The Witcher 2 Makes it to Xbox 360 Intact and Ready For Sexy Action

The 360 version of The Witcher 2 is the “Enhanced Edition,” which comes with a grip of new features including a lengthy (3-4 hour) new quest in the game’s previously thin third act, new cutscenes and chapter-end cinematics, and a streamlined user interface and control scheme. All PC players will also get the Enhanced Edition next tuesday as free DLC.

I haven’t gotten up to the new quest in either of my home versions, but I played a good chunk of it at a hands-on event a little while back and liked it. It’s a meaty, fully fleshed-out story with lots of new characters and locations; more of a full quest than the majority of the sidequests in the proper game.

The graphics have certainly taken a hit on 360—textures look nowhere near as crisp or meaty as on a dialed-in PC. But that’s okay— The Witcher 2 still gets away with a lot of very impressive stuff, and looks just fine on a big screen, even stretched from 720p. The PC version was one of the most graphically impressive games I played in 2011, but The Witcher 2 is much more about its story and characters than its visual splendor. Even with a graphical downgrade, it loses none of its charm. Presumably, all the rockin’ sex scenes are in there, too.

The game itself comes on two DVDs with a third disc that contains the soundtrack. There’s also a neat foldable map included, and I actually recommend taking the time to read the map and learn. The first time I played The Witcher 2, I didn’t have much of a sense of the layout of the various kingdoms. All this time later, I enjoyed studying the map and figuring out how, exactly, the various points on the map met up.

A whole new group of gamers will get to enjoy their very own lusty, sexy adventures.

In addition to all that, the Enhanced Edition also comes with a separate book that walks through all of the quests in the game, detailing their many branching paths. It’s a neat if inessential addition, and will help any of those who have already played the game find things they may have missed.

Weirdly, the 360’s enhanced controller setup doesn’t make its way over to the PC version of the Enhanced Edition, which bummed me out. I’m one of the odd ones who played The Witcher 2 with a controller on PC, and I find that I prefer the 360’s button layout and targeting system, which feel a touch different (and are arranged differently) on the PC.

But hey; that’s just a little quibble, and actually something that I wouldn’t be surprised to see CD Projekt address with a patch. For now, here’s what you really need to know: The Witcher 2 on 360 is every bit the game as its PC big-brother.