User Score
6.7

Mixed or average reviews- based on 674 Ratings

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  1. MarioK.
    Oct 27, 2007
    9
    I dont know what is the problem with you people here!! NWN2 had some bugs, true! But they are not so big to give a great game a score 0/10. Almost noone mentions the bugs Oblivion had, which is far worse game in every regard when compared with NWN2! This so unfair! And it is clear that Bethseda payed you people to slander NWN2 so they could boost their sales on Oblivion, which BTW doesnt I dont know what is the problem with you people here!! NWN2 had some bugs, true! But they are not so big to give a great game a score 0/10. Almost noone mentions the bugs Oblivion had, which is far worse game in every regard when compared with NWN2! This so unfair! And it is clear that Bethseda payed you people to slander NWN2 so they could boost their sales on Oblivion, which BTW doesnt deserve one point above 7. Expand
  2. JeffS.
    Oct 24, 2007
    4
    Nice looking, good voice acting, but very buggy, even with patch 1.10. They threw out the good UI of the original NWN and jammed some clunky UI in sideways. The camera angle needs constant adjustment so you can see where your character is going, and that gets in the way of the immersive experience. Still, I'd rate this game highly if it weren't for the frequent crashes and Nice looking, good voice acting, but very buggy, even with patch 1.10. They threw out the good UI of the original NWN and jammed some clunky UI in sideways. The camera angle needs constant adjustment so you can see where your character is going, and that gets in the way of the immersive experience. Still, I'd rate this game highly if it weren't for the frequent crashes and corrupt save files. It's just not worth the frustration. Save your money and replay the original NWN, or drag out that dusty old copy of Baldur's Gate. I know you've got one. Expand
  3. Futurist
    Oct 5, 2007
    10
    One of the best rpg I have ever played. The graphic is nice, the plot, as a whole, is outstanding, the ending "cinematic"'s passable, but not great. The voice work and dialogs are absolutely the stunning. Don't be discouraged by the naysayers, this is a great game for those who are NOT D&D hardcore and over skeptical. 10 out of 10.
  4. ValoD.
    Sep 24, 2007
    0
    It is clear that all Obsidian managed to do with this game was to get some quick cash. In general, it stunk! Graphics: Bad, Sound: Worse, Story: idiotic, Bugs: Lots, Replayability: None,Toolset: Destroyed, Community: Gone There ARE worse games, but for it's hype and lazy/incompetent/bad content in the areas described above acompanied with being an insult to NWN 1 and D&D it deserves It is clear that all Obsidian managed to do with this game was to get some quick cash. In general, it stunk! Graphics: Bad, Sound: Worse, Story: idiotic, Bugs: Lots, Replayability: None,Toolset: Destroyed, Community: Gone There ARE worse games, but for it's hype and lazy/incompetent/bad content in the areas described above acompanied with being an insult to NWN 1 and D&D it deserves a big ZERO! In short: BLEH! Expand
  5. GeraldS.
    Sep 13, 2007
    0
    What can I say that hasn't been said already? (the negatives, that is--there are no positives I'll willingly repeat). I had a gut feeling this would be a stinker out of the box, and I wasn't disappointed. I thought the OC (that's original campaign for you noobs) was bad in NWN1, but it least it could be (and was) rescued by the community who saw the potential in the What can I say that hasn't been said already? (the negatives, that is--there are no positives I'll willingly repeat). I had a gut feeling this would be a stinker out of the box, and I wasn't disappointed. I thought the OC (that's original campaign for you noobs) was bad in NWN1, but it least it could be (and was) rescued by the community who saw the potential in the Aurora toolset. That's gone! I have been modding for several years and tried my hand at NWN2 toolset; even with my experience in C++ programming I was at a loss as to how they could...uh hmm...'mess up' the good thing they had in the Aurora's simplicity and ease of use. A module could be created that took up kB of space and distributed to the community, but in NWN2 the same file would take MB. This one died on the vine. I played it about two hours (and messed with the toolset another 20 to 30 hours) before uninstalling it, then reinstalling Baldur's Gate II again. Avoid like the plague. Expand
  6. BiggerNerd
    Jul 21, 2007
    5
    As a hardcore DND and DND video game fan, I was very excited to buy this game. I LOVED the first NWN, and played the hell out of it. Yet it was a big disappointment. Sure, the graphis are nice, and there are lots of options, but the game runs like crap (and my comp is quite up to specs), buggy buggy buggy, and the story was so trite. After about a week I got bored with it and went back to As a hardcore DND and DND video game fan, I was very excited to buy this game. I LOVED the first NWN, and played the hell out of it. Yet it was a big disappointment. Sure, the graphis are nice, and there are lots of options, but the game runs like crap (and my comp is quite up to specs), buggy buggy buggy, and the story was so trite. After about a week I got bored with it and went back to playing BG2 again. Expand
  7. JamesG.
    Jul 19, 2007
    9
    I am impressed. It definitely has a different feel from the original Neverwinter Nights... if you've played Dungeon Siege, try to imagine that with better graphics and an actual plot. I'm running a 1.73 Ghz Pentium 4 with 1.0 gigs of ram, with a GeForce 6800 video card, and while I can't play at an extremely high resolution, the detail settings are pretty high without any I am impressed. It definitely has a different feel from the original Neverwinter Nights... if you've played Dungeon Siege, try to imagine that with better graphics and an actual plot. I'm running a 1.73 Ghz Pentium 4 with 1.0 gigs of ram, with a GeForce 6800 video card, and while I can't play at an extremely high resolution, the detail settings are pretty high without any frame rate issues. It's doable, and enjoyable, if you have my specs or even slightly lower. The gameplay is engaging and the character details are fabulous. I also enjoy the "cinema" conversations, which resemble dialogue in your average popcorn movie. The interface is a tad cluttered, and the whole game does not feel as "sharp" as NWN 1, but the trade-off is excellent. I recommend this game for anyone with reasonable computer specs and a love for the NWN story. Expand
  8. DaleM.
    Jul 18, 2007
    2
    I have to admit that I enjoyed NWN 1 a lot better than NWN 2. I don't normally concern myself with graphics, but I must admit that I expected better. The game controls are a little more cumbersome to use than I would like and I sorely miss that radial menu. In addition you have to keep a large number of saves due to a save game problem. Some people (like me) tend to get corrupted I have to admit that I enjoyed NWN 1 a lot better than NWN 2. I don't normally concern myself with graphics, but I must admit that I expected better. The game controls are a little more cumbersome to use than I would like and I sorely miss that radial menu. In addition you have to keep a large number of saves due to a save game problem. Some people (like me) tend to get corrupted saves and must either load a previous save, or attempt to repair the current save game using one of your previous saves. I admit that there are quite a few bugs in the game, but I think that the save game bug alone is more than enough to make me think this game could have used a few more months of beta at least. I know that I , like a lot of people, had high expectations for this game and much to my disappointment it fell far short. Expand
  9. V.R.
    Jul 13, 2007
    1
    I've played through the NWN2 title and as a fan of D&D and the other previous titles in this area (such as Balders and NWN1) I'm sorry to say this ones a major dud!! Actually more of a tragedy because there were such hopes. I tried playing it first time through with my friend and it really wasn't fun. Only one character can talk and interact while the other just stands I've played through the NWN2 title and as a fan of D&D and the other previous titles in this area (such as Balders and NWN1) I'm sorry to say this ones a major dud!! Actually more of a tragedy because there were such hopes. I tried playing it first time through with my friend and it really wasn't fun. Only one character can talk and interact while the other just stands around. You cant look in your inventory or even move you can only stand there. We stopped playing. I played again through solo mode and enjoyed it more, however, the extreme lack of choices and ROLEplaying was apperant. Also I'm not going to get into the bugs and messes cause this would become an essay. But I've read the previous thread above and the high reviews seem to come from solo players that enjoyed the connect the dots orriented campaign. This is where Nwn2 fails though, its a multiplayer game! If it were just another kotor style game I wouldnt really have beef but its not and that is why it has become one of the worst tiles in the D&D gamming family. This game has already recieved a final patch, likely because the dev's are already building its coffin. Anytime trying to figure out how to build an adventure for this game would be time clearly wasted, no ones going to be around to play it. Expand
  10. M.A.
    Jul 2, 2007
    2
    Not a good game. It probably had a lot of potential, but the gameplay is an utter drudge. The AI is painfully buggy, and the game's requirements are absolutely not proportinate compared to the graphics. The original release looked like a beta, and the patches didn't help as much as was needed.
  11. KurtR.
    Jun 20, 2007
    2
    Yet another game that needs patching right out of the box. Unlike some of those other games, this one REALLY needs patching! Not that patching will save this game. The graphics on this game are worse than NWN...unless you like near-cartoon graphics. Get close to the trees in NWN and they look somewhat blurry. Some of the modded trees look absolutely great with almost no blur. Look at an Yet another game that needs patching right out of the box. Unlike some of those other games, this one REALLY needs patching! Not that patching will save this game. The graphics on this game are worse than NWN...unless you like near-cartoon graphics. Get close to the trees in NWN and they look somewhat blurry. Some of the modded trees look absolutely great with almost no blur. Look at an NWN2 tree up close. Do you see the resemblance to a piece of paper? The same for the rest of the graphics. In NWN when chickens are running around I feel as if I am looking at real chickens. In NWN2 I was immediately struck by how cartoonish they look. The only real plus to graphics that I noticed was the lack of "fists of doom". I quit playing this game after a short amount of time. I decided my time would be better spent working on my NWN module. Speaking of modules: Why was I most looking forward to this game? Because I thought the toolset would be better than NWN's and not need so much modding. I was sure wrong! The toolset is......let's just say I have spent hundreds of hours with the NWN toolset. I have spent very little time with the NWN2 toolset and will spend no more. The miniscule amount of modding done as of 6-20-'07 tells the story. NWN2 is a complete waste. I am just glad it was given to me as a gift. I was hesitant to buy it as I had read some early reviews by real gamers. If you have not purchased NWN2. Do not! Unless you want to buy my copy Expand
  12. HighVoltage
    Jun 3, 2007
    9
    Awsome game! Bioware's games rule! Why?... I DONT KNOW! They just do! Neverwinter Nights forever! But if talking seriously - its a good game because it have a tonn of side quests and its never boring. The bad thing about it is the "waiting for the loading to stop" that takes up about 20 % of your whole playing time... But in all the game is great. 9/10 - awesome
  13. DaveS.
    May 12, 2007
    1
    This game is a perfect example of the recent trend in game development of releasing pre beta material and expecting the public to do all the QA for the product. Yes 6 months later they're still patching the product, but unfortunately this game is so poorly designed that even a 100 patches and 3 or 4 expansion packs are not going to make this game work. Six months ago the thought This game is a perfect example of the recent trend in game development of releasing pre beta material and expecting the public to do all the QA for the product. Yes 6 months later they're still patching the product, but unfortunately this game is so poorly designed that even a 100 patches and 3 or 4 expansion packs are not going to make this game work. Six months ago the thought among many in the NWN community was that after some patching and maybe an expansion pack the game would finally be a worthy successor to NWN. However now the games main problem the difficulty in creating mods for it versus NWN is clear for all to see.NWN main attraction was the ease to which it could be modded. A 1st time user could easily make a playable area with the tool set in a matter of minutes. With the NWN2 tool set even creating a totally blank area that will load as a module is cumbersome. Creating something you might actually want to play and share others is a major undertaking. That is this games primary fault it is too hard to mod and the mods themselves use to many resources ie megs. This makes it very difficult to create the 30-40 hour campaigns that are commonplace for NWN. This is not something that can be patched around this is a core problem with tool set and how areas are built and used by the game. A look at the amount of content being produced by modders will prove my point. The best modders are still making campaigns for NWN while there is hardly anything for NWN2. Suggestion if your going to buy this game at all wait until it done being patched, bundled with all it's upcoming expansion packs and in the $10 close out bin. Expand
  14. QeltarK.
    Apr 29, 2007
    9
    An excellent game (after the fifth patch). Not quite as good overall as the original but better in many ways.
  15. BillW.
    Apr 20, 2007
    3
    Perfect example of a game shipped before being completed. 6 months after release & it's still not done. Maybe Obsidian will fix enough to make it porperly playable by the time they ship the expansion this fall.
  16. John
    Mar 9, 2007
    10
    Finally, finally, after the blunder of Neverwinter Nights I, they have gone back to the way Baldur's Gate was done -- brilliantly sophisticated and intelligent, funny at times and always subtly beautiful. Well done guys.
