The Witcher | 
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| From: Atari
Category: Video Games
List Price: $39.99
Buy Used: $7.77
You Save: $32.22 (81%)
New (35) Used (22) from $7.77
Rating:  90 reviews
Sales Rank: 1398
Platforms: Windows Xp, Windows Vista
Genre: role_playing_games
ESRB: Mature
Media: DVD-ROM
Batteries Included: No
Age: 17 - 20 years
Operating System: Windows XP
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.8
Dimensions (in): 0.1 x 0.1 x 0
MPN: 27556
UPC: 742725275560
EAN: 0742725275560
ASIN: B000R2XJJK
Release Date: October 30, 2007
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: Expedited shipping available
Condition: Disc, manual, and case are in perfect condition and guaranteed. Ships usually within 1-2 business days. E-mail Confirmation.
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| Features:
| • | Story-driven role-playing game where game decisions have drastic consequences. | | • | Strategic use of herbalism to collect and create potions that have positive and negative effects on character. | | • | Action-heavy real-time combat with extensive weapon and magic specializations. |
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| Accessories:
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| Editorial Reviews:
Amazon.com
Reinvigorating the role-playing genre with a fresh and modern approach, The Witcher combines unrivalled story and character development in an original, vibrant world with tactically-deep real-time combat and a challenging view of good and evil that will intrigue RPG players of all levels. 
Hunt with Geralt, the White Wolf | 
He's not your average monster-hunting mercenary. View larger. | 
He'll pit blade against beast. View larger. | 
Or go mano v. mana. View larger. | 
Explore an elegant and inventive combat system. View larger. | Based on the "Witcher Saga" of books and short stories by Polish author Andrzej Sapkowski and built utilizing the powerful Neverwinter Nights engine, The Witcher immerses players in a beautifully vivid, but harsh fantasy world in the role of a Geralt, an adept and feared monster-slayer-for-hire. Brutally trained from birth to be a cold-hearted assassin whose services are available to the highest bidder, yet troubled by a past he can't entirely remember, Geralt is a classic anti-hero. To this most renowned of witchers, a society of mutants born with superhuman strength and reflexes and trained at a high level in magic and alchemy, killing has been and seemingly should remain a strictly commercial affair, but as questions about his past come to the fore, so do doubts surrounding the morality of his trade. And these doubts only grow when bits of his past are revealed as he and you grow in power and acclaim through the progression of the game. The Thin Line Between Good and Evil
Far from a common black and white treatment of good and evil, the moral attitudes defining the world of The Witcher are as close to that of our own prevalent real world view as you are likely to see in a modern RPG. Set in a time dominated by vanity, greed and prejudice, there is no lack of work for Geralt as the kingdoms of the North forsake old alliances and give in to endless intrigue and purges instead of facing a growing tide of evil. But as despicable as the monsters, non-human enemies and pure human trash you are hired to eliminate may seem and may very well be, pity, mercy and good faith are nearly always a possible option to deadly force and one that can change Geralt's overall destiny. It's this kernel of reality in a universe peopled with fantastic and sometimes frightening beings and creatures against a backdrop of morally challenging scenarios that will keep players coming back for more as they explore the varying consequences of Geralt's choices and the choices forced upon him. Character Development
A witcher's destiny is preordained at birth, but your goal is to determine Geralt's specific path. Hidden within The Witcher are a startling 250 in-game skills and abilities that allow you to define and in many cases plan the evolution of Geralt's character. Will he rely mainly on his skill with a blade? Develop into an arcane battle mage? Transform into a potent alchemist? Or meld all these skills into a more complicated, but potentially unbeatable combo of all three? Give some thought to your path, but know it will not always be an easy or thoughtful one. Filled with non-linear decision-making opportunities and consequences, expect to be forced into quick decisions, choices between the lesser of two evils and to invariably be stuck with the consequences of your employer's short-sighted plans for your services. It's these consequences that will determine your progression through the game's storyline and lead to the availability of different skills and abilities. Stunning Real-time Combat
Possessing superior strength, speed and agility makes Geralt quick to draw his blade when conflict arises, but this birthright is not always the right skill to rely on and depending on the enemy, can prove disastrous. To survive in this world of varied threats you will need to put aside the button mashing common to other RPGs and utilize The Witcher's complex yet intuitive combat- based fighting system. You will learn quickly to switch seamlessly between the game's six combat styles, dozens of potions, complex alchemy and magic systems and weapons modification mode, using your mouse alone or mouse with keyboard, to add tactical depth to your combat experience. Once you have mastered these, you will also have time to appreciate the ground-breaking fluidity of the game's 600 in-game combat animations, based on actual medieval sword-fighting techniques and performed by experts at Frankfurt's renowned Metric Minds Studio. It's only through a combined focus on Geralt's physical and mental capabilities that you can hope to survive the viciously violent world he inhabits and unlock both his true potential as a warrior as well as the secrets hidden in his past. Complete Game Features: - Geralt of Rivia: a one-of-a-kind protagonist
- A charismatic and unique character, Geralt is a mutant swordmaster and professional monster slayer.
