When faced with the sequel in a lore-rich game series that now has four new hours of content, 30 minutes of new in-game cinemas (including bits and bobs for its multiple endings), and an overhaul of its original PC-centric controls, where do you even start? If you’re an Xbox gamer looking at CD Projekt RED’s much-lauded, formerly PC-only action-RPG The Witcher 2: Assassin of Kings…well, you start at the beginning and pray to whichever divine being(s) that you can catch up.

Lucky for us Xbox owners, the development team understands that we’re coming into the series with a bit of a handicap — since we never had the chance to explore the first game in the series. Witcher 2’s Extras menu helpfully packs in some “previously on…”–style catch-alls to ease you into the world of brooding sword-wielding protagonist Geralt of Rivia — most notably, a handy “About the Witchers” still-frame cinematic. In it, you’re brought up to speed on who the Witchers are (basically, unstoppable beings built for asskickery on the battlefield that are feared and often shunned because of their near-mythological powers), which helps a little before you dive into the game’s main quest.

But don't expect to suddenly be able to grok every name, location, and scenario right off the bat after that. We still found ourselves scrambling to digest the gist of how our hero Geralt ended up strung up in prison, but good things come to those who wait (and listen to a healthy helping of the game intro’s dialogue).

It turns out that you’ve been involved in some sort of nasty assault involving a band of rebels doing what they do best — opposing the current powers-that-be and causing the kingdom no shortage of royal headaches. You’ll relive these memories in the form of various flashbacks that’ll set up the game’s sprawling storyline. In the present-day prison holding Geralt, you’re interrogated by a poncey jailor named Vernon Roche, who prods you to spill the beans on how this assault came to be. You’re then given three different conversation prompts; each takes you to different stages leading up to the actual assault.

We chose the first option, which retold the “Day of the Assault” and started with the moment you wake up in bed next to a woman you got frisky with the night before. The Witcher series — based on Polish author Andrej Sapkowski’s Witcher novels — has been an unflinchingly “mature” gaming series from its very start, diving into sex and nudity with glee. So, sexytime with naked ladies is par for the series’ course (though we’re wondering why Geralt has his pants on — equal opportunity nudity, we say!); the scene then moves on to prompt you to leave your tent and meet the King whom you serve.

All three scenarios that retell the Day of the Assault serve as tutorials to help you get familiar with Witcher 2’s control set-up, as well as its dense network of menus and terminology. Leveling up Geralt is split into four different branches, including Alchemy, Swordsmanship, and Magic. This world is big, and you’ll be collecting items throughout in order to craft items, gargle potions, and enhance your weapons for battle. And you’ll need to do all that, because combat isn’t as easy as bashing away on an enemy until they’re dead.

Our hands-on time was spent on Normal difficulty, and even then, some of the swashbuckling we did (you can equip up to two swords that you can sheathe or unsheathe individually on the fly) had us restarting more than a few times. Gaggles of enemy soldiers (which have with different attack patterns and degrees of armor) can be tough to navigate if you don’t have a good grasp of parrying (do it at the right time, and you’ll counterattack), dodging, and doing heavy or light strikes. Magic is also an option — we had a force-push–type spell to help us fling enemies further away when we were cornered, but more spell-types can be learned and unlocked later in the game for heavier, more widespread damage. (We later glimpsed a trap-type spell that ensnared and damaged bad guys, as well as fire magic that set the surrounding environment ablaze.)

And while the combat and adventuring for items are one of Witcher 2’s big draws, it’s the storyline and characters that intrigued us most — and with only an hour or so of hands-on time, our curiosity was barely sated enough. The promise of multiple choices that have far-reaching ramifications had us invested in our decisions, even this early in the game. As an example, in one of the two new adventures included in this “enhanced edition” of Witcher 2, we were paired up with the aforementioned Vernon Roche to stake out a new town. Accosted by one of Roche’s informants — a woman named Brigida — she begs us to accompany her to a meeting spot, lest assassins ambush her. You’re free to make a choice whether to trust she’s tough enough to look after herself and meet her later for information, or be her escort and ward off any interlopers. Taking the first option earns you a sassy, bitter response from Brigida, but you’re free to ignore her request. The latter takes you on a path to duel with bands of roaming enemies. How would it all end? We didn’t get a chance to find out, as our session was over.

Set for an April 17 release date, Witcher 2 is hot on the heels of 360’s other blockbuster RPG in BioWare’s Mass Effect 3 — but the two are different enough in scope and subject matter to distinguish themselves for Xbox gamers. Will Geralt’s journey captivate the 360 audience like he did on PC? With so many additions and tweaks from that version of the game, CD Projekt Red is hoping so, and we’re anxious to see where all those in-game decisions will lead us to at game’s end

PUBLISHER: WB Interactive • DEVELOPER: CD Projekt RED • MULTIPLAYER: No • RELEASE DATE: April 17 • FOR FANS OF: Dragon Age series, Skyrim, brooding dudes with ponytails, multiple choices