  17. KR
    Feb 22, 2007
    3
    Forget the critics. Unless high resolution "dungeon dressing" is important to you, this game has nothing to offer that 20 or even 40 other games didn't do better. The plot is linear, the terrain (that you can actually go to) is flat, the camera views are difficult to handle, and practically all the fighting can be left on automatic. (Just attack with a fighter, and let the AI handle Forget the critics. Unless high resolution "dungeon dressing" is important to you, this game has nothing to offer that 20 or even 40 other games didn't do better. The plot is linear, the terrain (that you can actually go to) is flat, the camera views are difficult to handle, and practically all the fighting can be left on automatic. (Just attack with a fighter, and let the AI handle spells.) Don't worry about interacting with your environment -- just press "w" and you'll be shown all the things you can interact with. I can't remember one genuine moment of fun or amusement in several hours of play. Expand
  18. WaltO.
    Feb 10, 2007
    4
    Really, 50% is still an "F". That said: This game fails on so many levels. -The story: trite and predictable. -Gameplay(quests): transparent. -Rules implementation: Abysmal, can't even get Attack of Opp to work correctly, eh? Not to mention Bogus feats and NO Climbing/Swimming/Flying... -Graphics: Kotor with more polygons at best, not optimised at all. -Fun factor/balance: Terrible. Really, 50% is still an "F". That said: This game fails on so many levels. -The story: trite and predictable. -Gameplay(quests): transparent. -Rules implementation: Abysmal, can't even get Attack of Opp to work correctly, eh? Not to mention Bogus feats and NO Climbing/Swimming/Flying... -Graphics: Kotor with more polygons at best, not optimised at all. -Fun factor/balance: Terrible. Even a fighter with great buffs and equipment will be taxed to understand the CR mixture thrown at him. -Cinematics: Terrible, too much, too little PC control, pulled along by the nose and horrible text choices!! You have 4 ways to say yes to a gnome bard joining your group and that is it. 'Nuff said. -Conclusion: Play Baldur's Gate TOSC or TOEE. Vastly superior games in terms of everything that counts to a true DnD fan and not an intellectually nascent Diablo-clone. Expand
  19. NicholasG.
    Feb 7, 2007
    3
    Quite a disappointing game really. I'm a fan of NWN series (and especially KoTOR series). I don't like the graphics, the storyline is kinda childish, and the action is unnatural (let alone some bugs in quests)... Well, it's unplayable in my opinion. No Bioware, no NWN!
  20. TolisG.
    Jan 22, 2007
    10
    I play the game and I am close to end it. The game is great the graphics are very good the story is great with lot of subquests and the gameplay is good. I like the way that equipment appears on the caracters the swords the armors and especialy the clocs. I believe the only problem it has is the camera but with the patch the things are better. I play D&D 5 years and the game the best I play the game and I am close to end it. The game is great the graphics are very good the story is great with lot of subquests and the gameplay is good. I like the way that equipment appears on the caracters the swords the armors and especialy the clocs. I believe the only problem it has is the camera but with the patch the things are better. I play D&D 5 years and the game the best singleplayer RPG for those who love D&D. Expand
  21. ChrisJ.
    Jan 8, 2007
    6
    Graphics and effects are pretty good, maybe a 9. D&D based gameplay gives it a 9 in my book. But the storyline is slow to start and pretty bland and predictable, probably a 7. Unfortunately, these make the game sound good, but I come away with it feeling very dissatisfied. The gameplay is extremely linear. Sure, you can change you class & equipment, but you can't "choose your own Graphics and effects are pretty good, maybe a 9. D&D based gameplay gives it a 9 in my book. But the storyline is slow to start and pretty bland and predictable, probably a 7. Unfortunately, these make the game sound good, but I come away with it feeling very dissatisfied. The gameplay is extremely linear. Sure, you can change you class & equipment, but you can't "choose your own adventure", so to speak. Everything is layed out for you from the start to the point where you really have no options available to you. You get tons of equipment, but have to sell 99% of it and choose only the ones that fit your profile. These sorts of things make the game fall short on any sort of replaybility or ability to capture your attention for more than a passing fancy. Expand
  22. MatteoA.
    Jan 8, 2007
    9
    A pleasant surprise compared to other boring RPG around. It is a game where the design is so pervasive that you need to cover it entirely to experience all the nuances in gameplay and variety. The factor that dragged down the game in the eye of a lot of people is that you have to actively play it to enjoy it. If you are trying to find a game where the first hour of gameplay is an A pleasant surprise compared to other boring RPG around. It is a game where the design is so pervasive that you need to cover it entirely to experience all the nuances in gameplay and variety. The factor that dragged down the game in the eye of a lot of people is that you have to actively play it to enjoy it. If you are trying to find a game where the first hour of gameplay is an exaustive demo of the entire game experience go away, in this game every action you take counts. It's a better sandbox game that those dull approximation of a lifeless reality that they dare to call RPGs. At least here there's a story to shape aside incompetent NPCs to kill. Expand
  23. BrapBrap
    Jan 8, 2007
    0
    Copyprotection that cannot read correctly in 2 of my 3 Drives. Update theat cannot work due to bugged copyprotection. Bluescreens & Freezes (Havent had a Bluescreen for years) tons of minor bugs and a COMPLETE FREEZE AFTER WINNING TYRS CHALLENGE. Reinstalling wont work. And a "Customer Service" that is typically Anglosaxon - NONEXISTENT!!! (Sorry all you Anglosaxons out there!)
  24. TroggleH.
    Jan 3, 2007
    10
    I play D and D 3.5 every week and I love this game. It does an ok job coverting 3.5 into a real time game, but i would rather have turn based. The games strongest point is its plot. This game does a great job creating a roleplaying experence similar to a real (paper and dice) RPG. The main story is complex with many aproches to that incresses replay vaule. Wile the plot is thick the game I play D and D 3.5 every week and I love this game. It does an ok job coverting 3.5 into a real time game, but i would rather have turn based. The games strongest point is its plot. This game does a great job creating a roleplaying experence similar to a real (paper and dice) RPG. The main story is complex with many aproches to that incresses replay vaule. Wile the plot is thick the game alows you to engage parts you may enjoy, like building up your keep, and ingnor parts that are lame, like the bard. This game is a real rpg fueled by player choices not FMV. Expand
  25. MichaelW.
    Dec 31, 2006
    9
    At first, I thought the game was about a 4. Clunky interface and mediocre visuals. Slowly, I decided after using my friend's computer as a server (no 3rd party server needed), that that feature alone was excellent. After playing through 8 levels and running a second 3 player campaign (which we are only 6-7th level) that the fun was rolling along. Each spell and each night spent with At first, I thought the game was about a 4. Clunky interface and mediocre visuals. Slowly, I decided after using my friend's computer as a server (no 3rd party server needed), that that feature alone was excellent. After playing through 8 levels and running a second 3 player campaign (which we are only 6-7th level) that the fun was rolling along. Each spell and each night spent with a friend over 1,000 miles away makes me realize, that when the multiplayer servers are up and running, that the game has potential. The graphics are better than I thought, but they do tax my system as well as the interface is still mildly clunky. But heads up. We're doing a 2-3 player raid which has lasted over 20 hours and is better and better as we go. So far, maybe one gamespy crash. But well worth the 10 minute delay. Expand
  26. JustinB.
    Dec 21, 2006
    3
    Potentially a very good game but was released in an extremely buggy state. The camera angles are counter-intuitive, very poor interface, worst control system for an RPG ever. The only way to play without extreme frustration is to use the point and click control but that doesnt even work too well because there are always walls blocking your view space. You'll spend more time rotating Potentially a very good game but was released in an extremely buggy state. The camera angles are counter-intuitive, very poor interface, worst control system for an RPG ever. The only way to play without extreme frustration is to use the point and click control but that doesnt even work too well because there are always walls blocking your view space. You'll spend more time rotating your view in a fight then actually controlling your characters because the camera just sucks. Expand
  27. AndrewS.
    Dec 19, 2006
    9
    To sum up: good= long, brilliant, immersive storyline, well crafted characters, very well voiced dialogue. bad= Looks somewhat dated except on cutting edge hardware, unstable framerate, a few minor bugs(that are being ironed out in patches bit by bit)
  28. JessicaY.
    Dec 18, 2006
    5
    The game was well written, the story is pretty good, and the interactions between NPC's had me laughing on many occations. However, the game play makes me regret the week of my life I wasted playing this game. The maps and quests are non-intuitive, the camera angles are awful, the characters are hard to control, the big fights are WAY TOO LONG, and you will bang your head against a The game was well written, the story is pretty good, and the interactions between NPC's had me laughing on many occations. However, the game play makes me regret the week of my life I wasted playing this game. The maps and quests are non-intuitive, the camera angles are awful, the characters are hard to control, the big fights are WAY TOO LONG, and you will bang your head against a wall when you hit the endgame. I literally spent hours trying to beat the last boss... i even resorted to cheating and couldn't do it. Hell, walkthroughs didn't help. I can't even finish the game and many a bug had me reloading to saves the happened hours before. I would only recommend this game if you have nothing better to do and no other games you want to play. Expand
  29. DnD83
    Dec 16, 2006
    8
    I'm able to run this game on my business notebook at a reasonable speed and with few of the bugs that I've seen so many people claiming to have "high-end" systems have reported. Some patience is necessary but this game is probably 3 or 4 patches away (from v.1.03) from appeasing the critics. This game is in a rough spot, critics-wise, because it's caught between the rabid I'm able to run this game on my business notebook at a reasonable speed and with few of the bugs that I've seen so many people claiming to have "high-end" systems have reported. Some patience is necessary but this game is probably 3 or 4 patches away (from v.1.03) from appeasing the critics. This game is in a rough spot, critics-wise, because it's caught between the rabid loyalty of fans to NWN1 and the excellence of TES:Oblivion. Taken alone, however, it's a pretty good game. Of course, it isn't Oblivion, graphics-wise, but if you enjoyed Wizardry in its early incarnations, Bard's Tale, Ultima and Baldur's Gates I & II, there is no reason, a few bugs here and there, not to like this game. Expand
  30. Nate
    Dec 13, 2006
    5
    Good game horrible execution. NWN 1 controls were a little boggy...but NWN2 is far far worse. Over detailed ui with intrusive unneeded borders. K.I.S.S was avoided. And yes it will tear your machine apart. Runs worse than Oblivion at unlimited view distance with modded 4x res textures. And looks worse than Oblivion on the worst settings. Uses a model 'style' similar to Good game horrible execution. NWN 1 controls were a little boggy...but NWN2 is far far worse. Over detailed ui with intrusive unneeded borders. K.I.S.S was avoided. And yes it will tear your machine apart. Runs worse than Oblivion at unlimited view distance with modded 4x res textures. And looks worse than Oblivion on the worst settings. Uses a model 'style' similar to EQ2's clunky ' realistic' models. Expand
  31. Peter
    Dec 12, 2006
    9
    I really don't understand what you people are complaining about the "camera angles" for...I've never had any trouble with the camera. Maybe that's because I actually control it to look at what I want to look at. Also, the graphics look a billion times better than NWN1. The A.I. is spotty, yes. But, that is in the very nature of A.I. so there is really no reason to rag on I really don't understand what you people are complaining about the "camera angles" for...I've never had any trouble with the camera. Maybe that's because I actually control it to look at what I want to look at. Also, the graphics look a billion times better than NWN1. The A.I. is spotty, yes. But, that is in the very nature of A.I. so there is really no reason to rag on Obsidian for that. I haven't been able to play the multiplayer yet, but it doesn't seem that bad. Just wait for the PW's to get back in the swing of things. Single player story is pretty good, but I've never been a single player guy. A lot of people have been talking about it being a "rehash of NWN1." Obviously you never followed NWN2's development. They did that on purpose, going by the "If it ain't broke, don't fix it" policy. I wish they had added more voices sets, but still. It's progress forward. I don't have the video settings on high because my comp has been built on a small budget, but it runs very smoothly for how I do have it set, so once again I don't know what you people are talking about. And, don't compare it to BG...I'm sorry, but BG wasn't that good anyway. And, NWN2 is 2 generations past BG. NWN was designed (from my perspective) to sit the fence between single- and multi-player. BG was meant to be single-player. The official campaigns are not going to be the same quality, because they want us to have room to make our own stuff. Expand
  32. MartinV
    Dec 11, 2006
    1
    It's a very bad game. I don't understand that even in 2006, a game company still creating a so cheap game... Another D&D poor game. Disapointing in all point. Ai, camera, gui...
  33. MortenB.
    Dec 9, 2006
    0
    Not one good thing to say about the game. The old NWN is even miles better then this one. Sigh. I experienced 4 in game logical bugs,3 of them I managed to find a workaround the last one I have no clue what to do about, and I am stuck. The last straw were when the last patch version crashed every time, and I am unable to patch the game. DOH! Avoid this game at all cost!
