The Witcher 2 Preview - E310
E3 2010: We get to see the first playable build of the upcoming action RPG
In the second part of the demo, Geralt was sent to kill an ancient creature that has been killing forest travelers. This combat-oriented demo was said to demonstrate how the developer has changed their approach to battling massive enemies. Players will not only have to be more tactical, but also careful in their approach and hitting the enemy’s weak spots. As we arrived on location, we faced a huge monster that was set up as a boss fight. Locked in a tight circle around the boss, Geralt had to dodge the various tentacles as the monster tried to swipe and hit the player. To beat this beast, Geralt decided to set a few stun traps on the ground. Once a tentacle hit this spot, it was helpless for a few moments. During this time, the player ran up to the tentacle and began attacking its glowing part (a weak spot, similar to the monsters in Lost Planet).
After slicing away a few tentacles and dodging various attacks through the stages of the fight, the player was given a hint of a collapsing bridge above the enemy. The monster continued to use various attacks, all randomized and promises to be different each time you play through the game. Some attacks, such as a green sticky fluid spit, warranted a quick time event to get out of, which is also new to the series. As we further damaged the monster, it had no choice but to wildly swing his remaining tentacles. As Geralt grabbed on, yet another QTE took place; executing it allowed us to bring down the bridge and finally pin down the monster. With another QTE, we climbed the remains of the bridge and dropped a previously prepared bomb right into the monster’s mouth, leaving a big explosion and a mess behind us. This was the end of Act 1 from the story.
Following the presentation, we had a chance to chat with the development staff about a few items. Asking about any multiplayer options, it was emphasized that the Witcher 2 is still a very much story-driven single player experience, but there are plans to implement some community features that may allow players to compare their experiences. We asked about the use of the Xbox 360 controller during our demo, and the response was that the PC is still the only platform that the game is being made for at this time. However, there has been discussion of implementing a dual interface mode into the game that would allow an expansion to consoles later, though there is nothing to announce at this point. When asked about the setting, the developer cited that the world of the Witcher remains the same, based on the books by a Polish fantasy writer. Since the team is only taking the setting as inspiration from the books, they have the creative freedom to make up a story and characters as they wish.
We also wondered about why the look of Geralt and other characters was modified, and to this end the developer mentioned that the game was now running on a new engine, so a new model needed to be created for the sequel. The game is still far from release though, so changes are pending to how Geralt looks. When asked about the gear in the game, we shared a laugh with the developer about Witcher only having 3 pieces of armor in the first game. For the sequel, there will be tons of armor pieces to find, with various stats (sometimes randomized) stats. The player will also be able to craft items, and most armor pieces will have upgrade slots for your items.
The build of Witcher 2 that we got to see at E3 was the first playable one, and the game looks great. The new engine was running very smoothly, the characters were more detailed, and environments used lighting very well. Given that this was just an Alpha version, and with release still a year away, the game definitely looks to build on the somewhat unexpected success of the original game. With a new engine, better voice acting and dialogue, a revamped conversation system and still set in a dark and mature fantasy world, this RPG title looks very promising – for both fans and newcomers. The Witcher 2 is set to release on PC in the first half of 2011.
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Jul 4, 2010 16:22:24 (Jul 4, 2010 16:22)
