For the King to Earn His Crown

For those who purchased Borderlands: Game of the Year Edition (twice in my case; I know I have a problem, but at least it was for two different platforms!), the demo version of Duke Nukem Forever was made available for download on Friday. I wasn't able to get my hands on it until yesterday, but I have no doubt that the impression made would not have been much different had I played it any time earlier.

If the demo is anything to go by, Duke Nukem Forever will be rough on the eyes, however, faithful to the puerile spirit the series has been renowned for.

Put up your.... dukes

It should also be frustratingly difficult if the full game plays like the trial. The first fight - which was impressive in terms of scale - lulled me into a false sense of security. I took minimal damage and defeated the titanic alien foe with nothing more than circle-strafing punctuated with sprinting for ammunition. It was painless; easy, nothing like its predecessor, Duke Nukem 3D. I was treated then to corny jokes about the game's long development cycle, which you all must have heard by now, which was followed with an enjoyable dalliance with a monster truck. Once I had to get out of my near-indestructible means of conveyance, it all went to hell.

Textures failed to load and those that did were of poor quality. A grainy veneer appeared intermittently over the action unfolding on screen. Enemies gibbed in an unconvincing fashion upon explosive impact (or being stomped after a hit from the shrink ray). Duke Nukem Forever is not looking like a game that has been in development for over a decade.

I'm happy to report that despite its unkempt appearance, Duke Nukem Forever was still fun to play and full to the brim with toilet humour. Kicking a field goal with an alien's eye was the highlight, but there were some challenging firefights which featured some unfailingly aggressive foes. The demo also affords players the ability to trail a respectably diverse arsenal of weapons including many favourites from the game's 2D predecessor.

While my experience left me feeling a little underwhelmed, it is important to note that this is essentially the same demo that was shown at the Penny Arcade Expo last year. The developers will undoubtedly have applied a few coats of polish to the final product; and no, I'm not just saying that because I've already paid for my copy. Truth be told, I'm looking forward to having the final product in my own two hands; not because I think it will be a "Game of the Year," contender, more because I want to see it released after more than ten years in development limbo. To put it into perspective, Duke Nukem Forever was first announced when I started High School. It has been in the works for about half the time that I've been alive.

Believe it or not, the king is set to return

For an idea of what the human race has achieved in the time that Duke Nukem Forever has been in development, I strongly recommend that you visit the following link for a laugh. Has anyone else pre-orded Duke Nukem Forever?

Super Fun Happy Movie Time

I’m not sure if you’re aware but there’s this site called YouTube and it has all these videos on it...

Of course you’re aware; you have a pulse and an Internet connection. Anyway, what makes YouTube such a success is the fact that anyone can pick up a camera and make their mark on the world. Whether you’re a fat kid playing Star Wars in your garage or a Suit in a movie studio trying to sell the next feel good hit of the summer, YouTube has something for you.

It’s now become one of the most recognised sites on the web and links into most major companies, brands and franchises with content made professionally and amateurs aimed to enrich, inform or degrade.

Where am I going with this? YouTube is becoming a leading source of information for me when it comes to games and movies. For example, when my hopeless Xbox Live connection failed to let me watch a new release trailer/information piece, I sauntered on over to my PC, fired up YouTube and watched it.

And I’m glad I did because what I found looks great.

Recently Call of Duty released a new online gaming service called Call of Duty Elite for the COD multiplayer community. Basically, Elite allows players to compete as teams or in clans, providing much more of a social COD experience. It also allows you to share information such as maps and weapons info and you can even read live feeds on your opponents to get a better idea of their playing habits. Furthermore, you are able to see how your performance rates against others, which will show trends to help you become a better player.

Elite also allows you to make videos of your games and upload them to Facebook and YouTube using the Black Ops Theatre Mode. This is how the introduction movie was made and it makes for entertaining viewing.

As regular readers will be aware, I’m yet to venture online – I’m sure once my children are old enough to sleep in or sleep on their own I’ll be able to free  up more time to play games but for now it’s at a bare minimum – so I want to know what you think of the offer.

Clans are nothing new for online FPS - Battlefield 2142 has a number of them, and I’m sure a heap of other games do too. Despite this, do you think something like Elite will enhance the COD experience? As an outsider looking in, I’m impressed and think it will work well, and although I personally don’t care to read about your freshly earned PSN trophy for something you did in some game while I’m on Facebook, I like the idea of getting together regularly and competing as a team, similar to a sport. Not only does it sound fun, I also think it would be cool to watch. Just like this BF 2142 knifing video.