  34. f00dl3-
    Dec 6, 2006
    9
    This game is a masterpiece. The only problem that it has that keeps me from giving this game a straight 10 is the fact that it does take quite a bit of tweaking to get the game to even run. The main problem that causes performance hits is the water FX, as they seem to be severely bugged and can make the FPS rate go to 2 or 3 on even the highest-end system. However, after you get past, or This game is a masterpiece. The only problem that it has that keeps me from giving this game a straight 10 is the fact that it does take quite a bit of tweaking to get the game to even run. The main problem that causes performance hits is the water FX, as they seem to be severely bugged and can make the FPS rate go to 2 or 3 on even the highest-end system. However, after you get past, or work around those initial technical issues and actually start playing the game - its amazing. I don't want to spoil anything, but RTS fans may be excited to get this game too. There are some RTS elements thrown into this game. Expand
  35. JonathanT.
    Dec 6, 2006
    2
    Extremely poor performance from a graphics engine that is less than impressive. Poor character customization choices. Small areas with virtually no exploration and a decidedly linear storyline. In-game GUI is a step backwards from the original... with a clunky right click context menu, and quick bar that lacks the depth of functionality of the original. Not to mention the horrible Extremely poor performance from a graphics engine that is less than impressive. Poor character customization choices. Small areas with virtually no exploration and a decidedly linear storyline. In-game GUI is a step backwards from the original... with a clunky right click context menu, and quick bar that lacks the depth of functionality of the original. Not to mention the horrible implementation of the camera controls. Tool set was completely redone... which may or may not be a good thing... feature and power-wise... too hard to to tell with an interface that is impossibly less than intuitive. Its pretty buggy as well. In fact, its hard to find much to like... It's Forgotten Realms D&D is about all I can think of at present. Expand
  36. RonC.
    Dec 4, 2006
    2
    Four years of polishing and fine tunining a great game as NWN was, I was extremely let down and disapointed in the proclaimed sequel. Obsidian/Atari seemed eager to make a quick profit before the end quarter by releasing this beta version at best. I am a gamer, not a beta tester and not a tester paying $50 (not including the 2 vid card upgrades due to faulty information on "supported Four years of polishing and fine tunining a great game as NWN was, I was extremely let down and disapointed in the proclaimed sequel. Obsidian/Atari seemed eager to make a quick profit before the end quarter by releasing this beta version at best. I am a gamer, not a beta tester and not a tester paying $50 (not including the 2 vid card upgrades due to faulty information on "supported cards"). The cameras are terrible, the AI will kill your entire party with aoe spells directed at half dead target / targets when single target spells are mem'd in spell book. UI is bulky and quirky at best. Bottom line, all the good things in 1 are missing in 2, actually this game regresses in many aspects and just plain frustrating to play, highly unsatisfied, and misled by pre-release ratings and interviews with OE. Expand
  37. ArchonWhackamole
    Dec 3, 2006
    0
    I cant believe this was released as is...what the heck!? I have a top of the line machine and it still has issues running this sloggy beast.Im going back to playing oblivion now...see ya.
  38. LauraD.
    Dec 3, 2006
    0
    This game is nothing but a cheap rehash of NwN1. The same lame OC storyline, EVEN THE SAME VOICE SETS! This game was cheaply made, and then titled to sell to the existing community. I feel like I've been tricked. This is not worth buying, there is no area in the game where I am satisfied with how it works.
  39. WulfJ.
    Dec 2, 2006
    0
    I had more fun trying to get a refund for this game than I did playing it. It has next to nothing in common with NwN1. The interface, the toolset, the ai, the inventory, and the overall game play is all so far from the original, I can only assume the game was made to cash in on the community. This is a sad day for Wizards of the West Coast. This is a game that I would expect to find in a I had more fun trying to get a refund for this game than I did playing it. It has next to nothing in common with NwN1. The interface, the toolset, the ai, the inventory, and the overall game play is all so far from the original, I can only assume the game was made to cash in on the community. This is a sad day for Wizards of the West Coast. This is a game that I would expect to find in a bargain bin. Not as a sequal for the best RPG of the last 10 years. Expand
  40. MarkD.
    Dec 2, 2006
    3
    This game is a huge disapointment, the first thing you notice is the woeful graphics, even with a high end system it chugs along creating a disjointed feel. The charater choice system is really crap the faces/hair and races look awful. I'm giving the story line a bit more time and this appears to be the obly saving grace. My advice is don't buy this game if you liked NWN1.
  41. EmileZ.
    Dec 2, 2006
    4
    This game is a HUGE disappointment. There is no AI to speak of, the camera angles are a real pain in the butt and the game engine seems unfinished and powerless compared to the previous Neverwinter Nights game. The plot is weak and one-dimensional, compared to Oblivion and Gothic 3.
  42. JamesD.
    Dec 1, 2006
    1
    What a disappointment. I had been looking forward to this game for years, only to find that it is the worst D&D game in the Black Isle/Bioware/Obsidian line to yet be released. Boring gameplay, lackluster graphics, linear design with virtually no side quests or other optional activities, awful AI, flat, cliched NPCs, counterintuitive interface-- I could go on. The other comments have What a disappointment. I had been looking forward to this game for years, only to find that it is the worst D&D game in the Black Isle/Bioware/Obsidian line to yet be released. Boring gameplay, lackluster graphics, linear design with virtually no side quests or other optional activities, awful AI, flat, cliched NPCs, counterintuitive interface-- I could go on. The other comments have elaborated on all the problems with this game. I thought that Obsidian showed promise with KOTOR 2, which, despite its obvious flaws and unfinished feel, was a much better game than this one. Hopefully Bioware will do a better job with Dragon Age and Obsidian did with NWN 2. Until then, I'll keep playing Oblivion. Expand
  43. MikeK.
    Dec 1, 2006
    9
    I agree with most of you naysayers out there. NWN2 has serious camera issues, AI flaws, and steep hardware requirements. My computer barely meets the requirements, and I have the graphics all the way down. The cut scenes still look decent, but in general, not a big step up from NWN1. I've used the toolset a little bit, and its daunting. But with the online community it's pretty I agree with most of you naysayers out there. NWN2 has serious camera issues, AI flaws, and steep hardware requirements. My computer barely meets the requirements, and I have the graphics all the way down. The cut scenes still look decent, but in general, not a big step up from NWN1. I've used the toolset a little bit, and its daunting. But with the online community it's pretty easy to get your feet wet, and after all, for a truly powerful toolset you would have to complicate things...its in the nature of power. Finally, the game is FUN. The voice acting, while at times exaggerated, is hilarious. I can't wait to play though as an evil character. The different choices do an excellent job of making the player feel like he's bearing an impact, and quest accomplishment is rewarding. It gets an 9 for its overall play value, and while it does have issues, its one of the most potentially replayable games in a long time. Expand
  44. ColinC.
    Nov 29, 2006
    3
    I decided to play this game for at least 2 weeks before making a comment and also pulled out NWN1and BG and fired them up so my comments could be informed and in context. I am a multiplayer gamer - for me its about fun with friends. On this front NWN2 is a total step backwards. I am really surprised that official review sites have not said more about NWN2's failure in this regard. I I decided to play this game for at least 2 weeks before making a comment and also pulled out NWN1and BG and fired them up so my comments could be informed and in context. I am a multiplayer gamer - for me its about fun with friends. On this front NWN2 is a total step backwards. I am really surprised that official review sites have not said more about NWN2's failure in this regard. I had bought this with the a view toward a good couple of days gaming with friends over the Chritsmas break. NWN2 is just so bad MP we are not even going to try now - its back to NWN1 or something else. NWN2 does have some merit as a single player linear scenario and hence my scoring of it as a 3. I have a very new system with all the bells and whistles but still had to turn graphics down to get sensible performance. I can't understand why the camera is not as good as NWN1? I am pleased to see I am not the only one it drives crazy. I am guessing the higher ratings are coming from younger players who have not had the joys of NWN1 and BG and who find a very linear scenario helpful. For the thinking and experienced D&D gamer NWN2 can't be anything but a disappointment. Let us hope that the community can save the game, but given the large and justified (in my view) negative sentiment about the game it's not a sure thing that this will happen. Only buy this game if you want a liner single player RPG and have a high spec system. Even then I still can't recommend it as being great value for money. Expand
  45. NinN.
    Nov 29, 2006
    2
    I feel NWN2 is actually a step back from NWN1. It's a resource-hogger for reasons beyond me. I have a high-end computer that by far exceeds the game's requirements and it still lags in places. Music and voice sets were simply imported from NWN1. The graphics are not what they were promised to be, not even close. The storyline? Bah, it's boring, linear, and has absolutely no I feel NWN2 is actually a step back from NWN1. It's a resource-hogger for reasons beyond me. I have a high-end computer that by far exceeds the game's requirements and it still lags in places. Music and voice sets were simply imported from NWN1. The graphics are not what they were promised to be, not even close. The storyline? Bah, it's boring, linear, and has absolutely no roleplay value; it doesn't matter what kind of character you play because the outcome will ALWAYS be the same, no matter if you're good or bad aligned. Also? Savegames that exceed 80MB per save? Please. Expand
  46. NisseI
    Nov 29, 2006
    9
    This game is several light years ahead of the original Neverwinter Nights and its expansion packs concerning the singleplayer campaign. Granted, it does have its flaws, like for example the camera, AI and the poor performance. These negative factors are however overshadowed by the interesting characters, a good plot which steadily improves during the course of the game, the big variety of This game is several light years ahead of the original Neverwinter Nights and its expansion packs concerning the singleplayer campaign. Granted, it does have its flaws, like for example the camera, AI and the poor performance. These negative factors are however overshadowed by the interesting characters, a good plot which steadily improves during the course of the game, the big variety of different classes and feats you can choose for your characters, the often very well written dialogue with its many choices and the party/henchman based system which leans more in favour of the system in Baldur's Gate than the original Neverwinter Nights much more uninteresting more Diablo-esque system. To summarize my experiences with the game, I most point out that I have had a great amount of fun with the game. And if you desire a more refined gaming experience than that of the rather shallow predecessor, than Neverwinter Nights 2 could very well be worth buying. Expand
  47. GordonM.
    Nov 29, 2006
    4
    I had high hopes for this game, honestly I did. There are glimmers of where NWN2 could have done well, but sadly the vast majority of it does not live up to its predecessor. The right-click menu is unintuitive and slow, attempting to do anything while your character and/or the target is in motion is impossible. The AI is pathetic. The campaign itself is rather cliched and while some of I had high hopes for this game, honestly I did. There are glimmers of where NWN2 could have done well, but sadly the vast majority of it does not live up to its predecessor. The right-click menu is unintuitive and slow, attempting to do anything while your character and/or the target is in motion is impossible. The AI is pathetic. The campaign itself is rather cliched and while some of the characters are interesting, they are never really given a chance to shine beyond a single cutscene each that never really goes anywhere. A host of romance options were promised, yet there are only a single romance path for each gender. And the male path is completely unexpected, especially due to the personality and actions of a couple of the female characters, inclusing the romantic option herself. Alignment has no meaning and alignment shifts are seemingly randomly placed in dialogs. The toolset. Ah, the toolset... what the hell happened? NWN1's toolset was complex, but streamlined. NWN2's is... well, broken, horrific and more complex than anything I've seen before. Plus there are only the bare minimum of creatures/textures/etc to make the campaign itself functional, unlike the original game's toolset that had a considerable segment of the D&D Forgotten Realms pantheon of creatures in it. Combined with the fact that the toolset itself is incredibly unintuitive and that it is difficult or nigh impossible to do anything without fighting it and you have not only a step backwards, but a fall off a cliff backwards. I'd end with the hope that some of this might be patched or at least changed, but considering how significant the problems are and how deep it runs, many of the 'problems' are most likely design decisions rather than simple errors of judgement from Obsidian/Atari. I hope that things improve, but can't see it happening. The only reason I give it as "high" as a 4 is because there is some enjoyment to be had. Otherwise it would be a 0. Expand
  48. AE
    Nov 28, 2006
    2
    Lame story, Brings High-end systems to their knees for no reason, poor voice acting, not a true Rpg, too linear, too many forced choices. Dumb Ai & Ui. Companions are annoying and you cannot turn them down, only after they join you can leave them at home. Inventory sucks bad, unclear icons for spells and items.
  49. AnonymousMC
    Nov 28, 2006
    5
    Whilst probably not as bad as some would make you feel, it does have that unfinished aftertaste. If you haven't bought it yet, you might want to wait a couple of months and see if the patches sort out the problems.

    There is some potential there, but I thought that Baldur's Gate I did it better (and how old is that?). The 3D view causes more problems than it solves, and
    Whilst probably not as bad as some would make you feel, it does have that unfinished aftertaste. If you haven't bought it yet, you might want to wait a couple of months and see if the patches sort out the problems.

    There is some potential there, but I thought that Baldur's Gate I did it better (and how old is that?). The 3D view causes more problems than it solves, and there's very little that you can do to get your companions to behave sensibly. You can either have them do nothing at all, or waste all their spells/potions against the first things that goes "Boo!". Again BG did this better, with a whole choice of scripts you could select from for each character.

    One can only hope that the developers will listen to their critics, rather than basking in the glory of misguided reviews (we can only assume they reviewed pre-release version, and believed the spin that the game was still going to be fixed; but that's why I think it's unprofessional to review pre-release versions).
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  50. JK
    Nov 28, 2006
    2
    Don't listen to the paid off computer magazine reviews. This game is horribly flawed, lazily implemented, as linear a game as I've ever had the misfortune to play, has horrendous bugs, huge graphic engine problems and some of the worst most irritating AI to be invented. It's like they went out of their way to create a complete mess - mission accomplished.
  51. ErikT.
    Nov 27, 2006
    4
    Shouldn't have been released at this stage. Serious, serious flaws hampers gameplay so much it's very difficult to become immersed in what could have been a great sequel to one of the most loved RPGs in PC history.
