Neverwinter Nights 2

Rich narrative, engaging gameplay, and total attention to role-playing detail.

Neverwinter Nights 2 is a strong single-player adventure thoroughly enjoyable in and of itself. That it will serve as a platform for endless mod gaming only makes it that mich more appealing.

A splendid platform bundled with a highly agreeable romp through a lengthy and entertaining sample adventure. In addition, fan-made modules are already beginning to pop up, and while most are tests and exploratory attempts at present, there are a few coffee-break modules that immediately extend the life of the purchase.

NWN2 is the sequel we've been waiting for. With the graphical and systematic changes to give bedroom RPG makers a boost, and a solid single-player campaign to play through while we wait to see what they can do, it's hard to think of anyone who could be disappointed with the contents of this box. [Dec 2006, p.102]

It's warm, deep, intricate beyond belief, so very funny (just wait until you meet the gnome bard), and opulently involving... A marvellous RPG with stunning tools. [Dec 2006, p.68]

A very entertaining, classic D&D tale that will provide dozens of hours of entertainment to RPG fans, as well as some mod tools with great potential. If the online scene takes off, though, you can expect many years of outstanding gaming out of this little package.

Based simply on the pack-in module, I can't recommend Neverwinter Nights 2 enough to RPG fans and those who follow the table-top gaming systems.

Neverwinter Nights 2 isn't without some technical issues, but the engaging, dynamic story and proven Dungeons & Dragons framework make it a role-playing game that shouldn't be missed.

It's no "Baldur's Gate II," nor is it a "Planescape: Torment," but the way things are going it's the closest we're likely to get this century.

The amazing single player installation improves on the original game in nearly every way imaginable - without breaking anything what has gone before. Even for players who have never hurled a 20-sided die in anger, Neverwinter Nights 2 is not to be missed.

This extremely enjoyable action RPG contains fabulous visuals, plenty of options, and incredible gameplay. Neverwinter Nights 2 is truly one of the most epic adventures found on a PC, and it should be purchased without hesitation.

The ability to play through the official campaign with others online in addition to the toolset that can be used to create and play your own adventures gives Neverwinter Nights 2 a bottomless replay value.

It's not the future of PC gaming, but a glorious slice of the recent past. This may be the last adventure like this you'll ever go on. And there's a certain style and grandeur to anything like that.

Just like its acclaimed spiritual predecessors, the game is wholly engrossing and begs to be explored. Rare is a game with such meaningful and varied character development, and the plethora of options available will guarantee that many players will want to indulge in its experience from the point of view of several different types of characters.

Obsidian obviously hasn't made any real breakthroughs, which is a bummer, really, seeing as the original brought quite a lot of fresh ideas to the RPG scene.

The story, characters and the choices I had at my disposal made me overlook the bad AI, frustrating party micromanagement, gamebreaking bugs or the Spartan inventory system.

It's less polished than the original, but it's a more epic D&D adventure. [Holiday 2006, p.90]

In its current state, and for those who just want a single-player RPG, this is recommended to D&D diehards only, who are probably the only ones with enough goodwill to slog through the problems. Everyone else -- wait awhile. A great RPG is in here somewhere; it's just not ready yet.

NNights 2 is a huge, engrossing adventure with scads of player-influenced character development and plot twists. [Dec. 2006, p.94]

A great story—but maybe they should have stuck with pencils and dice.

We'll be playing this one for a long time.

There’s scope to build everything from a two-hour co-op dungeon crawl to a 100-hour purple-prosed epic. It’s that breadth that makes NN2 as much of an essential purchase as genre fans could ask for. [Christmas 2006, p.88]

A fun ride that is sure to please old-school RPG fans who want to play a classic party-based adventure.

We’re just counting the weeks until the first expansion comes along.

Too hardcore for all but the most hardcore of D&D beardies, but a brilliant RPG. [Christmas 2006, p.70]

It is graphically very nice, has solid sound and has addicting gameplay. Much fun to be had here, with the entertainment factors far outweighing the few flaws the game has.

This game may be worth playing in about a year’s time when Obsidian has finished patching this clunky monstrosity, but right now, it’s a strictly average affair.

The replay value in this game is astronomical.

Like KotOR 2 before it, Neverwinter Nights 2 promises much without quite delivering its full potential. It's a shame, as it could have been the Elminster of computerised AD&D games.

Neverwinter Nights 2 has enough pluses and a solid enough core design to make it compulsively playable. [Jan. 2007, p.46]

It offers a rare, deep developer experience, a very good single player RPG campaign, the ability to play these online, and the ability to use Neverwinter Nights 2 within a dungeon master framework, creating one's own persistent campaign piece-by-piece.

The final word when delving into the richest Dungeons & Dragons experience available on a hard drive today. The bugs will get mashed, the community will thrive, and Obsidian's reputation for challenging and meaningful narratives will live on. No self-respecting D&D fan should go this holiday season without it.

With fifty hours of story, branching down different paths based on your moral choices, Neverwinter Nights 2 would have already been a hefty adventure. But with the thousands of amateur dungeon masters that can’t wait to get in on the action, this quest will truly have no end. Despite a few nagging issues, this trip to Neverwinter is a satisfying experience and a worthy sequel.

Role-playing addicts won't be disappointed by the scope of this fantasy romp but a certain level of perseverance is required if you are unfamiliar with the intricacies of D&D.

A near-perfect sequel. [Jan 2007, p.78]

This game, unfortunately, tries too hard to play true to its D&D roots to be able to offer much appeal to casual gamers.

The music and voice acting are superb. I really liked Qara’s and Neeka’s voices. The performance was with a ton of attitude and personality.

Starts off too slow and easy, but really picks up the pace once you gain control of your own keep. After that it keeps getting better and better in every regard. The horrid pathfinding and stubborn NPC AI are still problems, though. [Dec 2006]

The adventure is rich and detailed, the D&D freak can go positively orgasmic with statistics, and the user community is undoubtedly going to create nearly limitless modules for the less-initiated among us to explore and experience.

The game that almost gets it right. Over time, and a bit more testing, I believe that the game will live up to its Bioware-powered predecessor.

NWN2 doesn’t even come close to matching the high caliber that has been reached with other recent action-RPGs on the market, and is ultimately a poorly executed finish.

Our worries about monotonous dungeon-crawling have proved unfounded as Obsidian has given this integral part of the game a good shake up, ploughing surprises and intrigue into every dark cave and ancient ruin. [Jan 2007, p.98]

If you are looking for a radically new and innovative gaming experience, steer clear of Neverwinter Nights 2. This is very much like a second helping of Neverwinter Nights, albeit a tad longer and more complex. Which, come to think of it, ain’t such a bad thing after all.

My biggest concern is that the performance and system requirements will turn potential players - and module developers - away from the game, and it won't have the reach and long life of its predecessor.