Finally a single player RPG with a decent storyline AND gameplay!
It's about time a solid single player RPG has come out. The storyline is excellent, the graphics are impressive, and the game play is innovative. The guys at CD project got it right, about a lot of things.
The storyline will instantly suck you in as learn more about the protagonist, Geralt and his enigmatic past. Geralt is not your typical hero. He's gruff. He drinks. He fights. He kills. He womanizes and he doesn't care! The storyline is not always as simple as pick option A to be good and option B to be bad. There are many consequences to each choice in the game. Each decision you make does not simply equate to "good" or "bad." The lines are blurred. Perhaps you help one "good" party who turns out to be a rapist. You then help another "bad" person who turns out to be fighting for something altruistic. Sometimes there is no best-case scenario and you end up with no clear winners and losers.
The combat is a new take on your typical hack and slash. It's not a frantic left-click-fest to slaughter all your enemies. It's a slightly more subtle, timed attack (clicking) system. The combat animations are awesome. To see Geralt flinging his sword around and blood flying everywhere is truly a sight to see. The blood effects are very good and you will see blood dripping off his sword and getting flung onto the ground as the battles rage on. Then, depending on how the battle goes, Geralt might do one of a number of fatalities to his immobilized opponents. It's a very satisfying experience to see your toon decapitate that irritating little assassin who's been following you.
Graphically it's a beautiful thing based of the Neverwinter Nights 2 engine. Graphics are nice candy, but game play and storyline have always been paramount in my world so I won't spend much time on graphics. Needless to say, it is a very pretty game to behold and the pre-rendered video sequences are fantastic. Overall, this is well worth your time and money.
PROS: Great story, intriguing characters, new combat engine
CONS: Some dialogue is clunky or forced, GUI is a little awkward