CD Projekt RED has carved out a name for itself in the RPG genre with The Witcher series, providing a dark fantasy world with plenty of detail to scratch more mature sensibilities. But that franchise is based on a series of Polish novels of the same name, and now it seems CD Projekt is ready to step out on its own with an original RPG.

Read more: Moving away from dwarves and swords »

The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings received a wave of goodwill last year from critics and fans alike. It was even dubbed our Shacknews 2011 Game of the Year. By the time the buzz hit a fever pitch, a console version had already been announced, and so I waited. Months later, the Xbox 360 version has been released, and I was as curious as anyone to see how it withstood the lofty expectations set by the accolades -- including our own.

Read more: Console port shows its PC roots »

Whether you witched along with our 2011 Game of the Year or just picked up your copy for some enhanced witching today, chances are you want more plot out of The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings. Fortunately for you, witch enthusiast, a new digital comic on the App Store provides just that.

Read more: Comic lets you cast magic, take off ladies' clothes »

At the tolling of the witching hour last night, CD Projekt RED released the 'Enhanced Edition' patch for The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings on PC to herald the launch of its Xbox 360 edition today. All the shiny new things made for consoleers, including hours of new content, have been patched in for PCnauts too.

Read more: 15%-off sale to celebrate launch too »

The Witcher 2 developer CD Projekt Red has had a love-hate relationship with digital rights management before, but now the CEO has thrown down the gauntlet. At the Game Developers Conference, company co-founder Marcin Iwinski committed to never use DRM again.

Read more: 'We will never use any DRM anymore' »

When The Witcher 2 arrived on the PC last year, it was considered by some to be a dark horse candidate for the best RPG of the Year [and it wound up winning Game of the Year here on the Shack -- ed.]. It had its share of commercial success as well, going on to sell some 1 million units. Yet, when I asked friends and colleagues if they planned on picking it up, the typical response was, "We'll wait for the console version."

Read more: Three things set the Witcher 2 apart »

The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings is finally making its way to the Xbox 360 on April 17, 2012, worldwide. Announced during a live conference moments ago, CD Projekt RED revealed the console edition will be "enhanced" with "four hours" of new content and a host of other changes.

Additionally, the developer of Shacknews' 2011 Game of the Year announced that the game will get a special edition, featuring a host of treats.

Read more: Details on the two versions »

The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings may be draped in the cloak of a brutal fantasy world filled with monsters and magic, but it offers an interesting reflection of real-world problems. It's a political drama where those in command are governed by fear and uncertainty. It shines light on racism and sexism in ways that shows developer CD Projekt RED is unafraid to push narrative boundaries beyond most games in its class.

Based on the book series from Polish author Andrzej Sapkowski, The Witcher 2 goes worlds beyond the 2007 original title in almost every conceivable way (though there is some contention with the game's ending). Combat is completely overhauled--and after a few balance tweaks soon after release, it's satisfying to the point of perfection. The game can be unapologetic in its command for your attention and skill, pushing aside a generation of games marketed to the era of players raised by handholding execution.

Read more: Why The Witcher 2 was our Game of the Year »

CD Projekt Red has announced it will no longer contact pirates with legal action. Reports came last month that the company was contacting pirates to claim 911.80 euros (approximately $1,187), but the company ultimately decided that the loss of trust among some fans wasn't worth the risk.

"While we are confident that no one who legally owns one of our games has been required to compensate us for copyright infringement, we value our fans, our supporters, and our community too highly to take the chance that we might ever falsely accuse even one individual," a statement from co-founder Marcin Iwinski reads.

Read more: Asks for continued support or 'we won't be able to produce' new games »

Developer CD Projekt Red is taking legal action against alleged pirates of The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings. A report states that lawyers representing the company are claiming 911.80 euros (roughly $1,187) from users who have downloaded the game using torrents.

In a statement, the company rejects DRM as "a pain for legal gamers," but says that "shouldn't be confused with us giving a green light to piracy."

Read more: Action only taken against "100 percent sure" pirates »

European publishing rights for the upcoming Xbox 360 version of CD Projekt RED's The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings have been at the center of a long legal dispute. Back in July, Namco Bandai had launched a dispute against Optimus SA (CD Projekt's parent company), claiming that it has secured the rights to publishing the game in Europe. The developer later announced that the game would be distributed by THQ.

The dispute has been settled, with a French court awarding publishing rights back to Namco Bandai.

Read more: Fifteen days to comply »

As some publishers continue to expend massive resources in the fight against piracy, or completely ignore the PC platform, another developer has thrown their voice behind the idea of eliminating digital rights management (DRM) altogether. Sounding a lot like Brad Wardell did back in 2008 when he discussed his Gamer's Bill of Rights with Shacknews, CD Projekt RED co-founder Marcin Iwinski says that DRM simply doesn't work. And he's got more proof that there's a better way: CD Projekt RED's The Witcher 2 has now sold over 1 million legal copies, without DRM.

Read more: Offering incentives versus a reliance on DRM »

If your expanded belt notch wasn’t indication enough, we live in a land of plenty, and Thanksgiving is a celebration of that. The day after Thanksgiving, on the other hand, is a celebration of finishing up that cold turkey and stuffing before it develops a growth. Just like we need to clear out the fridge today, the long weekend makes a good time to clear out our gaming back-log.

We’re in the midst of a bountiful game harvest, and everyone wants to play the latest and greatest to be part of the zeitgeist. But don’t forget, the calendar year has twelve full months, and finishing a game is gratifying in a way few activities are.

We’ve compiled a list of games that might have been overlooked, passed by, or left unfinished this year.

Read more: Six great videogame leftovers of 2011 »

Polish developer CD Projekt RED, makers of this year's excellent RPG The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings, will apparently have a pretty full workload for the foreseeable future. During a livestream of the developer's recent Investor's Day, the developer revealed that it's working on a number of new games, including The Witcher 2's Xbox 360 version, two more "AAA+" titles, as well as three smaller games, in the meantime.

Read more: CD Projekt is busy! »

The size and state of the PC digital distribution market can be difficult to assess, as platforms and publishers are largely unwilling to share their sales figures. When it comes to The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings, though, there can be little doubt about where they all stand, as CD Projekt today revealed the RPG's first six months of digital sales figures.

Who came out on top? Steam, by a huge margin, followed by CD Projekt's own Good Old Games.

Read more: The numbers »