Not sure if CD Projekt will see this or if this is the right place for it but I am so upset about the changes that were made in Witcher 2 I could cry. I loved The original Witcher and wrote CD Projekt a letter of praise. I liked the fight system with Geralt looking so realistic and stringing together those combos. Tthe inventory system was cool and easy to use and you got a good chance to practice at Kaer Morhen before going out to kill monsters. Additionally, I fell in love with the trailer they put out for #2 with the new, handsome Geralt and the sexy voice of Iorveth. I was so looking forward to this new game and then found out they had changed the look of Geralt (he now looks older but seems to have an annoying glowing face) and the voices of Iorweth and the Kingslayer. Huge disappointment. It made me not want to buy the game. Voice acting is extremely important in RPG's. I did buy it , however, when it went on sale recently. Spent 6 hours! downloading it and then started on Normal. I'm in my 50's and nothing is hardcore for me anymore! ha, ha. Took me forever to get out of the first courtyard where you had to wind up the ballista. I did finally beat it. Then I must have tried for three straight hours to beat the guys in the monastery courtyard before giving up in frustration and turning the gameplay down to Easy. This is not fun!!!!! I could kill the non-armored guys easily but to have 3 armored guys ganging up on me was horrible. I could barely do signs as Geralt stops running to do them and I end up getting whacked in the back, I practically broke my ring finger smashing the W button to even get him to move after a few blows! I just kept trying to outrun them and casting Quen now and then and doing somersaults around and around and around. Going up the stairs did not work either. I finally beat them on Easy but now I'm immediately being killed by a dragon on the bridge! I am so frustrated with this game it's not funny. How could they take a perfectly fine, award winning game and change so much about it?? I'm barely getting started and am about to just give up. The other thing I hate is its too hard to see the herbs, I'm getting tired of hitting Z every two minutes to find things, and the writing on the screen is so tiny I can barely read it. I didn't even realize I had potions in my inventory until half way through the ballista scene!! Where did they come from? Can't even see what you're getting when you get it. The hint box blocks out the screen too much as well and I can barely read it. The only good thing I can find so far is that they gave up the ridiculous American-no nudity/European-nudity thing. We're all adults so what's the big deal anyway. The opening scene was great. I also can't stand the new Dice Game!! The board is ugly, I can't see the dice when you throw, it's harder to understand what to do when the opponent raises, and what's with the designs on the dice?? You can't tell what's what. Another enjoyable aspect of the Witcher down the drain. Arm wrestling was okay but what is with all this hitting the mouse button for that, the ballista, raising the gate, running from the dragon, etc. Stupid! So, I'm now pressing S to run and smashing the RMB and still getting killed by the dragon. God!!! And I have to meditate to drink a potion???? How stupid is that?? Do they want you to have to start a fight, get killed, then figure out what potion you need and then reload?? Not having to meditate at a fire is refreshing but come on....!

I hate it when a game company puts out a great game and then all of a sudden someone gets a bug up his ass and says, well, gee, that was a great thing but hey, let's change it! In my opinon, this happened with Fallout New Vegas, the new Gothic Arcania, Fear 3 and now, woe of all woes, The Witcher 2!! I can't believe this is even the same company that put out the Witcher 1. I have been disappointed in almost every sequel that has come out in the last year or so. Mass Effect 2 was the only game I played that was as good as if not better than the first. CDProjekt, I thought you were better than that. Obviously not! You just can't trust anyone anymore.

I think I'll go and cry some more now............aaaggghghghghghghhhgh!

If I ever get past the dragon I hope the rest of the game turns out better but I am supremely disappointed in what I've seen so far. Are you listening CD Projeckt???? Go back to what worked for you before and quit trying to fix what ain't broke!!! Your core audience is die-hard PC gamers who are usually older people. (I believe that's why GOG is so popular)We loved the Witcher and proved it to you. I don't know who you have been listening to but what I see in Witcher 2 so far is not what made The Witcher great. Sure the story is great but if I can't beat the enemies on Easy it doesn't matter how great the story is!!! I'm sure there are people who will disagree with me but I am entitled to my opinion. I noticed several similar bad reviews on Metacritic and other sites so I'm not the only one who thinks like ths. If someone knows how I can get this message to CDProjekt directly I would appreciate it. I'll be very leery if there is a Witcher 3.

Patience will go a long way with this game. My patience extended to getting through the pre-nerfing Prologue, but it certainly will not extend to reading such an indigestible goulash of angry bits.

I'm sorry, but the combat in the first Witcher was anything but realistic.

It was simply click on the flashing icon, and the game does the rest.

Some of the animations were ridiculous, even enemies 20 feet away would be hit from a combo.

