The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings

Yahtzee: poor tutorial design, unfair combat against groups, clunky interface, tedious potion management. Quit partway through.

A mature, dark fantasy RPG that treats players like adults and ranks among the best of its year, a technical marvel with stunning graphics and richly detailed environments. Well-crafted, weighty story choices and tactical, preparation-heavy combat reward strategy over button-mashing. Held back by a near-nonexistent tutorial, a terrible inventory system, a finicky targeting and blocking system best played on controller, a weak final chapter and epilogue, and the absence of fast travel.