The Witcher 2 : Assassins of Kings

The Witcher 2 is probably the best looking game I've ever played, on PC or console.  The underlying game itself is just as amazing as the eye candy, so when taken as a whole this is a masterpiece RPG.  I have the original sitting up on my shelf, but never managed to play very far.  The combat system of different stances for different types of enemies never grew on me, and I really didn't like the way they handled combos.  I was hesitant when I first heard about the sequel, but thankfully I caved and picked it up after reading many positive impressions.

Both games are based off the Polish fantasy novels of the same name and center on Geralt of Rivia, a.k.a. "The White Wolf", one of the last of a group of professional monster hunters called witchers.  Taken as children, their bodies are first modified with powerful magic and alchemy, with adolescence spent in constant training.  As adults, they posses inhuman reflexes along with vastly superior strength and dexterity.  This makes them particularly suited for hunting and killing the most dangerous beasts.  Witchers abide by a code that prohibits them from killing any creature that has sentient intelligence, which I thought was an interesting caveat.

The game starts with Geralt waking up in a Temerian prison, wrongly accused of assassinating King Foltest.  He is interrogated by Roche, a member of the Temerian Special Forces, about the events leading up to the king's death.  Geralt relates how he served as the king's personal bodyguard and details the battle that ended with his capture and imprisonment.  Several noble families had risen up against Foltest, who in turn led the attack on a rebel held castle to free his illegitimate children.

The prologue follows Geralt as he and Foltest lead the final attack that breaches the rebel castle.  Some of the set pieces in these first areas are absolutely amazing, and really show how much time went into their design.  Thousands of pitched army tents with troops wandering about, a field hospital packed with broken and bloody soldiers moaning in pain, and a massive siege tower that Geralt and the king climb to join the first wave going over the walls.  Everywhere you look it's evident that someone took great care in building this world.

After the climax of the battle the king is assassinated and his killer escapes, leaving Geralt alone with the body just as Temerian soldiers arrive.  After hearing the story, Roche is convinced Geralt is innocent and slips him the key to his shackles.  He's taken back to his cell and locked up again, but manages to taunt the guards into opening his cage.  After a quick hand to hand fight handled through QTE, Geralt must arm himself and escape the prison.

Witcher 2's combat has much more depth than it's predecessor, with both strong and heavy attacks to alternate between.  You can string several of either together, with Geralt's attacks gaining more flourish as you go.  He'll swing his sword in circles with fast attacks, turn and bring the blade down full force for a heavy strike, then roll across the room to slash another enemy.  It's a very fluid system, as you can seamlessly go from one enemy to the next if you're good enough.  Geralt can also parry attacks, and then riposte once he learns the skill.  Parrying is absolutely essential when fighting some of the tougher enemies, and you can't just stand there waiting for an attack.  First off it doesn't last that long, so you have to time it just right or strikes will get through.  Successfully parrying a blow also uses up one of Geralt's two starting vigor points.  They will regenerate over time, but definitely not quick enough to parry every attack.

As a witcher, there are two final abilities that make up the Geralt's monster killing arsenal:  signs, which are basically the witcher form of magic, and alchemy.  There are five different signs to use, and each one has a very distinct purpose.  The Yrden sign is used to trap and stun enemies, while Igni can set them on fire, and Quen will surround Geralt in a protective shield for a limited time.  That one in particular saved me more times than I can count, as even on normal this game can be downright brutal.  Alchemy is interesting but I haven't really played with it that much yet.  Geralt can harvest from just about any plant or creature in the game, then combine those different materials to make a variety of potions.  Each one requires a formula before it can be made, most of which I've found so far can be bought from local merchants.  You can also pick up crafting materials like wood, iron ore, leather, and twine.  Just like alchemy, you can find diagrams to craft new types of weapons, armor, and other equipment.

Alpha Protocol

I've been playing through Alpha Protocol over the past couple weeks, attempting to get to the end before I get wrapped up in something else.  I've had the game since it came out and managed to play about half way through before burning out due to the bugs and poor AI.  Obsidian is known for releasing games before they are ready, so I expected as much, but the problems burned me out so I shelved it.  I think it was a week or two after I stopped playing that I heard Sega was dropping support for the game due to poor sales.  It wasn't until a month or two ago that they finally changed their minds and released a patch for the PC version.  I'm starting up a new game as I have no idea where or what I was doing last time I played.