  52. PeterA.
    Nov 27, 2006
    4
    Currently, the game does not function fully, even with the 1.03 BETA patch that has been released. The original NWN is easier to use (GUI), has better framerates, and more variety, with the exception being character portraits. I have both on my current system (AMD Athlon 64 X2 Dual Core Proc, Dual Nvidia SLI enabled GeForce 7800 GT, and 3Gig of 3200 DDR2 RAM), and I know which one runs Currently, the game does not function fully, even with the 1.03 BETA patch that has been released. The original NWN is easier to use (GUI), has better framerates, and more variety, with the exception being character portraits. I have both on my current system (AMD Athlon 64 X2 Dual Core Proc, Dual Nvidia SLI enabled GeForce 7800 GT, and 3Gig of 3200 DDR2 RAM), and I know which one runs better. Sure, NWN2 has some nice graphics to look at, but you can't interact with them, you are limited to following a pre-set path like KOTOR or KOTOR2. NWN was similar, could really only go certain places, but the spaces were much larger, NWN2 feels cramped, except in city areas. Although even there it sucks that you can't go into most houses like you could in NWN. Persistent worlds would help this game, but from what I have heard, that route is SOL, because with the graphics hog this game has, and the need to download huge 100MB plus files each time a world is first visited or designer-altered, dial ups would need the patience of a saint to do it. Seems more likely they want to force feed us DDO. Hence the free trial disc which contains the entire game and seven days. Thanks WoTC. Likely the WoTC made sure that NWN2 would not be as good a multiplayer as DDO, both to prevent customer loss and competition, and to make certain that the game didn't outperform DDO. I have tried DDO, and it does run better than NWN2, but the game is very limited in level scope and character creation when last I was on, which is why I stopped playing it. The limitations and expense outweighed anything good it had. Things that should work don't, such as adding spells to an NPC wizards spellbook. Trying to add actions to the action bar for latter rounds, or just the round you are on, can be frustrating and hard on your mouse, requiring multiple clicks and pause/unpause to achieve a desired result, and that includes targeting while moving. So if you want realtime gaming, don't try this one, because in some parts, pause is the only way you can play it, that and nursemaiding the NPC AI. The skills for the most part have little gameplay effect except in a few narrowly controlled (storyline) parts. Only the necessary thief skills offer any real use. Crafting is a joke, altering magic items is easier, and cheaper. I believe it costs more to create some potions than it does to purchase them from a friendly merchant. When was the last time in NWN you set a trap and an enemy walked into it? In NWN2, monsters can see the thief even when hidden and silent, everytime, regardless of the level of the thiefs skill. So scouting is useless, the game sees you and starts the cutscene, even if all you wanted to do was waste them all with a few rounds of fireball before they knew what hit them. You lose all your buffs too when that happens, even the ones that should last HOURS of game time. Picking pockets can be useful, until the game tells you the mark is empty, and profitable when you lift 45000 gp worth of rings in one shot, or 25 bars of adamantine ore. Realism? Not even possible using the 3.5 edition D&D rules the game is purported to be following. Merchants run out of gold to purchase your goods, ruining your ability to make money to create some of the more expensive magical artifacts, as long as you have the recipes, which so far seem to be very repetitive in drops, and I have yet to see anything world shattering like a rod of lordly might, a rod of the python, or a staff of power(although there is one you can loot that I have found. But it's a watered down version of the 3.5 D&D version). Just standard stat adjusting fair like elven cloaks and boots, and spell-to-staff stuff like lightning or fireball. Even a Gem of Brightness (boring, I want a ring of elemental command, sword of dancing, helm of brilliance). Spells don't look as they should when casting. Ice Storm looks more like an Ice Ball, Magic Missile doesn't fire off all at once, even though there is a Missile Storm spell that does shoot multiple missiles, for some reason Magic Missile does not. Spell Buffs for AoE don't show on companions even when you know they should. Circle of Protection from alignment comes to mind. It pops on when you wonder near the center target NPC, but if you cast it on yourself, you don't see it on the NPC when they stand close. Trying to use NPC abilities like talk to animals fails except where the storyline is advanced, so unlike NWN where you could talk to just about all the animals, in NWN2, forget it. Also, the moment you try to get the NPC to do anything of importance, the game warps you to their location and you are now the one doing it. Try winning a bard contest if you aren't a bard. And the bard NPC you have in the party is of no help unless you have influence with him, so you have to get him to do his job by kissing his butt in a big way. So I leave him at the inn, he's so useful. But sometimes the game MAKES you take them, which bites. Maybe I want to be a loaner, hmmm.? You really can't ROLE PLAY the way you want to if the game makes you play a certain way. The AI is more factually referred to as FR, as in functionally retarded. NPCs charge through discovered traps to hit an enemy, cast area spells near party members indiscriminantly, don't always take the crows path to reach a target, activate personal abilities to the detriment of the group as a whole (most notable the druid shapechanger). And if you play in Hardcore D&D, the bard will stun you as well as enemies, even though his abilities might state enemies only; the firebug sorceress will kill you with fireballs and walls of fire before the enemy does; the cleric and druid only cast heal spells when commanded to, and even if you fill up the action bar on NPC's, they will delete those actions in favor of their own unless you turn them into puppets, making the game that much more work. In NWN, all I did was tell the NPC when to use melee or ranged, and how far to follow, and whether to use skills or spells. And it worked! This new way of doing things is too much, and broken. Familiars get lost when zoning, even if they aren't killed or conjured away. Game does not take into account how many doors away from monsters you might be. Some areas of the game you cannot rest in, so you have to leave and return, if it will let you. Why? If I want to risk a random monster encounter, than I should be able to. Oh wait, no random monsters, so I guess they just want to make sure you can't rest. Why are the levels limited to 20, a sequel to NWN should take into account the fact that you could hit epic levels in HoTU. Not here though, got to leave something for an expansion to trick you to buy, right? Why not keep all the original prestige classes and add the new ones as well? Oh yeah, wrote a new game, not upgraded the old one. Upgrading is hard work, half-a$$ing a new one is easy. In essence, it seems they attempted to re-invent the wheel, and doing that ruined the flavor of the game. As it plays out, it's no sequel, it's a stand alone like ToEE. The name was used to make bucks, pure and simple. It gets a 4 because you can play it if you have patience and a robust system like I do, but nothing more because the game is not a sequel, it's factually a step back from the original, a really big Man on the Moon step back. This is not a sequel, sequels are usually at LEAST as good as the original, and for the most part BETTER. Expand
  53. AnonymousMC
    Nov 27, 2006
    7
    The game is better then NWN1..marginally better. I'm a big fan of NWN1 and I also like this game but I truly feel they could have pushed this game further in all aspects then it did. There's no climbing, no swimming. Character customization is disappointing. The PC head and hairstyle variety and quality is pitiful especially. The inventory needs work. Why they decided to revampThe game is better then NWN1..marginally better. I'm a big fan of NWN1 and I also like this game but I truly feel they could have pushed this game further in all aspects then it did. There's no climbing, no swimming. Character customization is disappointing. The PC head and hairstyle variety and quality is pitiful especially. The inventory needs work. Why they decided to revamp the interface to make it like WoW is beyond me...the original NWN1 interface was the best. Why reinvent the wheel? They should have just left that intact with a few improvements. I guess they wanted to attract the WoW people over. The campaign itself was enjoyable and a huge imporvement over NWN1's however you can tell things were left unfinished and it was rushed at the end. The end cutscene was so bad with poor quality slides and lame voice over it leaves a sour taste in your mouth. It's sad because the rest of the campaign is otherwise fun.
    The toolset is much more powerful then the original which is awesome however the interface leaves something to be desired. It is very initutive at the moment and needs plenty of tweaking.
    Overall, at the moment, the game feels like its still in a beta state. If you're planning on buying it please wait at least another month.
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  54. ZaronM.
    Nov 27, 2006
    1
    Terrible graphics despite the bad eyes by some site reviews saying otherwise (ign got it right). Terrible user interface, terrible linear approach to the game won't allow straying from one path the entire game, far too strict on rules to be enjoyable as a video game, and bad performance caps this off as the turd of the century in rpg's.
  55. GradyE.
    Nov 27, 2006
    4
    There is not one thing in this game that I can say is better than the original aside from the fact that there are more prestige classes. Graphics: Fair. The graphics would be nice if the game performed on anything other than a $5000 machine (I am not kidding). Interfacce: Horrid. Everything that you could do in NWN1 by a single mouse click or two takes at least 2-5 more mouse clicks to do There is not one thing in this game that I can say is better than the original aside from the fact that there are more prestige classes. Graphics: Fair. The graphics would be nice if the game performed on anything other than a $5000 machine (I am not kidding). Interfacce: Horrid. Everything that you could do in NWN1 by a single mouse click or two takes at least 2-5 more mouse clicks to do with minimal options for hot-baring things. Party AI and Pathing: Very bad. NPCs will get stuck on a pebble if it is in their path to get to a target. Spell casters will cast an AoE spell on a single target when all other party members are around to get hit too. Gameplay: Fair. The story is very linear and exploration is not a mainstay as it was with NWN1. I can get over this b/c I really will only play the OC once or twice. However, if the world is not flexible because of an inefficient engine (which I suspect it might be) than that will limit any community expansion of the game. Completeness: Very poor. Very, very buggy from top to bottom. It is a very common occurence to have a script no fire and get "stuck" in the game because you didn't complete something that really was completed. There are also many bugs with classes, feats, and spells. I am very disappointed and my optimisim that it will get better is starting to diminish for every unanswered post in the support forum. The worst part, it ruined the first game for me too. Expand
  56. JohnEvans
    Nov 27, 2006
    4
    Seriously this is NOT a good game. Do not be deceived by the Fanboi reviews. Check www.1up.com for an honest "professional" game review. At least gamespot gave it 6 for graphics, so kudos to them for that at least. I will try to be honest here, but where to start? Pretty much everyone knows by now that the graphics are not the best in this game, its not just on account of the obvious lag, Seriously this is NOT a good game. Do not be deceived by the Fanboi reviews. Check www.1up.com for an honest "professional" game review. At least gamespot gave it 6 for graphics, so kudos to them for that at least. I will try to be honest here, but where to start? Pretty much everyone knows by now that the graphics are not the best in this game, its not just on account of the obvious lag, poor performance and high specs needed. Graphics are about more than the nuber of Polygons, Shadows, and how many Pixel shaders you support. GRAPHICS Graphics lead to very poor "imersion". Levels are SMALL, tiny, and also animations are very very poor. Your characters will not look very cool while running fighting or doing anything. Customization of look of you char is OK, but not earth shattering. INTERFACE Interface. Very poor, I was getting RSI in the end, right clicking wait for pop-up, drag etc. Camera has numerous faults that others have noted, but I can cope with that at least, you just need to fiddle with it. MULTIPLAYER This game uses Huge walk meshes, that ALL clients MUST download before they can join your world. Upwards of 200-300MB. You will need to find a decent "Paid For" ISP so that each client can download the 100of MB. You are therefore looking at Paying for Terrabytes! of download if you want to host an online world. You have been warned. To host the game you will need to open numerous ports, and know a fair bit about firewalls (ok this does not bug me), but you will likely need XP, or more likely pay for hosting a Windows 2003 server since the server does not support Linux. If you make any small changes to game world, all users will need to re-download those Terabytes. Other online support such as chat is very poorly Supported. Also take note. Online, "If ONE person entersa shop, ALL party members will do so". If ONE person starts a conversation with NPC, the whole party HAS to. This is due to the very small levels (due to insane memory needs), and therefore system can't cope with people in different areas. Toolset is not getting much good feedback from the developer community at the moment. CAMPAIGN This is very linear and is based on very very small levels. MOst levels have very few places you can explore (if any...seriously), and doors, buildings etc are there for scenery. You must "open up" areas on your map before you can go there. Also many doors are super locked on account of the linear scripting not wanting you to go there. There are numerous game breaking bugs that if you take certain choices, will prevnt you from completing the game. Make SURE to patch patch patch before you start this game. SLOWNESS Loading screens are insane, even on the same level. If you go to the shop to buy mats for crafting...load...leave shop...load...walk 20 yard to the "Inn" where your workbench is...load...oops forgot an item...load main area....walk to yards to shop...load. I mean its realy realy bad. Make sure you have a Raptor or other fast disk. pref have 2Gb of RAM. You will also find commands lag, and its very hard to target. Obdsidian have admitted this and suggest you use "Tab" targetting as a work round. If there are 15 monsters you will need to tab though them all. AI Lots of people complain about this, I don't find it as bad as peopel say...simply because there is an option to totaly disable it. You WILL need to do this, or else NPC will do the most stupid things, pull mobs, cast bad spells on you. Also they can de-target and stand there. I micro manage all the fights and control all NPC. Pers I like this since DnD is a pary based game. But if you like to focus on the main charater you have been warned. SOUND This is OK, but be warned a lot of the old sounds have been re-used. I don't mind this so much but some people do PROS The intro scene is very nice. Also the Star Music is good. Some of the cut scenes look OK, and some of the characters are funny (if linear, you can't not have them join your party or it breaks story for example). Shadows can look nice, but this must be disabled on most system unless you want your PC to run real slow, 5fps, some people report overheat and crashed. Dont think that it wont be you...it well could be overheating is chronic in this game, though I have been mostly OK, with only a few 10 minute reboots (including long loading times etc) CONCLUSION Overall this is oviously a flawed release. Unfortnetly I don't think patching will help, since there are flaws right from the early conception of this game (walkmeshes being an example). In my oppinion there is no way that Atari Obsidian can "patch there way out" of this. Also as a bad sign, Atari have removed the development team onto another project, and now the "Live" Team are working on it. With the core developers working on something else it bodes ill, but I don't think even the developers could fix it in a meaningful amount of time. Don't expect to see any good users modules any time soon, and pretty much forget about multiplayer. I'm sorry but this is the truth. I was pretty exited about this release, but I would not say over hyped, I'm 35 and don't realy buy into the hype of games. If if the graphics were dreadful but it was good in other areas I could forgive it seriously. I've played D2, and some Stardock games with terrible graphics, but they all made up for it, sadly NWN2 fails on to broad a front. I would advise you to save you money and not buy this game, but of couse the choice is yours. Expand
