Morning Discussion

Well yesterday certainly was a busy news day. NCSoft anted up for more investment in City of Heroes/Villains, though essentially to give themselves competition in the Supers MMO arena. The game seems to have a certain charm, my office-mate is still playing the game continually from launch. And how about Sega promising more import Virtual Console games? I think that's good? What did they neglect to release here in the states?

In Shacknews... news, Nick has brought you a new Replay Couch, now featuring intualgalactic war. And I've got a new contest for everyone, if the Simpsons and/or photoshopping are your thing, you should check this out.

From The Chatty
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    November 7, 2007 5:07 AM

    [deleted]

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      November 7, 2007 5:12 AM

      Can't disagree, besides some wonky spots in dialogues. With this and Mask of the Betrayer out, I am pretty much in CRPG heaven!

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        November 7, 2007 5:22 AM

        What's CRPG hobbit?

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        November 7, 2007 5:38 AM

        Just some? The dialogue clips I've seen are embarassing, the rest of the game really makes up for that?

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          November 7, 2007 5:50 AM

          [deleted]

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            November 7, 2007 5:55 AM

            I think It's because he's British, I feel much the same way, the country accents are terrible and throw us off.. i'd say it's 50/50 - the important character have good voice overs tho.

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            November 7, 2007 5:56 AM

            It gets a bit repetitive at times, so I can see that, but I haven't found may RPGs that aren't to some extent.

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      November 7, 2007 5:13 AM

      is it an rpg along the lines of oblivion? or like final fantasy?

      ive been looking for something like oblivion..but nothing like final fantasy

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        November 7, 2007 5:14 AM

        The Baldur's Gate series with a pretty unique Diablo-ish combat system would be a better comparison for this.

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          November 7, 2007 5:17 AM

          ill check out a review and ill most likley pick this up this week as ive been feending for a good rpg to wrap my mind around.

          i almost bought 2 worlds yesterday untill i was strongly advised against it here at the shack

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            November 7, 2007 5:20 AM

            Two Worlds seems to really seperate people, a few of my friends love it on the PC. The Witcher is fantastic, that said there are one or two annoyances such as the ridiculous load/save times and the odd bug.. if you can wait until the next patch (no ETA) that should clear a lot of it up and I really do believe it will soon be acknowledged as one of the best RPGs since BG2 (if the game keeps it's current quality in Chapters 5 and 6 that is)

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          November 7, 2007 5:17 AM

          Plays a lot more like Oblivion if you use the over the shoulder camera.. it's a lot more immersive aswell! i was gobsmacked when i tried it yesterday. And I have to agree with Kill9 - I've just got to Chapter 4 and I'm absolutely loving this game.

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            November 7, 2007 5:21 AM

            [deleted]

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              November 7, 2007 5:43 AM

              Same here. I'm trying to decide which side to take in the swamp conflict myself.

              Also, How do I reactivate the Golem? I feel like I'm missing something there.

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                November 7, 2007 5:46 AM

                You need to speak to a blacksmith first to get them to craft a conducting rod, the order blacksmiths did this for me even tho they didn't favour me.. then you put it in his hand.. you then need to speak to the druids and take it from there

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                  November 7, 2007 5:49 AM

                  Danke. That angel card was throwing me off.

                  And for those who haven't played the game; no, I did not fuck an angel.

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                November 7, 2007 5:49 AM

                [deleted]

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            November 7, 2007 5:24 AM

            I stil can't play Oblivion, probably will never be able to again due to switching to my LCD :( real sad because I <3'd that game :(

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          November 7, 2007 6:01 AM

          My pants just exploded. My God man.

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            November 7, 2007 6:09 AM

            Then try that it has more of a Fallout 2 kind of RPG attitude toward quests and such.

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      November 7, 2007 5:17 AM

      Had it not come out so close to Hellgate, I would of got it. I hope I can find it later but with the publisher Atari likely to fold any day now, that could be a problem.

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      November 7, 2007 5:21 AM

      anyone have a good review to link me to?

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      November 7, 2007 5:23 AM

      oh is this game for the pc only or is it out on 360 as well?

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      November 7, 2007 5:49 AM

      I want to like it, but the damned thing keeps randomly crashing on me during load/save times. Yes, it's patched up to 1.1.

