The Witcher 2
What happens when you take a really pretty and successful RPG and then make it prettier? Well you get The Witcher 2, of course!
Here we will explore some of the stunning characters, environments, concept art and in-game footage that has come from the CD Projekt RED team.
As the production cycle for The Witcher was coming to a close, the team had already begun to explore ideas for the sequel. They were deciding how they could improve their tech, their visuals and the overall game experience to bring The Witcher 2 to whole new level in the RPG genre. After checking out screenshots and videos of the game, it's quite clear that they have definitely nailed it.
The game doesn't suffer from the classic "next-gen desaturation" as the use of colour is huge throughout the game. It's plainly visible on the costume/armour designs for the characters as some have bright oranges, reds and purples. The environments are spectacularly lit to emphasise atmosphere and bring focal areas to the player's attention with the use of colour variation and lighting hot-spots.
The character designs are top-notch and are beautifully executed in 3D. The costume/armour designs are elegantly thoughtful and detailed, the texture work is solid and compliments the shaders to produce heavily stylised and somewhat realistic materials.
The environments are unreal and lush with foliage. The populated areas look lived in and weathered to give a sense of believablity that a world exists inside the game and it becons for exploration.
I personally can't wait to get my hands on this game.
Some of the visual features of The Witcher 2 include:
- Cinematic style cameras for cut-scenes
- Atmospheric effects (fog, rain, lightning, debris from wind, dust motes, light shafts, etc)
- Day/night cycles
- Dynamic lighting and shadows
- Depth of field
I was blown away by this in-game alpha build preview below, demonstrating some of the visual enhancements the team have made to the engine and artwork.
The Witcher 2 is scheduled for release in the first quarter of 2011.
The Witcher 2 Official Website.
The CD Projekt RED team claim that The Witcher 2 is the best looking game in the RPG genre. As artists, what are your thoughts on that claim?
Replies
Just from screenshots alone, I'm impressed with the sheer amount of visual improvement from an already impressive looking game.
The last time I had this happen was for God of War on the PS2 only to have God of War II raise the bar significantly higher (to this day, I still think it's the prettiest game for that generation of console).
A grim fantasy with genuinely grey morality.
Jackablade: your putting the witcher 1 above Mass Effect, and dragon age? madness!!
The new ones are lacking personality.
As a fan of the first game I still hope they'll change the withcer/triss as they were.
http://tw2.thewitcher.com/#characters
And Fletch, as far as I'm concerned, Dragon Age never comes close to being as good as the Witcher. Mass Effect 2 sits pretty close to the same level in my enjoyable RPGs list though.
Awesome screenshots. That foliage looks sweet. The improvement over the first game is amazing.