously? why would you complain?!?!?! there are so many games for this same price that are shallow and boring, this has depth and more than 40 plus hours to play.
Multiple crashes, not SLI freindly at first. But after the intro (about 20 min) no crashes at all. let's be honest, its a good game. I LIKE IT. BUT you have to treat games like a new girlfriend: they are all different and you have to figure out how they work. ONCE you do this it is enjoyable. I see far too many people expecting it to be like witcher 3....it is not. Its not supposed to be.
But seriously its a dollar and some change: give it a shot! if you don't like it why complain? I have paid full price on tripple AAA titles that were far worse.
If you can throw a buck fifty for a soda pop, why not pick up something that will last hours and hours.
The Witcher was released almost nine years ago and regularly goes on sale for a couple of dollars or less. The question for today's player isn't so much if the game is worth your money but rather if it's worth your time. The answer, in true Witcher fashion, isn't entirely black and white.
The game for me was, overall, enjoyable. The combat system is unique, and regardless of it's mixed reviews, I found it to be a serviceable and even somewhat cool RPG combat system. The finishers tend to get a bit repetitive but add a nice, and gruesome, touch. Although the main story isn't incredibly epic, the decisions that you make along the way feel like they are, and have a significant impact on certain characters fates. I particularly enjoyed the economic system in the early to mid-game, when you actually feel like you need to put in work to earn those Orens, because everyone has their hand in your coin pouch, and everything you want to accomplish has a price. Unfortunately this fades towards the end of the game as there simply isn't anything left to buy and no one left to bribe. Graphically the game doesn't look bad, it’s got its hiccups sure, but nothing that interferes with playability.
Geralt, despite being one of the ugliest human beings I've ever seen in this particular game, somehow manages to slay more women than monsters--quite an accomplishment considering aptitude for his profession. The dude simply can't miss, and it's undeniably entertaining to see just how many naughty cards you can collect. It also adds an interesting layer of complexity to Geralt's ongoing romance with a certain red-haired sorceress. No matter how serious their relationship tries to become, the White Wolf simply can't stop banging other women. Relationships are hard. Players unfamiliar with the series may find Geralt's character at first take to be bland, dull, or flat out boring. However, once you begin to understand his complexities, his sarcastic and cynical nature, and his convictions, you'll surely come to appreciate this incredibly rich and interesting character as so many others have.
The world map by today's standards is pretty small but the game easily has 50 hours of content. This translates into A TON of backtracking. By the end of Chapter II I was more familiar with the streets of Vizima than my own neighborhood, which is great because the mini-map is zoomed in way too far and makes navigation a little frustrating. I often found myself needing to open the world map just to find a house that was actually ten feet away. NPCs carry on with their daily lives, which at first seems pretty cool, until you're searching for one for twenty minutes because he's not getting drunk at the inn for once and he's slipped off his magical RPG quest-tracking bracelet. Because Geralt's a Witcher, monster contracts play a role in the game, unfortunately most of them are simply kill X number of Y monster and turn in their eyes/teeth/skins/whatever. One of them even has Geralt collecting flowers...??! That's like hiring Agent 47 to assassinate a weed in your garden.
The recycling of NPC textures is somewhat distracting but doesn't ruin the experience. Expect though, to see the same fat guy, skinny guy, and half-naked hooker models reused over and over throughout your adventure. The game also suffers painfully from a gear shortage. I found myself using the same armor and two swords throughout most of my adventure. The difficulty on normal is average, as it should be, but does have some frustrating moments. Too many enemy groups have to ability to stun-lock Geralt, causing him to stagger like a drunken derelict as you helplessly pound on your peripherals for way longer than any doctor recommends.
Mini-games are present; dice poker has you playing poker by rolling dice instead of drawing cards and is ok at first but you'll quickly get tired of it. There are also fist fights which pit Geralt against an array of fighters of supposedly increasing difficulty, however, once you figure out the somewhat wonky fighting mechanics you'll be able to beat the crap out of even the strongest opponents with virtually no effort. Overall, the mini-games felt like they could have been left out and, much like me at a party, no one would have even noticed they weren’t there.