      It's SOOOOOOOOO frustrating to try saving your progress and have the game crash on you in the process, wiping it all away. ARRRRRGGGHHHH >:|

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        November 7, 2007 6:05 AM

        I share your pain good sir. I did find that dropping the res and all the advanced options to low made it last an awful lot longer.. there's a memory leak somewhere, also it's the "trade quarter" map that tended to crash more than others.. it's been fine since I hit Chapter 4.

        Hopefully a new patch will arrive soon which is supposed to improve matters (including the ability to disable autosave, thank god)

        I should also note that defragging your HD and having 2gb of RAM makes a world of difference with save/load times.

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      November 7, 2007 6:40 AM

      Can I throw a monkey wrench in here? While I'm enjoying the shit out of this game I'm getting a little tried of the hyperbole going around the internet.

      First off this is NOT the revolutionary RPG we've all been waiting for. At least not myself, there are flaws everywhere. Please keep in mind I'm having a great deal of fun with this game and it's story/characters, but I feel no one has yet stated the bad points for an objective point of view for those who are on the fence. Is this a must buy or just worth playing if you get the chance? Well here:

      - Lack of NPC variation. I've seen the same 5 NPCs all over. Granted I'm only in chapter 2, but I'm very dissapointed that storyline speaking parts are given to the same few NPCs. You'll see a guy and go "Hey it's Olaf the inkeeper!" meanwhile the guy has no idea who you are, because he's a completely different person. Say what? Thats just terrible. Considering we have terabyte harddrives I think it's time we stopped seeing this in games.

      -Signpost NPCs. Ah one of Oblivion's biggest faults. Everyone complained then, but suddenly it's okay for the Witcher to do it. For me this is a huge immersion breaker. Seeing a town of 40 people who all say the same lines is downright embarrasing for a 2007 RPG. Think Oblivion with "I saw a mudcrab the other day" only much worse, because they only say 2 different lines when clicked on. The storyline characters do NOT do this, so it's ignorable. However since it's nigh impossible to determine whether someone is a sign post or a quest character (again, the duplicate models/voices) makes it annoying. Although I will say this - "I fucked a she-elf once" made me look twice at my monitor with glee. :D

      -Shallow sex mechanic. I like that this game is adult, but for god sakes. I gave a woman a flower and she banged me. It could use a little more romancing. It makes sense that rescuing a horny damsel would get you some ass, but how does a flower go that far? Ah times were simpler back then...?

      -Combat may irritate some people because it's just clicking when an icon changes colour. I said going in that combat wouldn't matter to me in an RPG that is story based, so I don't mind. However for those who haven't played yet this may be a deterrent. Although after the beast fight it truly did feel like an accomplishement. So it's up and down.

      -Finally we come to the choices. Where are they? I've made about 3 going into chapter 2 and they all seemed tame. The first choice didn't affect the game at all, the second turned out the same no matter what was chosen and the third was black and white. I liked the third from a story standpoint (I won't spoil, but for those reading this who have made it to chapter 2 it's the villagers VS witch debate). However there was only two choices in that conversation. Not really the head scratcher I had hoped for.

      Anyway that said the game is fun, so far the story is cool and best of all Geralt is a badass. He's clearly one of the best reasons to be playing. This game is more akin to a linear console jap RPG, as they guide you through and the story is laid out on a carpet. As a lover of Final Fantasy that doesn't bother me one bit. However take note Planescape and Fallout fans, because you won't get that type of story/gameplay from this game. So don't listen to those who blindly praise it.

      The best advice? Get it if you are missing story in RPGs and don't mind the niggles I posted about. I don't regrest my purchase for a second, I just believe in seeing the good AND the bad, not just praising a game because it's indie and not developed by bethesda. If Oblivion is flawed, then so is the Witcher. However if you want my personal opinion the Witcher is MUCH more fun.

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        November 7, 2007 6:54 AM

        I agree with you on some points, but I disagree with the choices. In the one you describe, the idea is did the villagers get tempted by the witch's power and do horrible things or did the witch just supply the means and the villagers would have done horrible things anyways. (I personally felt the latter).

        But if you look at one of my earlier replies in this post, there is more of an example of grey.

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          November 7, 2007 6:59 AM

          Oh I know, but I just wanted people to understand that this game is not some major "Choose your own adventure" that previews makde it seem like. You get the occasional choice, but you aren't allowed to turn Geralt into your own personal avatar. He is who he is, regardless.

