The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings Preview

Raiding Party is next in line with a hands-on preview of The Witcher 2 based on the press copy that’s recently been making its way around the ‘net. A bit on combat and how it compares to Dragon Age II:

Combat is faster, more brutal, and wonderfully immediate. Where the first The Witcher asked you to choose between stances for different enemies, The Witcher 2: Assassins Of Kings has you using the left mouse button for light attacks and the right one for heavy attacks, with blocking and magic abilities assigned to hotkeys.

More importantly, Geralt is smoother to control. Dodging can now be performed with the space bar, and walking any way but forwards no longer attaches glue to our hero’s feet. The more intense approach is exemplified in the game’s removal of any isometric camera viewpoints; sure to be a downside for some but it didn’t cause us any problems.

…

So far The Witcher 2: Assassin’s Of Kings feels like the year’s best fantasy RPG, far outshining Dragon Age 2 in only its first hour. Combat is immediate but demanding, locations are gorgeous, lovingly detailed and involving. Gameplay is sprinkled with delicate moments of variety, and dialogue is well written with scenes that aren’t rushed in the slightest.

After this brief taster we feel enthused to carry on, compelled to delve as deep as we can into what could be one of 2011’s best games, let alone of 2011’²s best RPGs.