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Oddhermit: Assuming Skyrim will beat it.

Witcher 2 was ambitious and would definitely be a contender though, if it weren't for all it's issues which add up and significantly mar the experience. Talents weren't balanced, Quen is overpowered, bombs/daggers are just plain cheese, the UI is a mess of inconveniences and incomplete/lacking in a number of ways, a lot of arbitrary actions required to do simple things, signs and blocking often simply aren't responsive due to what I'm assuming is animation issues, etc. etc.
Yes, Witcher 2 has problems. I agree. Skyrim will have such/ some problems too. Elder Scrolls has always been a great game WITH mods :) especially new Elder Scroll games.
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Uns33n: Witcher 2 can very well become the best RPG of 2011! It has already become a game that looks into the future... settings standards for all games to come, especially true for role playing games.

IMHO we are going to have 3 more major contenders and these all come in the form of sequels (just like Witcher) or successors --> Deus Ex: Human Revolution, Skyrim and Dark Souls.
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AudreyWinter: Out of those, not a real question for my personal opinion: one isn't even on pc, one has guns and Skyrim might be another good base for modding, as long as they don't steam-rape it, which makes modding difficult. I read that they want to make ME3 even more of a shooter (contrary to their earlier rpg promises), so that's also out. Don't know what to expect from Risen 2, after Risen was so terrible.

And the winner is... *drumroll*... The Witcher 2.
As I said, personal opinon
(I know that a lot of people like guns, I despise them, so some games are out from the get go, TR and ME being the only exceptions, but just barely).
When I said RPG of the year, I did not assume PC only :) That is the reason I include Dark Souls.

I am in sync with your personal opinion... as I hardly have any hopes from ME. Skyrim, we just might need to wait and see.
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Uns33n: Witcher 2 can very well become the best RPG of 2011! It has already become a game that looks into the future... settings standards for all games to come, especially true for role playing games.

IMHO we are going to have 3 more major contenders and these all come in the form of sequels (just like Witcher) or successors --> Deus Ex: Human Revolution, Skyrim and Dark Souls.

It is going to be a battle of RPG sequels. I have few hopes from Skyrim, mainly because Oblivion was just not good enough (compared to Morrowind). Although, Human Revolution and Dark Souls should come out really good!

For now, Witcher 2 is the King... hopefully will remain so for few years!
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darkheron: Maybe RPG of the year, but like many others, I suspect, I'll wait to see how Skyrim feels. Hopefully more like Morrowind and less like Oblivion but with better combat. I enjoy the witcher but there are many problems and annoyances with it imo. Such as doors, the terrible interface, having to meditate to use a potion, I can rob people's homes with them sitting right there not saying a word, the game itself is FAR to easy even on hard mode, the lame ending, terrible gear progression (draug armor outdated after one battle... nice), taking damage during the cutscene played for a spectacular finisher, etc.

I know this is a witcher 2 forum and all, and I have enjoyed the game, but there are some definite problems with it. The way doors work, having to meditate to use a potion, and *especially* this stupid popup interaction ui element are so irritating as to detract from the entire gameplay experience. Maybe Skyrim will avoid some of these snafus, maybe not. Will be interesting to see.
Yes, the only saving grace for Skyrim to NOT suck will be for it to match Morrowind or better it :)