          Also that choice I mentioned - I felt the latter as well. Those bastards deserved what they got. I loved how Geralt acted in the scene after the choice :D

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        November 7, 2007 6:56 AM

        RE: Choice - The choices really come into play halfway through chapter 2, up until that point it's fairly easy to stay neutral (if you wish) in a lot of matters.. you soon come across some situations that are really grey.. i've had to stop and think about one or two and afterwards still wasn't sure i'd made the right decision.

        I think more than anything, I love the world that the Witcher is set in.. and as you mentioned Geralt is pretty badass!

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          November 7, 2007 7:00 AM

          Ok then, I'll hold off on judging the choices then. I don't plan on coming up with a full opinion until I'm done anyway. Planescape got MUCH better at the half-way point and closer to the end for instance. So you can't judge a book by it's cover, or it's first chapter ;)

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          November 7, 2007 7:00 AM

          ^^^

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      November 7, 2007 6:52 AM

      Fuck you guys. Thanks to all the hype just ordered the UK version of Witcher. Dammit! I'm trying to save up for my home theater system!

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        November 7, 2007 6:55 AM

        Why the UK version?

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          November 7, 2007 6:56 AM

          one word : nipples

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            November 7, 2007 6:57 AM

            Is that the only difference?

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              November 7, 2007 6:58 AM

              as far as ive heard yes

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                November 7, 2007 7:01 AM

                Are there any examples of this?

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                  November 7, 2007 7:03 AM

                  check Nick's review on the front page somewhere (featured article)

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                    November 7, 2007 7:04 AM

                    What is this front page you talk about?

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                        November 7, 2007 7:18 AM

                        Thanks, I found it. I don't feel that bad about picking up the US version then since I can live without seeing a green nipple on dryad picture. I wonder whether they went with green since I don't get that on mine.

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                          November 7, 2007 7:26 AM

                          No response yet? avatar_58, haven't you gotten that far yet? I actually am curious now.

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                            November 7, 2007 7:31 AM

                            I haven't met any green dryads :(

                            However I did see a nipple in one love scene photo. Honestly the censorship isn't that big of a deal, unless you are like me and disagree with it on principal. I prefer the uncensored version because if I'm paying for a mature product, I want a mature product. ;)

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                            November 7, 2007 7:33 AM

                            Dryads have green nipples + green 'bushy area'.

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                              November 7, 2007 7:33 AM

                              Oh and that's in game, I can't remember what's on the card.

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                                November 7, 2007 7:36 AM

                                That sucks. That is ingame stuff, not just on the card. My version has long hair and a half loin cloth (nothing covered on the back end).

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                                  November 7, 2007 8:22 AM

                                  Oh, for reference - Dryad in UK Version = http://www.easyscreens.info/index.php?v=1175&fullsize=1

                                  sorry about the shitty gif quality - i tried saving out as a jpeg but the colour was always outta whack, haven't really got time to mess around with it.

                                  NWS for green nipples and bush!

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                                    November 7, 2007 8:25 AM

                                    Though that normally wouldn't apply, I'm still a little pissed. Hopefully they will sell a patch for that.

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                                    November 7, 2007 8:30 AM

                                    So it's more than the cards? :[ I wonder what else they cut out.

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                                      November 7, 2007 8:39 AM

                                      Let's not start more unfounded rumors.

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                                        November 7, 2007 8:58 AM

                                        It's too bad the developer won't release a patch or something. :[ Even an unofficial patch would be fine.

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                                          November 7, 2007 10:02 AM

                                          Have they said this?

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                                          November 7, 2007 10:10 AM

                                          Looking at the INI file, it says the override folder is in ..\data - have you got a bunch of .bik files like this in your DATA folder?


                                          cs_sex_hooker1.bik


                                          etc? If not, I guess getting the uncensored cards is just a case of having those .biks present.

                                          The ingame stuff would be harder as it's probably a texture and the texture file is nearly 2gb, although i guess it'd be feasible (if tools existed) to extract the textures and put them in another file.

                                          I'm sure if CD Projekt WANTED to release a patch, it would be quite easy for them.

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                              November 7, 2007 7:34 AM

                              Is this from the game or other source material?