  57. GEF
    Nov 26, 2006
    0
    Garbage. Absolute, undeniable garbage. You know, a class-action suit against obsidian might be in order. Failure to provide in their product what was stated on their packaging and in their promotions. The utter failure to provide a useable piece of software out of the box. The complete contempt they have shown purchasers on their forums, either by ignoring customers or by curtailing theirGarbage. Absolute, undeniable garbage. You know, a class-action suit against obsidian might be in order. Failure to provide in their product what was stated on their packaging and in their promotions. The utter failure to provide a useable piece of software out of the box. The complete contempt they have shown purchasers on their forums, either by ignoring customers or by curtailing their customers valid complaints. These asses might as well put in big letters on the sales box "VIRUS INCLUDED". If, and that's a stretch, the game does start you can rest assured that you won't play for long. This game/virus reboots or otherwise shuts down machines more often than a great deal of bugs you'd find using a well-known virus. That's not wildly inaccurate. You should research the forums on Bioware if you think all these 0-3 ratings are biased opinions. People with $5000 machines can't get this garbage to run, or be stable or have any kind of performance at all. Even on the lowest settings available. The people who give this p.o.s. anything above a 4 or even 5 don't know NWN very well. NWN1 could sit running static for hours and days and have no issues at all. You could run NWN1 at it's maximum settings on a moderate machine with better than modest performance. NWN1 multiplayer was the standard by which other MMORPG's compared themselves. NWN1's community didn't fix NWN1, they expanded it beyond the original designers imagination. And then obsidian took this incredible genre, the name NWN and all the NWN1's players and shoved a big stick in their ass. For the money paid on this game obsidian should have at least given us the courtesy of a reach-around. Lest we forget, the 1.02 85meg update that for all intents and purposes fixed nothing. Others will disagree and by all rights they can, but after all the update hubbub (the update process consumed a good 6gig during the process) and the scrolling "Patching..." you will still be left with only the shell of a game. I won't try to address the editor or modding as I gave up on NWN2 after playing into it for only a few days. I stopped because my hideously high-level character was unable to progress any further because of yet, you guessed it, another well publicised bug (again, look at the Bioware forums) that makes the game unuseable. Though I don't know the return policy of any other state's stores but my own, I would make the assumption it's not much different. Once you breach the plastic it's yours. Does't matter if all that was inside was a rubber-band and a ball of toe jam, it's yours now. You can see why more and more companies are releasing pieces of fecal matter like this dog, because the consumer gets screwed and the companies bitch at the vendors about software theft and not to take back opened software. They got us. We got taken. Someone should fly a plane into their building. I truely believe that unless something drastic happens these companies will continue to release horrid turds like this one knowing full well that their software doesn't work and then ignore the people who complain about it. You should try to follow some of the problem threads because you'll have the opportunity to watch complete threads being deleted. They know it's broken. They knew that when they shipped it. Hell, they knew it when they sent the master to be copied. Some poor programmer who worked on this dirt-bag probably got canned because he repeatedly told those in charge that it wasn't ready. Happens all the time. But their are other venues for that conversation. As it sits on the shelves it is the biggest piece of shit you will come across this christmas season. You want to give away $50? Send it to a good charity and take the write-off. You want a great game that's D&D? This isn't it. They should take the upper echelon at obsidian out behind the building and put a bullet in their heads. It was those greedy bastards who allowed this to happen. The amount of money they took willingly with full knowledge of it's problems is nothing short of criminal behavior. There are some very eloquent votes in this list, mine may not rank very high in it's evalution but after the expenditure and headache I felt compelled to share this with you. Good, bad or indifferent. But you didn't pay $50 for it, now did you? Expand
  58. SA
    Nov 25, 2006
    1
    Check the publishers website, thousands of complaints posted on their forums. They should have just improved the first title in the graphics department as it is very popular to this day. Instead they give us what THEY think we want. NWN2 is EXTREMELY DISAPPOINTING.
  59. Jack
    Nov 25, 2006
    0
    The only reason I'm giving this a 0 is there isn't a negative option. This game makes steaming piles of trash look good. Not only are there significant game stopping bugs, but the entire game plays as if no one at Obsidian even bother to fire it up on a machine.
  60. KirbyS.
    Nov 23, 2006
    4
    The game looks really nice and has a reasonably good storyline, but the controls/camera have killed it for me. It's almost a chore to play the game because of the crappy controls. I bought NWN2 a week ago and I've only played one session...I can't bring myself to fight with the camera again.
  61. Bruno
    Nov 21, 2006
    0
    The only difference between Bioware and Obsidian is that bioware made 2 good games, whereas Obsidian made all crap. After Planescape Torment everything that was released was terribly linear with a kiddy plot. SW, NWN1, NWN2 are all the same overhyped junk for people that think that their biggest gaming achievment was finishing diablo 2 for the 10th time.
  62. CB
    Nov 20, 2006
    9
    Solid entertainment, improves on the first.
  63. AlainL.
    Nov 20, 2006
    3
    Really disappointing. Too much bugs and problems. NVW1 was one of my favorite game, but NVW2 is a BIG let down for me. I have a really high-end computer and everything is working fine even at 1900X1200. The problem is the game itself. Awfully counter-intuitive user interface, party AI is incredibly lame, the camera is a joke... I just put the game on the shelve and will wait and see if Really disappointing. Too much bugs and problems. NVW1 was one of my favorite game, but NVW2 is a BIG let down for me. I have a really high-end computer and everything is working fine even at 1900X1200. The problem is the game itself. Awfully counter-intuitive user interface, party AI is incredibly lame, the camera is a joke... I just put the game on the shelve and will wait and see if patches will make it playable. But I really feel like I've simply lost 50$... Save yourself 50$, don't buy this game, and wait to see if the developpers will be able to fix that awful mess beofre spending money on it. Expand
  64. AndrewJ.
    Nov 19, 2006
    9
    Good fun dnd game. Interesting tactical fights. No major bugs for me. Toolset seems very powerful so I can't wait to see what gets made.
  65. Carcer
    Nov 19, 2006
    3
    Though the game has great potential, it's clearly unfinished and suffers from a large number of bugs, as well as a massive decrease in the UI's functionality as opposed to NWN1, such as the lack of the ability to quickslot text macros, emotes, or voice commands, and the apparently random (and certainly cannot have been playtested) choice to have the multiplayer chat entry box Though the game has great potential, it's clearly unfinished and suffers from a large number of bugs, as well as a massive decrease in the UI's functionality as opposed to NWN1, such as the lack of the ability to quickslot text macros, emotes, or voice commands, and the apparently random (and certainly cannot have been playtested) choice to have the multiplayer chat entry box appear over the top of, and obscure, the chatbox itself. Once these bugs and ludicrous design decisions are fixed, we'll have a game worthy of the reviews critics have given it. As is, I cannot recommend buying the game. Expand
  66. JimmyS.
    Nov 19, 2006
    1
    The OC is full of bugs, it is very linear, it lacks exploration and its general feeling is that you are in a lifeless, empty world made of painted features. I only played for 2 days and had to stop. The game reminded of KOTOR2, use old content add a couple new things (that weren't very creative) then take away several of the fun factors that made the original what it is. If this is The OC is full of bugs, it is very linear, it lacks exploration and its general feeling is that you are in a lifeless, empty world made of painted features. I only played for 2 days and had to stop. The game reminded of KOTOR2, use old content add a couple new things (that weren't very creative) then take away several of the fun factors that made the original what it is. If this is the best Obsidian has to offer they need to find new jobs, they are making Bioware look bad. Expand
  67. AndrewB.
    Nov 19, 2006
    3
    What's changed in NWN2? Graphics, 3.5 D&D rules, and uh, graphics. What amounts to mediocre animation and visuals somehow managed to make this game harder on your computer than TES 4: Oblivion (as some have noted in this thread). And the conversion to 3.5 rules has served to provide an excuse for not including epic levels, which I'm sure will be in one of many expansion packs. I What's changed in NWN2? Graphics, 3.5 D&D rules, and uh, graphics. What amounts to mediocre animation and visuals somehow managed to make this game harder on your computer than TES 4: Oblivion (as some have noted in this thread). And the conversion to 3.5 rules has served to provide an excuse for not including epic levels, which I'm sure will be in one of many expansion packs. I could almost buy that 3.5 epic is too complicated and would have taken a lot of effort, if there was any apparent effort put forth in the rest of the game. Certainly not the plot. A predictable, formulaic story full of two-dimensional D&D stereotypes and villains that are incredibly evil because...um...they're just evil, okay? NWN2 makes a Disney animated VHS-only sequel look original. Nearly all the NPCs are disgustingly cliche (the ale-guzzling dwarf fighter who's narrow-minded and likes to punch people, for example). Your character is from a farm community and, of course, you never knew your parents. The dialogue options, on one hand, don't give you any flexibility in the story, and on the other hand, are incredibly obvious about their alignment: "It was my duty to Neverwinter," or "I just didn't want anyone to get hurt," or "I don't care as long as I get paid for this," or the classic "I think I'll kill you because I'm evil for no reason!" New developments are practically handed to you, and there's no point in the story where you're not sure what you're supposed to do. Expand
  68. Wizardobey
    Nov 19, 2006
    2
    K When I play an RPG I like to RP the way I want to RP not the way OBSIDIAN wants me to. Unless you are Lawful Good the story is an extreme letdown and makes no sense, Its written in such a Good/Heroic mindset its difficult to play Neutral and impossible to play Evil! You get little to no choice in you actions you cant even pick the girl you want! Youre stuck with a Neutral Good Druid or K When I play an RPG I like to RP the way I want to RP not the way OBSIDIAN wants me to. Unless you are Lawful Good the story is an extreme letdown and makes no sense, Its written in such a Good/Heroic mindset its difficult to play Neutral and impossible to play Evil! You get little to no choice in you actions you cant even pick the girl you want! Youre stuck with a Neutral Good Druid or for the girls a Lawful Good Paladin which seem forced on you like becoming a stupid squire. You cant be bad! barring one series of quests I will end up with the same outcome all the way to the end battle which means playing it again seems like an instrument of torture, and I was already stuck listing to an instruments of torture going through the first time called Elanee. Saying wait for people to make stuff with the toolset is no excuse and is the biggest copout for OBSIDIAN, especially since they focused so much on single player that they left 1000 bugs and made a mockery of the Toolset, NWN 1 toolset was 100X better. Just too many plot holes, conversation bugs, and obviously forced choices for my liking I dont know why you changed it from a 5 it is by no means a BG 2, HotU, KotOR, Fallout 2 or Planescape all games which I loved. Expand
  69. JoshuaM.
    Nov 18, 2006
    3
    Online play, the lifeblood of the original game, is a joke. The chat bar takes up the entire chat screen so you can't see what others are writing, letters fly above characters heads, and don't get me started on using whisper/shout/talk modes. there is no way to click on portraits to send a whisper like every other mmorpg does in this world. which is insulting since they sent us Online play, the lifeblood of the original game, is a joke. The chat bar takes up the entire chat screen so you can't see what others are writing, letters fly above characters heads, and don't get me started on using whisper/shout/talk modes. there is no way to click on portraits to send a whisper like every other mmorpg does in this world. which is insulting since they sent us a copy of DDO as if to say "hey...we sent you this garbage so you wouldnt play online for free..play this game in stead. its why we gave you crap for online play. to force you to play our pay game." on top of this, the targetting system is garbage, the walk animation looks like you have a bad rash and a bad back, to change duel wield you have to manually go into your inventory and drag the items to your hands, and there are a grand total of five emotes to choose from, as opposed to the original god knows how many. you can no longer change your clothings appearance, as was in the hotu game, so you are stuck with lousy looking armor, with hideous colors. Speaking of armor, the full plate looks like garbage. there is no detail of the breastplate and you feel like you are wearing a wetsuit. I swear. I wanted to go spear fishing when I saw my character in his full plate. The color palet when chosing colors for your characters hair and skin tone is so restrictive that it kills your variety and hampers your originality. In order to play, I have to turn all of my settings to off or low. all those pretty little things that nwn2 offers I cant see. even the dialogue is choppy, and skips words and repeats, because the resources needed to handle this game are beyond my computer. they have effectively alienated about 50% of the users out there as they do not have 3gig processors with 512mb video cards. this is just a taste of the problems i have with the game. im going back to NWN1. the graphics may not be as pretty and maybe i cant use a monk in full plate and keep my unarmed damage bonus, but at least i dont have to spend three hours downloading a file just so i can go onto a server. Expand
  70. Pyscho
    Nov 17, 2006
    2
    Should be called Dungeon Seige 3. Poor perfromance, graphics and game play. Extremly dissappointing.