And, it is really annoying about doors in Witcher 2... some say your biggest enemy in the game are "DOORS" :P
Post edited May 31, 2011 by Uns33n
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Endrevius: For me it is a GOTY for sure. But dont count me in a final poll. Im just a Sapkowski's fan since days when i was reading his short stories for the first time published in fantasy magazine. It was so much different from i.e. Tolkien that father read me as a bed time stories, or Le Guin, A. Norton, T.Williams, G.Wolfe or every other fantasy series i've read. I love the way CDPR brought that world and all characters within it to life. So my score after compleating the game was 20/10. And i was very pleasently suprised when i saw scores that TW2 gets all over the world in reviews written by ppl that probably didnt bothered to read books and were reviewing only the game, without all world implementation factor.
TW2 has its flaws for sure, but i tend to dont bother with them, half of them i havent even noticed until i've read about them in some review, or someones personal opinion. Even the black bars in 16:10 res format ive noticed second day of my first playthrough.
That's really great! :) Me too have ignored certain flaws over other exciting elements in the game. I can only imagine, guys like you (who have been long time followers of Sapkowski's work) are so thrilled with Witcher :)
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Maerd: Well, people. Those who say that better than P:T would be too much for TW2. I understand why you are saying that. Most of it is a nostalgic value because when you played it for the first time you were at least 15 years younger and as we know when we were young everything was better. :) However, if try to evaluate the two games side by side objectively (excluding graphics, of course) and then I hope you'll agree with me that TW2 actually surpassed P:T in many ways. Of course, if you are into Buddhism, the P:T will be always better because that game employs Buddhist philosophy.
Personally, I still think no game can ever surpass my expectations and love that PS: T gave me :) Also, PS: T was extremely awesome for the time it came and was appreciated for its graphics too (although a bit buggy and caused some slowdowns).

You are correct, passing crowns... or establishing that TW2 is now better than PS: T is just too much ;)
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Maerd: Well, people. Those who say that better than P:T would be too much for TW2. I understand why you are saying that. Most of it is a nostalgic value because when you played it for the first time you were at least 15 years younger and as we know when we were young everything was better. :) However, if try to evaluate the two games side by side objectively (excluding graphics, of course) and then I hope you'll agree with me that TW2 actually surpassed P:T in many ways. Of course, if you are into Buddhism, the P:T will be always better because that game employs Buddhist philosophy.
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schism84: I played Planescape Torment for the first time last year and I still thought it was the best story focused game I've ever played. Strangely enough though, even though they're very different, The Witcher 2 is the only game that has reminded me of it.
I second your thoughts on Planescape: Torment. Witcher 2 has solid mature content and deals with politics, corruption and staying neutral... maybe certain other philosophies remind you about PS: T!?
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Kordac: Not a chance Skyrim will be RPG of the year, it might have a chance in 2012 or 2013 when the modders have had a chance to fix all the issues and bugs the game will ship with but not at release. I find it ironic people are listing bugs and issues stopping The Witcher 2 being RPG of the year and then mention a Bethesda game in the same post because while this game has bugs they will be minor compared to the state Skyrim will be released in.

No I haven't played Skyrim so what am I basing these predictions on? every game Bethesda has ever released. Good games, some even great games, but buggy as hell.

Deus-Ex seems to be shaping up nicely and I was impressed with the way the developers listened to the feedback about the highlighted items in the game world. If does beat TW2 I'll be very happy as that means we'll have 2 absolutely amazing RPGs in one year :)
So true! IMO too modders can/ will only make Skyrim worth it.
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Uns33n: Witcher 2... RPG of the Year?
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gas.gas: imho the game is great under many aspect, but lacks freedom, too many scripted events, too many QTE and i prefer dialogues and content over cinematics.
Also tbh the menu and inventory/trading/crafting system is far from being awesome for a pc user.
So duno, as the market is going this way maybe the witcher could be best rpg around but i really miss some aspects not present in this and also in most of the modern so called "action-rpgs".
QTEs are okay. Anyway, you can turn them off too :) I agree with your point about UI though. Personally, I liked Witcher 1 a lot appealing in terms of UI art!
Post edited June 01, 2011 by Uns33n
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soldiergeralt: deus ex's character models look moronic. utterly disproportionate and cartoon looking.
skyrim has muscle armor and bull horn helmets. another game with stupid art direction.

no rpg game other than the witcher 2 far has ever exceeded comic book phase of art direction. skyrim and deus ex look like more of the same immersion breaking stylish stupidity that gaming industry has been obsessed about over the years. i guess they know their fan base too well.
There is a reason behind having a certain Art style in any game. In Deus Ex 3's case Art Director really wanted to bring out cartoon/ dark manga kind of feel. That is a production choice :) Let's see how it turns out.
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Uns33n: Witcher 2 can very well become the best RPG of 2011! It has already become a game that looks into the future... settings standards for all games to come, especially true for role playing games.

