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Stop the presses: Witcher Director's Cut adds nudity
CD Projekt's role-playing game The Witcher is getting another update, adding to the content found in the 2008 Enhanced Edition release. Owners of The Witcher: Enhanced Edition will be able to upgrade to the game's Director's Cut free-of-charge via patch. The newest version of the game will also be available for purchase on TheWitcher.com, Impulse, Steam and Direct2Drive. Along with adding updates found in the recent 1.5 patch -- which removed The Witcher's DRM and added new community-created content -- the Director's Cut will restore nudity previously removed from the North American release of the (overly buxom) Enhanced Edition. If staring at digital lady and man bits from an engine that got its original start in 2002 is your thing, The Witcher: Enhanced Edition Director's Cut is the definitive edition you seek.
Ding-dong, the console Witcher is dead (for now)
After rumors began circulating that the PS3 and Xbox 360 versions of The Witcher had been canceled, Shacknews reports that development on the game has been suspended due to "financial issues." Specifically, co-developer Widescreen Games alleges that CD Projekt failed to make a large payment to the company. This comes by way of Widescreen Games director Olivier Masclef, who stated, "After having committed to the project but not being covered financially on it for three months, I [had] no choice." CD Projekt's joint CEO Michal Kicinski, meanwhile, states that all payments were made according to the game's milestone plan and that the late payments were the result of Widescreen missing its deadlines. Kicinski adds that the decision to put development on hold was "extremely difficult" and that the company is searching for a solution. He concludes, "So no matter what the final decision or solution we will find, please be sure that it will be the best for the game quality, and satisfaction of gamers, which is the most important for us!" Whatever the real story is, the end result is that The Witcher: Rise of the White Wolf is currently dead in the water.
The Witcher: Rise of the White Wolf dogged by rumors of cancellation
Announced back in December 2008, The Witcher: Rise of the White Wolf was billed by developer CD Projekt RED as "the ultimate console RPG." The Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 reworking of the well-received PC game offered to enhance graphics, streamline controls and implement a different combat system, all while retaining the story and exploits of the titular protagonist as he wooed women, fought monsters and straddled the line between nouns and comparative adjectives. While all that remains unchanged, the game's current status has been brought into question by Polish site Polygamia, whose sources indicate that the game has been quietly cancelled. When contacted by Joystiq, CD Projekt representative Tom Ohle was unable to confirm Rise of the White Wolf's current status, but noted that any change in development would be announced via official channels. A spokesperson for Atari, which is set to publish the title this Fall, was similarly circumspect and unable to comment on the game's current condition. If Rise of the White Wolf has been canceled, it appears that conclusive word of its demise hasn't quite left the developer's home base of Poland yet. The fact that nobody is able to check the pulse in the meantime is certainly worrisome.
April Fools: Awesome handheld Witcher teased
CD Projekt RED, developer of The Witcher, and self-proclaimed "world's leading developer of games with 'The Witcher' in their title," announced the next title in its portfolio today. Currently in development for "all current-gen, next-gen and gen-after-next-gen handheld systems," The Witcher: Mysterious Secrets looks to marry the world of The Witcher with 8-bit processing power, 32-colors (though "half of the colours are not visible because the platform supports only 16 colours") and in a first for the Witcher franchise, downloadable content. Though little is known about the DLC as of yet, the company has already taken a firm stance on it, saying, "Yeah, DLC on a handheld. You wanna fight about it?"The game certainly sounds ... ambitious ... but the development team seems vigilant when they say in the developer diary (after the break), "We all realize that handhelds are far more powerful than PCs and consoles all put together, but thanks to this move, we'll be able to break through all the barriers we've encountered so far." We'll keep you updated as we near the game's release window, currently slated for "between Tuesday and Friday 2010."
