bummlmitz: Strategy over reflexes? No. You had to click (reflex) at the right time. That was about it. Styles were good, but you could see miles away, which style you had to use.
There is way more strategy in TW2. Apart from the realistic battle preparation, you have to know your enemies. Dude has a shield: Get him out of balance and attack or flank him and attack. Same goes for every enemy type. There are right ways and wrong ways to engage them. You just don't have those handy buttons (that made the right choice for you) anymore.

Also put points into swordmastery and you will get some kind of groupstyle back.
If you don't like dodging use bloccking/signs.

bummlmitz: Strategy over reflexes? No. You had to click (reflex) at the right time. That was about it. Styles were good, but you could see miles away, which style you had to use.
There is way more strategy in TW2. Apart from the realistic battle preparation, you have to know your enemies. Dude has a shield: Get him out of balance and attack or flank him and attack. Same goes for every enemy type. There are right ways and wrong ways to engage them. You just don't have those handy buttons (that made the right choice for you) anymore.

Also put points into swordmastery and you will get some kind of groupstyle back.
If you don't like dodging use bloccking/signs.

Coflash: If were going to talk about making the game hard, then in TW1 you'd have turned those options off so there were no visual aides.

Can I do that in TW2? I can turn off needing to do the same maneuvers the same ways every time? Can I turn off having to only use two swords for two enemy types and bring back 6?

It doesn't work for gamepads - that's it, too many buttons, too complex for simple minded people. They don't want complexity. They want to win as soon as they power up their machines.

I already said the first game wasn't hard, but it was definitely more complex. Try beating a single Wraith with the fast style combat using a steel sword, see how long it takes you if you get it wrong. Can I get that back into TW2? It ruins any continuity and as I already mentioned, depth.

Choices are beautiful when they are presented to you. When they are removed altogether in place of a single way to fight enemies throughout the entire game, it loses re-playability and it's boring.

It seems a lot of people are either not reading the thread or they aren't exactly acquainted with the finer points of combat and gameplay options available in both games. What can I say, stay informed?

ancient46: If you look deep at the game you will find that the game pad has 22 commands but there are 38 commands for the game.

Coflash: The point is, all of what you mentioned is not required. Just as bombs are not required in either game. I agree the potions before battle are a good choice, but as a game mechanic it's largely the same. If you took a potion mid battle in the first one on hard, surrounded by enemies, you'd be dead anyway.

While on the subject of surrounded by enemies, it also appears by using a cut scene for finishing moves they are no longer able to attack you. As in, if you do it, stupidly surrounded by enemies, you are no longer punished for it. Yet another minor point in the group of minor points that add up to a massive one.

cloud8521: cool, but i would like to expand.

instead of just making our character weaker for challenge, they could have brought in stronger monsters. or made a story element that explains why enemies are stronger or why he is weaker and why he doe snot use groupstyle anymore.

instead we come directly out of the first game, and the humans .... thats right HUMANS are able to kill a mutant (who is able to kill other witchers who know his weak points if you chose that option) without much trouble. they could have easily made humans weak and brought in stronger monsters and master fighters. lets face it the squirrels in the last game are only rebel fighters with little training, the flameing rose were not masters of fighting, mutants were not perfected yet and what you do face was weak overall

and what are the unbound commands then

chrono2200: Well, he did die to a human wielding a pitchfork the first time.

In any case, you can just as easily negate the damage by using Quen every time it wears off (space it right and it'll be up more often than not). As any good witcher would do. Also if you get parried, hold E to prepare for their counterattack.

edit: I should say, he has all the tools to dispatch footsoldiers with ease... just a matter of using them (which the game doesn't really guide you on doing, but enough trial and error helps).

cloud8521: he was wasted, and got jabbed from behind so he was not ready and it was a lucky stike?

and it hit a major HEART.

but anyway he has the tools yes... but they also are able to take you out just as easily. and there lies the problem

Demut: Well roared, Coflash. This list truly makes it look like this was designed right from the beginning with a later console port in mind.

chrono2200: I think the designers wanted combat to reflect less the character's inherent skill in combat, but more the player's skill at guiding the character in such. I feel it's more rewarding to master the combat system than mapping '1' to: 'dispatch the next footsoldier'. If you get through the prologue anyway, I think you're well-enough adjusted to handle most of the subsequent combat.

JackofTears: where are our group fighting styles? Our Quick vs Strong styles?