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. 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
  2. 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
  3. 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.
    Read full review
  3. GameSpot
    60
    Storm of Zehir tries to be the square peg in Neverwinter Nights 2's round hole, with predictably lackluster results.
    Read full review
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