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Two Witcher 2 patches coming, including one today
A blog post on the Witcher 2 site details a patch (or, as we're going to refer to it from now on, a "Patcher") that developer CD Projekt plans to release tonight. Version 1.1 streamlines the installation process, fixes an issue with the free "Troll Trouble" DLC (which is included in the patch files), enhances framerate and loading, and fixes "random crashes occurring on some systems, especially after saving and loading saves." Find the full changelist -- with many other welcome fixes -- at the official site. Even as work finishes up on this patcher, CD Projekt is working on another, due next week, that should fix even more Witcher glitchers.
ESRB rates Witcher 2 for Xbox 360 [update 2: CD Projekt responds]
For some of us, the recommended specs for The Witcher 2 are, let's say, a little daunting. It is thus with a heart full of hope that we look at a recent ESRB rating for an Xbox 360 version. The rating was discovered by Eurogamer, which adds that CD Projekt is planning to announce a game at E3 "that console gamers might be interested in." CD Projekt has been cautious about a potential console release of The Witcher 2 for some time, though it's aware of the size of the console audience. Given the very warm critical reception The Witcher 2 has received so far, a console port would probably be a safe bet. It's also worth noting that the PC version already plays well with a controller -- the menus even reflect Xbox 360 button mapping when using an Xbox 360 controller. Update: The ESRB has removed Xbox 360 as a platform in its Witcher 2 listing. We've reached out to CD Projekt for comment. Update 2: CD Projekt has responded to Joystiq, saying, "We've said for some time that we'd love to bring The Witcher 2 to consoles, but we haven't made any announcements to that effect. Our focus has been and continues to be on the PC version. We're going to be showing off something at E3, and we'll announce what that is shortly before the show."
PSA: The Witcher 2 requires an NTFS-formatted HDD
If you're planning to spend the weekend with The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings -- in lieu of bracing for the impending hellfire, of course -- make sure you've got enough space on an NTFS-formatted hard drive to do it. Though the game's PC system requirements note you'll need "16GB of disc space," they don't mention you'll need that space to be on an NTFS drive. One Joystiq reader found out the hard way, telling us, "My only hard drive with any storage space left on it is FAT32, and has resisted attempts to reformat. I discovered this hidden system requirement after buying The Witcher 2, downloading it, and attempting to install it this morning." CD Projekt confirmed the situation to us this morning. Community manager Andrzej Kwiatkowski said, "Yes, we can confirm that The Witcher 2 on Windows systems only works on NTFS-formatted drives." Kwiatkowski further explained that the design is due to the limitations of the older FAT32 system. "FAT32 can't handle any file bigger than 4GB, and one of TW2's files has the size of 9GB." [Thanks, John]
The Witcher 2 trailer details the four kings and kingdoms
The world of The Witcher 2 is a politically tumultuous place, pockmarked by warring kingdoms, corrupt kings and -- judging by the game's subtitle -- a handful of king-assassins. Check out the trailer after the jump for a rundown of the game's four major monarchs.
All Witcher 2 DLC to be free, including launch day 'Troll Trouble' quest
Though we're sure CD Projekt has a nice, beefy amount of adventure in store for players picking up this week's The Witcher 2, a recent Q&A hosted on GameStop's Facebook page has got us hopeful for the title's longevity. In response to a fan's question about planned DLC, a CD Projekt spokesperson wrote, "Let me announce that all our DLCs will be FREE. All of them. If anything will be for purchase, those will be expansion packs." The distinction between DLC and expansion packs is awfully fuzzy, but this policy doesn't sound like just talk. CD Projekt added that the game's first DLC side-quest, "Troll Trouble," will arrive as part of the title's launch tomorrow, and will cost you zero dollars. That's our very favorite amount of dollars to pay for things.
Joyswag: The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings, The Witcher: Enhanced Edition codes
We've already gone over the purpose and proclivities of The Witcher: He hunts and exterminates beasts that don't belong in this world, imbibes body-altering mutagens, and perpetually responds to the world with a determined grimace. It's a pretty cool job. Witcher watchers are likely aware that the grizzled warrior-monk, Geralt of Rivia, is set to return tomorrow in The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings. We've got three copies to give away, courtesy of GOG. The game is already available for pre-purchase on the retro service, and while it's not exactly fitting with those old PC games, it does come without DRM. (Copies bought elsewhere will require a one-time online activation via Securom.) We're also giving away ten GOG download codes for The Witcher: Enhanced Edition, the revamped RPG that kicked off Geralt's gareer -- uh, career. Read the instructions below the break, leave a comment, and you're in.