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              November 7, 2007 7:18 AM

              The LE is UK only. Thats another difference. Personally I'm glad I shelled out for it, theres a lot of goodies and it's all in a nice hardcover box.

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                November 7, 2007 7:18 AM

                What were the goodies?

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                  November 7, 2007 7:33 AM

                  An OST CD, an artbook the size of a Prima Strategy Guide, a full map of the land, a making of DVD, the game in a DVD case (not sure what the american version is in, the GFW label should mean it's the same) and the whole thing encased in a solid LE sized box. It only cost a few bucks more so I said 'Why not".

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                    November 7, 2007 7:35 AM

                    OST? Really? I love some of the music in this game!

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                      November 7, 2007 7:38 AM

                      Wait, if you don't have the LE, then how can you answer my questions?

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                        November 7, 2007 7:45 AM

                        Hmm? All UK versions are uncensored, not just the LE.

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                          November 7, 2007 7:50 AM

                          Oh, yeah, my bad.

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                            November 7, 2007 7:51 AM

                            So then, cause&effect, is there a gore difference?

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                              November 7, 2007 8:06 AM

                              I've only played the UK one! There hasn't been all that much gore to censor really? Although when you've got a good group steel/silver power up and you got to town on a group of baddies, it's AWESOME watching blood spray everywhere in big wide circles around you, matting the floor, walls etc. Very satisfying.

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                                November 7, 2007 8:07 AM

                                I don't think it is any different for the US version then. There is always blood splatter after I finish somebody off.

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                    November 7, 2007 9:14 AM

                    Would there be any mod concerns about posting the soundtrack files? The OST isn't available elsewhere that I have seen, and I would very much like to have the music.

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                November 7, 2007 7:37 AM

                I'm guessing it was preorder only?

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              November 7, 2007 7:35 AM

              I tried to get to the bottom of it but with little success. It will remain a mystery.

              http://www.shacknews.com/laryn.x?id=15499815#itemanchor_15499815

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                November 7, 2007 7:46 AM

                Less gore? How odd. I can't answer that because I rarely get finishers. In fact I don't even understand how to perform them.

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                  November 7, 2007 7:52 AM

                  I think you have to do a knockdown, then finish? Not 100% sure.

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                    November 7, 2007 8:07 AM

                    Yeah, you can stun or knock down using Aard I think.. most simple mobs stun quite easily, then more often than not, one click and you'll perform a finishing move.

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                      November 7, 2007 8:39 AM

                      Can stun be added to weapons/skills? I find I can never use Aard, if I attempt to I'm hit before my character reacts. In fact I can never use magic in general.....it takes the game a minute for my character to position and then by that time I'm hit before it's cast. :\

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                        November 7, 2007 9:12 AM

                        Yeah, you can add stun by reforging your sword with meteorite or runes.. that's a little later on tho. If you're in the swamps, keep an eye out on corpses (near the north of the map IIRC)

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              November 7, 2007 7:40 AM

              They censored at least one temptatious, slutty knee as well. Thank god or all of America would be fucking uncontrollably by now.

              (It's true. See the last screenshot.)

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                November 7, 2007 7:53 AM

                they probably did it so they could get a M rating instead of an AO.

                ... they should just combine the AO and M rating, because right now the AO rating is pretty much the kiss of death; hardly anyone will carry AO games.

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                  November 7, 2007 7:58 AM

                  Hardly anybody carried it anyways.

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                    November 7, 2007 8:40 AM

                    It's still not at my local ebgames. But then again neither were Gears of War, Timeshift or Dementium. I'm getting tired of that place...

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                      November 7, 2007 8:41 AM

                      I only found it on Amazon and at Target. Nobody else has it, period.

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                        November 7, 2007 8:42 AM

                        I love how you can get the strategy guide at Best Buy but you can't get the actual game from them.

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      November 7, 2007 6:55 AM

      fuck i wish there were more hours in the day to play this. it is so awesome. as much as i love oblivion, the storyline and characters in this game blow it away.

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      November 7, 2007 7:12 AM

      If I keep seeing these damn Witcher threads, it's going to hype me into buying the damn title. I'm already spread thin as it is with playing through the HL series, NWN2 (stupid camera angles), and slacking on Guild Wars.

      NWN 2 is tasty, but somewhat dizzying with the character build outs. I hate getting OCD and researching every single character decision.

