Neverwinter Nights 2: Storm of Zehir

 PC
User Score
7.3

Mixed or average reviews- based on 79 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 41 out of 79
  2. Mixed: 29 out of 79
  3. Negative: 9 out of 79
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  1. AndymanMessiah
    Mar 23, 2011
    8
    Storm of Zehir tries a lot of new things and for that reason it should be commended. The travelling, the improved skill checks, the ability to create your own party are all good things. Sadly, the plot is a bit lacking and we never quite get to experience this STORM of Zehir. It's there, you fight it and then it's over. Lackluster to say the least, but technically SoZ is a fine experimentStorm of Zehir tries a lot of new things and for that reason it should be commended. The travelling, the improved skill checks, the ability to create your own party are all good things. Sadly, the plot is a bit lacking and we never quite get to experience this STORM of Zehir. It's there, you fight it and then it's over. Lackluster to say the least, but technically SoZ is a fine experiment that I would have loved to see more of. Also: the final dungeon is amazing.… Expand
  2. Bantis
    Dec 8, 2008
    8
    I think this game's total should be at least 80 but then on the other hand I think I understand why it's not. This was a real departure from what has been offered compared to relatively recent computer D&D games. I think this even includes the much praised BG2 even though it was released years ago. SoZ offers some real freedom in so far as exploration is concerned and as such it I think this game's total should be at least 80 but then on the other hand I think I understand why it's not. This was a real departure from what has been offered compared to relatively recent computer D&D games. I think this even includes the much praised BG2 even though it was released years ago. SoZ offers some real freedom in so far as exploration is concerned and as such it makes great strides in using skills that have, for the most part, been ignored in these games such as survival and spot. These skills are pretty much required for use on the new overland map. So I think because of this freedom and new direction the usual deep and satisfying heavy story driven experience that these games are known for is very much missing to make way for this new level of freedom. Because of this I think it only natural, to a certain degree, that the fans and community of this series will be somewhat split with this new direction. There is a story here but it is weak at best. The crux of the game really is the exploration. I think Obsidian really went balls out and this one to take such a departure to a tried and true formula. I think there are valid points on each side of the whether it is successful or not debate. I know that at different points in the game my own take on the debate switched back and forth. On the whole though I liked the game and know I will replay it again. With these points and going back to the first paragraph where I said I think I understand the scores this game is receiving, I think reviewers were a bit a surprised with what they got probably assuming it would be another rich, story based experience. I think some of them just didn… Expand
  3. James
    Dec 10, 2008
    6
    I don't know why the user rating is so high. This add-on is mediocre at best. The overland map and, in particular, the effort to make greater use of characters' skills are welcome additions, but the execution is poor. There are no lengthy dungeons to speak of, just a series of one- or two-room locations with little individuality or creativity. The same goes for the cities, most I don't know why the user rating is so high. This add-on is mediocre at best. The overland map and, in particular, the effort to make greater use of characters' skills are welcome additions, but the execution is poor. There are no lengthy dungeons to speak of, just a series of one- or two-room locations with little individuality or creativity. The same goes for the cities, most of which are nothing more than a series of identical taverns and temples. I'd like to see some of the elements of this project applied to a more substantial NWN 2 expansion or mod, but Zehir is unfortunately all concept and very little execution.… Expand
  4. Dave
    Dec 4, 2008
    9
    I really think the Gamespot reviewer missed the boat on this one. The game is by no means perfect... it is, for one, very buggy, just like NWN2 was. But these are not the reasons for the Gamespot reviewer's score; he harped on things like bad voice acting. Really? Bad voice acting is that much of a detriment to the game? Aside from the fact that I thought the voice acting was I really think the Gamespot reviewer missed the boat on this one. The game is by no means perfect... it is, for one, very buggy, just like NWN2 was. But these are not the reasons for the Gamespot reviewer's score; he harped on things like bad voice acting. Really? Bad voice acting is that much of a detriment to the game? Aside from the fact that I thought the voice acting was actually quite good (and I am normally a harsh critic of stilted, pseudo-medieval, 'Verily, thou art a buxom wench!' voice acting), does that really justify such a poor score? The game is great for old school RPG players. They have ported almost all the DnD 3.5 classes and Prestige Classes, and they have succeeded in making almost all the skills valuable. This game has captivated me for some time now. If you have a good system and you don't mind dealing with some bugs, you will have a great time.… Expand
  5. JohnM
    Dec 11, 2008
    10
    Killer new party system - making classes/ races much more useful - RPGs should be about player created story not linear canned story experiences. Praise their efforts to push NWN in this bold new direction.
  6. FomarT.
    Dec 10, 2008
    8
    I think this game's total should be at least 80 but then on the other hand I think I understand why it's not. This was a real departure from what has been offered compared to relatively recent computer D&D games. I think this even includes the much praised BG2 even though it was released years ago. SoZ offers some real freedom in so far as exploration is concerned and as such it I think this game's total should be at least 80 but then on the other hand I think I understand why it's not. This was a real departure from what has been offered compared to relatively recent computer D&D games. I think this even includes the much praised BG2 even though it was released years ago. SoZ offers some real freedom in so far as exploration is concerned and as such it makes great strides in using skills that have, for the most part, been ignored in these games such as survival and spot. These skills are pretty much required for use on the new overland map. So I think because of this freedom and new direction the usual deep and satisfying heavy story driven experience that these games are known for is very much missing to make way for this new level of freedom. Because of this I think it only natural, to a certain degree, that the fans and community of this series will be somewhat split with this new direction. There is a story here but it is weak at best. The crux of the game really is the exploration. I think Obsidian really went balls out and this one to take such a departure to a tried and true formula. I think there are valid points on each side of the whether it is successful or not debate. I know that at different points in the game my own take on the debate switched back and forth. On the whole though I liked the game and know I will replay it again. With these points and going back to the first paragraph where I said I think I understand the scores this game is receiving, I think reviewers were a bit a surprised with what they got probably assuming it would be another rich, story based experience. I think some of them just didn… Expand