I really would like to know what you think about Elite (not about the knifing video) and its potential as a new online platform. With the hype behind Modern Warfare 3 already starting to ramp up despite its November launch date, I don’t think Activision/COD have missed the mark - they could be on the verge of something great. To get more info and register as a beta tester (I’m not sure if it’s open to Australians but worth a try if you’re interested), visit here.

Neon Wasteland: Against the Odds

Despite the fact that Fallout: New Vegas is somewhat broken, there is still some fun to be had; sometimes on account of sheer luck, or, as in another particular instance, some questionable physics come into play. Either way, let me regail you with two tales of defying certain demise thanks to a little good fortune (or some busted game design, whatever you want to attribute it to).

Cutting Remarks
When I first came across Jean-Baptiste Cutting, I had a feeling that one of us would end up killing the other. There was a strong sense of tension in his voice. Every one of his lines delivered with an uncharacteristically - as far as Fallout: New Vegas' general standard of voicework is concerned - high level of passion; you could feel that he genuinely wanted to do me harm. That was fine by me, as I had brought some sassy, country muscle in the form of Cass. She told me of her love of fisticuffs and explosives, a fine counter-argument to the Van Graff clan's impressive arsenal of energy weapons.

She may not look too tough, but if you're unarmed: Watch out!

Upon performing a few odd jobs for Gloria Van Graff, I was referred to Cutting - her half-brother - for some dirty work. He tasked me with finding and retrieving Rose of Sharon Cassidy for a "friendly chat." As he continued with the description of my intended target, it became apparent that Rose of Sharon Cassidy was standing right beside me. She was my feisty, red-haired companion. She was Cass. I was now somewhat perplexed as to why Jean-Baptiste had not simply opted to brush me to the side and commence "chatting," with my colleague.

Realising what game I was playing however, my bemusement was quickly replaced with exhaustion.

In spite of this, I opened another conversation with Cutting who made it very clear that Cass was soon to be vapourised. I objected and then died a quick, presumably painful death. Several times. Cass fell even quicker than I, and my death, in most cases, was dealt in a matter of seconds. It turns out fists and even explosives are no match for eight or so plasma rifles aimed at one's face.

Not content with being on the receiving end of fate's cruel design, I began to look through my inventory for a way to steal myself from death's cold hands. I only had three stimpaks and mostly-ineffective ballistic weapons. I did have a pulse mine though. Though they are usually only effective against robots, I was desparate to even the field; take one of the Van Graffs out before the fight began. My first attempt to plant the explosive was only half-successful. Successful in that Cutting lost his legs and a failure because I could not initate the confrontational conversation fast enough. The second effort brought success though. After declaring my intent to protect Cass, my enemy's legs flew across the floor of the Silver Rush and after rushing to a nearby bathroom, I managed to hold off my would-be assassins with a few critical shots to the face.

Cass survived and victory was attained.

Victory from the (Death)claws of Defeat
As advised in my previous post, I want to finish the game's main questline before progressing to any of the downloadable content. That meant though that I had start heading south. Way south, as in from one corner of the map to the other. A couple of hours and quests later, I found myself staring down the edge of an imposing cliff. So, with no bridge in sight - all quips about the draw distance aside - began to consider my options. I could start heading west (Go West! as it were), leap from the edge and hope to hit the large body of water below or abseil down the mountain.

Now strictly speaking, there's no formal abseiling mechanic in Fallout: New Vegas. Rather the face of this imposing bluff wasn't entirely flat, and I tried my luck falling into it. It worked, and I found myself on the shore below after three non-lethal stutters. What to do now, but swim; swim for civilization.

For about twenty minutes I bathed in the waters of Lake Mojave. Finally, in the dark of the night, I found a path out from the water. I tentatively ventured up the mountain and came across Deathclaws; not just a few, at least twenty of them. Deathclaws, it turns out, weren't named for their friendly nature. They're actually quite deadly.

Who wants a hug?

