GameInformer’s Top 10 Games Adapted From Books

While I can’t say that I have a whole lot of literary experience with some of the books-turned-video games on the list, it’s great to see CD Projekt RED’s The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings at the #1 spot in GameInformer’s “Top 10 Games Adapted From Books”. Technically, the entire Witcher series should be on this list, but this will certainly do for now:

The Witcher saga took root in the 1980s, when Polish author Andrzej Sapkowski penned (The Witcher) (Polish: Wiedźmin), his first short story starring Geralt of Rivia. Several short stories and five novels later, Sapkowski’s narrative finally made its way to the video game world in 2007. The author doesn’t consider CD Projekt Red’s RPG series to be canon, but virtual Geralt is still the stoic, Sign-wielding, badass mutant beast hunter that he always has been.

2007’s The Witcher received mostly praise from video game critics, but it was The Witcher 2 that really put the franchise on the map outside of Poland. Assassins of Kings polished the best elements of The Witcher, like atmosphere and character development, and successfully introduced new ones, like additional weapon types and a more real-time approach to combat. Both games in the series, and likely The Witcher 3 when it comes out next year, turn staple RPG elements and traditional fantasy themes on their heads. Instead of drinking healing potions after a battle, players drink them beforehand as a form of planning. Rather than the wise, gentle-voiced elves we’ve come to expect, the Scoia’tael are tribal guerilla warriors. As fantastic as The Witcher series is, it’s a shame that Andrzej Sapkowski doesn’t play video games.

Unfortunately, only one collection of short stories (The Last Wish) and two novels from The Witcher saga (Blood of Elves and Times of Contempt) are currently available in English.