  71. JohnS.
    Nov 16, 2006
    2
    Well, it has the right name, but the game just sucks. here's a 101 reasons why, and I agree with ALL of them: 1: Cant "Duel Wield" from a Quick Slot, or even use a Sword and Shield from a Quick Slot. 2: Very Limited Voice Commands and no real easy access to the Sound sets. Why was pressing "V" so bad that it had to be taken away? 3: Context Sensitive Menu is Limited in comparison to Well, it has the right name, but the game just sucks. here's a 101 reasons why, and I agree with ALL of them: 1: Cant "Duel Wield" from a Quick Slot, or even use a Sword and Shield from a Quick Slot. 2: Very Limited Voice Commands and no real easy access to the Sound sets. Why was pressing "V" so bad that it had to be taken away? 3: Context Sensitive Menu is Limited in comparison to the Radial menu. While the Context Sensitive menu is quicker in some situations, the fact that the Radial menu allowed you access to everything at all times means it got more much more use. 4: Very Poor Area Design, it seems that both interior and exterior world spaces suffer from rudimentary design flaws, such as cluttering up combat heavy spaces with placeables forcing your character to get stuck and die. 5: Combat Animations are appalling, actually... they are so bad they are not even there, no dance of death, no special combat conditions animations such as cleave which leaves combat feeling like whack a mole. 6: Character animations are staggered and unrealistic. 7: Music and Sounds have been recycled to an appalling degree. Roughly 95% of the Sounds from NWN have been reused for NWN2, Including Voice Sets and area music. This would have been a sentimental bonus if NWN2 had any of its own music or voice sets, but instead NWN2 rests upon the laurels of NWN. 8: Characters do not always perform cued actions in combat if already attacking. Casting spells from items or using feats/skills is very hit or miss. Sometimes they work, sometimes they don't and you and everyone else dies. 9: Death and re-spawn system Makes the OC a Joke on any Difficulty setting, the only real challenge NWN2 poses is dealing with the game stopping bugs and fighting with the UI. 10: Selecting targets in combat is slow and unresponsive meaning that often times instead of meeting a foe and engaging in combat your character will run past the MOB you were attempting to select because you clicked the ground instead. 11: Moving through doorways with any Camera is extremely awkward. 12: The OC Plot line is dull and cliche, with no real emotional connection to the PC. "Do you know about your mother? No, Oh well Its not my place to tell you, so I wont just yet because its really not my place and its the only character hook we have that we need to reveal much later on so that you feel as if your character and history played some part in the story." 13: Character heads and hair are hideous and there is an extreme lack of selection. FaceGen could have easily been implemented, even for multiplayer. (Taking a Tip from unreal Tournament and having new user content if missing loaded on a map change.) 14: Character Portraits are as ugly as the heads they belong to. The old Portraits allowed players to be unique and creative. 15: Weapons are very basic and look out of place in comparison to the rest of the world, some of them like the Scythe's look as if they have been directly imported from NWN's with no changes made to update them. 16: The DM Client is awkward, clunky and is missing rudimentary functionality. It almost feels as if basic functions of the DM Client have been locked away from the people trying to use it, making it less of a tool, more a proof of concept. 17: Give/Take Level & XP is Missing from the DM Client. 18: Player Lists or a "Who's online" list is missing for both Multiplayer and the DM Client. 19: There is no "sit on the ground" animation, it has been replaced with "Kneel" which will make RPPW's a somewhat awkward task as most RP took place with people outside, sitting on the ground. 20: Chat Box is tiny and text quickly and easily disappears making Role Play very difficult if interacting with someone who can piece more than 2 words together at a time. 21: Chat "Rolls up" from players and disappears far to quickly, once more making in depth RP difficult . 22: Messy and overcomplicated UI for the toolset that makes duel monitors to manage all the menu's not an option but a requirement. 23: Swimming, Climbing and Jumping is absent, there is no real reason as to why these could not have been added. Where is the fun in improved terrain if all you can do is look at it? 24: By the Book adherence to the Rules in 3.5e, like all good DM's Bioware knew when to fudge the rules to make the game a more enjoyable experience. 25: Color Palette for Character creation is extremely limited and forces players into cookie cutter molds. Why not open up all the color options, or even take a step forward and allow people to enter in the html code for the color they want. 26: No fat Character Models, the original NWN's allowed you to choose fat or thin, young or old. 27: No height slider for characters. Its one of the very few "New" features of NWN2 so why not let people use it? 28: Dialogue at times in the OC is sometimes downright funny, and not intentionally so. "Texan" Swamp farmers and "Irish" Wood elves for example. As well as those Lizard Folk running behind the poor farmer with torches like something out of groucho marks. You expect them to have top hats and Cains or cigars. 29: "Spearhead" dialogue options that don't even present the illusion of choice, but instead force the player down a predetermined path. Whats the point in presenting multiple dialogue options if they all lead to the same response or some outcome? 30: Walkmeshs must be downloaded for each server without even so much as an automatic download feature. 31: NPC AI is horrific, that means the player must Micromanage everything otherwise NPC's will run off and get themselves (and possibly you killed) or stand around and refusing to engage in combat. 32: Automatic NPC "Open lock" or "Disarm Trap" fires inconsistantly. Sometimes the animation and voice will fire but the NPC will not actually unlock the door or disarm the trap. 33: Path finding is a joke, for all the walkmesh "improvements" the NPC path finding is so poor that the only thing you can be sure of is that if left to there own devices NPC's will either run around in circles or get stuck on an object. 34: WSAD Controls are hyper responsive that makes using WSAD Movement or even changing which direction your facing a difficult and finickety task. 35: Spells all look the same, while what few VFX there are look wonderful, spells no longer feel unique. In NWN's every spell had its own VFX (Even if it was just a culmination of several other VFX's added together) you could tell what was being cast purely by how it looked. Now there are so many spells that look exactly the same that you could be looking at the spell effect for 4 or more different spells. 36: Multiplayer Pausing in the OC is heavy handed and often times completely unnecessary. Not every dialogue is going to break the game, sometimes you just want to open up a merchant. 37: Dialogue Pausing will fire in combat, the rest of the world goes on but the other player not involved in the dialogue can not respond to attacks (They can still get hit and die however.) 38: Screen Turning happens at a snails pace, forcing players to use the middle mouse button if they want to turn the camera. 39: Every Camera Option has a major (and aggravating) issue with it. Top Down will become obstructed by walls or get pushed in so that you cant see anything. Free Camera has no real place in an RPG, even RTS games stopped using it. Chase camera has no way to easily turn around without moving forward & Driving Camera has major issues in interiors and especially doorways with becoming obstructed. 40: No First person perspective option, which makes interior ceilings a mute issue as the camera has to be at such a low angle to see them that it is something you only see when you want to take a screenshot, not when your actually playing. 41: Because the Game Forces you down one path "Alignment" and alignment shifts are a mute point. The Only time you get to be evil or attempt to maintain an evil alignment is via very crude and brutal "Kill them all" actions instead of "Talk a little first then kill them all" good response. 42: No real romance options in the OC, that is and always will be one of the guilty little pleasures of Gamers (Male and female alike3.) 43: NPC's only have enough personality to be annoying, there is no means to interact with them or get to know them. 44: Everything Leaves a loot bag. 45: Chat options are jumbled around or missing. The Old Whisper is now speak making the Talk/Listen radius far to small, the new Whisper is now tell, and DM Chat appears to be missing entirely. 46: No Multiplayer "Players" or "Who's online" list which makes it especially difficult to find players as a DM. 47: The OC has very little place for your character to be anything other than an Elven/Human Ranger. While you can choose to play any class or race, the story and gameplay all point to Elven/Human Ranger and make you feel a little out of place, going against the grain being anything else. 48: The overall visual Aesthetic looks exactly the same as NWN's especially in interiors, so much so, that unless you are really in close (with exception to lighting) you could mistake them for the same game. This is a shame as the new Graphics engine gets underplayed and understated more often than not. 49: The Toolset is counterintuitive, especially in light of the previous toolset. Powerful does not have to equate to "Awkward to use." After over a month of working with it, there are still times I have to stop and think about "How" I'm supposed to do something basic. Took 3 weeks to Untrain "Z" as Raise/Lower instead of "Height Lock" as it is now. In fact, its almost as if every command in the tool set now does the exact opposite of what it did in the old tool set. 50: in the OC NPC's are forced onto you, you have no option but to take them along and eventually dump them in the Tavern. 51: No Vertex Weighting, Hair is static, clothing is static. For a New and improved graphics Engine it seems rather limited when it comes to rendering the characters. 52: Load times are horrific, with 2 gigs of Ram and a 3 GHz processor there is still enough time waiting between loads from one area to the next to make a cup of tea. 53: It feels as if the number of clicks to do the most basic and simple of things has increased exponentially. Click, Drag, press Shift while standing on your head and drag your inventory item to Denmark. 54: Context Sensitive menu delay is far to long, even at its lowest settings its unusable in combat situations. 55: Inventory tetris has been replaced with tiny bland Icons that makes finding something in your inventory almost impossible. It all looks the same and some of the icons in no way shape or form look like the item they are attempting to represent. 56: No Exploration in the OC, An Area "Opens up" and appears on your map when what little story there is is forcing you to go there, and even there you can only walk the predetermined path. Even returning to a previous area is fruitless as the NPC's have no life, no spark, nothing to say or add. 57: Resting is still hypersensitive to creature proximity with no relation to the fact that there are 5 walls between you and the creature that you cant rest because of, and because of the way that most of the dungeons are designed, when you need to rest you often have to back track trying every little nook and cranny in the hope that you can find a spot that's "Just right" its as bad as trying to get reception on a cellphone in the 90's... can you hear me now? 58: When you die in multiplayer the MOBS do not respond and instead will hover over your corpses so that when you hit "re-spawn" they will kill you again... and again... and again... and again... and again. It doesn't add to the "Difficulty" but it does make dieing a very aggravating and frustrating experience at times. I would much rather loose some xp than die 40 times in a row due to the 10 archers all aiming for me the instant I re-spawn. 59: Minimap is pretty much useless unless it is to act as a spoiler. 60: No Fog of War except for in interior world spaces, but even then it only applies to unopened doors, as the player can instantly see all the corridors in a dungeon. It must be great to be able to see around corners. (Once more, poor area design) 61: You have to buy and sell items individually. Selling or buying potions one after the other after the other is extremely aggravating. What happened to "How many would you wish to buy/sell" I mean hell... if even Pokemon Emerald can add that basic functionality to merchants why cant NWN2? 62: In game books have no personality, they used to feel like you were reading a scroll, now the book text looks like yet another pop up menu. 63: In game Cut scenes have no volume control, dialogue will be really quiet and then very very loud then quiet again. 64: Cut scene cameras have been poorly placed and do not seem very streamlined or tested, sometimes your looking at the NPC's leg, sometimes the Sky, your characters arm or the back of there head or the screen is cut in half because its partly buried in the ground. 65: There is no feeling of contact in combat, blades pass through MOB's, spells fire and red numbers flash and that's about it, sometimes if your lucky you will get a reaction hit. 66: No ability to be naked, or even semi naked. Characters are in a permanently clothed state... did GTA:SA Scare people that much that now even undies are taboo? 67: You can no longer assign an auto function for an item on the quick slot bar. In NWN's you could select that an item would cast light, or heal or whatever... now you have to go via the Context Sensitive menu which makes using items a pain in the arse. 68: The VFX for Light spells (IE The glowing orbs above the players head) get in the way in any camera mode where the camera is not really far back or high up. 69: No Sneak Animation. 70: Animations do not always fire (Which seems to be a problem carried over from NWN's.) You Will stand over an Object when you should be Kneeling, or "Open" animations will fire after the door is already open etc. 71: +1 Items are still the gawdawful "Copper" color meaning that normal items are still more aesthetically pleasing and look more "real" than items that are 100x there value. This is more a personal dislike and distaste from the original. 72: Not enough random loot in the OC, you Kill X Mob and get Y item way to often, which makes replaying the OC none to thrilling. 73: The "Seamless" transition space for areas is wasted more often than not in the OC and adds unneeded Bulk to user mods which compresses the problems faced by PW creators due to the module size limitations because NWN2 acts like a bloated tick when it comes to areas. 74: The World Map Transition Icon is large, garish, destroys immersion and is often times placed in a position where you have to move the camera behind the transition otherwise all the PC will do is open and close the transition doors that the Map transition is sitting on. 75: No Mounts or Mounted Combat, something that was achieved for NWN's late in its life and was a promised feature of NWN2, so much so that it appears on the presale box. 76: Only 2 Dragons that can only be moderately tinted. 