Now, we circle back to our original question; is The Witcher worth your time in 2016? As a fan of The Witcher 3 I certainly found it to be worth mine. Despite it's age and other concerns, the game is still pretty darn good. If you're completely new to the series it would seem like the obvious place to start but I would actually recommend starting with the Witcher 3 and working back to this one. Many may not agree, but the game is 50 hours long and sometimes feels like a slog. If you're not already invested in these stories and characters, and the lore of this world, playing this game first, as a contemporary player, could potentially turn you off to the entire franchise and that would be a shame. If you're a fan of the Witcher 3, like me, and want to experience more content from this world, then there's no reason not to give this game a spin.
Final score: 7/10 RECOMMENDED.
Thank you for reading and good hunting
This game....
Ok. If you haven't played any of the witcher games before I seriously recommend you play this first, so you don't get thrown off by the combat system. The combat in this game is a combination of left-click qtes and right-click spells. When you attack in this game, you click once, wait for the attack animation to near completion, and then click again when prompted to keep fighting. If you click too fast, you screw up the attack and need to start over. If you do it too slow, you have to do the first attack set again dealing less damage, and possibly getting you killed.
The graphics are from 2008, and it shows. The graphics are 8 years old, so don't expect much. I recommend the rise of the white wolf mod to update some of the character models, and if you so choose, the UI.
Now for the good stuff. The Witcher games are based on a series of books by Polish author Andrzej Sapkowski, so naturally the story is packed full of lore to discover. The story is pretty awesome, and end game events serve as a direct lead in to the next game. There's a main story focused on justice/revenge, and a secondary civil war-esq plot between the humans and non-humans in the kingdom.
When you get down to it, there really isn't a game like this, and despite it's initial akwardness and age, it is a fun game overall with lots of side missions that have an effect on the next game should you import your save.
The Witcher is an action role playing hack and slash game developed by CD Projeckt RED and published by Atari – being released on PC in late 2007. This is the first game in the Witcher Series.
The gameplay in Witcher a split between focusing on the hack and slash, and the other on the heavy dialogue scenes. The game can be played in one of three camera angles, there are two top down angels, and one over the shoulder view – I mainly used the third person view as it suited the gameplay more than the others. Combat in this game is something that sometimes receives criticism but I found it to be a nice change from the regular combat you see in RPGs – you have three different styles of attack, a quick, heavy and group attack – each of these attacks have three stages of attack and you have to click at the right time in order to continue your combo of attack. This does feel a little like a QTE, but for me it is disguised well enough that you don’t really notice it. The Witcher also comes equipped with two different main weapons – one sword which deals more damage to monsters, but is less effective against humans, and another weapon which is the opposite. Another major portion of the gameplay is based on alchemy, you will be spending a lot time collecting herbs in order to make an assortment of potions in order to help you progress. This is one of the first games I have played that your actions really do have a massive impact on how the story flows and concludes. A lot of the dialogue options when conversing with other characters will also affect the story and how that character in particular interacts with the player.
This game is eight years old now, so you would expect the graphics to be a little on the dated side, however when wracking the resolution up to 4k, the game still has a current gen look to it; whilst some of the textures may be on the lower quality scale still, the open worldness of the game means that you can’t really expect mind blowing graphics at the time of its development. The game also has some very nice looking special effects, such as water effects.
On release of Witcher, the game’s voice acting was supposedly one of the worst that has been seen, however the Enhanced Edition of the game, which everyone got who purchased the original version, greatly improves the voice acting to acceptable levels – whilst it is still not the best by today’s standards, every single character in the game is catered for and has a voice to be heard. The game has a couple of sound tracks that are really iconic too, and the sound effects are all really on par.
Witcher’s plot is one of my all-time favourites – it is very rare that a game is able to completely suck me into the story right from the word go. The game is split in to various chapters, which allows the game to create sub plots whilst also progressing the overall main story line at an acceptable pace. A lot of the quests in Witcher will bear no importance to the main story, and often are there to add an extra layer of depth to the world in which you are in. The immersion levels are sky high in this game as you will find yourself caring greatly for the characters.
