I like computer role playing games the most, and I saw The Witcher some time ago. I was always put off by the juvenile things I heard about it like "collect cards of women you sleep with" and "lots of nudity" and so forth. So becuase of that, I never bothered to take any more looks at it.

But now with the Christmas sale, I am taking another look at it, but I'm still wondering about it. So I have a few questions that maybe someone can answer for me, so I know whether or not it's a game I should get :).

I just read that the game has different paths to play, and different dialogue options. Does this mean that I have a choice of whether or not I "sleep" with a woman? I know that the main character you play is male, but can I choose what type of male he is? Through dialogue options and so forth, or is he already predetermined to be a certrain guy that never outgrows childhood? I don't mind stuff in games when you have a choice, like killing the children in Fallout, you didn't have to do it, but you could if you wanted to.

Also, is the game filled with nudity, just to please a male audience, or is it there more realistically?

I’m female, and I played the game. The choices available to you are not like in other games, you don’t get to define who your character is, because you are playing Geralt, a protagonist who has already been well-defined in books and on screen. He doesn’t have much of a personality, and he likes to bang as many women as he can find. (You as the player have control over if he chooses not to do so.) It does not have the openness at all of Fallout, (though my only experience is with Fallout 3) if that’s something you were looking for.

I'm surprised you didn't complain about the sex cards, Athenvance :p but then you seem more intelligent than the average commentator...

Thank you for the response. Yes, I do not matter about sex if it's more intimate(like Neverwinter Nights 2 for example). I am on call all day long now for the hospital, so I have very little free time to play a game, I just want to make sure I get ones I'll enjoy. Thank you, I don't know anything about the main character. Yes, I read some of the reviews and they mentioned how lifeless the main character was. I know nothing about the books or movies though. In Fallout you could get "cards" as well, you'd become known as a child killer for example, if you killed children. I have nothing against that, it's the choice that makes it so great. So all you want to do is offend someone of a different opinion by trying to insult their intelligence with a passing attack? Amazing the people you find on the internet that think they know everything.

My reply wasn't sarcastic, I was genuinely surprised because I kept seeing that criticism of the Witcher in numerous places. Thanks for lowering the tone by throwing an insult at me though...

It's not a perfect game, it suffers a little in translation and there are some strange lines (the "dwarf" insult being one), but I think it is better than average by RPG standards.

A good way to tell whether you would like this game would be to ask, "Do you like Clint Eastwood's 'tough guy' movies (especially the 'Man with No Name' Westerns)?" Geralt's character and the situations are not all that different.

Although sex is a prominent, if easily avoidable, feature of the game, it is not Geralt as Leisure Suit Larry in leathers. It's more often women seeing Geralt as some kind of trophy, or at least a quality risk-free afternoon delight. I don't know where that would fit into your thinking.

Haha, yeah, I like Clint Eastwood's movies. I haven't seen them all though, but the westerns I liked. The Geralt guy(and game) doesn't sound anything at all like him though, from the description given. I was hoping for more choices in the game after reading one review that mentioned it, but it sounds like not many choices are in fact given on how to play the character, since the character is already made in a book and such.

Anyway, I decided to skip it. I had to ask though, it sounded like more choices were available then when I first saw the game a few years ago. So thanks for helping me decide :).

Yeah, Geralt himself is fairly well established from the beginning, but the game allows a lot of choice in how things turn out. Choices like who to help and who to fight will end up making a big difference on how events unfold in the game, and it's actually quite impressive how well it works. You also get to choose how Geralt develops, focusing on swordsmanship or his magical signs, but that aspect is less open-ended than in many other RPGs.

I know you already decided to pass on the game, but if you are interested in a game with a great story (after you get past the slow start) that really lets you make a difference in what happens, it might be worth giving it a shot sometime.

Bah! I argue that there are few choices, and they are hardly noticeable in the grand scheme of things. And yes, while there is a leveling system and you work out how Geralt develops, you get to the point where you have more points than you can actually spend.

There's certainly less choice than in a game like Fallout. But considering that most RPGs are either completely linear and/or feature choices with no consequence whatsoever, I thought the Witcher did a good job at giving the player's choices more meaning. The Witcher 2 was probably even better at that.

*shakes head* Americans. "Is there this...this horrible thing called...N....N...NUDITY in this game? Oh, gibs, gore, bloody entrails, fountains of blood? What about them? Nah, I'm cool with it, it's just a video game, people!"

Also, you ask wrong question. Women are rather different in their tastes and preferences, you know. Say, I'm one and I happily collected all them cards except when it was too much trouble. What you should ask, is whether this a game you would like.

I don't particularly care for the way sexuality and violence are treated in this game, but I would still recommend it to anyone for its sheer beauty and atmosphere.

Yes I think they give you alot of freedom within Garralts character actually.

If you read the books, then play the game, you can understand that 2 of the 3 paths aren't really 'him'. They are a slight skew to the left or right. Not completely out of character, but still not him.
Alot of the moral dilemmas also are ones which Garralt in the book would find simple, but are presented as open to the player.

I think the Witcher 2 is more true to Garralts character. Both paths are fairly neutral.