  7. YeshuaAgapao
    Nov 2, 2011
    8
    While not entirely successful, this tried to mix the storytelling of the first NWN2 game with the munchkinsm and hack-and-slash of the gold box games. I like custom create-your-own-party games, but these games have never achieved the storytelling ability of the more restrictive games (like NWN2). The 4+2 (4 PC + 2NPC) party size of the gold box series is better (Storm of Zehir is 4+1,While not entirely successful, this tried to mix the storytelling of the first NWN2 game with the munchkinsm and hack-and-slash of the gold box games. I like custom create-your-own-party games, but these games have never achieved the storytelling ability of the more restrictive games (like NWN2). The 4+2 (4 PC + 2NPC) party size of the gold box series is better (Storm of Zehir is 4+1, 4+2 with leadership feat; it should be 4+2 / 4+4). Most of the better PnP adventuring party sizes are 5-8, and 6 is just right (4-12 are the playable boundaries). Maybe a 4+2+2 (4 player-created PCs, 2 long-term / full-control NPCs, 2 short-term / limited control NPCs) would be better with the leadership feat doubling the NPC allowances (4+4+4). Golden Sun and Final Fantasy V are probably the closest - you don't create all the PCs but you have heavy control on their development and their pre-existing levels aren't too much of a burden. Just thinking about it, Temple of Elemental Evil is a 5+3 game (5 player-created PCs, 3 NPCs) and its storyline isn't that bad, though still nothing intimate with the PCs in terms of background and personality. Golden Sun is still the best in hybridization of hardcore story and player customization. I still really like having 2-4 of my own characters though but don't need 5-6 unless its multiplayer (double PC allowance to 4-8 with multiplayer).… Expand
  8. Orctownorc
    Nov 12, 2012
    10
    Storm of Zehir is a great game that suffers from a sub-par engine and mediocre presentation. It simply looks inferior to other games. But this appearance is deceptive. Other than weak graphics and a clumsy engine this game gets much right. The idea behind the world map is spot-on and points other developers to a mechanism for meaningful world exploration that other games would reallyStorm of Zehir is a great game that suffers from a sub-par engine and mediocre presentation. It simply looks inferior to other games. But this appearance is deceptive. Other than weak graphics and a clumsy engine this game gets much right. The idea behind the world map is spot-on and points other developers to a mechanism for meaningful world exploration that other games would really benefit from. This game offers RPG fans the chance to build their own party. Nothing else out there offers this level of depth of character development. For the world map mechanisms and the party building mechanisms alone it deserves 10/10.… Expand
  9. J.S.
    Jan 13, 2010
    2
    Really, really bad compared to the other expansion. While the concept could be interesting for some multiplayer projects, the single player campaign does suck. Many cities to visit, too bad they all have the same tavern, party customization, with no actual interaction between party members except occasional extra options during conversation that sounded much like "Let me remember you that Really, really bad compared to the other expansion. While the concept could be interesting for some multiplayer projects, the single player campaign does suck. Many cities to visit, too bad they all have the same tavern, party customization, with no actual interaction between party members except occasional extra options during conversation that sounded much like "Let me remember you that I am a druid. Yep. A druid.". Towns are much like small squares with some merchants advertising their product, but don't worry. You can't actually buy anything from most of them. Did I mention that you can explore a lot of small and interesting places around the map? Sometimes they are even big enough to contain more than one room. But while getting there you can enjoy the various random encounters and enjoy the continue area changes this will force. However, at least you have a boring short imitation of a plot to enjoy when you're done exploring the sometimes bugged cities.… Expand
  10. Zoso
    Jun 15, 2012
    4
    Forget the story and the graphics and everything of this one, it's not a game worth playing.
    The good thing about is that it adds some improvments (especially classes) to NWN2.
  11. JerryH.
    Feb 4, 2009
    9
    Its an overall good game. A lot of things could be fined tuned though such as the new Overhead map and the trading gets boring since there's hardly any variety and reminds me a lot of building your castle in NWN2 which was also a little boring. Most towns only have 3 buildings that you can go in and you cannot even explore the town you just go right in from entering the town, which Its an overall good game. A lot of things could be fined tuned though such as the new Overhead map and the trading gets boring since there's hardly any variety and reminds me a lot of building your castle in NWN2 which was also a little boring. Most towns only have 3 buildings that you can go in and you cannot even explore the town you just go right in from entering the town, which makes it seem like you playing with about 10 people instead of a large world. Voice acting is awful but the soundtrack is actually really good and I often turned off my music to listen to it. All in all its worth $20 and it should hold you off for awhile, or entirely with modding, until Dragon Age: Origins is released.… Expand
  12. NotkerBiloba
    Feb 3, 2019
    10
    This game ticks all the boxes for PnP-style fantasy without the preset characters. While I do love a story involving NPCs with rich backgrounds, a la Dragon Age 2, sometimes you just want to toy around with different party configurations and try out the various settings, dialogs, random encounters, etc. I come back to this one time after time.
  13. Wargizmo
    Jun 30, 2013
    7
    This game is what NWN2 should have been. Gone are the game breaking bugs, the ridiculously complicated crafting system, the horribly imbalanced melee weapons, the dozens of companions you have to micromanage. Basically they've either streamlined or taken out almost everything that made the game tedious or unfun.