After expiring several times it became apparent that my strategy of panic-firing at these abominations wasn't going to deliver me to safety. Upon one the beast's frenzied attacks, I was forced back to water. The tall, grey creature immediately lost interest and my way forward became obvious. With nothing but pea shooters, I painstakingly lured a whole family of Deathclaws to their murky demise and levelled-up in the process.

Essentially, I'm taking these lemon-like gameplay mechanics and I'm making lemonade.

Neon Wasteland: Returning to New Vegas

Thanks to the lovely people at Bitmob, I was afforded the latest expansion to Fallout: New Vegas on the condition that I write about my experience with the downloadable prize. While I can never pass up a free game (or an expansion as it were), I was somewhat hesitant to re-engage with Obsidian's buggy follow-up to what is one of the better role-playing games available on this generation of console hardware in Fallout 3.

You can read all of my initial impressions of New Vegas by clicking here, but to summarize for those bereft of spare time: the game featured underwhelming visuals and voice-acting, broken quest design as well as one of the most purposeless narratives in recent memory. There were also more than enough bugs to diffuse any attempt at an extended play session. It had been just over six months since I last played this mess; but with two new expansions and some major patches, I had hoped that this middling release would have been whipped into shape.

I'm afraid this was not the case.

The New Vegas Strip was just as ugly as I had remembered it to be. The inhabitants didn't fare much better either, with their marionette-like bodies brought clumsily to life with the press of a button. They would spout uninspired observations about the establishments they resided within, and rarely uttered more than a single phrase. The washed out brown and grey corridors of the various casinos, clubs and other establishments were also just as exhausting as they were when I had first wondered through them last year.

I wasn't here for the old though, I thought to myself. I'm here to experience the newest chapter in this(so far) disappointing adventure. But then I thought about it a little harder.

It was entirely likely that the characters and by extension, enemies that I would encounter in these recently-gifted environments would be of a higher level than those peppered across the standard questline; and they would therefore be able to brutalize my inexperienced character on a whim. Before I could play through the new, I would have to suffer the old; and suffer I did.

First I played through the painfully easy, yet undeniably broken quest "Bye Bye Love." On first attempt, I arranged to meet Joana and her fellow ladies of the night in the Gamorra club lobby. Upon some last minute preparations, we embarked upon our deadly journey. Being the gentleman that I am, I waited for the ladies to leave first and the proceeded to venture out on the Strip. Joana wasn't there, neither were her friends. I was then promptly advised that I had failed the quest because I allowed the ladies to venture off alone. A different approach was required: I ran out of the club as soon as I advised that we were right to go. Again I was met with failure. Upon five successive and unsuccessful attempts, I decided to load a save game I had created about ten minutes earlier, just as I had initiated the quest. Joana and her companions met me outside and we quickly proceeded to complete the quest.

War - and Fallout: New Vegas it seems - never changes. Just as broken as ever.

New Vegas is home to many different bug varieties 

All frustration aside, I'm now proceeding towards the end game. If all things go according to plan, I should be playing Honest Hearts by next week.

Cinematic Prose, Gaming Woes

There’s nothing worse than having your expectations taken to great heights, only to have them come crashing down.

You may recall my post last week where I was looking forward to playing the newly released Brink. From all the pre-release material I found, it promised to be an interesting take on the modern FPS by incorporating parkour and delivering an outstanding multiplayer offering.

This combined with the brilliant and action packed trailer I posted last week, I was sold and ready to give it a good crack. And then I read the post release reviews…

My regular gaming consults, Metacritic and Good Game, both gave it average, mid range scores. Within Metacritic, whilst Escapist and Machinima rated it 80, IGN and Game Spot gave it a mere 60.

The complaints all seem to be the same – borrowed ideas talked up to be something new, clunky controls and more of a good idea that’s not quite ready to be a completed game.

Although a Metascore of 68 probably isn’t all that bad, it’s frustrating based on the level of hype and that fantastic video. I, like many others, base much of my anticipation on videos and trailers. As a marketer I should realize that’s what developers do to capture your attention, but when it’s really good, I can’t help but ignore my better instincts.

The same thing happened when I saw the Fallout 3 trailer – cinematic, captivating and highly entertaining. Although it ended up being highly acclaimed, I was relatively new to the franchise and ultimately bored the whole time I played it. I tried – I really tried – to like it but the style of the game just wasn’t for me. The best thing about Fallout 3, in my opinion, was trading it in at EB for a wifi adaptor.

