Probably not, especially the Vanilla release version, but I wager Skyrim with support of the talented mod community will allow more replay value. Have you seen some of the modders at work? Jeezus!!, lol Only reason I still play Fallout 3 and will never leave my hard drive is due to a mod called Fallout Wanderers edition. So many more to list for all of the Bethesda series of Morrowin, Fallout, Oblivion etc.

I feel sorry for console gamers when it comes to these series. They have no clue what they missing, lol

Actually, I am one of those modders (under a different screen name)....... I know ALL about TES modding........................... LOL!

I hope they add the better UI and fix the different things like inventory and the dice game and a few other little things that made The Witcher v1.51 what it is. I know when it first came out it was nothing like the 1.51 version so I am keeping my fingers crossed...

From an RPG perspective:

Choices
W2 has two "hard paths" to choose from (side with Roche, side with Iorveth)
W1 lets you lean 3 different ways up to the very end: Order, elves, neutral
Advantage: W1.

Interface
W2 UI is horrible
W1 UI is great
Advantage: W1

Character Development
W1 gives the player complete freedom to choose development options
W2 provides "trees", where the player is forced to choose certain options before the player can choose what he really wants.
Advantage: W1

Combat
W1 gives the player 3 distinctive fighting styles to choose at will.
W2 gives the player 2 distinctive fighting styles to choose at will, 1 automated after a perk
Advantage: W1

So, to me, from a role player's perspective, W1 is the superior game.
That is not to say I didn't enjoy W2, but the overall gaming experience in W1 was more satisfying to me.

I like TW2 more pretty much in everything beside size/lenght of the game and the annoying new Ui.

P.S. Oh, also: alchemy was slightly better in the first one, for the albedo/nigredo stuff.

I've been playing 1 and 2 back to back lately, and here go my thoughts:

Combat:
TW2 wins. Sure, it might be more restrictive in terms of character development, but it's a whole lot more fun, involving, and challenging.

Potions:
TW1 wins. Having to quaff a potion before battle is pretty inconvenient since you don't always know what kind of battle you're going to get into.

Story:
TW2, because the way the story is told is a lot more enjoyable and captivating. The engine cutscenes are great and so are the animated storyboard-like ones.

Dice and Fist-Fighting:
Definitely TW1. The QTEs feel very out of place and cheap in TW2, and the board+dice aren't as nice looking.

Graphics and Artistic Style:
TW2. No second thoughts there. Even when The Witcher 1 was first released it wasn't the best looking game in its class. TW2 is.

Atmosphere:
TW1 wins here. TW2 is beautiful and full of color, but the world of TW1 is darker, grittier, and more unique.

Controls and Interface:
Depends on how you prefer to play. I think if you're using an Xbox 360 controller (which I do) The Witcher 2's interface is very good, and it left me wanting to control TW1 the same way. But playing TW2 with a mouse and keyboard leaves a lot to be desired in comparison to TW1. No clear winner here in my eyes, but obviously keyboard+mouse users will have different thoughts on the matter.

Voice Acting:
TW2, without a doubt. A lot of the voice acting in TW1 is still pretty bad, even after the Enhanced Edition.

Music:
TW1. I like how it sounds more Celtic, and the songs are generally more memorable. The main menu theme perfectly reflects the rainy, depressed land surrounding Vizima.

Performance:
TW2's performance is much more consistent. TW1 still has random frame rate drops all over the place, especially in the the intro. Is there anyone who doesn't lag like crazy when the frightener appears?

Sex:
Really don't care. It's a game, not a sex simulator.

I prefer the alchemy system and interface of TW1. So far, I think TW2 does nearly everything else better. There are fewer skills in TW2, but they have much greater impact on gameplay. Where TW2 really shines: graphics, art design, dialog, combat, voice acting, and level design. I think the level design in this game is excellent.

A couple regrets though. I wish they had expanded more on alchemy, allowing the player to brew their own potions through experimentation. I would have like more caves and ruins, etc to explore. And I wish there were more monster types in TW2.

I enjoyed and am still enjoying TW2, but to me TW1 is the superior game. I know many feel differently but that is how I feel.

I like the old alchemy system, I like TW1's UI A LOT better, I like the previous voice acting, the advancement tree, the length and the setting. TW1 ended a whole lot better too and the story was great. TW2's combat and graphics appeal to me though.

witcher 1 wins for me

the only thing i think i like better in witcher 2 is the combat. lets face it, combat was too easy in the first game, and while W2's combat is a bit of a mess, its a step in the right direction because it actually asks a bit more of the player and makes the system more dynamic.


would have liked to have seen the game keep the 'styles' mechanic though, and work it into the more active combat system of the second game.

that said, to me the most important thing in these kinds of game is the atmosphere.

and in that regard, Witcher 1 trumps the sequel. The world felt so much larger, it felt like more of a journey. Also it was waaaaayyyy more moodier than the sequel. Everything seems too crisp and clean and cheerful in the second game compared to the first.