- Choose from over 250 special abilities correlated to attributes, combat skills and magical powers to build the character in a way best suited to tactical needs and style of play.
- Original fantasy world drawn from literature
- Inspired by the writings of renowned Polish author Andrzej Sapkowski.
- Featuring adult themes, less fairy-tale than typical fantasy, with mature social issues like racism, political intrigue and genocide.
- It is a harsh world where nothing is black or white, right or wrong, often forcing players to choose between the lesser of two evils to advance.
- Non-linear and captivating storyline
- Full of turns, twists and ambiguous moral decisions which have real impact on the storyline.
- All quests can be accomplished in several ways and the game has three different endings depending on the player's actions and choices throughout the adventure.
- Visually stunning tactical action
- Engage in complex yet intuitive real-time combat based on real medieval sword-fighting techniques.
- Motion capture performed by medieval fighting experts at Frankfurt's renowned Metric Minds studio, resulting in 600 spectacular and authentic in-game combat animations.
- Six combat styles, dozens of potions, complex alchemy system, modifiable weapons and powerful magic add tactical depth to the fluid real-time experience.
Product Description
The Witcher is a pinnacle of storytelling in role-playing games. It shatters the line between good and evil, building a world where moral ambiguity reigns. You'll become your own idea of what a great hero should be, as you control Geralt of Rivia -- a a white-haired "witcher," monster-slayer-for-hire and master swordsman. While trying to regain his lost memory, Geralt unwillingly becomes involved in a world-shaking power struggle. In the process, you'll deal head-on with matters that most fantasy worlds ignore: Racism, political intrigue and genocide, to name a few. The Witcher emphasizes story and character development in a vibrant world, while incorporating tactically-deep real-time combat like no game before it. Incredible tactical depth - Six combat styles, dozens of potions, complex alchemy system, modifiable weapons and powerful magic -- all working together in a fluid real-time experience Inspired by the writings of renowned Polish author Andrzej Sapkowski
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| Customer Reviews:
Not too shabby December 16, 2008
Erik J. Meyer (Biloxi, MS)
Good: Decent storyline and voice acting. Graphics are good and fairly stable. Not too linear.
Neutral: Combat is 'meh', but ok. Some fights are very easy, and some are insanely difficult. Not much in the way of 'traditional' monsters. I'm old school so I like the orcs, goblins, etc. as opposed to critters I've never heard of like felders, ifriit, etc.
Bad: Don't censor content. It's rated M, so assume that's what the audience will be. No first person view. Very annoying to me, but some may prefer it. Storyline is difficult to follow some times and choices often don't make sense and derail quests. Fairly lengthy load times, even on fast machines.
Bottom Line: Fun game if you like mature RPG games.
 Major Mistakes Made in thie Release Do not buy November 9, 2008
Christopher Gerlach (Colorado)
2 out of 6 found this review helpful
This will be short...but not sweet. This company made a huge effort to create a beautiful game and I think in a large degree they succeeded. But they made a major mistake for the US market. And for the UK and the Germany markets too. They elected to censor their own creation. They cut from the US version and the UK versions aspects of the game that are natural, normal and healthy but in the bizare modern US morality market, we are allowed to see unlimited blood, violence, gore and profanity but not the human form. In the German version they cut the "violence" but left the human aspect untouched. These are decisions the buyer has the right to make for themselves. They also did not think we read in the USA so we do NOT get a printed manual. And they do not disclose this in any evident manner in the advertising. I do not sadly recomend purchasing this until an honest and open choice is allowed the purchaser.
 Definitely one of the best out there November 8, 2008
Alison Peters (Pittsburgh, PA USA)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I really recommend the Witcher.
