I agree with the part about having to have read the book or played the previous game. I didn't understand what was going on half the time, and who any of these people or organizations were. At the end of the game, I still wasn't clear on everything.

I find your idea of role-play to be incredibly inflexible, Kalfear. All combat in TW2 does is have you take a more active role in it.

Instead of guiding Geralt, you're more directly controlling him, that's all.

I in fact believe your preconceptions about action and rpg elements are what make you think they are mutually exclusive. They, in truth, are not.

What I see is that you are stating disparity where none exists.

EDIT: You know an RPG that I love, which you put as #6 on your list? Jade Empire. That game was a beautifully-crafted RPG. But! It had real-time, so-called "twitch-based" console combat. In fact, I might say the combat was worse than that of Assassins of Kings. I'd like to know if it's just nostalgia or some other reason that Jade Empire sits at #6 of your favorite games while Assassins of Kings is stuck at #18. Not jabbing at you, just want to hear your thoughts.

Well Jade Empire is somewhat reaction based (though its not all reaction based, you still do skill up in abilities.

One of the draw backs to The Witcher (and Dragon Age:Origin truthfully that tells you how honestly high I rate those games) is they fantasy based. Reason I like Mass Effect 1 so much is it was a break from the norm. I been playing Fantasy based Crpgs for, well since they released and AD&D and other fantasy systems before that in table top!

Non fantasy gets a bump in my standings!

In truth DA:O and TW1 might be better then ME is, but ME was sci fi, was a break from the tired old formate, and I loved it. Same goes for the KotOR games and Jade Empire. They remove the fantasy setting and offer up something different!

Should also point oput that every game on my top 20 list (in my mind) is amazing and should be must plays for anyone reading that list!

I have not played every RPG out there, some like Planetside Tourneyment just simply didnt strike my interest level. PT might be a great RPG, I just never played it so im not going to list something that someone else liked on my top 20 list. Some like the FF game line were great games (I like the Final Fantasy series for most part honestly) were just to linear with no replayability. Every single game on my list I have played multiple times and more over the years.

So anyways, when you see JE at #6 and TW2 at #18, thats a difference of like 0.2 score/rating in truth. And a great non fantasy game will always score higher then a great fantasy game with me cause im simply burnt out on the fantasy genre. Have been for a number of years. The fact that any Fantasy based game in the last 6 years makes my list is a testimate to how good that fantasy based title is (IMO of course).

God honest truth is a freind had to literally leacture me and harrass me to play DA:O because I just wasnt interested in fantasy at the time. Glad he did but thats how tired of that genre I truely am. If The Witcher didnt come with such high praise (and low price tag on steam at the time), I probably would have never played the game because once again it was fantasy based.

There truely is only so many orcs and goblins a person can withstand till it all gets a little overboard, and I hit my limit a few years ago.

So dont read TW2 is only #18 on my list
Read, despite being very bored of the fantasy genre and looking for anything thats not fantasy based, The Witcher 2 still good enough to get in my top 20 list of all time.

Context is everything :)

A harsh lack of either any title from the Ultima or the Wizardry Series for a PC RPG Gamer imho.