77: Tinting for Buildings and Creatures is extremely limited, often only being the roof or the buildings trim and a great many buildings or placeables cannot be tinted at all. 78: Hair styles are almost the same for every race which does very little for character diversity. 79: More quest bugs than you can shake a stick at, everything from the Game Crashing when attempting to load a cut scene, to quests repeating themselves over and over again even after you have completed them. 80: NPC Death/respawn system sometimes gets stuck and your NPC's will not automatically stand back up after combat, cant be healed and cant be raised... and you cant leave the area you are in to get aid so your left with only the option to reload from a previous save and hope they don't die, and if they do... that they stand back up again. 81: Impossible to open doors have been placed in seemingly "key" areas and where MOB's can still attack you. 82: Game is artificially limited to 20 levels (much like DVD regions) references are made to Epic Level feats in the 2da's and there are even feat Scripts left in from HotU. While this has little effect on the OC it could of had a great deal of effect on Multiplayer. 83: Most of the "New" Content in terms of feats and PrC's seems to be taken directly from The Players Resource Consortium. While I know it all comes from the same fount, it just seems a little odd that things the Community had already added and had become popular and Successful make it into NWN2. So many PrC's and feats to choose from and yet the same ones keep on cropping up. While I know this is because both draw from 3.5e and both listened to the Community's demands... I cant seem to shake the feeling of "Been there done that, that's new? I thought that was always in NWN?" and I half expect to open up the tool set and see the same scripts from PRC in NWN2. 84: Quest Giver NPC's feel as if they are fighting with you in order to give you the quest they are forcing on you. Your trying to go from A-B and NPC X appears out of no where and demands or whines you into doing quest Z and you have to sit through 20 layers of the same repeating dialogue in order for you to mark the next area you have to get to. Sometimes it actually seems it takes longer to get the quest than it does to complete it. While I have no problem with dialogue (What is an RPG without dialogue?) the quest givers just feel stilted and like they are dragging it out for everything its worth to the point that your hitting "1" just to get through the same convoluted tripe once more. Give me with detail, depth and story, don't bore me with reiterating the same point or goal from the same NPC et infinitum to the point that the quest is a dead horse long before it has begun. 85: The US Limited Edition is a Joke, The Rings are Incredibly Cheap. I mean, I was Expecting Cheap, but not Cracker Jack Cheap, and just who's fingers are the rings supposed to fit? To large for a kid, to small for an adult. The Cloth Map is Tiny and Thin and the Concept Art Booklet is all Screenshots or Tiny little Sketches that would have actually been of interest were they not half an inch by half an inch in Size. Compared to the UK version getting The Original NWN With Expansions, we seriously got jipped. Granted that is all the Publishers deal and in a year they will probably sell "NWN Complete" Packaging NWN/SoU/HotU, NWN2 & All premium Modules just before Obsidian releases there first expansion for NWN2. 86: The Run animations for duel wield make the PC's look like Bella Lagousey as Dracula, trying to shield his face from the sun. 87: Cloaks look horrible, not only are they once again paper thin but the way they attach to the PC's shoulders leave you looking directly through the "Loop" at the shoulders if your not wearing armor with huge pauldrons to hide it. 88: There is no feeling of Travel between Areas as the world map is tiny, they feel like exactly what they are, which cheap and Dirty fast travel options between instanced areas. Even Fallout went so far as to give you a little dotted line between point a-b and the option to stop off or have an honest to god, truly random encounter.. not just a planned encounter popping up before you can go to the next predetermined area. 89: NPC's have no Spark of life about them in terms of NPC to NPC interaction. They are extremely scripted, so much so that if and when they do spuraticly spout a line of dialogue its as if they are looking for there blacking marks on the ground and holding up there script. "Hold on guys I think I have a line here.. Ok here it goes. We have now reached the City of Neverwinter, You two pissed me off on the journey... no don't actually bother responding to me or having an actual discussion with me about anything, and I'm not actually going to go anywhere like I said I would but instead stick to the group" In KotOR, NPC's would stop and have conversations with each other depending upon who you had in the party and where you were or what actions your character had just made. NWN2 lacks even that small amount of depth giving you no way to interact with your companions except when the game occasionally allows you to have a dialogue option or two with them... which generally has no effect on them, they do what they were going to do anyway and you either loose or gain influence for agreeing or disagreeing with them. Granted they are a hell of a lot better than the original NWN's but in comparison to even KotOR2 they have a great deal to answer for. Even the abortion of the TES Series that was Oblivion managed to give the NPC's some personality, so Radiant AI was not very advanced but it at least made an attempt. 90: Interior Tile sets are extremely limited, while It is nice that we can fit together different tiles in some sembalance of a master List, that does not excuse the fact that there are crucial... key tilesets missing. Sewers for example. While I understand you only added what you would need for the OC it still leaves the modding Community high and dry on some tileset basics. 91: One of the worst crafting systems ever conceived. Having to Buy "Molds" for everything you want to create... you don't cast anything in a Mould, Weapons and Armor are tempered, not Poured. Has no one at Obsidian ever been to a Blacksmiths Forge or even to your run of the mill Ren fair? Its a quick and Dirty Craft system ripped mostly from KotOR because every RPG apparently has to have one. 92: The OC is totally Monty Haul, Swamp Farmers with +1 Weapons, Low Level Lizard Folk with Flaming/Lighting/Whatever weapons. Oh look, I found another +4 Burning Sword of Doom, toss it onto the pile we have going. 93: The Cityscape of the City of Neverwinter is bland, uninteresting and placeables seem to be tossed around randomly. Why is there a mini Obelisk in the middle of the road? Why do the Docks have a Gazebo? Why are all the doors missing? I mean, I understand not wanting to make an interior for each building you place, but surely a tiny little cell with an NPC to talk to... oh that Expand
  72. JohnH.
    Nov 16, 2006
    3
    This game's original campaign storyline is very linear, very little replayability here. Custom modules for any decent size online game will require a HUGE download.This is written in Microsoft NET, so it eat eats up all your systems resources ,if your rig is not at the high end forget about the good grapics .It is glitchy and full of bugs. everything I came to love from NWN1 is gone This game's original campaign storyline is very linear, very little replayability here. Custom modules for any decent size online game will require a HUGE download.This is written in Microsoft NET, so it eat eats up all your systems resources ,if your rig is not at the high end forget about the good grapics .It is glitchy and full of bugs. everything I came to love from NWN1 is gone from NWN2, It looks and feels rushed and I regret buying this trash. I'm going back to NWN1 and this garbage is going where it belongs. Expand
  73. B.W.
    Nov 16, 2006
    3
    The positive for this game are the story and writing. There's a truckload of negatives: counter-intuitive user interface, horrible party AI, poor camera work, numerous bugs and crashes, recycled graphics and sounds. I loved the Baldur's Gate series, but this game should have never been released in such shoddy shape.
  74. DirkDiggler
    Nov 16, 2006
    3
    Please take all those positive professional reviews with a pinch of salt. As a 35 yr-old gamer who usually loves his rpgs, this is a real mess. Terrible AI, appalling performance (I hear it was written in .NET...oh dear), linear OC, awful interface issues etc. Multiplayer also seems to be gimped...maybe to avoid taking sales away from D&D online..? Ah well, maybe the NWN community will Please take all those positive professional reviews with a pinch of salt. As a 35 yr-old gamer who usually loves his rpgs, this is a real mess. Terrible AI, appalling performance (I hear it was written in .NET...oh dear), linear OC, awful interface issues etc. Multiplayer also seems to be gimped...maybe to avoid taking sales away from D&D online..? Ah well, maybe the NWN community will fix the problems, but in the meantime I might have another crack at Oblivion. Expand
  75. Ruinae
    Nov 15, 2006
    2
    I feel that this game is a tragedy in many respects. And I'm not talking about the plot - I mean about the game itself, and how it is critically flawed. As a builder migrating from the original game, I absolutely -hate- the new toolset. Spending the weeks (even months) of work that's required to create an online world is not worth the grievances caused by the toolset software I feel that this game is a tragedy in many respects. And I'm not talking about the plot - I mean about the game itself, and how it is critically flawed. As a builder migrating from the original game, I absolutely -hate- the new toolset. Spending the weeks (even months) of work that's required to create an online world is not worth the grievances caused by the toolset software (crashes, bugs, bad gui, insane load times). As a gamer coming from a strong RPG and D&D background, I feel that the plot is naive and linear. ex. "Fetch me this doodad, kill some orcs.." etc. Put this bad plot on top of a buggy engine, poor graphical performance, terrible voice acting, and dumb AI - and the OC is frustrating to say the least. If you plan on playing NWN2 multiplayer, you'll be dissapointed there as well... Because for every server you need to download a PWC file. This file contains the data (walkmeshes) that allows you to play on the server. Every time the builder makes changes to his server, you'll need to download the updated file again (this file is usually in the hundreds of megabytes). Not to mention all of the game engine bugs are built into every server... Plus I doubt the the developer (Obsidian) will continue to support it's customers with patches for years to come - like Bioware has with NWN1. My advice to you is to avoid this game at all costs. I wasted my 50$, why should you? Expand
  76. SeanF.
    Nov 15, 2006
    5
    Pros: The OC story is not bad. Better than many lately, and some of the NPC party members are interesting. They did do away with a few nerfed feats like discipline. Cons: OC is very linear. Your basically forced to do what the story script tells you. Performance is substandard unless you have a very high end machine and/ or were very lucky. The HUD and in-game controls are Pros: The OC story is not bad. Better than many lately, and some of the NPC party members are interesting. They did do away with a few nerfed feats like discipline. Cons: OC is very linear. Your basically forced to do what the story script tells you. Performance is substandard unless you have a very high end machine and/ or were very lucky. The HUD and in-game controls are counterintuitive and hopeless unless you like hitting pause every few seconds. The camera particularly so.The graphics are muddy and following action is difficult especially with the clunky controls. Frankly the graphics look like they were lifted wholesale from KOTOR-2 along with the game engine. Multiplayer is almost totally unsupported except for some insinceere lip service from the developers that "Were looking into it." Im no big fan of consparicy theories, but the fact that they refused to release a demo, AND shipped NWN2 with a CD of DnD online tells me that they knew they had a stinker on their hands. Expand
  77. JakeS.
    Nov 15, 2006
    2
    If you enjoyed the original Neverwinter Nights, load it up and play again. Do not buy this game. It has been released way before it should have been. It is bug ridden, the maps are linear, the in-game camera makes the game virtually unplayable, and the interface is confusing to say the least. The version I purchased didn't even have a proper manual. I am absolutely flabbergasted at If you enjoyed the original Neverwinter Nights, load it up and play again. Do not buy this game. It has been released way before it should have been. It is bug ridden, the maps are linear, the in-game camera makes the game virtually unplayable, and the interface is confusing to say the least. The version I purchased didn't even have a proper manual. I am absolutely flabbergasted at how anyone who played the original Neverwinter Nights can give this a good score. Overall I'm very very disappointed. Expand
  78. MorganC.
    Nov 15, 2006
    9
    Don't believe the nay-sayers, this is a great game. The graphics are nice (especially if your system is strong enough to take advantage of them). The difficulty level isn't too easy, it's quite challenging at times. There are lots of new races and abilities added so lots of variety in character choices. I haven't played multiplayer yet but I'll check it out soon.
  79. MrS
    Nov 15, 2006
    4
    Must admit that I am a bit disappointed. I enjoyed BG and BG2 immensely, but the first NWN.. well.. it was boring. I'm sad to see that this one is similar to the first. The story just doesn't interest me at all and I find myself making excuses to keep playing (e.g I paid a lot of money for the game). The gameplay is somewhat awkward (camera, inventory etc.). So far the game Must admit that I am a bit disappointed. I enjoyed BG and BG2 immensely, but the first NWN.. well.. it was boring. I'm sad to see that this one is similar to the first. The story just doesn't interest me at all and I find myself making excuses to keep playing (e.g I paid a lot of money for the game). The gameplay is somewhat awkward (camera, inventory etc.). So far the game works ok on my comp so no complaints there. I can set everything to high on my 7800GTX 256mb video card. Apparently the better rig you have, the worse the game runs... strange. Another thing that really annoys me is the constant loading and small areas to explore. I mean after Oblivion and Gothic3 this game seems too restricted. The player can't walk across a swamp even if there's a clear path. You MUST stay on the road. The fighting also seems a bit silly. The participants may miss each other for almost a minute (yes I've witnessed it). Looks stupid when you fight against a giant beetle and can't land a single hit on the HUGE insect. I mean even a moron can hit a regular beetle and kill it with a stick, but D&D hero can't hit a GIANT beetle with a bloody longsword. I know this may be irrelevant to many of you, but at least I am rather annoyed by these things. Expand
  80. Dudeduke
    Nov 14, 2006
    6
    It's got great game content wrapped in a shockingly bad graphics interface for this day and age. Plus it is SO slow on my overclocked Core2 Duo @ 3600 w/ ATI x1950 XTX and 2 GB of memory I just want to cry...