Australians might want to pick up Witcher 2 on GOG
In a fairly cheeky response to the Australian ratings board's censorship of CD Projekt's The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings, digital distributor GOG has updated its privacy policy to allow users to decide their own location when making purchases, rather than having their location tracked by IP. Shoppers living in Australia can sidestep the censorship (as well as the bizarre price hike to $69.99 AUS that came about due to "licensing issues") by setting their country of origin as ... well, just about anywhere else. In a sly press release announcing the privacy policy change (posted after the jump), GOG Managing Director Guillaume Rambourg said the site "has always been about trusting the user," explaining, "We've come to the conclusion that there are a number of issues with using a customer's IP address to determine what offer they are being presented with from GOG.com." Well, to be fair, we'd consider "paying more money for a censored game" to be a fairly troubling issue.
Witcher 2 video slideshow takes the scenic route
It may not have all the excitement of a prison break, but the latest trailer for The Witcher 2 certainly is scenic. It ought to be, considering it's composed entirely of environment screenshots. Still, it's nice to take a break from all the bloodshed and explosions every once in awhile, right?
The Witcher 2 censored slightly for Australia
The Witcher 2 has reportedly been censored ever so slightly for Australian audiences. Games On Net notes that for its MA 15+ rating the titular Witcher can't accept sex as a reward for completing a side quest. Namco Bandai, the game's Aussie distributor, apparently felt that receiving sex as a reward was not suitable for the game. The quest and NPC are still in the game, though the outcome has simply been altered. That's promised to be the only change made for Aussies. Contacted for comment, a representative for developer CD Projekt told us the company will apparently make a statement about the situation tomorrow. Australia is expected to finally resolve its lack of R18+ rating in a meeting of the attorneys-general this July. [Thanks, Chris]
The Witcher 2 takes a stab at combat in latest dev walkthrough
It's very likely that your "people jumping around stabbing dudes" limit for today is well below what you expected and, frankly, that's a bunch of hogswallop. Let's fix that with a healthy dose of jumping stabs, courtesy of The Witcher 2.
The Witcher coming to GOG on May 10, Alone in the Dark trilogy available now
" Your name is Geralt of Rivia and you are a witcher, that means you kill monsters for a living." Well, GOG's succinct description of your role in The Witcher should eliminate any of the misconceptions you may have conjured since the game launched on PC in 2007. You're not a guy who collects or makes witches, you're not playing a smart-mouthed Cher impersonator, and you're certainly not an interior decorator who adjusts the general witchy-ness of Rivia's less desirable estates. If you want to experience The Witcher's line of work beyond that summary, you'll have to check GOG on May 10th when the "Enhanced Edition: Director's Cut" becomes available on the download service. The action RPG will cost $4.99 from then until May 24 ($9.99 afterward) and include a glut of bonus items, such as a soundtrack, wallpapers, avatars, a digital artbook and a calendar of topless fantasy women that will absolutely be open one day when your mom walks into the room. If you're looking to use all of that in preparation for The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings, you'll be happy to learn that the sequel can import your original save file. In other monster news -- less slaying of and more running from -- GOG has just added the Alone in the Dark trilogy for $5.99. Those frightening polygonal blobs and creepy camera angles should stir up plenty of nostalgia, enough to last until GOG starts releasing over 25 additional games it claims is already in the process of being optimized and tested for the service.
PSA: The Witcher: Versus now brawling on iPhone
Not enough fantasy-based combat in your life? Chillingo is hoping you'll want to download The Witcher: Versus to help fill that void. Available today on iPhone at a limited-time price of $.99, the game is a rock-paper-scissors type strategic brawler in which you set up your character, your tactics and then let them loose on your enemy. Check out the gallery below for some screens and lunge past the break for a trailer, if you're into that whole "moving pictures" thing.%Gallery-119699%
The Witcher 2 Digital Premium Edition to have no DRM from GoG.com
GoG.com has announced that its version of The Witcher 2: Assassin's of Kings Digital Premium Edition will be the only version to ship without any sort of digital rights management. In a press release, managing director Guillaume Rambourg noted that, "DRM is not an effective way to combat piracy," adding that user experience has always been his company's "main concern." Of course, it's also worth noting that developer CD Projekt owns GoG.com, so it's understandable its version would receive a few perks. If your main concern is to play The Witcher 2 without jumping through extra hoops, it looks like GoG.com is the way to go.