The story & world are amazingly deep and you can really get sucked in. There is an incredible freedom in the witcher where you really do get to influence what happens and chose between sides - the choices can be really hard to make! It can be a really long game if you take your time to enjoy it fully. I absolutely love this game!
The Witcher ran smoothly on our xp, we didn't experience any crashes or bugs. The music, graphics, and voice acting are very good. One of the most impressive features is actually not part of the game: the website. There are constant updates on the witcher website, including new quests and many improvements. The support team is wonderful and the forum is very active.
If you like deep rpgs, I'd definitely give this one a try!
 Everything they all say it is November 7, 2008
Falcor (Seattle)
I've read the other reviews, and if you like what they say, you'll love this game. The graphics are amazing, the dialogue is well done and the characters are interesting. The graphics are amazing. The game visually is beautiful. I have enjoyed playing it. Truly. However, I did not find the game at all captivating. There is now contemplation over choices or paths to take. It seemed to me to play like the Final Fantasy and Fable games, which also have great graphics. But, I DO NOT like the go-here-do-this game play where your path is predetermined and the game leads you there. You physically can't go anywhere else. Perhaps I've been spoiled by Morrowind, where you can literally go anywhere and do anything and can be anything. I like to have a choice in where I go and what I do, and I want those decisions to effect the game world. I was bored within minutes but stuck it out for hours. If you liked Final Fantasy and Fable, you should like this game. It was ok, but definitely not what I'd hoped, and not worth the price to me. People need more than graphics no matter how amazing they might be.
The Witcher - Normal Ed. September 16, 2008
Jahari
This is one of the best RPGs I have ever played. I should have bought the Enhanced Edition, but the difference between the two wasn't very clear.
Pros:
-Adult content is completely avoidable
-Very nice music score. It was a different style altogether.
-Game world is believable enough to warrant a sequel (or prequel). The elven language is based on Celtic which was a nice touch (kind of how the elven language in LotR is based on Finnish).
-Flashy combat system that takes some getting used to, but is designed to cater to a more general crowd. You can choose a point and click camera angle like in the old Kings Quest games, or choose a normal 3rd person shoulder view like Oblivion/Morrowind.
-Storyline did many TYPICAL things, but was interesting and appropriately long.
-Good graphics and engine. The only place I really lagged a bit was in the Trade Quarter, but I was playing at max settings on a Geforce 8800 GT.
-The levelup system was more dependent on skills rather than stats -- definite plus. Leveling was not a grind either.
-The alchemy was well-done. It was much more interesting compared to the system from the Elder Scrolls games.
Cons:
-Normal version of the game has a major difference in voice pitch with Geralt in several conversations. I hear the enhanced edition fixed this, but it wasn't a big enough issue to matter for me.
-The glossary/character entries in the journal was a little overdone. The casual player probably doesn't care, but it adds depth to the game nonetheless.
-The game had a few boring parts that involve a lot of running around. The only thing that kept me going was the drive to finish Quest X. While the scenery was well-done, it did not give enough variety to make me explore for the sake of exploring (in Oblivion, it's enjoyable to just run around to see the sights assuming you've done some texture/environment overhauls). In fact, the player was only free to explore places that were pertinent to the various quests. There were also points of no return with the main story which made completing some quests difficult =/
-Somewhat steep learning curve. It didn't bother me, but it might give trouble to casual gamers.
-NPCs have EXCELLENT voice-overs, but their models were often fairly generic. The female NPCs all have the same generic cleavage that you could lose a dog in. It got pretty tiring. A simple face randomizer could have made things a little better.
-The player and the NPCs wear the same clothes most of the time. I think there are about....four....different armors for Geralt (yes, that includes shirt and suspenders). I was disappointed at the variety in that respect. The alternate weapons like daggers are completely useless because they "cannot be used in witcher combat styles." Why give them to a witcher in the first place? The only thing they're good for is selling in town. I've never been disarmed, so they don't even serve as a backup.
-The game menus load slowly, but the game itself is fine. The loading screen will often hang for as long as 15 seconds before bringing up the list of saved games.
-The inventory could have used more organization. I had to give separate space for potions, ingredients, weapon-related stuff, etc. The game should have done it automatically for the player.
Overall I'd give the game a 9/10. It doesn't appeal quite as much to the casual gamer. The hardware requirements are high, and the game is very detailed. It is worth playing if you don't mind all the cursing/sluts/using of women.
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