CD Projekt co-founders named 'Entrepreneurs of the Year'
Michal Kicinski and Marcin Iwinski, co-founders of Polish video game publisher and distributor CD Projekt, were recently recognized by financial firm Ernst and Young, who named the pair Poland's "Entrepreneurs of the Year" as part of a contest the firm holds in 50 countries across the globe. The two were chosen for the success of their start-up company (which has become the largest games distributor in Poland) and for their first foray into game development, The Witcher, which has sold more than one million copies worldwide. In June, the pair will face off against finalists from the other 49 countries in an entrepreneurial battle royale -- the winner of which will earn the coveted "World's Best Entrepreneur" coffee mug. How prestigious!
Witcher trailer: Nothin' but CG
After announcing yesterday that The Witcher is headed to consoles with the new subtitle Rise of the White Wolf, the first official trailer has been released (embedded after the break). Don't get to excited though, as there is nary a frame of gameplay to be seen. What we do get to see is a very impressive CG movie of the Witcher himself performing some balletic moves with his sword and slaying a few monsters (are those Necrotaurs?). It's all very Crouching Tiger. We have to admit the video has us intrigued. Now we just need some gameplay.
The Witcher: Rise of the White Wolf coming to PS3
CD Projekt RED has announced today that The Witcher is headed to consoles. The game will be published by Atari in the US and most of Europe, with CD Projekt filling in the gaps. Originally released on the PC, The Witcher, is being completely remade to be "the ultimate console RPG." A lofty goal, certainly. The console version will feature the same story as its PC brother, but will have improved graphics, an improved combat system and a new subtitle: Rise Of The White Wolf.We've heard good things about The Witcher and any new additions to the PS3's RPG lineup are warmly welcomed. We can expect to see this title on shelves during the Fall of 2009.%Gallery-38396%
The Witcher: Rise of the White Wolf headed to Xbox 360
Developer CD Projekt has informed Joystiq that a console version of its action-RPG The Witcher is currently in development for the Xbox 360. The console version -- now subtitled Rise of the White Wolf -- will feature reworked and streamlined controls, while the games story elements are apparently unchanged. The game will use a new engine, which will include new character models, animations, and a more dynamic combat system. The Witcher: Rise of the White Wolf is scheduled to arrive in Fall 2009.For those unfamiliar with the game, it was generally well received by critics when it was released last year. See a video detailing the console version after the break.
The Witcher: Rise of the White Wolf coming to Xbox 360, PS3
We've been playing the excellent action-RPG The Witcher recently, and though we've been enjoying ourselves, the experience has been missing one thing: A constant stream of invites to play Left 4 Dead. It seems developer CD Projekt is sensitive to our concerns, as it has just revealed that The Witcher: Rise of the White Wolf is coming to Xbox 360 and PS3.The game's controls have been completely rethought and streamlined for the controller, though the story elements appear to be the same as in the PC version. You should be able to try it all for yourself in the Fall of 2009. We'll let you know more as we hear it.
CD Projekt going seriously overboard on The Witcher: Enhanced Edition
Judging from this screenshot, you can see where some of the *ahem* enhancements are going. CD Projekt is pouring a lot of time and effort into The Witcher, which came out almost a year ago. They're adding new animations, new NPC models, fixing all of the dialogue translation problems, squashing bugs, and "increasing load times by 80%." The question is, will people pay attention to a game that came out last year? GameCyte has a full interview with project lead Maciej Szczesnik who talks about the changes they've made. They caught a lot of flak over the poor translation of the game from the original Polish into English, and now they've re-recorded over 5,000 lines of dialogue along with all of the other upgrades and fixes. You can hear the difference between the old audio and the new audio pretty clearly by clicking on those links, but frankly... they just sound like different readings/voices to us. How does the plot change by hearing someone shout "Quick! To the laboratory!" any differently? The new edition, which comes out September 16th, includes two audio CDs, a making-of DVD, an official game guide, a short story from the author of the book that the game is based on, and a map, and it retails for $49.99. However, if you're previously purchased the game, it's a free download. Hey, we're all for free stuff.