IMHO we are going to have 3 more major contenders and these all come in the form of sequels (just like Witcher) or successors --> Deus Ex: Human Revolution, Skyrim and Dark Souls.

It is going to be a battle of RPG sequels. I have few hopes from Skyrim, mainly because Oblivion was just not good enough (compared to Morrowind). Although, Human Revolution and Dark Souls should come out really good!

For now, Witcher 2 is the King... hopefully will remain so for few years!
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Kalfear: Well TW2 has its faults and not as good as the first one but I could see RPG of the Year and even Game of the Year.

Have to see what Deus Ex has to offer first though!

On the old Witcher forums a long time poster there dug up a cool and interesting tidbit that Deus Ex3 has more dialog lines then Mass Effect 1 and 2 and Dragon Age Origin combined!

The Witcher 2 had alot of dialog but was about 60% of Deus Ex3 dialog for entire game.

So ill be interested to see what DE3 has to offer as they making a big deal of telling us they going back to what made Deus Ex 1 GotY (unlike the shooter/action hybred that was Deus Ex2).

To early in year to crown a champion but The Witcher 2 will definately be in the running!


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knockknock55: I really can't see Skyrim as a contender for RPG of the year.
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Kalfear: Me either

Honestly I didnt even know about Skyrim till posting here, wasnt being talked about anywhere else I go online and NO ONE in my real life has mentioned the game!

The 4 games coming out this year that I been hearing about are

#1 The Old Republic ( MMO)
#2 The Witcher 2
#3 Deus Ex 3
#4 Rift (MMO)

And lately I guess I could say Guild Wars 2 but that seems to be more a intentional spamming campaign by a small number of GW2 fans then actual wide spread anticipation from RPG fans.
Awesome. That dialogue bits on DE3 sounds great! I sincerely hope it is more catered towards Deus Ex 1. I just love that game!
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Kalfear: On the old Witcher forums a long time poster there dug up a cool and interesting tidbit that Deus Ex3 has more dialog lines then Mass Effect 1 and 2 and Dragon Age Origin combined!
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227: Am I the only one who looks at that number (if that poster is right) and shudders with fear that the whole game will be one giant cutscene with brief playable sections? That's a terrifying thought to me.
Let's hope not :/
Post edited June 01, 2011 by Uns33n
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Kalfear: On the old Witcher forums a long time poster there dug up a cool and interesting tidbit that Deus Ex3 has more dialog lines then Mass Effect 1 and 2 and Dragon Age Origin combined!
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227: Am I the only one who looks at that number (if that poster is right) and shudders with fear that the whole game will be one giant cutscene with brief playable sections? That's a terrifying thought to me.
Well keep in mind 227 that poster I quote just said total lines of dialog!

What it may turn out is Dues Ex 3 has 5 or 6 choices to a conversation then say The Witcher 2s standard 3-4 or ME1&2 2-3 lines.

I have recently watched a game vid where the DE3 makers in Montreal say DE3 playes roughly 30 hours in lenght (seems kinda short to me honestly).

So the extra dialog might just be increased choices which should increase replayability, which keeps in line with a return to Deus Ex 1s rpg first design style!

I honestly dont know, I just was blown away by the post back then.

Im definately buying Deus Ex 3 myself so ill find out soon enough when it releases :)
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227: Am I the only one who looks at that number (if that poster is right) and shudders with fear that the whole game will be one giant cutscene with brief playable sections? That's a terrifying thought to me.
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Kalfear: Well keep in mind 227 that poster I quote just said total lines of dialog!