  81. PeterB.
    Nov 14, 2006
    3
    As an attempt to build upon and improve the original NWN, this game fails in more ways than one. From the linear official campaign to the numerous and needless changes to the user interface (why move the default binding for the hilight key to z from TAB when every NWN player is used to it being TAB) and the show stopping (literally, it stops the game for everyone during conversations) As an attempt to build upon and improve the original NWN, this game fails in more ways than one. From the linear official campaign to the numerous and needless changes to the user interface (why move the default binding for the hilight key to z from TAB when every NWN player is used to it being TAB) and the show stopping (literally, it stops the game for everyone during conversations) multiplayer misfeatures. The graphics engine is moderatly good at best and a resource hog at worst. Rewriting so much has also removed support for Linux and MacOS X - there is not even a server for Linux. On a positive not, they did implement more of the D&D 3.5 ruleset. Expand
  82. Wombat
    Nov 14, 2006
    0
    Near perfect game (NWN1) botched and the on-line community well and truly left out in the cold, NWN2 is not a sequal it is a different game with none of the fun or good aspects of the first do NOT buy this game - at least for a few years
  83. SpleenyD.
    Nov 14, 2006
    10
    The first real RPG in years. If you liked BG2 and KotOR, this will ´rock your socks off!
  84. Decider
    Nov 14, 2006
    3
    This will be a great game... In about a year. Multiplayer got shot in the head, but the singleplayer got better. Buggy as hell, but what isn't these days? If the community does what they did for NWN1. But it shouldn't be necessary to 'fix' a game simply in order to make it have the functionality of it's prequel. Don't buy it yet... Wait to see what Obsidian This will be a great game... In about a year. Multiplayer got shot in the head, but the singleplayer got better. Buggy as hell, but what isn't these days? If the community does what they did for NWN1. But it shouldn't be necessary to 'fix' a game simply in order to make it have the functionality of it's prequel. Don't buy it yet... Wait to see what Obsidian does with it. Right now, it just isn't a finished product. Expand
  85. JoeJ.
    Nov 13, 2006
    4
    Bugs, bugs, and more bugs. NWN2 seems to have it share of bugs, and then some. From problems with the ruleset, to misfiring or unfiring cutscenes, to the atrocious camera, NWN2 has a little bit of everything it shouldn't have. The new OC's story is better than the original NWN's oc, but still leaves a lot to be desired. I was greatly irritated at how many times during Bugs, bugs, and more bugs. NWN2 seems to have it share of bugs, and then some. From problems with the ruleset, to misfiring or unfiring cutscenes, to the atrocious camera, NWN2 has a little bit of everything it shouldn't have. The new OC's story is better than the original NWN's oc, but still leaves a lot to be desired. I was greatly irritated at how many times during playing through the OC that I was forced to revert to a previous save, due to bugs. The multiplayer aspect of the game is all but dead, as with the way modules are handled now has all but killed the persistent world. I'm saddened by what I can only see as the death of a franchise. Good job Obsidian! You're now 2 for 2. Expand
  86. Alex
    Nov 13, 2006
    4
    Bug-ridden beta of a poor product. Clearly not even a release candidate that people are made to pay for.
  87. MartinC.
    Nov 13, 2006
    5
    This is a rushed grab for the Xmas buck. You'll need a very good system to get anywhere near the screen shot graphics. Sound is basically NWN1. Bugs - more like a termite nest. Give it a few months (maybe 6) for the monster issues to get patched and to see how the the player base reacts. Wait and see!
  88. KH
    Nov 13, 2006
    2
    As a stand alone game this may have been passable, althought the graphics are not good enough for the huge system requirments. Other titles are much better. As a continuation of Neverwinter Nights this game is awful. Its like they took the best things from Neverwinter Nights and removed them then added lots of fancy hard to use graphic controls. The camera is really bad. You cant see toAs a stand alone game this may have been passable, althought the graphics are not good enough for the huge system requirments. Other titles are much better. As a continuation of Neverwinter Nights this game is awful. Its like they took the best things from Neverwinter Nights and removed them then added lots of fancy hard to use graphic controls. The camera is really bad. You cant see to control your characters and the framrate drops so low during large combat it is like watching a slide show. There will never be a large multiplayer following with this game. Dont waqste your money. Expand
  89. BryanC.
    Nov 13, 2006
    4
    Incredible letdown. While generally well-written, the story is ridiculously linear and it forces you to do so many things just to advance the plot. Very heavy-handed. Maybe play it when it makes it to the 20-dollar bargain bin. Such a waste. Bleh.
  90. KennethC.
    Nov 13, 2006
    4
    One of the worst yet for me. Absolutely awful camera implementation.
  91. MartinH.
    Nov 13, 2006
    5
    This game should never have been released in the unplayable, buggy state it is in. Atari and Obsidian are just using the gaming community as unpaid QA testers. They have essentially ignored 5 years of community work improving the original NWN, ditched its elegant interface and AI for some horrible thing from KOTR, filled a linear, unengaging single-player campaign with endless cutscenes This game should never have been released in the unplayable, buggy state it is in. Atari and Obsidian are just using the gaming community as unpaid QA testers. They have essentially ignored 5 years of community work improving the original NWN, ditched its elegant interface and AI for some horrible thing from KOTR, filled a linear, unengaging single-player campaign with endless cutscenes to hide the fact there isn't really much to do in it, and what there is to do you don't have a whole lot of choice or control over. Why did Bioware ever give this license up to let it be ruined by these people? Expand
  92. SamG.
    Nov 13, 2006
    0
    A significant portion of the playership find, even on extremely high end systems, the game has major flaws that make it unplayable. Even if your system is listed on the acceptable supported system list you may find yourself one of the unfortunate masses begging for help on the official forums and being ignored by the devs. I say, don't waste your money on this, its seemingly a 50/50 A significant portion of the playership find, even on extremely high end systems, the game has major flaws that make it unplayable. Even if your system is listed on the acceptable supported system list you may find yourself one of the unfortunate masses begging for help on the official forums and being ignored by the devs. I say, don't waste your money on this, its seemingly a 50/50 chance that you'll be able to play it at all. The affected player systems have nothing in common outside of they all use windows. there seems no guideline for which kind of system most easily succumbs to the framerate being stuck at 2-5 fps and after about 10 threads of 10-20 pages each have been yanked by the admins there has yet to be any dev post even so much as saying, 'we're aware of it and trying to find a fix' ..nothing. Be forewarned. If you're determined to get this game, be smart and borrow a buddy's first to make sure it runs right before handing over 50+ dollars on what many of us consider a flawed and shoddily supported game. Expand
  93. AShadow
    Nov 12, 2006
    1
    A steaming pile of monkey crap, designed to grab your bucks before all the hype dies down. Almost impossible to navigate, system reqs so high you will have to set it at "fingerpaint" levels in order for it to even run, and a no-option storyline so boring you will wonder which 6-year-old's bedtime story it was stolen from, all combine to bring PC RPGs to a new low. It gets 2 points A steaming pile of monkey crap, designed to grab your bucks before all the hype dies down. Almost impossible to navigate, system reqs so high you will have to set it at "fingerpaint" levels in order for it to even run, and a no-option storyline so boring you will wonder which 6-year-old's bedtime story it was stolen from, all combine to bring PC RPGs to a new low. It gets 2 points for effort, then is penalized 1 point for soiling the memory of a great game. Don't let the name fool you, this travesty has nothing to do with the original outstanding game, Neverwinter Nights. Read the boards *before* they get your money... Expand
  94. GedG.
    Nov 12, 2006
    2
    The makers of this game should be ashamed of themselves. Trokia comparison anyone. The fact that they release the beta piece of rubbish for the mod community to fix blows my mind. I find the amount of bias in reviewing this game from all other
  95. AG
    Nov 12, 2006
    2
    This game was such a disappointment. The first thing that turned me off was the graphics, then the fact that they reused music from the 1st one and to top it off, the game overall is buggy. I wouldn't have mind waiting longer for the game if they were going to improve it. After this.... now I'll wait and see what others say before I run out and buy any more of their games. I This game was such a disappointment. The first thing that turned me off was the graphics, then the fact that they reused music from the 1st one and to top it off, the game overall is buggy. I wouldn't have mind waiting longer for the game if they were going to improve it. After this.... now I'll wait and see what others say before I run out and buy any more of their games. I wish I could just return it and get my money back, what a waste. Expand
  96. AWT.
    Nov 12, 2006
    5
    Incomprehensibly terrible game. It is not worth repeating for the twelfth time exactly why. Go read the forum posts and please don't wast your money on this game. By it on ebay for $4.00 and it might be worth that.
  97. AByrd
    Nov 12, 2006
    4
    Absolutely terrible. Clearly this game was released before completion. It is buggy, has terrible performance and support at Obsidion has been horrendous. Save you money to see if anyone has the balls to correct the issues. If not, it ain't worth owning.
  98. KH
    Nov 12, 2006
    1
    With the high standards set previously by BioWare, Obsidian was facing a difficult challenge in matching the expectations of fans with Neverwinter Nights 2. Unfortunately for Obsidian, Neverwinter Nights 2 is a failure as a sequel as well as a game by itself. The game's many failures seem to stem from what many in the software industry call the second-system effect; the developers With the high standards set previously by BioWare, Obsidian was facing a difficult challenge in matching the expectations of fans with Neverwinter Nights 2. Unfortunately for Obsidian, Neverwinter Nights 2 is a failure as a sequel as well as a game by itself. The game's many failures seem to stem from what many in the software industry call the second-system effect; the developers could not decide when to stop adding features to the game and reimplemented many gameplay components that many feel were perfect in the original Neverwinter Nights. For example, Obsidian decided to remove the limitation to control just one character and allow the player to control and manage up to four individual characters. While this may interest fans who like to try out many character options, the micromanagement of controlling four separate characters becomes burdensome. What's worse, the implementation faired far worse than the similar implementation BioWare used in the Baldur's Gate series of games. When the player is controlling a character other than the player-created main protagonist and attempts to speak with an NPC, the main character is teleported to the NPC's location and begins the conversation himself. This may not sound like a game-breaking glitch, but eliminates the possibility of using charisma-based secondary characters for conversations. As an example of an unnecessary change, Obsidian did away with the wonderful radial menu and replaced it with a standard windows-like context menu. This menu provides no clue to what sub-menus exist within a menu option. The response time is also incredibly slow; when in battle, players are given little option other than to pause the game to access the context menu. This was an incredibly unnecessary change to a system that worked fine before. The game itself feels like an incredibly unfinished senior project from a local community college. The story is poor, the art is lacking, the graphics engine has incredibly bad performance for the overall look of the game, the interface is tacky and reminiscent of late-90's RPGs, the reaction time is poor, game options and configuration are confusing and inconsistent, and the controls are loose and ill-defined. Combine these faults with a bug-ridden game engine, and you have one of the worst games to be released in recent times. Obsidian obviously cared little about creating a game that would be enjoyable; they knew that they could ride the Neverwinter Nights name to ensure good publication reviews and early-adopter purchasers. One can only hope that the community as a whole will provide appropriate feedback to right this wrong. Expand
  99. Methane
    Nov 12, 2006
    0
    Do NOT buy this game. It seems that every large review website gives it anywhere from a 7-10. Go check out BioWare's forums. The complaint thread was 14 pages loger then the pro's thread on the first day. NWN1 was never intended to be a single player game. It was a game designed to be multiplayer and focused on the toolset. The reason it survived for years as a top-rated game, Do NOT buy this game. It seems that every large review website gives it anywhere from a 7-10. Go check out BioWare's forums. The complaint thread was 14 pages loger then the pro's thread on the first day. NWN1 was never intended to be a single player game. It was a game designed to be multiplayer and focused on the toolset. The reason it survived for years as a top-rated game, despite little upgrades on graphics, was because the community was so extremely huge and brought forth HUGE custom content upgrades. People could create their own playable modules online. That factor alone made NWN1 a classic. NWN2 is ALL campaign. For every online game you want to play, you have to download files (manually, from the internet, with no autodownload function). In NWN1, there are 4 modules in the entire campaign. In NWN2, there are 10 (at least). This means no online game can ever be large - ever. They will be restricted to less-then-an-hour watered down scenarios. NWN2 has tons of bugs. Many people say using the toolset is impossible unless you have a huge monitor. Likewise, a lot of people say that NWN2 is a big step backwards. They point out that BG1, over nine years old, has many features that NWN2 lacks. The D&D rule is, "Sometimes, rules can be bent by DMs to improve gameplay." NWN2 sticks *entirely* to D&D rules, ignoring what a lot of people enjoy. Oh, and DMing? If anyone is a DM at all, the most basic functions are left out. Want to give gold? Type it in the Debugger manually. XP or levels? Find some other way to do it then with the interface, because it isn't there. Death penalties? Why, that'll be too hard! Why not just let them respawn 54 times without a single loss of XP? Gold value is nonexistant. You don't travel dungeons to get money, you travel to get items and XP so you don't have to spend the 100k you have on upgrades. Expand
  100. ArtyN.
    Nov 12, 2006
    4
    This game is poor at best. Counterintuitive, with inexplicably high system requirements but low performance no matter what. D&D deserved a better game. Oh well, so did Neverwinter Nights,actually. The game is rated for pre-teens. I recommend to leave it to them.
Metascore
82

Generally favorable reviews - based on 46 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 38 out of 46
  2. Negative: 0 out of 46
  1. So it isn't perfect, particularly not for players who prefer using the mouse, but Neverwinter Nights 2 is nevertheless a hugely enjoyable trip.
  2. Rich narrative, engaging gameplay, and total attention to role-playing detail.
  3. 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.