This game comes with three levels of difficulties; Easy, Medium and Hard. I was playing on medium on my run through the game and was still challenged to the point where I had to replay a few parts due to death. Hard mode is seriously for the hard-core RPGers out there; you will need to take full advantage of the alchemy system in the game as most of the more advanced fights will 100% require the use of multiple potions. Your average Joe gamer will get a great amount of enjoyment and challenge from the medium settings though.
Witcher is one of the longest games I have played. Having just finished the whole game with the majority of side quests, and exploring done, it has taken me eighty hours to complete. Although the replay ability in Witcher is quite high given you can change the middle part of the game and outcome quite heavily depending on how you act and play; you would seriously have to be a huge fan to want to be putting eighty hours into another play through. I am very happy with the longevity of the game; you cannot complain about a game this good having a huge amount of content available.
Technically, the game is sound. I didn’t have any problems running the game at higher resolutions, with a fairly nice selection of graphic options available to optimize your game for your computer. The game needs to be played with a keyboard and mouse though – there are mods which you can install for controllers but the gameplay really needs a mouse to be completely effective.
In conclusion, The Witcher Enhanced Edition is easily one of the best games to ever been made and every RPG fan needs to experience it. The low regular price of £6, 99 makes this game an absolute must buy. It has been known to go as low as £1, 39…which you would have to be brain dead to not pick it up for that price. Eighty hours of stellar gameplay and amazing story line, makes The Witcher one of my top 5 games of all time.
Tom's Score Card
1) Stay away
2) Not Recommended
3) Only recommended when on sale
4) Recommended
5) Highly recommended
6) This is a must play
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The Witcher: Utterly brilliant, but rough and over-ambitious
The first game in The Witcher series has often been called a "rough diamond", so my title doens't tell anything new. This review was wrtten just a couple of days before the release of The Witcher 3, and without having played The Witcher 2 yet. This way I hope to be able to look at the original game in the series with fresh eyes, not with the hindsight of the other games somewhere in the back of my head. It's also important to notice that this review addresses the final release of the game, from september 2008, i.e. The "Enhanced Edition: The Director's Cut". This version represents the developers' final thoughts and ideas on the game, and it differs considerably from any other version.
In this game, the player takes the role of Geralt of Rivia, a witcher or a professional monster-slayer. There is no character-build menu, no fancy options about hair-colour or the width of your eyebrows. You are Geralt of Rivia, you are a Witcher. And to put it simple: the game is so utterly brilliant since it manages to let you believe that, almost from the start. Seldom have I felt so deeply connected to the character I was playing: after a couple of in-game hours, I started to think as Geralt, react to my surroundings as Geralt, even feel like Geralt: I was completely involved, the game got deep under my skin, I was bewitched. It's not that I played the game for hours and hours on end, or that I played through the night, no: it's more like I felt Geralt had become part of my life, not only while in-game, but also while not playing. I started to look for articles and websites to read about The Witcher and its world, and I even dreamt a couple of times about the game and its characters...
The game's greatest strengths: the world, the story, the choices
As is commonly known by now, the Polish developer CD Project Red started working on The Witcher – actually their first game – out of love for the books, novels and stories by the Polish writer Andrzej Sapkowski. Sapkowksi is the author of The Witcher-universe: a collection of books and stories about a fictional, fantasy-world with a profound background and a history all of its own. Sapkowski has often been called "The Polish Tolkien", and while that might be too big a compliment, I often felt like I was part of a world that could hold its own against Tolkiens incredible rich universe. And I suppose that explains why I felt so connected to the game and so deeply involved: the world of The Witcher did already exist before the game, and is completely coherent and believable by itself.
It is one thing to have an interesting world to build a game in, it's another to write and develop a story within this world that works well for a role-playing game. The story of The Witcher however succeeds brilliantly in keeping the player's interest. It is ambitious, full of twists and unexpected turns, but it stays believable right up to the end. The different characters, both Geralt and his main protagonists, are complex and multi-layered: hardly anyone in this world is just "good" or "evil": most of the time, its a mix of both, often with one or several other characteristics added. The game does a fantastic job in introducing the player (Geralt) to this world, using an old trick: after having lost his memory, Geralt has to rediscover not only the places, the stories and the people, but he has to rediscover himself: he has to give himself a place in the dark, conflict-ridden world he lives in.