What it may turn out is Dues Ex 3 has 5 or 6 choices to a conversation then say The Witcher 2s standard 3-4 or ME1&2 2-3 lines.

I have recently watched a game vid where the DE3 makers in Montreal say DE3 playes roughly 30 hours in lenght (seems kinda short to me honestly).

So the extra dialog might just be increased choices which should increase replayability, which keeps in line with a return to Deus Ex 1s rpg first design style!

I honestly dont know, I just was blown away by the post back then.

Im definately buying Deus Ex 3 myself so ill find out soon enough when it releases :)
I'm probably getting Deus Ex 3... you could say I want it to be good as I'm part of the lovers of the first, haters of the second. I'm actually very happy that they're taking a lot of liberties with it, because that means they are not stuck in the "fans making a fan sequel for fans" spiral, which imo kills any creativity which was actually a strong point of the original and its legacy.

On the topic of convos, from what I've seen the game will have branching convos without (this is unusual) repeating options from earlier a lot of the time. Convos with important characters are scripted as diplomatic duels you can lose, with certain augmentations helping you in that regard. This is a feature they have been talking about for a long time and one I'm pretty excited about as I think it's 100% the spirit of the series, but something that wasn't really present that way yet.
Post edited June 01, 2011 by schism84
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Kalfear: So the extra dialog might just be increased choices which should increase replayability, which keeps in line with a return to Deus Ex 1s rpg first design style!
Even if it's an incredible game I see no way it could ever live up to the hype surrounding it. Same with Skyrim. They'll probably be perfectly enjoyable games, but when they don't give handjobs and candy with every new game, those who bought into the hype may end up enjoying them less. Never underestimate the power of disillusionment.

After all, no game is ever as great as the hypothetical version of it we play out in our minds. Here's hoping they're worthwhile, nonetheless.
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Kalfear: So the extra dialog might just be increased choices which should increase replayability, which keeps in line with a return to Deus Ex 1s rpg first design style!
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227: Even if it's an incredible game I see no way it could ever live up to the hype surrounding it. Same with Skyrim. They'll probably be perfectly enjoyable games, but when they don't give handjobs and candy with every new game, those who bought into the hype may end up enjoying them less. Never underestimate the power of disillusionment.

After all, no game is ever as great as the hypothetical version of it we play out in our minds. Here's hoping they're worthwhile, nonetheless.
Here's hoping people learn to deal with reality, however hyped they may be :p You're right, no game you expect months and years in advance is ever as great as what you can picture.
You can ask such a question at december 31th and not now.
I am not sure about Skyrim but if developers will deliver the game they promise I am sure that it will beat Witcher 2.

And then we have also the problem with the definition of the word RPG. Nowadays it is common that people call hack&slay games Action-RPGs and if Blizzard is able to finish Diablo 3 this year we all know that through the hype it will beat every other game.
Post edited June 01, 2011 by Bfler
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Bfler: You can ask such a question at december 31th and not now.
I am not sure about Skyrim but if developers will deliver the game they promise I am sure that it will beat Witcher 2.

And then we have also the problem with the definition of the word RPG. Nowadays it is common that people call hack&slay games Action-RPGs and if Blizzard is able to finish Diablo 3 this year we all know that through the hype it will beat every other game.
I agree. We are just predicting here :) again, Blizzard is not going to finish Diablo 3 this year :P
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Bfler: You can ask such a question at december 31th and not now.
I am not sure about Skyrim but if developers will deliver the game they promise I am sure that it will beat Witcher 2.

And then we have also the problem with the definition of the word RPG. Nowadays it is common that people call hack&slay games Action-RPGs and if Blizzard is able to finish Diablo 3 this year we all know that through the hype it will beat every other game.
heh Well I have no problem with my definition of a RPG :)

Diablo is not and never has been a RPG !
Deus Ex 1 was a RPG
Deus Ex2 was not
We shall see what Deus Ex 3 falls under!