On a positive note, thankfully some games actually do live up to the hype created by beautiful trailers. The cinematic small film for Gears of War (so cinematic that I actually saw it at the cinema) really changed my view of the Xbox 360, it’s capabilities and exclusive titles.

Trailers for Modern Warfare 2, Black Ops, Spinter Cell Conviction and PGR 4 also successfully captured my attention and managed to keep me entertained with solid gameplay.        

With the recently released Modern Warfare 3 trailer exploding over YouTube, will it prove to live up to the hype in November, or just be another great trailer for a game in a strong series?

Do you have any favourite trailers? Have you ever been a little too excited based on pre-release material only to be let down?

In case you haven't played it: Crysis 2 Review (PS3)

I only first played the original Crysis a few months ago. Released in 2007 with system specifications that still challenge modern hardware configurations, I desperately wanted to try it, but knew that it could potentially kill my previous, humble laptop. Even with a new machine - with what I thought were solid components - I couldn't run the game at anywhere near its highest settings.  Developers Crytek have put themselves in the business of creating technically-stunning first person shooters that set the benchmark for performance on current PC hardware. They even reduced my previous desktop unit to a stuttering, steaming pile of metallic excrement with their first effort, Far Cry the better part of a decade ago. With the announcement that Crysis 2 would be released on consoles and PC, I was finally confident that I could experience a Crytek game without any fear of a system collapsing. Needless to say, I've been waiting since 2004 to experience a game of this pedigree.

The Good
NY state of mind - Crysis 2 is unmatched in scale. Would you like to visit Central Park? How about when it's suspended hundreds of metres in the air? Yeah, me too. There are plenty of other prominent landmarks portrayed in various stages of devastation which simply must be seen. All of this grandeur is rendered with few apparent wrinkles. There were issues with texture loading at the beginning of some levels, but otherwise, the visuals in this game are of the highest calibre. Some of the set peices are just plain jaw-dropping. Just when I thought I had seen the most amazing sequence of destruction, I was treated to an even larger structure reaching a spectacular end. Be prepared to see the world's most recognisable city torn apart by the Ceph.

Commando - The narrative tying the game's high quality firefights together won't win any Pulitzer or Man Booker prizes. As a matter of fact, without seeing the first instalment through to its conclusion, it didn't mean much to me at all. But it didn't matter. The action was so intense, creative and just plain enjoyable. Every situation offers multiple approaches that provide genuinely different experiences. At the beginning of the game I went all out with the armour abilities, acting like a one man army. Towards the end of the game I played the superhero version of Metal Gear Solid; sneaking through some heavily occupied facilities killing less than a handful of CELL operatives. What I'm getting at is, an intriguing videogame narrative is worth less than nothing if the gameplay behind it is broken and/or repetitive. Much like one of my favourite movies, Commando (starring Arnold Schwarzneger), the story serves no purpose other than to signpost the next, progressively more-violent gun battle or fist fight. I didn't care so much that Arnie's daughter had been kidnapped, I just wanted him to lie to Sully (you'll know what it means when you see it, if you haven't already).

The absence of humanity - Battling CELL operatives makes for some exciting play, but in Crysis 2 it is nothing short of essential when you are set against the Ceph. While they may not come in a great variety, they are all deadly. Everything about them - from their movement, to their design - is truly awesome to behold.

The perfect song - A few months ago I read about Battlefield developer, DICE trying to make their game like the "perfect song, not a guitar solo," (Stead (Editor), 2011, p50). I would equate something like Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 to a constant solo. There is no lull, just a non-stop affront to the senses. Crysis 2 allows players to breathe after fighting a Pinger, or surviving a lengthy vehicle sequence. There are some solos there, and they are as memorable as Van Halen's "Eruption." Yet these moments do not define the campaign and they are almost perfectly placed throughout.

Old Blue Eyes - The score in Crysis 2 is about the best I've heard featured in a first person shooter. Save for one odd, aural inconsistency during the last firefight, the music perfectly matches the grandeur of the action unfolding on screen. The main theme has some sinister undertones which hint at the (predictable) betrayals that you suffer throughout the game, while the other pieces steel your hands for war. The multiplayer theme is perhaps the most inspiring piece of music that I've heard put to a loading screen. Sounds effects are also of high quality, with a few persistent blemishes. Specifically the suit makes some pretty heavy and annoying sounds while moving. Sometimes I managed to freak myself out, hearing enemies that weren't really there. Otherwise, all of the guns, aliens and their technology sound pitch perfect.