Alpha Protocol is an espionage RPG that tells the story of Michael Thorton, a newly hired agent working for an organization so secret even the US government doesn't know it exists.  When the game begins you are given the option to choose several different classes which specialize in a variety of different skills.  The Soldier, for instance, specializes in assault rifles and toughness.  An Agent, on the other hand, uses pistols and stealth skills.  There's also another option, that of the Recruit.  This is a special class that makes the game a bit harder because Thorton starts out with no skill points, fresh out of Langley.  I'm usually not for making anything more difficult than it needs to be, but this sounded interesting.  Picking Recruit gives you some special dialog options during the training mission, plus it unlocks the overpowered Veteran class for the next play through.

One of the more interesting things about Alpha Protocol is the relationships you have with other characters in the game.  Each person starts out neutral when you meet them, but can quickly change for better or worse depending on your actions or how you talk to them.  Similar to Mass Effect, you're given a choice of different types of responses to each dialog.  Some characters prefer the a professional demeanor, while others like a more laid back and down to earth agent.  While playing you'll come across information on characters in the form of dossiers that have a detailed description and history.  Accumulating 100% of a dossier on someone can give you an edge during conversation.  I was meeting with one particular agent in Rome, but didn't realize who it would be until I got there and realized I had already completed his dossier  I was keeping a low profile by using non-lethal tactics and not setting off alarms on previous missions.  He remarked in our conversation that I was a very skilled agent and that he wasn't even aware of my presence until a couple hours before our meeting.  This impressed him and I was able to get a couple points of reputation out of it.  The fact that I had read his dossier gave me a new dialog option, which had Thorton running through a list of pretty much everything this guy had done since birth.  The look on his face was priceless, and I received another point reputation boost for it.  I just met this guy and he already had a friendly attitude toward me because of how I had played the other Rome missions.  The intricate relationships that evolve over time is a really cool way to let you see how much of the game changes based on your decisions.

Combat reminds me quite a bit of Mass Effect, as they both were based off of the same engine.  The one thing that separates Alpha Protocol is that skill plays a huge role in how your character handles a weapon.  Starting out as a Recruit meant using the pistol Thorton initially picked up wasn't a great idea.  I couldn't hit a damn thing with it, even from close range, and always ended up alerting whoever I was aiming at.  I decided to rely on stealth to stay out of site until I could make a move.  Sneaking up on an enemy allows you to take them down silently without alerting anyone, so that ended up becoming my tactic early on.  I would wait and watch guards as they patrolled, then sneak up behind for the quick take down.  It's not easy and requires patience, as it only takes one guard to hit the alarm.  To me it's a more rewarding play style, not to mention that my character wasn't built to take damage anyway.  The beauty of Alpha Protocol is that it allows for both.  If you want to max out on Toughness and Assault Rifles then power through the game killing everything in your path, have at it!

It wouldn't be much of an espionage game if Thorton didn't have cool gadgets to play with, and there are quite a few here.  EMP charges, shock traps, radio mimics to fool guards into turning off an alarm, flashbangs, remote mines, etc.  How many of these you can carry is based on what type of armor you are wearing.  My character has been going with stealth armor that enhances your sound dampening, but the downside is he can't carry as many.  I've found that EMP charges and first aid kits are a requirement for every mission.  EMPs will disable any electronic device, so they're pretty helpful in unlocking doors or shutting down security.  You can manually hack a computer or pick a lock, so I find that I really don't use them for that very often unless under fire.  Automatic gun turrets, on the other hand, are a massive pain in the ass to a stealth character.  I usually save any EMPs to take those out, as they can kill quickly and some are impossible to sneak past.

There are four different types of weapons: pistols, shotguns, SMGs, and assault rifles.  Each is good at doing something different, like shotguns for close range or assault rifles for long.  Thorton can only carry two during a mission, so early on I decided the pistol would be my main weapon.  I still needed something for long range, so the assault rifle was the natural second choice.  Alpha Protocol has an interesting weapon customization system that lets you use different barrels, scopes, and other accessories.  Each weapon has four different slots which will modify the gun's stats in some way.  I chose the silencer for my pistol and decked out the other slots with items that would increase accuracy.  Since I didn't put that many points in the skill, I decked out my assault rifle with upgrades that increased it's accuracy while decreasing recoil.

I've finished all the primary areas and have almost reached the end.  I think I have one or two boss fights left before it's over.  I stuck with my professional demure through the entire game and didn't execute any of the major players.  I managed to convince two agents to switch sides since I had good reputation with them.  One told me he guaranteed we would never see each other again, so I'm assuming that eliminates him as a potential boss fight.  I hope so because he was a major pain when I fought him earlier.  The other ends up helping Thorton copy incriminating evidence to his PDA, so instead of a boss fight I had to protect him from waves of enemies until the download was complete.