Mass Effect 1 was
Mass Effect 2 was not

Fall out 1 and 2 were
Fall Out 3 was not!

Witcher 1 and 2 are, but if they lose anymore character development for action adventure gameplay, they walking a fine line of not being a RPG (still get story and game though that I would totally buy and play, just wouldnt call it a RPG).

For me the first and formost concept of a RPG is...
You play the character!
The character doesnt play you!

If you are not forced to take the role of a character and utilize that characters skills and abilities (IE: Everything is dexterity based encounters and puzzles you (not your character) need to figure out, your not playing the characters role).

The RP in RPG stands for ROLE PLAY.
That means you use your characters ability to aim and shoot a gun (or swing a sword/cast a spell/ect) and damage based on the character stats, not your own timing. Regading combat!

But more so, you encounter a puzzle, does your character with a ultra high int score figure it out easy or do you the player have to figure it out regardless of your characters IQ?

In ME1 you raised your intimidation and Persuasion skills as you leveled. Thats RP (in a single player game)
In ME2 it didnt matter, you just choose what you the player want. Thats not!

So thats the most important aspect, but its not the only one!

Basically I know what a RPG is to me, and thats all that matters to be honest :)

Ive gown up on RPGs since day one of them.

To me, if it looks like a duck, quacks like a duck, waddles like a duck, its a duck!
Soon as it loses one of those important aspects, its no longer a duck!
Game of the Year? not by a long way it's far to broken to be considered for any awards at the moment. Start awarding developers for broken games and it's a slippery slop to gaming hell. It's a great game and when patched and fully working will be a contender but at present no. It needed a few months more in Developmnet to bug hunt.
see "me definition of RPG" seems to be way different to "your definition". By my way, I can hardly enjoy the game base solely on "your RPG style".

I think RPG has 2 utter most important aspects: non-linear story and character skill build. You may also agree on that. But how to implement into game play makes totally results into 2 totally different experience.

I love "action" rather than "turn base". So long as I see better moves, better spells, stronger hit, I am happy. The battle bases on reflex is better - it is a mix between RPG-character build and action.

For example in Witcher 2, I build my character, invest in ripose skill. That will not guarantee I will win if I don't use it - if I cannot strike fast whenever I see the signal to counter attack

In dragon age, if I invest in say knockdown skills, I will have a percentage define by the game that I can use that skill. It is boring to me.

Now I can see why there is so much discontent about the game QTE and combat and such
RPG = Assuming the role of a character that is not yourself, in a fictional game world.

Everything else is just people projecting their own preferences on it and/or assuming popular RPG game staples define it.

Attribute and skill statistics, leveling up, turn based gameplay, inventory and gear systems, character creation, etc. aren't actual requirements, some people have just come to expect them because they're popular in RPG games.
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Oddhermit: RPG = Assuming the role of a character that is not yourself, in a fictional game world.

Everything else is just people projecting their own preferences on it and/or assuming popular RPG game staples define it.

Attribute and skill statistics, leveling up, turn based gameplay, inventory and gear systems, character creation, etc. aren't actual requirements, some people have just come to expect them because they're popular in RPG games.
Tbh i find funny your idea, its like telling a game like DIRT its an rpg cause you play the role of a car driver in a fictional game world.
At this point so every game is an rpg for you.
The thing with the genre RPG is that it is so broad. Really any game where you play a role could be considered an RPG. Thats why I really dont think its very productive to argue about it. It comes down to your own perspective.

There are some good ones coming out this year tho. I am looking forward to Skyrim alot. But like people above me have pointed out, it is a bethesda game so it will be buggy as all get out. Deus Ex looks really good to, but we will see. The devs seem to be paying attention to the public at least a little bit.

But Dark Souls is the game I am really looking forward to. I absolutly LOVED the design and atmosphere of Demons Souls. Loved the way you had to uncover the story yourself. Just a true hardcore game experience and I ate it up. And DS looks to be more of the same goodness:)