The Witcher 2 preview: Cause and effect
Polish developer CD Projekt charmed a lot of PC-playing RPG fans with its first game, The Witcher, and now the studio is using that solid foundation to build the sequel, subtitled Assassins of Kings. The first game used a heavily modified Aurora Engine (from BioWare's Neverwinter Nights series), but The Witcher 2 runs on a new graphical engine of CD Projekt's own design and features a revamped combat system. At a recent meeting with the developer, I played through one of The Witcher 2's sidequests, which amounted to roughly an hour's worth of gametime. It was enough of an introduction to convince me that if you liked the first game, you'll enjoy the second. There's not a lot of innovation in the sequel, but CD Projekt again proves itself to be a skilled developer of the PC RPG. %Gallery-116971%
Witcher 2's 'Insane' difficulty mode offers no respawn, only permanent death
The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings will include "permanent death" as an ominous feature of its "Insane" difficulty option. Eurogamer spoke with CD Projekt gameplay designer Mateusz Kanik, who explained that players can save the game on Insane, but if they die that career string will be disabled for reloading. However, the developer does plan on adding a "resurrection scroll; maybe DLC or something." The harsh design decision comes from CD Projekt's admiration for the notoriously sinister Demon's Souls' lovingly abusive relationship with the player. Kanik added that there will be an achievement "for sure" for beating the game on Insane. Come on, CD Projekt, at least offer up one of those Witcher heads for the accomplishment, considering death is on the line.
The Witcher 2 screens show the bright(er) side of war
Look, we abhor violence, but you've got to admit these shots of a burning field and the ensuing conflict between two forces in The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings look quite nice. We'd never condone violence but, in this setting, we'd certainly stop and stare for a few.
CD Projekt exercising caution before bringing Witcher 2 to consoles
During a recent press conference, Polish video game developer CD Projekt discussed the possibility of its upcoming RPG sequel, The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings, getting a console port. Speaking to Eurogamer, CD Projekt CEO Marcin Iwiński said that while the game's technology does support multiple platforms, it'll be a matter of "we'll see" in the months following the May PC launch. "We know how many players, especially in the UK as well as in the US, play on Xbox 360," he said. "We are pretty good at maths. That's all I can say for now." The Witcher 2 senior producer Tomasz Gop, also likely to be a math pro, explained that the porting process isn't a last-minute consideration. "We're doing a reality check every half a year or so. We take a level from the game and we try to put it inside our engine, because it's console capable on Xbox 360 and PS3," he said. "It's doable." Gop noted that developing for consoles alongside the PC version hasn't been an option, prompting the team to exercise caution first. "Three reasons: time, people and money. We have not released any console games yet. That's why we're approaching this topic with even more caution."
The Witcher 2's jailbreak mission demonstrated at CD Projekt conference
Remember that trailer for The Witcher 2 -- the one that showed off the many, many approaches you could take to springing the game's white-haired protagonist from prison? During a press conference (which was thankfully attended and filmed by Polish outlet Polygamia), developer CD Projekt showed off a few other evacuation procedures one might use during the mission, demoing a bit of the game's UI in the process. Check out the demo after the jump, but be forewarned, on the off chance that you're at work this hallowed Thanksgiving Eve -- said videos contain breasts. And we don't mean turkey breasts. We mean actual breasts. Like, on a lady.
CD Projekt fighting Witcher 2 piracy with threat of fine
CD Projekt is worried about piracy -- specifically, as it concerns the developer's upcoming, adult-oriented RPG, The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings -- and understandably so. As a single-player-only PC title, The Witcher 2 is awfully ripe for pirating. However, the Polish developer is hoping to counteract these illicit acquisitions by more doggedly pursuing those who play the game illegally. CD Projekt co-founder Marcin Iwiński recently told Eurogamer that "we are signing with legal firms and torrent sneaking companies" to hunt down gamers who download The Witcher 2 unlawfully. Such offenders will be sent a letter demanding they pay a fine -- the sum of which was left unspecified, though it will be more than the game's suggested retail price. Though it sounds a bit like the RIAA's anti-piracy scare tactics, Iwiński said, "We don't want to be so harsh, but there is a chance that this might happen to some people if they download illegally." Or, in other words, don't make CD Projekt use its angry voice, because it's going to hurt them a lot more than it's going to hurt you.
The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings hitting GOG next May
It seems The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings will be available through GOG.com alongside its retail debut in May, 2011. Eurogamer reports the news will be made official later today. Both Witcher and GOG are overseen by Polish company CD Projekt, so the convergence doesn't sound, as the people of Mypos would put it, "ridigulous." CD Projekt's GOG site hosts a number of "Good Old Games" and, when the company isn't performing poorly conceived marketing stunts, its DRM-free download service is focused and fantastic. The Witcher 2 will break new ground on the service by not being old -- let's just cross our fingers that it can at least live up to the other criteria. Update: CD Projekt has confirmed the game will be available DRM-free on GOG.com, pre-orders available now.