    You now create your party at the start of the game, and those are your guys    This game is what NWN2 should have been. Gone are the game breaking bugs, the ridiculously complicated crafting system, the horribly imbalanced melee weapons, the dozens of companions you have to micromanage. Basically they've either streamlined or taken out almost everything that made the game tedious or unfun.

    You now create your party at the start of the game, and those are your guys for the rest of the game, you tailor them to play however you want. You can pick up cohorts but they're not essential to the plot and they don't level up unless they're in the party, so you no longer have 12 guys you have to micromanage every time you get a new level. The combat system is much better, entering an area you're usually attacked right away so you have to actually make strategic decisions about what spells to cast in the short time you have before the enemy is on you. It's no longer a question of just buff yourself up for 5 minutes and then run around with your +8 sword chopping everything to pieces, you know what enemies you're facing and it's up to you to work out the best strategy to beat them.

    The overland map system is really fun, and actually makes all those rogue skills, which were virtually useuless in the main campaign, have a use now.

    Having said that, it's not all great. The plot is pretty non existent (although for me, 99% of video game plots are a total bore so I wasn't so bothered by that, better to have a token minimal plot that a massive but horrible one). There's also a very clear best way to build your party, and if you don't have prior knowledge of the overland map system you'll almost certainly find yourself re-rolling after the first couple of hours if you happened to build your party wrong.

    That said, if you take a half an hour to read up on the overland map system and maybe a party creation guide before jumping in, you'll almost certainly be able to make the party you want and have a whale of a time.

    One thing I really liked about this is the new dialogue system; all four of your guys now participate in the chat, and different dialogue options are available to different types of characters. Your wise character can interject with nuggets of wisdom, your charismatic characters can flirt with the NPCs or flatter them, your evil characters can throw around insults. This all helps you build up the rich personalities of the party you created and you genuinely become attached to your guys in a way the annoying companions in the original campaign couldn't have hoped to achieve. They're YOUR guys that YOU made and their personality is a combination of all their skills, stats, race and alignment.    … Expand
  14. Gothic90
    Aug 24, 2013
    6
    The idea is semi-okay, well, good, in fact: it tries to emulate a real P&P D&D experience with your party going all over the map, creating its own story. There are very good designs in this expansion such as skill checks, looting and etc.

    Unfortunately the execution is total The overland map just loads so slowly that it becomes very annoying to fight any kind of enemies. The economics    The idea is semi-okay, well, good, in fact: it tries to emulate a real P&P D&D experience with your party going all over the map, creating its own story. There are very good designs in this expansion such as skill checks, looting and etc.

    Unfortunately the execution is total The overland map just loads so slowly that it becomes very annoying to fight any kind of enemies. The economics of this game is also totally broken.    … Expand

Awards & Rankings

70
#70 Best PC Game of 2008
65
#65 Most Discussed PC Game of 2008
78
#78 Most Shared PC Game of 2008

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
73

Mixed or average reviews - based on 15 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 7 out of 15
  2. Mixed: 8 out of 15
  3. Negative: 0 out of 15
  1. 1UP
    83
    Storm of Zehir may have a lackluster story, and that's OK, because it doesn't need one. It gives you the means -- the freedom -- to make your own story. And isn't that why we like RPGs in the first place?
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  2. IGN
    83
    With its emphasis on party, this feels like an homage to the old school D&D games of the past.
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  3. GameSpot
    60
    Storm of Zehir tries to be the square peg in Neverwinter Nights 2's round hole, with predictably lackluster results.
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