New agreement locks in Polish version of AoC
No, not a polished version, although we hope for that too. Poland will be getting a fully localized version of Age of Conan under a new agreement with developer and distributor CD Projekt. The game's text and voice, website, in-game support and communities will be looked after by CD Projekt, with Funcom still overseeing the other parts of the game. Funcom's baby will be in safe hands with CD Projekt, as they have localized countless hit games over the last decade or so, and are also the developer behind the recent critically acclaimed PC RPG The Witcher. The Polish AoC is expected to be released in the second half of this year.
The Witcher gets 'completely finished' version in May
The Witcher, Atari and CD Projekt's love letter to traditional (read: click happy) PC role-playing, is getting an upgrade this May in the form of The Witcher Enhanced Edition, which project manager Maciej Szcze?nik thankfully describes as "a completely finished project." Szcze?nik openly admits that while it would have been great if the original game was not riddled with issues, the team has apparently subscribed to the old adage of the second time's the charm. The tune-up will include a number of enhancements over the original release, from load times that are 80% faster to fixes to other stability and gamplay issues. The game's English version is also getting a major overhaul, with text that is said to have been "completely re-done," while all versions will get an additional 50 new supporting character models -- no doubt helpful in keeping the game world from feeling like it's populated by Sludge Vohaul's community of clones. No price has been announced for the new version, though the developer has said that it's packing in content such as the D'jinii Mod Editor, soundtrack, 112-page guide, two new adventures and more to help make being asked to buy the game a second time around easier to swallow. [Update: The publisher has confirmed that those who have purchased The Witcher will get access to the new content and improvements via a downloadable update.]
Zero Punctuation not bewitched by The Witcher
In the latest installment of Zero Punctuation, Yahtzee (or rather Retard McSpacky Pants) has set his foul-mouthed sights on The Witcher, a computer RPG in the truest of forms (i.e. a really big manual and familiar medieval fantasy setting) also dubbed a "MUMORPUGER." If you're wondering what a MUMORPUGER is, McSpacky Pants defines it as follows: "One click combat, endless drudging from place to place, quests involving killing X amount of monster Y for lazy stationary ... NPC 'Z.'" The NSFW video is embedded after the break. Stay tuned for after the credits roll for an adjustment of sorts to the Painkiller intro cinematic. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in!]
Writer's Guild of America announces nominees for game writing award
The only thing that's consistently more ham-handed and embarrassing than the writing in games is the writing about games. Unlike the latter, however, small glimmers of hope emerge every year with the few games that thought it wise to deliver engaging dialogue and thoughtful plotting. This year alone saw titles like Mass Effect, BioShock and Portal being praised for exceptional writing and the emotional heft it lent to gameplay. Of course, none of those were nominated for the Writer's Guild of America's first ever Video Game Writing Award, but never mind. The winner to grace the stage during the Writer's Guild Awards held in Los Angeles on February 9, 2008, will be chosen from this list of witty nominees: Crash of the Titans -- Written by Christopher Mitchell for Sierra Entertainment Dead Head Fred -- Written by Dave Ellis and Adam Cogan for D3 Publisher The Simpsons Game -- With lead writer Matt Selman, written by Tim Long and Matt Warburton, dialogue by Jeff Poliquin for Electronic Arts The Witcher -- With lead story designer Artur Ganszyniec, dialogue by Sebastian Stepien, additional dialogue by Marcin Blacha and writers Sande Chen and Anne Toole for Atari World in Conflict -- Story design by Christofer Emgard, story consultant Larry Bond and script consultant Ed Zuckerman for Sierra Entertainment. A game's eligibility hinged on being released between Dec. 1, 2006, and Nov. 30, 2007, and credited writers must have been or applied to become members of the WGA's New Media Caucus. Though we're undecided about which game deserves to win, we're certain that highlighting and rewording the good righting in games are vary importent.