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        November 7, 2007 9:04 AM

        Do it damn it. I've got HL2:EP2, MP3, Zelda DS, Halo 3, HG:L to finish yet and when I get an hour or so here or there to play games I'm still loading up The Witcher.

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      November 7, 2007 8:41 AM

      Is this the same Witcher that PA poked fun at years ago?

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        November 7, 2007 9:02 AM

        Yes, the same game.

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          November 7, 2007 9:06 AM

          So what's the deal? Did it just come out or something?

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            November 7, 2007 9:13 AM

            Yeah. It was released last week, and all joking aside, it is an excellent game if you like RPGs.

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      November 7, 2007 8:50 AM

      Oh man, i'm getting crushed by the beast Any tips? I think I forgot to meditate and use skill points or something.

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        November 7, 2007 9:02 AM

        There are a few things you can do to make the fight easier. First, start by taking a Swallow potion for vitality regeneration. Follow that with a Blizzard potion, which makes it much easier to maximize your damage output. Finally, open your attack with the Aard sign. If you have the ability to charge it up, do so. It becomes rather easy once you do these.

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          November 7, 2007 12:52 PM

          how do you take those potions together and not get intoxicated for the battle? I had to pick one to be able to fight clear headed.

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        November 7, 2007 9:02 AM

        blizzard potion saved me. use the Aarid sign too to push him away or knock him down. run around and kill the lesser dogs first too so the slut stays alive

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          November 7, 2007 9:04 AM

          Oh ok, I use the blizzard, but only have a tawny owl potion for vitality.. and that doesn't seem to work. Is it heal over time? Also I didn't know about charging up the Aard, maybe that's why it didn't seem to work. TNX

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        November 7, 2007 9:04 AM

        Loads of people seem to be getting stuck at this point! (it took me two or three attempts too) - it's important to prepare, and swig a Swallow potion before hand. It's good if you have a few points on steel group combat too as that's the style you'll be wanting to use. Aard can be handy too, if only to knock back a few Barghests while you work on everything else.

        Don't forget, once you've taken Swallow you can try running around a bit to recover your health but beware that the Hellhound will spawn more Barghests. Also, Abigail will heal you on occasion.. if she's been knocked down, try running to the other side of the area, she will occasionally get back up again.

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        November 7, 2007 9:18 AM

        This destroyed me for over 40 minutes yesterday. I ended up going back one save and using a spare bronze point I had on the Ard Stun talent. In the encounter, group killed his buddies, used ard on him, got the stun, then insta kill. I'm serious. I was dumbfounded.

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        November 7, 2007 9:20 AM

        I finished this yesterday. What I did was run around the fires on the ground letting the other dogs burn and kill themselves. Occasionally I would enter group mode and beat off two or three of them. Then when it was just me and the beast, and maybe one other dog - I would run straight for him and attack twice....then dodge the hell out of there. Rinse and repeat.

        Somtimes he'll cast that annoying spell on you and get like 5-6 hits off, which requires you to run around using a swallow potion. Tawny Owl helps too.

        Eventually I found this other potion I had by accident - no clue where it came from. It increased my vitality generation by a LOT and lasted the whole match. It was a simple matter of letting the small dogs kill themselves and attack the beast in either group or fast mode (depending on whether a small dog was near).

        Damn long fight that was.

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          November 7, 2007 10:00 AM

          I just drank a shallow and a blizzard and went on group until the barghests were all dead and then went on strong against the Beast.

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        November 7, 2007 10:20 AM

        The best way to do it is to take the Buzz talent from the strength tree. That makes you immune to The Beasts Fear effect. Then when you start the fight drink some powerful booze and kick some ass.

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        November 7, 2007 10:31 AM

        Let the witch die and the villagers will help you fight. It was easy when the villagers killed all the summoned dogs and then helped bash the Beast.

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      November 7, 2007 9:08 AM

      ...now I want this game even more...

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      November 7, 2007 9:26 AM

      I bought the game yesterday but I don't have room on my games harddrive for it. :( I have to sacrifice something. I think I'll finish off Bioshock just to get it out of the way so I can uninstall it and make room.

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        November 7, 2007 10:01 AM

        Can't you just keep the saves and uninstall it if you want to start Witcher right away?

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      November 7, 2007 10:47 AM

      [deleted]

Hello, Meet Lola