The main way to do this, is by making choices: the game's strongest point by far is the feeling you get that the decisions you make actually matter, and do influence the flow and even the outcome of the story. This is especially impressive since almost every choice, from minor to very important, is difficult and hardly clear-cut. The games offers tons of dialogues, more than 5000 lines of text to be read and/or said, but very seldom did I feel like doing the "good thing". In most cases, the situation was so dire or the possible answers so gruff, that I had a hard job to make decisions that felt "right" at all. It was more like "trying to do my best, and hoping for the best", since often decisions or roads taken early in the game, proved to have unexpected consequences (much) later on. The way in which this game manages to make me think about good and evil, about morality and consequences, is utterly and completely brilliant.
The game's problem: it tries too hard to be the best rpg in the world
From whatever angle you look at it, it is obvious that The Witcher is a very, very ambitious game. The developers made no secret of it that, even back in 2007 when they were almost unknown, they wanted to make "the best rpg ever". Ambition definitely is a good thing for any developer, it can also be a trap. While CD Project Red succeeded brilliantly with everything story- and character-related, they paid dearly in some other departments. The actual gameplay, the movement and combat, form the game's biggest downfalls. As a matter of fact, lots of people have tried the game, only to leave it after running into frustration with the combat system. Combat is an exercise in rythmical feeling: by clicking at the right moment, Geralt can chain attacks together so that they become much stronger. Fast clicking is of no use whatsoever, as is blocking or parrying since the game takes care of that.
Moreover, Geralt has two different swords (steel for humans and animals, silver for monsters) and three differend combat styles (strong, fast and group style) at his disposal, so choosing the right weapon and the right sword for any fight is an important issue. Combat is much more tactical than in most rpg's, and since dozens of alchemical potions, lots of special coatings for either of your swords, six magical signs and even some bombs are thrown into the equation as well, it is very easy to get overwhelmed by this avalanche of ideas. Still, when one is prepared to play the game slow, with lots of attention to the myriad of entries in the journal (on quests, people, monsters, alchemical ingredients, recipes or locations), the sense of fulfillment can be enormous. This is most of all true of the alchemy, which is a very important part of the game. It takes a time to get the hang of it, when once mastered, it proves very rewarding.
Final thoughts
Playing and mastering The Witcher felt like climbing a mountain: it takes time, patience and commitment, even preparation, but once everything gets going, the long way to the summit becomes a joy by itself. In the case of the first game in the series, the mountain definitely is not Mount Everest nor even Mont Blanc, and the path is littered with dangerous spots and possible downfalls, but the scenery is gorgeous nonetheless, and the journey towards the summit proved one I won't ever forget.
Gameplay: 25/30 (provided one takes the time to master the combat system)
Graphics: 16/20 (the game looks brilliant for its age)
Sound: 8/10 (the music is fantastic, the voice-acting is not)
Technical stability: 9/10 (I got no crashes whatsoever with this final edition)
Steam integration: 7/10 (like any older game, it comes without cards or achievements)
Game for the money: 9/10 (it's a very long game, but it's not an open-world sandbox)
Personal appreciation: 10/10
Overall Score: 84/100
I got this game on a sale for 1.49 EUR and it was the best deal ever, it turned out to be amazing. It's not for everyone however, as it's quite long, you need to pay attention to the story and get used to the clunky combat - you'll either love it or give up in the first few hours.
I started the game to see what it's like, struggled with the fighting, played half an hour until it suddenly crashed and I realised I didn't save the game. I didn't really like what I saw first, but I decided to give it another chance. Fortunately, the dialogues are skippable, so I could continue almost immediately and this time I read the tutorial more attentively and managed to find out how to properly kill enemies. As the story progressed, I got more and more into it and started to enjoy the game very much.
Graphics
Even though the game came out in 2007, it's beautiful. The environments are detailed, colourful and interesting, most places are not just visually but aesthetically pleasing. Heck, even some dark crypts and caves look exquisite here and there due to the nice colours and great lighting.
Gameplay
When you start the game, you have to choose a style you want to play it in, and you still have the opportunity to change this anytime. You can have an isometric camera or OTS, so you can play point and click style, and also in third person if you want to (I chose the latter). Being inexperienced with RPGs, I played on easy. My character became pretty strong eventually (maybe too strong for this difficulty), yet there still were a few challenging parts to balance that out.
