This is my comparison between Witcher vs Witcher 2. I played Witcher 2 first then went back to play Witcher. I beat Witcher 2 three times and beat Witcher twice.
I haven't played Witcher 3 but I don't like how the game, series and the developer gets praise for things other rpg developers have done.
The first Witcher had a much better user interface that was made for a PC rpg. Witcher 2's UI was made for a console and controller which is funny because the game didn't come to Xbox 360 till a year later.
Witcher 1 also had a real bartering system and a better alchemy system.
Witcher 1 had a good alchemy system that depended on what type of alcohol you used and what type of ingredients. You can make potions stronger, last longer and have extra abilities by adding extra ingredients or using stronger alcohol. Witcher 2 streamlines this and makes alchemy weird. You no longer need alcohol and Geralt can only make potions if he only has a diagram and if he loses it or sells it then he can no longer make that potion, which doesn't make sense since he's a Witcher.
Witcher 2 also greatly streamlines the skills system. Witcher 2 skill system goes by buying perks that gives you abilities that Geralt should already have and just gives you things like greater damage percentage and more. Witcher 1 had a more traditional skills tree with far more skills to upgrade.
Witcher 1 or 2 aren't open world but Witcher 1 had much much larger locations to explore. You also got to revisit those locations again in later chapters of the game to see how things changed due to your choices or events that occurred.
Witcher 2 changed this. In the end of the first chapter, you make a decision that sends you to a one of two completely different locations and you can't visit both locations in one playthrough. This made Witcher 2 a very short game and I could easily beat it in 12 hours in comparison to Witcher 1 that can take 30 - 40 hours to beat.
Both games don't have good combat. Witcher 1 plays like an inferior version of KOTOR but much easier. All you have to do is click to attack an enemy and you do combos depending on when your cursor lights up.
Witcher 2 changed the combat to be more like an action game but ends up playing like a mediocre action game. Thing is that CDProjektRED made a bad combat system. The game relies on rolling around as the only way to dodge, Geralt can't jump, the hit boxes are bad, CDProjektRED took out the ability to drink potions anytime you want, the targeting system is rubbish and there's more. It also wasn't made to be played with a most and keyboard, it was made to be played with a controller. The best way I can sum it up is that it plays like a more aggressive and less fluid and reactive version of assassins creed.
Both games had easily exploitable combat. In Witcher 1 you can win lots of battles by maxing one of your signs and knocking out enemies just to do an instant kill.
In Witcher 2,one of your signs is so OP that it can block most enemy attacks.
Witcher 2 obviously has better graphics but lost the atmosphere of the first game.
Both games have a lot of sex and don't shy away from nudity. Both games treat sex very casually but the dialogue when it comes to romancing someone is very dry and immature at times. Witcher 1 had more romance opportunities than Witcher 2 but CDProjektRED never animated the sex scenes so instead you got a sex card whenever you romanced a character. In Witcher 2 they animated all sex scenes but there was only a handful.
In terms of story, Witcher 1 story actually felt complete. It was longer and concluded it's story but the pacing gets slow half way through. Witcher 2's story is far more political but it isn't something that feels complex but rather convoluted. It's all over the place and at the end the story doesn't conclude itself and it feels more like a set up for Witcher 3.
"The Montréal-based (Québec, Canada) indie games developer Raccoon Logic have today announced with great joy and thrill, that their satirical sci-fi adventure "Revenge of the Savage Planet", is coming to PC (via Steam) and consoles (PS5 and Xbox Series X) on May 8th (2025)." - Jonas Ek, TGG.
"The Kosice-based (Slovakia) indie games publisher Grindstone and Bratislava-based (Slovakia) indie games developer Bitmap Galaxy,, are today very delighted and proud to announce that the full version (v1.0) of their cozy puzzle nature-building game “Preserve“, is coming to PC (via Steam) and consoles (PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, and the Nintendo Switch via digital stores on May 15th, 2025." - Jonas Ek, TGG.
Neil writes "Don’t arrive at the gates of Bee Flowers: Royal Garden expecting anything near a test of your puzzling mind."