New Game Plus - Action games - first person shooters included - typically gift players with new, exciting abilities as the game progresses, only to take them away when the player opts for another play through. Crysis 2 thankfully bucks that trend, allowing players to use any suit abilities that you've unlocked from the outset of a subsequent shot at the campaign . I found that I had enough Nano Catalyst to unlock each of the suit abilities after I first completed the game and it was great not to start from scratch when I turned up the level of difficulty. That being said, I'm still finding the single player campaign to be a substantial challenge on Veteran difficulty, even with every module at my command. I should also note that the game is proving to be genuinely replayable, and I'm hoping to complete the game at least once more in the near future.

 Insert pun containing the words power and fingertips

Good company - Whenever you fight alongside the US Marines, you can be assured that you are in able company. In one particular level, I was under heavy fire and recharging my suit so that I could activate Armor mode and dispatch a nearby stalker (less common Ceph variant that is extremely durable). The nearby Marines focussed their fire on the enemy to make the kill before I could emerge from cover. This is such a pleasant contradiction to the current standard of AI-controlled companions in single player FPS campaigns.

Alternative Rock - Crysis 2's frenetic multiplayer action is an enjoyable change from the current trend towards modern war shooters. While on paper it may appear similar to the competition, with customisable equipment loadouts and maps peppered with choke points; the nanosuit modules do enough to mix-up this popular formula. They seem to be balanced pretty well too. A headshot is not going to be negated by armor and while cloak does camouflage you somewhat, a keen eye will always spot the bright brown or blue outlines of a user. Good fun, but as below there are some aspects that will hinder its success long-term.

The Bad
Game over, man! Game Over! -  For all the aural brilliance to be observed in Crysis 2, the voice acting is a bit of a mixed bag. Hargreave is a fantastically-voiced support character, but you still end up subjected to the usual military terminology by gruff marines at various points throughout the adventure. The character of Gould is perhaps the most regrettable. A mix of Gary Oldman (looks wise) and Tommy "Cheech and Chong," Chong, pretty much every line of dialogue he spouts ends with the word, man. All silliness aside: the action may be very much in the vein of those hi-octane action movies of decade past, but the dialogue never reaches the same level of frivolity.

Slow start - The first hour of the single player campaign tends to drag a bit, especially on a second play through. This can be attributed to cloak and armour abilities being locked until you reach certain points in the first - well, technically it's the second - level. Apart from the lull in the action, the story doesn't offer much to engage you either; lots of characters referring to past events or characters that you haven't come across (let alone heard of, if you haven't played the original instalment). Things take a sharp turn for the better once you first encounter the Ceph though.

Anti-climax - I was expecting some massive, hulking alien beast to block my passage to the final objective. This never happened, and while the final encoutner was tough, it didn't compare to the difficulty of some of my previous dealings with the alien enemy. It may sound like a quibble, but after all that I had overcome, it was pretty disappointing.

C'mon! Kill me! - The enemy AI - for the Ceph, in particular - tends to malfunction on occasion. Sometimes I'd be standing in front of a group of grunts (the most common Ceph variant) who would just jump around and away from me; even if I was uncloaked. I was also surprised to find that enemies wouldn't try to flank me in some environments where it would have been fairly simple to do so. For example, in the sequence in Gould's lab which pits players against a helicopter: I could retreat to the lobby to recharge my shields without any trouble, even though there were two access points to this relatively long, though narrow space with as many as ten soldiers on the other side of the wall.

 Bet you that he didn't even see me

Noisy crowd - Crysis 2's multiplayer action abandons the "perfect song," formula heard in the single player campaign. The fighting is fast-paced, and the aural assault can be exhausting. Every time that you're killed you're subjected to a loud, pinging sound. There is also the constant screaming of your comrades announcing, "Man Down! Man Down!" The sound design for Crysis 2's multiplayer component is all about shock and awe.