As you play, you gain XP and level up. While meditating, you can access the skill tree, which looked a bit complicated at first, but it makes perfect sense. Alchemy is pretty useful, especially for bigger fights, I haven't used any bombs though.
The gameplay is not particularly interesting on its own, the story is what makes it special. Sometimes there's a lot of running back and forth, collecting things, which gets boring after a while. I was very grateful for the few fast travel options we got.
On the other hand, there are lots of side quests to keep you busy. Some of them are of the general collect-this-and-I-reward-you tpye, and there are more important ones as well. Some side quests enrich the story a lot and have an overall impact on how you experience it, so it's definitely worth completing those.
Combat
It's doubtless that this is the low point of the game. The first time I saw Geralt grabbing a sword and swinging it around above his head like an idiot, I laughed out loud, I thought it was a bug. (Later though as I applied more talents on the swords, he became a much better fighter.) To evade attacks you need to dodge by pressing one of the direction buttons twice or more times, depending on how responsive it wants to be in the current situation, I had some trouble sometimes when Geralt got cornered. To attack, you need to click on the enemy and do not click again immediately, doing so will cancel the attack. Only click again when the cursor changes, allowing you to do combos if you click in time. It definitely takes some getting used to.
Collect as much information as you can on the enemies you have to face, it's important to read the Journal, especially the pages on Monsters to learn what they're immune to, where they can be found, which fighting styles are efficient against them. It helps you a great deal. The Signs are very useful and fun, too.
The controls during combat are pretty awkward sometimes, even if I had the right fighting style selected, I couldn't attack or hurt the enemies. I had to switch to another style and then back for it to decide to work again.
Story
After the low point, here comes the best part. The story in this game is incredible. It's very detailed, very deep and exciting. The dialogues are filled with humour and deep philosophical thoughts here and there.
The world is consistent, the characters are likeable and unique, after a while you find yourself caring about many of them. They all respond to your actions and choices. There's quite a number of decisions you have to make that (sometimes pretty heavily) affect the story and your relationship to certain characters. I loved the amount of freedom I had in the game, I was never forced to get in an intimate relationship with any character or play dice, etc. - it's entirely up to the player.
The way women were portrayed though - boobs, boobs and more boobs. I've seen more boobs in this game than my own. :P Jokes aside, I simply had to play very carefully when others were in the same room with me, because almost every woman you can interact with is um... underdressed. Good for Geralt I guess. ;)
As you play more and more, the story just drags you in - even if you don't like the combat or the gameplay, it's definitely worth to play this through just for the story alone.
Animation and voices
This is something I wasn't entirely pleased with. Yes, it's not a game from today, but the characters often looked very stiff, which is not a good thing when there's a lot of dialogue. Another thing which detracts from the experience is the mediocre voice acting. First I found it very awkward, but got used to it eventually and after a certain point it simply didn't bother me anymore.
(I kept finding the same character models throughout the game though, now that did annoy me a bit.)
Music and atmosphere
The music was pretty great, fast paced and dark when needed, beautiful and calming while exploring beautiful areas. It really spiced some great moments up. Same with the atmosphere, the time of day really sets the mood of some locations, as well as the occasional rain and storms.
I also loved the art style, there's some gorgeous artwork during storytelling parts.
Summary:
+ nice visuals
+ amazing story with brilliant dialogues
+ great music and atmosphere
- combat might be hard to get used to
- bad animations
It took me 46 hours to finish the adventure and it's become one of my all-time favourite games. If you can get used to the combat and want to take a break from no-brainers, I highly recommend The Witcher, it's going to be an amazing and unforgettable experience.
The Witcher manages to be one of the best RPGs that I have played in spite of many little flaws. There are times the game will frustrate you in minor ways, and yet the game deserves the cult classic status it enjoys. The story is dark and engaging, the world is deep and lore filled, and the moral ambiguity will have you racked with doubt about the choices you have made. But make no mistake, you will make choices in this game, and you will have to bear the responsibility those choices bring.
If you dont mind working through a clumsy interface, and like a game that makes you work for it: The Witcher: Enhanced Directors Cut may be the game for you.