Voodoo Extreme's MMO of the year poll
It's about the right time of year for it, and with perfect timing Voodoo Extreme has a poll up for (MMO)RPG Game of the Year.Being in the same category as The Witcher & Mass Effect seems harsh for the MMOs listed, as some great titles went retail in 2007. Was Lord of the Rings Online really just this year? We've also had the first expansion to one of the biggest games of all time, and a minor explosion of Free-to-Play MMOs -- which of course won't feature in a commercial games poll, but they're still surging through the market even so.Overall, 2007 has been a solid year for MMO fans. It may end up being remembered as the year of Halo 3, Assassin's Creed, and Bioshock -- but then 2008 may redress the balance somewhat.Is there an MMO of the year for you, so far?
PAX 07: The Witcher hands-on impressions
At PAX 07, we got a chance to try out Atari's upcoming action RPG, The Witcher and came away impressed. The title has been under development by the Polish game development company CD Projekt for quite a few years now. Originally announced in early 2004, The Witcher has evolved quite a bit from what they originally showed. For example, check out this early screenshot showing the game as basically a reskinned Neverwinter Nights and then look at the screenshots throughout this article. Big difference, no? While the game still uses the Aurora Engine from the first NWN, according to Larry Liberty, the Atari producer that was showing off the game at PAX, 80% of the engine has been replaced with massive overhauls to the lighting, texture, and animation systems -- and it definitely shows. Textures on the monsters and Geralt (main character) looked fantastic, there was tons of foliage in the level we played, and the water looked good enough to make us thirsty. It definitely doesn't look like a modded NWN anymore.
Atari lost another $70 million this year
Atari Inc. plans to report a loss of $71.3 million for their fiscal year which ended March 31. This is up from the $69 million loss from the previous fiscal year. Most of the loss is due to some jargon regarding an "impairment of goodwill," relating to a significant erosion of their market capitalization in which Atari lost an extra $54.1 million -- otherwise they would have only lost $17.2 million. In May, Atari cut 20% of their workforce and parent company Infogrames hasn't seen a profit in seven years.It's kinda sad seeing what Atari has become. Instead of being the granddaddy the industry looks up to, they've become the worthless geriatric that's been locked away in the state-funded old folks home and forgotten. Although, the upside is that Atari actually has some stuff we're looking forward to with Alone in the Dark and The Witcher. We'll find out next week if there is some hope for the future or if we can already begin reporting another $70 million loss for next year.[Via Gamasutra]
Atari to publish The Witcher
Atari has extended its deal with CD Projekt, agreeing to publish the Polish developer's action-RPG The Witcher in North America; in addition to Europe and Asia. Based on Polish author Andrzej Sapkowski's Blood of the Elves book series, The Witcher (originally, Wied?min) was first unveiled in June 2003 and made subsequent appearances at E3 each of the following years. The game utilizes a modified version of BioWare's Aurora Engine and is said to blend fast-paced combat with a twisting storyline driven by players' decisions. The Witcher's relevance in North America is crippled by a lack of English-translated Sapkowski work (only one short story collection has been translated; to be published in April). Even the awkward name witcher is lost on English-speaking audiences (Sapkowski actually prefers his word to be translated as hexer). Wied?min is derived from the polish word for "witch" (wied?ma), and, as Sapkowski imagined, was invented by magicians as a derogatory term used to describe sterile mutants with (supposedly limited) supernatural abilities. In the game, players are Geralt, Sapkowski's legendary monster slayer, who is a witcher -- "The Witcher." The Witcher is scheduled for release in North America this fall under the Games for Windows brand, and will be compatible with Windows XP and Vista. %Gallery-1467%
The Witcher E3 review
If this E3 update on The Witcher feels like deja vu, it's probably because the action role-playing title has made an appearance at the Expo for three straight years now. And it still isn't due until Q2 '07.GameSpy has summarized CDProjekt's latest presentation of the Andrzej Sapkowski-based fantasy adventure, and if you like a deep storyline, The Witcher could be for you. Boasting over 300 cut scenes, the game is highly plot-driven and involves extensive decision making to complement its fast-paced combat.It looks like the Polish developer has been busy modifying BioWare's Aurora Engine, but have they done as good of a job as Obsidian has for Neverwinter Nights 2? You be the judge.