The Ugly
Steep curve - It's pretty hard to adjust to Crysis 2's brand of multiplayer action. Sure it may appear to be regular to the average Call of Duty instalment, with players waging war while employing customizable equipment loadouts. Once the bullets start flying though, you'll find that - even with Armor mode on - you'll be far more prone to dying than you would be in the average round of Team Deathmatch in CoD. You'll die, and die often trying to formulate and employ a solid strategy in the typically-heated matches. Worse still, the game can be subject to frustrating levels of lag, particularly since the Playstation Network was restored and it now being more difficult to find any match, let alone a full one. Some matches you're dispatched with multiple one-hit kills, even when the killcam reveals that you've been hit with nought but body shots from a sub-machine gun.

Limited arsenal - Compared to genre stalwarts like Call of Duty: Black Ops and Battlefield: Bad Company 2, Crysis 2 affords players an extremely limited arsenal with which to wage war online. Worse still, it takes quite a bit of time and effort to make said arsenal available to players. While you could argue that the ability to cloak and increase your potential to absorb damage are strong enough weapons in their own right, there is a distinct lack of options as far as equipment is concerned. Especially for newcomers.

The Verdict
8.0/10 - I throroughly enjoyed Crysis 2.  Featuring a lengthy and enjoyable single player campaign that is paced brilliantly, peppered with some grand set pieces and accompanied by an impeccable score, it is an essential experience that comes highly recommended. The plot may be somewhat forgettable, but the frenetic action and solid pacing more than makes up for the muddled narrative. The multiplayer offering is not without its faults, but shines as a valid alternative to the standard CoD fare. Easily the most fleshed-out console shooter of the year so far.

References:
1. Stead, C (Editor) (2011). Battlefield 3. Gameinformer, Issue 15, p50.

Hot under the collar (or how Witcher 2 slayed my "gaming" laptop)

More than any other, The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings is a PC-exclusive release that needs to find its way onto a console. Why? Because the PC as a platform has too many variables. Take me for example: my laptop is apparently - at least according to the launcher's auto-detect option - capable of rendering the game with medium settings at the highest possible resolution. At first I couldn't believe it: Triss Merigold's flawless, female form writhing naked next to Geralt of Rivia. No stuttering, no wrinkles. Visuals of the highest calibre appearing on screen. My machine wasn't even making that much noise.

The protagonist conversed with his captivating, scarlet-haired companion. Each face animated with a painstaking level of attention to detail. I could hardly believe my eyes. I had to go and ruin it by leaving the tent where the opening love-in was staged.

The frame rate slowed to a crawl. What I can only imagine to be the processor started screaming in a high-pitched tenor. My coffee table - where the laptop resides - was hot to the touch. I wasn't mad; I was just disappointed.

 NSFW at its very best

How to remedy this situation? At first I picked the most extreme solution. I lowered the resolution and changed the settings to the lowest possible configuration. It wasn't immediately noticeable, but I couldn't play the game like this. Geralt was washed out. So were the pursuing figures in the nightmare of the Wild Hunt. It mattered not, until I saw Triss again. She was pale, plain. She looked unhealthy. This would not stand, so I immediately closed the game. For the first chapter I thought I had found a work-around. Using medium settings and a reasonably-high resolution, Triss was returned to an immaculate state.   

So now that I finally got to play the game, I engaged in a series of well-directed conversations. I witnessed a siege which almost challenged my improvised hardware solution. Thankfully, the game still looked a cut above most console releases and I was happy to delude myself with thoughts of more acquisitions for the substantially-cheaper PC platform. Even the epic battle against the Kayran was able to be portrayed with an acceptable frame rate and no shortage of effects.

As the story progressed though, my faith in the makeshift configuration waned. Firstly there were issues with a sex scene in an Elven bath and then, the unforgivable end to the first chapter; the stuttering mess that was the battle to the barge with character models disappearing or stammering about in an unnatural fashion. Still I persisted, until the battle at Aedirn. So much heat and noise; none of which was created by the game itself. Sacrifices had to be made.

Sacrifices it would seem, are hard to suffer. Saskia's blank, textureless face. Geralt was once again blank and colourless. Someone needs to optimize this for a console; I don't care which one, it just has to happen. I need to know that what I'm seeing on screen is the best that it can be. I need to know that I don't need to spend upwards of a thousand dollars for the game to be as beautiful as it should be.

 How could you ruin a love so beautiful? Try setting the configuration to low.

Has anyone else picked up Witcher 2? Would any console gamers like to see it ported?