See my full review here : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jSb1Z380XCM
When I first played The Witcher, I was in middle school and I had pirated the game. Like most middle schoolers, I wasn’t very smart and the only thing I really looked for in a game was how many bad guys I could murder. I finished the game and quickly forgot about it. Only after I was in college did I realize to the full extent the awful choices that I had made during my first playthrough of The Witcher. My crimes were beyond description. I killed street dogs and innocent travelers just to loot 2 orens worth of stuff from their corpses. I slept with women and promptly abandoned them to be murdered by angry mobs or overzealous knights. I killed a fellow witcher. I walked away from a chance to have a happy family with a woman who loved me in order to sleep with my sex buddy sorceress who I thought looked hotter. I helped commit mass genocide, murdering dozens of non-humans fighting for freedom.
By chance I happened to see The Witcher: Enhanced Edition on sale during Steam Summer Sale 2014. I took it as a sign from heaven. Lord Gaben the Redeemer was speaking to me through my computer, offering me a chance to atone for my sins of the first playthrough. Now I could do what I had not done in middle school. I would uphold justice and help the weak. I would be the hero that Vizima needed, but not the one it deserved. And I could do it with 75% off. I clicked buy and my $1.99 ascended to the heavens while the face of Lord Gaben smiled down upon me.
The first time I played Witcher enhanced edition I cried. The story is better than the bible and Geralt is fresher than the prince of Bel-Air. I bought extra copies for all of my friends and family so they can experience the greatness that is this game. After spends days of rewatching the sex scenes and making the romance cards in real life I realised I am become The Witcher. I now spend several hours a day at the gym working on my physique and I even have bleached my hair white. Tomorrow I am going to get my named changed to Geralt and my middle name changed to WHITE WOLF. My wife fully supports my decision and she is getting her name changed to Triss. I am now studying kenpo under the tutelage of Sensei Masumura Nobunaga as to learn the art of the sword. I have been going to a Wiccan Herbalist as to learn how to cast spells and how to brew mutagenic tonics. I am close to being able to cast the Wiccan equivalent of the Igni sign but I still need more training. Also I have taken out a loan to purchase replicas of the Witcher's pure silver and steel swords. My mom is worried about me but I told her that this is now my life and she should support my decision and I hope one day to hunt down monsters like the ghouls and drowners in witcher just like Geralt.
The Witcher : Enchanced Edition ( Director's Cut ) :
After playing a single playthrough, I highly recommend this game!
The first Chapter is a little slow, however, it helps you build an understanding of the main character and gives you a understanding of the game itself.
One thing I truly loved about this game, the decisions you made effected your gameplay, whether it would be a minor impact or a game changing impact. It was a great to not just play a game, but also be part of that game as well.
I picked up both Witcher 1 & 2, where -some- decisions you made in the first game can transfer over ( as well as minor gear change ) ; I recommend to get a copy of both!
Don't let all the features in the game "scare" you away. As to maximize the game, you use all talents/features ( Alchemy, Signs and Weapons ). During the slow impact of the first Chapter, you get a chance to work on all your options. Honestly speaking, I only used 2 weapons ( monster/human ) 2 signs ( Fire/Push ) and a handful of potions.
There are some glitches (mostly) during combat, but not game challenging. ( ex. Boxing or attacking mulitple adds with single attacks )
The major complaint I received about this game was people felt overwhelmed with the decision making mixed with talents. Don't let them is all I can recommend. Enjoy the overall gameplay. You don't need to worry about using everything at once and like mentioned above, the first chapter is a great tool to learn it all from.
When you start playing this game until when you stop, you feel as if you're part of the game itself. The Witcher does have replay value so you may learn each outcome of game impacting decisions.
Pros :
- Good graphics
- Controls are easy to get a handle of
- Amazing Storyline
- Decision making with impacts
Cons :
- Minor Glitches with combat system
- Repetitive combats
Rating : 8.5/10
Игры похожие на The Witcher: Enhanced Edition Director's Cut
Дополнительная информация
| Разработчик | CD PROJEKT RED |
| Платформы | Windows, Mac |
| Ограничение возраста | Нет |
| Дата релиза | 22.12.2024 |
| Metacritic | 86 |