NOTHING in the second game quite matches coming into vizima... the sewers... the old hospital, the muddy ground outside the inn in the temple quarters (the slums.. oh man that has to be one of the most memorable places ever..), especially when it rained... oh and the swamp... the forest thing in Witcher 2's first chapter doesnt even come close to the surreal and eerie feeling of the swamp.

and when you factor in the depressing-as-hell (and kinda creepy) outskirts, along with the wonderful breath-of-fresh-air chapter 4 island from the firs game... its a no-brainer....

Nah, where it matters MOST to me, Witcher 1 is far superior. Witcher 2 is a pretty game, and its enjoyable, and the higher production values means its animated better and the quality is superior... but its HEART and SOUL... its lost a bit in the visual upgrade as far as im concerned.


and as for the voice cast... maybe its better in the witcher 2, i dont know, but having come RIGHT out of playing the first game again, i didnt appreciate all the voices changing. zoltan WAS better in the first game, and triss now sounds much weaker and 'dainty' than the original... and dandelion will never be the same again either... atleast geralt is the same, but all the other recurring characters feel like replacements, which makes me sad. guess id rather have the 'worse' but familiar actors that defined those characters for me, than the 'professional replacements'.


In summary, playing Witcher 2 makes me realize just how badly i want to go and play the superior first game again.

I hope for the third game, CDP has a look at what was so great about the first one (the epic feel of the expansive world... the atmosphere/mood) and gives us more of that next time.

----

and one other thing... someone mentioned sex, which got me thinking about design... i dont know why people think that the animated sex sequences were 'more tasteful' than the art cards, because they arent. I honestly think the 'sex cards' were way better, they were beautifully drawn and it was a great little collecting mini-game.

additionally, the 'animated' cutscenes in witcher 2.. i guess theyre OK, but they dont hold a candle in my opinion to the beautifully drawn single-image cutscene voiceovers from the first game.... thats just my opinion, but i though it fitted in with the game much better than the bold coloured hard-lined 'comic-book' approach the second game took.

@ Shivnz

I have to agree about the atmosphere being better in The Witcher 1, and I was actually just about to add that to my previous post. It's a lot more dark and brutal feeling, and I like that. Coupled with the music, it's a unique world to be in. Many locations in TW2 didn't feel all that unique, especially the dwarven kingdom (whatever it was called), which I could have done without. I don't much like dwarves, and I especially don't like whole chapters involving them, but that's a personal nitpick most probably won't agree with.

I do have to say though, I like the new Zoltan's voice better. I also like how Geralt sounds in TW2; it's a lot less cold. But the new Triss...yeah...that voice actor has got to go.

My take ...
for complete TW2 reveiw see here http://www.gog.com/en/forum/the_witcher_2/finished_1st_game_playthrough_my_complete_reveiw/page1

Story: TW2 (#2 was more developed story and flowed better then TW1)

Immersion: TW1 (I totally didnt care about the NPCs and freinds this time like the way I did in TW1)

Combat: TW1. Both are to actiony for my likeing but TW2 was just to consolized.

Graphics: TW2 (not even close)

Over all, I still like #1 more. I cared about Dandelion and Zoltan and Triss. But more then that I cared about Abigal, I cared about Granny, I cared about Thaler, and more. Thats what was missing in TW2 mostly for me was that connection.

Triss looked amazing but when it came time to save her or the Foltests daughter for the kingdom, it was the kingdom all the way because Triss just hadnt formed that connection.

I honestly didnt care if Dandelion was strung up or not and if they game had let me choose, I might have turned him in as there was no connection there this time around.

Zoltan (and maybe this was because I took the Roche storyline first) had almost nothing to say all game.

TW2 lacked the heart that TW1 had when it came to immersion and if you cant make that connection, thats where your game goes from very good (TW2) to AMAZINGLY MUST PLAY (TW1).

I disagree. I find the characters amazing. More real than TW1's. I do agree that outside the core group of Zoltan, Triss, and Merigold, there are fewer NPC's to get attached to,. I think that is ok, as the story is tighter.

Personally, I much preferred Witcher 1 as the UI was far superior in my opinion.

All aspects of the game could be accessed and controlled from the main screen, via mouse,
which left my other hand free for a smoke, a beer, a sandwich, the phone, or whatever else I decided to do while kicking back playing the game.

Graphics go to Witcher 2, but even here they do not combine to set the overall effect and mood found in Witcher 1. Glitz and show were gained, but character was lost.

Both are good games, from a great company, and I'm sure each has an adequate share of fans to see the series continuing and thriving as well.

Copy the something_pl.w2speech file to Witcher 2\CookedPC\ folder.

On topic: After 1 playthrough (Iorveth) I liked W1 more. Now I'm in the middle of the second playthrough (Roche) and the game keeps impressing me with giving a totally new perspective to the events. This is a direction I pray the video games will be going. In the first game I pretty much knew everything about both parties. Here I don't unless I walk a mile in their shoes. This is so rewarding and makes me lean towards W2.

The interface in W2 sucks though, really hoping for a mod.