#thewitcher
Today marks the release of The Witcher 2: Enhanced Edition on both Xbox 360 and PC. Sure, those of us with a powerful gaming PC probably played through this game one or more times. But everyone who picks it up on the Xbox will be playing it for the first time. More »
#thewitcher
The Witcher 2: Assassin's of Kings' hero doesn't get laid all the time for nothing. In this launch trailer for the Xbox 360 edition of the game, Geralt of Rivia warns of mature content in a way that'll have your parents purchasing the game for themselves. More »
#listenhere
Next week, Xbox 360 owners are finally going to have the opportunity to play The Witcher 2. I really liked that game a whole lot, and so I thought that tonight would be a good time to share my favorite musical track from the game. More »
#thewitcher
The Witcher 2, one of the most visually impressive PC games going around, is getting an Xbox 360 port. If you were wondering how many corners needed to be cut to get the game running on a six year-old console, here's your answer. More »
The question posed by this by this latest Witcher 2: Enhanced Edition trailer ("What is a Witcher?") could easily be answered by visiting Wikipedia, both regular and Witcher-flavored. Getting your information that way, however, prevents you from seeing a dude's face ripped open by tiny shovels.
This latest installment in CD Projekt's ongoing developer diary series for The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings Enhanced Edition details the game's new intro movie, as well as the rest of the fresh cinematics created specifically for the Enhanced Edition.
There are plenty of non-PC gamers out there anxiously awaiting the April 17 release of TheWitcher 2: Assassin of Kings Enhanced Edition for the 360, but you PC gaming types who've played Witcher 2 already may be on the fence about whether the new version is worth your dollars. Perhaps this latest trailer, which runs through the Enhanced Edition's new features and content, can help aid in your decision making process.
The trailer also briefly teases the game's Dark Edition bundle, which includes the game, its soundtrack, a making of DVD, stickers, a world map, a "Witcher Medallion," a quest handbook, game manual and art book.
In preparation of the game's April 17 launch, CD Projekt has released this trailer, showing the gorgeous boat battle cinematic in various states of the extensive creation process.
#thewitcher
It sounds like the console port of The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings, one of the top-role playing games as a PC-only release in 2011, will need a hard drive installation. Otherwise, well, enjoy the slow loading times and janky visuals, says the game's studio. More »
Speaking at GDC 2012 today, CD Project Red CEO Marcin Iwinski declared that the developer behind the Witcher games would never use digital rights management to protect its games.
"Every subsequent game we will never use any DRM anymore, it's just over-complicating things," Iwinski said. His presentation was hinged on how the Polish publisher sold over a million copies of the game on a modest budget.
"We release the game. It's cracked in two hours, it was no time for Witcher 2. What really surprised me is that the pirates didn't use the GOG version, which was not protected. They took the SecuROM retail version, cracked it and said 'we cracked it' -- meanwhile there's a non-secure version with a simultaneous release. You'd think the GOG version would be the one floating around."
"DRM does not protect your game," Iwinski told Joystiq after the presentation. "If there are examples that it does, then people maybe should consider it, but then there are complications with legit users."
We're sure Ubisoft has no idea what Iwinski is talking about.
#watchthisplaythis
Teaser trailers are the cruelest of trailers when done right. A second teaser trailer follows yesterday's look at The Witcher 2 on the 360. More »
#thewitcher
The latest trailer for the coming Xbox 360 "Enhanced Edition" of The Witcher 2 is a percussive lil' thing, featuring lots of intercut action, as well as at least a glimpse of one of the trademark steamy love scenes and a forest tableaux that just screams "See? The game looks fine on the Xbox 360!" There's also a scene that I have to assume comes from a point in the new third-act quest, which PC gamers will also be receiving as a free download. More »
CD Projekt RED announced this morning that The Witcher franchise sold over 1.5 million units in 2011. The breakdown is 1.1 million copies of The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings for the year, following its May launch, and another 400,000 sales of the original game, which launched in 2007.
"I have to admit, though, that the sales results for The Witcher, five years on from the game's premiere, are remarkable. If anything, they prove that the content we put into our games ages well," said Adam Badowski, head of the CD Projekt RED studio.
A surprising statistic about the sequel, given how entrenched we think digital distribution is in PC gaming, is that digital distribution only accounted for 24 percent of the sequel's sales. Digital distribution channels had 270,000 sales of The Witcher 2, with 40,000 of those through the DRM-free GOG.com.
The Witcher will also be introduced to new audiences this year when The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings Enhanced Edition makes its way to Xbox 360 on April 17.
