Which Version to Play Before The Witcher 2

Jun 24, 2010

So you have seen all of the hype floating across the Great and Vast Internet concerning ‘The Witcher 2′. Maybe you have never played the original, or maybe you played it a little but never completed it – yet you have heard that game saves will crossover and now you want to see the end. Well, be you a Witcher, Nilfgaardian, or even one of the Scoia’tael worry not, for help is at hand.

The biggest problem for gamers trying to break into the original Witcher is the sheer number of copies. You have the Standard Edition, both a European Enhanced Edition and a North American Enhanced Edition, the Director’s Cut and even rumours of a console port. Yet while it is fairly easy to find out which one to buy, the reasons why it should be brought are not as forthcoming.

The Standard Edition was the original release and suffered deeply from a terrible English translation. Normally when one speaks of a ‘terrible’ translation, we expect iconic text such as “all of your bases”, but this was not the case. Instead, the tone and feel of the game was literally torn out by a serious dumbing down of the script.

One of the most commonly used examples occurs early into Chapter One. When questioned concerning why the locals persecute the Non-Humans a Dwarven blacksmith replies, “Humans have always hated Dwarves and Elves. Not for me to know why.” The exact same line in the Polish script reads, “Why do pricks go in c****? It’s the natural order of things. Humans have always disliked Dwarves and Elves. Not for me to know why.”

In response to fan demand and general outcry, CD Projekt surprised many by recalling the voice actors and creating the Enhanced Edition. This edition reworked the script creating a much deeper game, it also included more than 200 new character animations and new character models for both NPCs and Monsters. The biggest improvement however, was the removal of all bugs previously found in the Standard Edition making for a more stable Witcher Experience. For North American fan’s the Enhanced Edition was not the answer to all prayers for their version suffered from a couple of bad censorship choices. A decreased level of blood and sexual content being the most noteworthy. For European gamers and North Americans alike, this is the version to buy.

Sometime after the Enhanced Edition was released and bemoaned by North American gamers the Director’s Cut found it’s way onto the internet. This, again, was the work of CD Projekt in response to fan demand and removed all of the North American specific censorship. This version is exactly the same as the European Enhanced Edition and can be brought either from Steam. Additionally, those who already own the North American Enhanced Edition can download the director’s cut patch from CD Projekt’s Witcher site for free!

The final edition worth mentioning is The Witcher: Rise of the White Wolf a console version that never saw the light of day. Had White Wolf seen publication it would have followed the same storyline as the PC version, but gameplay, design and mechanics were slated to be completely rewritten to fit the console gaming style. White Wolf was not going to be your standard port. Development of this version ceased in 2009.

You can grab The Witcher: Enhanced Edition Director’s Cut on Steam for less than 5 bucks (66% off)

By Illiani