The Witcher 2 Available on GOG and GamersGate, Day 1 Patch

CD Projekt RED’s anticipated sequel to Geralt of Rivia’s adventure is finally available on Good Old Games, in its DRM-free version, on GamersGate, and will be available soon on Steam too (9 hours until unlocking as of this writing). Here’s what CD Projekt RED has to say about the release:

The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings is the continuation of the action-RPG released by CD Projekt RED in 2007. The game, based on the universe created by the famous Polish fantasy writer Andrzej Sapkowski, follows the tale of Geralt of Rivia, a witcher skilled in sword fighting and casting magic spells. After stopping the rebellion in the Kingdom of Temeria and saving King Foltest’s life, in the second part of the game Geralt and the king are on their mission to bring peace to this land.
The sequel of The Witcher was very anticipated by gamers all around the world as the developers listened carefully to fan’s feedback and incorporated many changes to make the experience much better. With the new, made in-house, engine you’ll be set for an adventure in one of the most beautiful, lively and believable worlds ever created in a RPG. The revamped combat system allows you to approach your enemies in different ways using blades, magic spells, potions or traps or everything at once. The enthralling and non-linear story will keep you in front of your PC for months and 16 different endings will definitely make you play it more than once.
And let’s not forget about the beautiful Triss and her charms (and we’re not thinking about magic here). Do you really need more incentives to play this awesome title?

This isn’t all, as German PC Games reports that the game patches upon activation. Here’s the patch’s changelog:

– Several Balancing Adjustments (economy and fighting) – Screen text revised (descriptions, diary, etc.)
– Bug in audio mixes
– Removed various sound errors, added better sounds
– Various interface changes: Interface is user-friendly, functional
– Various fixes regarding quests and Quest Markers
– Fixes regarding fades, black screens and cutscenes
– Repairing defects in the NPC population: work, daily routine and more
– Adjustments of boss battles
– Cutscene fixes: animations, items, lip sync
– Joystick fixes
– Camera repairs: collisions with objects, collisions with NPCs, improvements in the combat camera
– Improved hair-Physics
– Smaller Quick Time Event adjustments
– Fixed various scene problems – collision detection, lighting, effects
– Improvements to crafting, distributor and Alchemy
– Added new Auto Saves – for example, before boss fights
– Crash causes eliminated
– Dice Poker improved logic bug

They also have a fairly interesting bunch of new graphical comparison screenshots and benchmarks. Looking good for multi-core users.

Due to the necessary activation of The Witcher 2, we examine the CPU-hungry sorcerer of the Core i7-860 overclocked our GPU system. And see where the predecessor more than one core completely ignored, the successor shall be strong and runs even with four cores still faster than three (ahoy console market!). The leap from duality to quad core is just under 50 percent. In view of 32 fps on average two nuclei (mind you a Core i7-860 4.0GHz @!), We recommend a fast quad-core in the range of 3.0 GHz or higher.

And, finally, here’s the official GOG press release:

The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings Digital Premium Edition arrives at GOG.com DRM-free
The heavily anticipated sequel of CD Projekt RED’s debut – The Witcher – is now available without any DRM at the GOG.com.
Warsaw, Poland. May 17, 2011 – GOG.com (http://www.gog.com), CD Projekt’s the stupendous service for superlative DRM-free classic PC games, is now offering a new AAA title from their sister company CD Projekt RED. The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings Digital Premium Edition has arrived, and the wait for the most anticipated RPG of the year is finally over.
The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings is a role-playing game, based on the books by famous Polish fantasy author Andrzej Sapkowski, starring a witcher named Geralt of Rivia. After stopping the rebellion in the Kingdom of Temeria and saving King Foltest’s life, in the second part of the game Geralt and the king are on their mission to bring peace to this land. Who and what Geralt will encounter in his quest, gamers will have to see for themselves. Thanks to the gorgeous new engine, developed wholly in house, the game provides one of the most beautiful and lively worlds ever created in an RPG.
The game has been released with all of GOG.com’s principles in mind. It’s is not burdened with any DRM and comes with all sorts of additional materials like the full soundtrack, a game guide, wallpapers and a 200-page artbook that’s exclusive to GOG.com’s digital edition. The digital distribution service also made sure that none of the users, no matter where they live will find the pricing unfair because of different price points in varying regions of the world with their Fair Price Package. What is the Fair Price Package?
While the worldwide price of The Witcher 2 on GOG.com is $49.99 USD, it’s â‚¬49.99 for customers paying in Euros which makes the game $16 USD more expensive, and it’s $69.99 AUD for Australian customers which makes it $26 USD more. Thanks to GOG.com’s ‘˜Fair Price Package’ Europeans will receive $16 USD store credit and Australians will get $26 USD worth of store credit to spend on Good Old Games.
Everyone who preordered The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings Digital Premium on GOG.com and haven’t yet finalized the deal, has time until 31st of May. All preorderers who haven’t paid for the game by then will have their order cancelled.
To buy the game now, visit http://www.gog.com
About GOG.com
GOG.com or Good Old Games is the ultimate destination for classic PC games. The site offers gamers some of the greatest PC games of all time for a low price and free from copy protection. GOG.com is much more than just another digital distribution site, featuring an extensive community component that allows players to rate, review and discuss their favorite PC games, as well as insightful articles from respected game journalists. Visit www.gog.com and start your journey into the past.