The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings

Okay, we got another addition to our list of anticipated games that is not an FPS. Don’t get me wrong, I love shooters but it is just that there are too many of them that are being released and I believe that it will balance things out if we will some other genres like RPGs. Good thing we have the Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings as it quite fits the bill. It is a third-person role playing game though there is the ability to change perspective or camera style depending on your preference. The game is developed by CD Projekt Red Studio and published by Atari and CD Projekt.

The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings is a direct sequel to the Witcher which was released in October 2007. The game is based on the book series written by Andrzej Sapkowski. The story is set in a medieval fantasy world where you have to take control of one of the few remaining witchers, Geralt. Witchers are humans that have been genetically engineered and trained during their early life to be able to hunt down monsters. They are basically monster hunters for hire that specializes in alchemy, magic and sword handling. All of the witchers have their own unique powers.

What is really unique about the Witcher is the emphasis on every decision you make. Your decisions will have bearings in the outcome of the story, thus differing endings and results. You will not be limited to following a linear story as you can replay it again and try other endings of the story by modifying your decisions. The game’s system of “moral choices” which is also present in the previous Witcher game was vastly improved given the negative feedback it received for the time-delayed consequences as well as the lack of black and white morality.

The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings has many different story paths and storylines as well as multiple endings which is reliant on your in game decisions. Aside from that, the Witcher 2 retains the ability to change camera perspective in the game depending in what suits you or what the battle demands. You can either choose one of the two top down perspective where the control relies heavily on the mouse. You also have the over-the-shoulder view which allows the player to get a good view of the in-game combat but it limits visibility. Another thing that differentiates it from other RPGs is the ability to choose from three different fighting styles depending on the situation. You can choose the quick style which is ideal for dealing fast enemies, but the disadvantage is that it deals lesser damage. The heavy style on the other hand deals great damage, but it is slow in execution.

The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings is set to release on April 17, 2012 for the Xbox 360.

[youtube_sc url=”http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jsS-vY4gK0c&feature=related”]