#razerblade
Razer's sleek and stylish Blade gaming laptop is slowly making its way into the hands of customers ballsy enough to drop $2,800 on an untested product from a company that's never made a gaming laptop before. Did their gamble pay off? More »
The Witcher 2's Xbox 360 conversion is more than your run-of-the-mill port, at least according to the first episode of CD Projekt Red's development diary, where executive producer John Mamais and crew discuss the changes and additions being made to the game's engine and storyline.
#thewitcher
In case Kirk Hamilton's preview of The Witcher 2 on the Xbox left you with unanswered questions about the 360 remake, here's CD Projekt with a professionally produced video filled with colorful lights, sounds, and people talking about making the game. More »
We've confirmed that the "Dark Edition" of the Xbox 360 version of The Witcher 2 will retail for $99. There was some reader confusion about the price. Details on the Dark Edition can be found here. More »
Sure, The Witcher 2 has been out on PC for about a year, so you don't really need to be introduced to it -- but you should watch this trailer for the Xbox version anyway. Feats of archery are performed. Spells are cast. Epic battles are waged. Farts are lit.
It's a straight-up gorgeous Saturday you guys, and we can't think of a better way to enjoy a really beautiful weekend than by staying inside and playing video games all day. As it happens, GoG is having a sale this weekend on various classics (like Jagged Alliance 2 for $4.99) and The Witcher 2 (for $33.99).
#thewitcher
At yesterday's for the upcoming Xbox 360 port of The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings (my thoughts here), the folks at CD Projekt also showed us a brand-new intro cinematic that they had created for the game. More »
Following the launch of The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings on PC, CD Projekt Red offered a steady stream of updates and DLC, free of charge.
The Xbox 360 version, which I saw at a preview event in San Francisco, will bundle all of that previously released content when it launches this year -- along with new material.
It's taken Geralt a long time -- heck, we can't blame him. A horse-drawn carriage is pretty much the slowest method of transport ever, but come April 17 his long voyage to the Xbox 360 will have concluded. Warner Bros. has finally announced the official launch date for the highly lauded CD Projekt Red sequel today, The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings.
Originally announced last summer, the title was originally planned to launch on Xbox 360 in 2011, but had to be pushed back to early 2012 before Warner Bros. signed on to publish. Recently, we were able to spend some time with the game and speak with the developers, so be sure to read up on our findings and start sharpening your silver swords -- you've only got about three months to get back into evil-vanquishing shape!
#thewitcher
This week, I had a chance to sit down and play through a few hours of the upcoming Xbox 360 version of the 2011 PC-exclusive game The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings. The Xbox 360 version will launch on April 17th. More »
CD Projekt RED, the studio behind The Witcher 2, will be holding a live-streamed conference revealing the XBox 360 version's release date, new features, and more this Thursday at 7PM GMT (2PM Eastern) on their Facebook page. More »
GOG may be a Polish company, who doesn't comment on "politics, legislation, and government actions" of other nations, but it has come out against SOPA. It states, "SOPA works in a fashion similar to DRM, if you ask us: it only will have an effect on people who are, by and large, honest consumers."
#piracy
Today, the folks at CD Projekt RED have ceased their ongoing practice of tracking down people they believe have pirated The Witcher 2 and threatening them with legal action. This aggressive approach came under fire from fans and the media, specifically from Rock Paper Shotgun, whose John Walker published an open exchange with CD Projekt representatives that we were happy to republish here. More »
After some strong words and even stronger legal actions, it looks like Witcher 2 developer CD Projekt RED is curtailing its actions against pirates over stolen copies of its last release. CDP co-founder Marcin Iwinski penned an "open letter to the gaming community" wherein he states that, "immediately" his company will "cease identifying and contacting pirates."
Make no mistake, Iwinski isn't flipping his stance on pirates or the concept of piracy. "It hurts us, the developers. It hurts the industry as a whole," he writes. He is, however, flipping his company's approach to dealing with piracy, rolling back past legal options and taking "your opinions to heart" instead. Iwinski also points out that unless folks pay for games, companies like his "won't be able to produce new excellent titles for you," which we fully stand behind.
So, in conclusion: Piracy? Bad. Legal actions against pirates? Also bad. Questions?
Pace yourself! Steam's Holiday Sale is only in day two, and you can already get Costume Quest for $3.74 (or with Psychonauts for just $2 more!), Lego Batman for $5, The Witcher 2 for $24, The Witcher 1 for $2.49, and Modern Warfare 2 for $15.
You're definitely going to be broke after this year's sale but, on the upside, you'll be able to play a lot of games until your electricity is shut off and you're evicted.