The Witcher 2's combat is FAR more realistic, it just takes patience.

That's where I think you're coming unstuck, you're trying to play it like the first game.

And if you do that, you will struggle, as you're discovering.

Just take your time, isolate them and pick them off.

Never get surrounded or hit from behind as that does massive damage.

If anything, this game is actually easier than the first game, at the start anyway, as you have a huge arsenal you can use, whereas the first game you hardly had anything.

All I can suggest is to try playing it with a different mindset, and use all your weapons including signs, bombs and potions etc.

I am in complete agreement with the OP.

I'd rather have a W1 expansion the this mess called W2.

Yes, some folks will prefer W2. I just don't think those folks are the same folks that loved W1 for the most part.

Realistic combat? I could not care less. I want a fun game. If I wanted realistic combat I'd be into FPS'ers.

Twitcher 2 indeed.

be patient. it took me like 1 hour of dying to get past kayran. about 1.5 hours to get past the dragon :P afterwards, I felt very, very, very good :P after you beat it once, you will be able to breeze through it and all other bosses.

you must use bombs for groups of baddies in the beginning before you get the hit multiple enemies skill if ever. sword has that, alchemy got bombs and traps, and signs got quen and almost all spells are aoe.

the game isn't hard. learn to play it.

Say what you want about yourself, and think whatever you like to think.

But don't presume about others.

Not mua, I like both. I know something that's called: Adapt. It's the cool cousin of Whine. And it tastes good!

Thread starter: you should get credits for being the first Whiner that actually acknowledges that he's whining.

Not another one of those rants... Can you not post this kind of stuff under existing rant threads? Why are people so desperate to force their limited and badly constructed opinions onto others these days. If you do not like it, go and play Dragon Age 2 (pun intended).

Seriously, this is not Star Wars, there is no light and dark and nothing in between. Witcher 2 is an awesome, though not perfect game, it has excellent bits and it has not so excellent bits, some good and some bad decisions in its design. But just because it does not fit into your limited perception of the world (or rather how the world should be) it does not mean it does not work for others.

Do you rant about the fact your play school (I am just judging your age based on a samples of your self expression) sucks because it has blondes and not redheads? Or is there perhaps an in between there?

Go out, see the world, use some scale, compare it to other games available on the market. Sit down and consider what it takes to write a financially AND intellectually successful game... then cut your budged and move to Central Europe and see how well you fare... most of all (and I never say that) grow up, CD Projekt is not your personal servant writing games specifically tailored to you. I say grow up because if you were old enough you would know that people like other things and have different expectations and interests and most of all (and you might want to write this one down) "One Size DOES NOT fit all". If you do not like it, move on (I did that with BioWare products after being their supporter for 10+ years) because clearly this is not for you... and be a man (or a woman) when doing so and not a 13yo whining troll.

However, if you are here to exchange opinion (a novel idea for forums isn't it?) then write your posts in a fashion that invite conversation and discussion and not pretty much denotes everything you (as an absolute authority) believe should be damned with no room for further conversation.

God I honestly hope CD Projekt is NOT listening to the OP's dribble...
Because the last thing I want to see is a game that "pleases" every player... therefore pleases no one.

I found The Witcher 2's combat is a lot more realistic and hard.

It's pretty much the same deal (two swords, signs, potions, oils and bombs), but a lot of helpful crutches that you might have been used to are taken out - blocking is manual and drains vigor, there is no group style, AI is a lot more aggressive and dangerous, potions can only be consumed before battle and God help you if you're playing on Insane.

It not only requires extensive preparation like in the first game, but also good reflexes and action game ability. It takes a while to get used to this combined style of play, as most games only require one or the other, but the upcoming tutorial and arena should help with easing people into the game's combat, which can be really rewarding when approached properly.

Fake*.

You almost need a gamer resume to be able to play this game appropriately. And that's a good thing.

A valid observation :)
And truth be told Rainbox Six Vegas 2 is awesome :)
So as pointed out above in my previous post, different people like different things.

The only "realistic" sword fight game I've seen was Prince of Persia 3D made by Mindvision for the Pentium 233 MHZ before Ubisoft bought the franchise. And even that is not realistic as you don't die instantly. But I liked it more than any other sword fighting game. I wonder if someone has ever planned on making a real swordfighting game? There was Elveon on Consoles and PC, but that never came to happen :( and it sucks that it didn't.

What I played which was the closest to a "real" swordfighting game were Bushido Blade and Bushido Blade 2 on PSX. http://www.mobygames.com/game-group/bushido-blade-series

Still, it wasn't 100% realistic (no game can, ever, I think), but I find it realistic when a katana strike in Iaido kills immediatly your opponent ^_^