Neverwinter Nights 2: Mask of The Betrayer

 PC
User Score
8.5

Generally favorable reviews- based on 226 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 186 out of 226
  2. Mixed: 27 out of 226
  3. Negative: 13 out of 226
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  1. J.J.
    Nov 12, 2007
    7
    I have to admit: I've played about halfway through. I cannot agree with what othes have said concerning the performance issues which plagued NWN2. (Or the polish, but I'll talk about that later.) Truth be told, there hasn't been much of a performance upgrade from when it was first released. The engine is still god-awful. 8800GTX and Core2 @ 3.2 and 4 gigs of RAM, with all I have to admit: I've played about halfway through. I cannot agree with what othes have said concerning the performance issues which plagued NWN2. (Or the polish, but I'll talk about that later.) Truth be told, there hasn't been much of a performance upgrade from when it was first released. The engine is still god-awful. 8800GTX and Core2 @ 3.2 and 4 gigs of RAM, with all shadows disabled and 2x aa 8 af, the game clearly dips into the 20fps range at times when outdoors. And the outdoor areas in MOTB are smaller and less populated with stuff than they were in NWN2, so much so that the game feels like a beta or a user-made mod. Still, the game still simply doesn't look good enough to warrant the resources it seems to demand. However, Bioware wisely decided to start MOTB in an indoor area, which is much easier on the hardware than the large, highly populated town that the PC found herself in in the first game. NPC AI is horrible. Your companions bug out on one another when running behing you, cast ridiculous spells during combat, etc. My party NPCs have continued to fight each other to the death after winning a battle, more than a few times. Others have mentioned how difficult the game is, compared to the original. And it is. If you start fresh with the mediocre items the game provides you with and, most importantly, you choose not to micromanage companion NPC attack behavior, you will be dying a lot. I played through the first chapter as a paladin, and it was such a struggle that I had to roll a pure fighter, just to make sure I had the mojo to get through the scripted fight sequences. The story (so far) is typical NWN-- lots of mysterious warring factions with motives opaque, each led by a boss who is in thrall to another boss who is in thrall to another. As usual, it's easy to lose track of who's who. But however it pans out, one or more of them is responsible for removing the silver shard from your chest and/or cursing you with the 'Spirit Hunger' mechanic new to MOTB. (A nuisance mechanic more irritating because I can't spend forever re-arranging my inventory like I used to. Sitting in town and setting up your gear and swapping junk between party members just might get you killed, in the long run.) Instead of typical fantasy-world RPG companions, it seems as if Bioware wanted to do some really weird stuff this time around; Half-Celestials with antlers, A Narcissistic Sex-Starved Half-Witch-Goth-Boy, a undead-unliving curly-plumed Bear God who's colored like a Rocket Pop-- and others--will fill your party. Your home base at the beginning of the game is a theatre called The Veil. The Veil's nemesis is The Sloop. There's some dialog about how the Sloop puts on light fare to appeal to the masses, while the Veil's productions are deeper and more meaningful. It is clearly the game commenting on itself. Whether or not MOTB is deeper or more meaningful is debatable, but the notion that it's presumed complexity is the the cause for the Veil's financial struggles, as well as the notion that their plays are simply too much caviar for the general is probably correct. Here's the short version: It's not as good as NWN, the expansions, and NW2. It still performs horribly. It is darker. It feels much more narrow and slapdash than NWN2, which for all its problems had a wide vision and clean, professional layout. The only thing keeping me playing it is my interest in what happened to me and my companions from the first game, and the irritating level of diffuculty.… Expand
  2. lifeofbrian
    Aug 23, 2014
    7
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Its overrated. There are only 5 companions to be found in the entire expansion, and while they are well written you are shoehorned into either having no companions or choosing from one of only a few for a good portion of the game.

    In addition the items you come across in the game are ridiculous. Its literally at the point where you are finding +3 swords in barrels. There is a reason why higher level campaigns in D&D don't always work well and this game exactly shows why. Throwing such powerful items at players, even in situations where you are are just walking around regular old Thay, is totally uncalled for.

    The spirit eater meter is just uncalled for. The whole concept was frankly pretty weak from the get go.

    Its certainly better than the main NWN2 story but it still has too many flaws to get above an 8 for me.

    7.5/10    … Expand
  3. EliasO.
    Dec 28, 2007
    6
    A game deserving of a 8, too bad that it's only a expansion of a mediocre game.
  4. EdS.
    Dec 27, 2007
    5
    This is a difficult, burdensome NWN module, due to the gameplay-stilting "spirit eater" aspect. Thankfully I found the "cheat" to turn this feature off.
  5. somedude14
    Nov 2, 2017
    7
    In its time, had a clunky engine that provided significant performance issues even on (again for the time) beast rigs. Shouldn't be an issue for pretty much any machine made recently these days. Highly suggested you utilize a workaround to disable the Spirit Eater mechanic as it is a huge flaw in the game design. Otherwise if you can deal with the DnD rules, dated visuals, occasionallyIn its time, had a clunky engine that provided significant performance issues even on (again for the time) beast rigs. Shouldn't be an issue for pretty much any machine made recently these days. Highly suggested you utilize a workaround to disable the Spirit Eater mechanic as it is a huge flaw in the game design. Otherwise if you can deal with the DnD rules, dated visuals, occasionally cumbersome pathing (mainly with AI), and a serious letdown with one of your party members side quests (anyone who's played the game in its entirety knows exactly what I'm talking about), this is the greatest story ever told in a CRPG. Not next to Planescape Torment. This is above it.… Expand
  6. gracjanski
    Nov 3, 2020
    6
    We know MotB is the best campaign of NWN2, so I wanted to play only this addon. I played whole NWN 1 and especially Hordes of the Underdark was great. I am disappointed of MotB: First, you need to be lvl 18, so you start with a high lvl character in a complex game system. Second the D&D system is much too big in my view: too many decisions, overloaded with talents, skills, and so on. DontWe know MotB is the best campaign of NWN2, so I wanted to play only this addon. I played whole NWN 1 and especially Hordes of the Underdark was great. I am disappointed of MotB: First, you need to be lvl 18, so you start with a high lvl character in a complex game system. Second the D&D system is much too big in my view: too many decisions, overloaded with talents, skills, and so on. Dont forget you start with lvl 18...Your start will be even more difficult, because there is no introduction: I discovered a little summary about what happened before in the journal window. But still, in the beginning you dont know what is going on and who you are. Somehow I didnt want to play more, it didnt let me immerse in the world. It is like the developper forgot to implement some elements to enjoy the game. Another bad point is the controlling and interface: very circumstantial, the camera is very annoying. But the interface is beautiful.… Expand

Awards & Rankings

31
#31 Best PC Game of 2007
44
#44 Most Discussed PC Game of 2007
30
#30 Most Shared PC Game of 2007

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
82

Generally favorable reviews - based on 25 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 22 out of 25
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 25
  3. Negative: 0 out of 25
  1. Computer Games Online RO
    88
    Regardless of these problems however, Mask of the Betrayer is a triumph which should be saluted by all RPG fans, since it proves once and for all that “old school” RPG principles – wonderful story, interesting characters, great dialogues – which seem to have been forgotten by newer “RPGs”, are still as valid as ever.
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  2. 1UP
    80
    The new Mask of the Betrayer expansion is a stronger, more complex, and ultimately more satisfying game.
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  3. Game Informer
    90
    Mask of the Betrayer delivers on all fronts: tactical battles, exceptional story, and great characters. It’s truly remarkable how far NWN 2 has come. It’s not perfect, but as far as I’m concerned the smooth execution and excellent new content in this expansion make this the best electronic D&D experience since "Baldur’s Gate II."
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