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Not bad for an expansion

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 42 / 45
Date: July 24, 2003
Author: Amazon User

Shadows of Undrentide doesn't do much to change the way Neverwinter Nights is played, and this is generally for the best. The main changes in terms of characterization are five new prestige classes, a scattering of new feats and skills, and a few new spells for each spellcaster type. New creatures have been added as well, including two new familiars. Lastly, several new tilesets have been added: snow, desert, and Netherese ruins.

The new campaign isn't as long as BioWare's infinity engine game expansions (Heart of Winter, Throne of Bhaal) but isn't too short either. There's enough new things to see to make it interesting, and the roleplaying aspect is significantly improved over the original NWN campaign. For one, you really have the chance to act evil and still get through the game, which until now- in the general universe of D&D computer gaming- has been difficult at best. The plot is a pretty standard artifact hunt, but it does take some interesting turns. Fans of the Forgotten Realms D&D setting will appreciate this especially, but it's easy enough to follow that those who can't tell Elminster from Gandalf should be able to make sense of it.

As for the campaign difficulty, it is pretty tough. Whether out of some perverse humor or just because the original campaign was too easy, the developers seem to be baiting players to their doom. The prestige classes are the cool new thing about Shadows, but none of them (with the probable exception of Arcane Archer) are spellcasting classes. However, I found it extremely difficult to play single player without a spellcasting character [if it matters, I thought Baldur's Gate, Icewind Dale, and the original NWN were all fun, but too easy]. You will often run into masses of enemies that individually are no match for your combat prowess, but taken in whole will make hay out of your warrior or rogue. When this happens, there's really no substitute for a good fireball. Of course, this can be remedied if you get all your friends online to help you out, which I heartily recommend.

You can bring along one of several potential allies- a dwarf rogue/priest, a half-orc barbarian/sorcerer, or a kobold bard. I found the spellcasting AI to be abysmal- the priest won't heal you when you're almost dead unless you ask her to, and the sorcerer seems to have nothing but ray of frost in his repertoire- and uses it even when he would do far better just meleeing the enemy up. The good news is you can now manage their inventory, so if you have an extra set of armor or weaponry (another plus in not being a warrior) you can give it to them. The pathfinding and trap handling AI seems to be improved as well. NPCs will no longer charge over a trap when they spot another one beyond it, and will finish disarming one before attacking an enemy.

New items in the expansion include grenade-like weapons such as alchemist's fire and acid flasks. These are useful early on, and in large quantities can duplicate that much-needed fireball effect, but are oddly expensive and don't do that much damage individually. New weapons, loot, and armor are of course available, though these generally don't have a new look. Some new potions and assorted artifacts can be found, some of which are quite interesting. For example, there is a bag that summons creatures depending on what ingredients you put inside it.

The new prestige classes available are the Arcane Archer, Assassin, Blackguard, Harper Scout, and Shadowdancer. This is where I have a bit of a gripe with Shadows. Save for Arcane Archer, these classes are, frankly, worthless. They were already pretty bad with the core rules, but some of those rules require things that NWN can't do (e.g. crafting Harper Pins as a Harper Scout). The developers overcame these problems by changing some abilities and, in my opinion, the computerized versions are even worse than the pen and paper ones. Also, as I mentioned earlier, there aren't spellcasting classes (arcane archer is far less arcane than archer). I was hoping they'd add the archmage or loremaster at least, but no luck there so you'll have to settle for the new familiars and spells. The familiars are the pseudodragon and fairy dragon, both of which are very cool. Spells include such notably absent ones as Shield, the Bigby's Hand series, Inflict Wounds spells, and Earthquake.

Of course, perhaps the best thing about Shadows is the potential fan content. The new tilesets look great, and the complex interactions in the new campaign show what can be done with the engine. Once the mod community sinks its teeth into the expansion, there will no doubt be plenty more adventures to share. This has always been the best part of Neverwinter Nights, and will surely be the best part of Shadows of Undrentide.

Excellent expansion for those who liked the original

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 20 / 21
Date: June 25, 2003
Author: Amazon User

While it is true that the re-addition of SecuROM has caused some computers some problems, this was also an issue when NWN first shipped. If you were able to play before patching originally, you will be able to play the expansion as well.

The campaign included is not an extension of the original campaign, but is instead a new campaign for new characters. Starting at any level above first is bound to disappoint. It is, however, more challenging than the original campaign if you start with a recommended first level character. The campaign also addresses some of the complaints that those who prefer singelplayer had with the original campaign - more choices for different ways to solve quests, more interactive NPCs and henchmen, some control over how your henchman levels up as well as the ability to have them cast support/"buffing" spells before battle. Although the game advertises 20 hours, this varies according to your playing style, and it isn't unusual for those who enjoy engaging in conversations and exploring to have over 30 hours in a single play through of the game. Not too bad for an expansion.

Also, they have added the ability to control your henchman's inventory and what they have equipped, many new spells and feats, and prestige classes - five new classes that you must level up and qualify for in order to attain.

For builders, there are two brand new tilesets (desert and ruins) as well as a nicely reskinned rural tileset in winter clothes. They've also added several new groups to the existing tilesets, many, many new placeables, and a large amount of scripting commands.

As with the original, although I think the game is worth the money for what it was packaged with, the value really shines when you download the user created modules and/or play online. There are over 2500 modules to download, and growing. Personally, I think only about 5% are worth playing, but that still is about 125 modules and hundreds of additional game hours. This does not take into account the possibilites for playing with friends online that can change the game onthe fly with the DM Client.

A bit anti-climactic

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 9 / 10
Date: June 24, 2003
Author: Amazon User

It's not that there's anything wrong with SoU, it's just that a lot of the fan made content is way better. The module itself is alright, but it's too short, too small in size and scope, and there were a few really non-intuitive puzzles.

The tilesets are nice enough too, but I don't see why they didn't include several others for fans to use. An outdoor Arabian city tileset, and a corresponding city in the module would have made SoU a lot better.

The Prestige Classes are a mixed bag. Specifically, the Shadowdancer and the Assassin can't do much that a normal rogue can't do.

On the positive side, the new Feats and Skills are very cool, and should allow for more unique characters. The new spells are awesome, probably the best addition to the game.

SoU isn't all bad, but I still recommend saving your money and downloading the fan made Lone Wolf modules and a few others instead.

Improvement over original game

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 12 / 16
Date: September 02, 2003
Author: Amazon User

I'm one of those people who, having loved the Baldur's Gate series, was REALLY excited about NWN. When NWN finally came out, the graphics already looked dated and the official campaign (OC) was, franky, silly. Still, the power of the toolset--and the fact that there are thousands of modules freely available (many of which are MORE entertaining than the OC) kept me playing.

I wasn't expecting too much from SoU and my worst fears appeared to have been realized when the adventure starts with your adventuring school is attacked and you have to recover the four artifacts that were stolen (that sounded a bit TOO close to the OC). After that, though, the story picks up. The henchmen and villains are much better written; Drogan is a more compelling mentor than angst-ridden Aribeth. You have more control over your henchman (including the desperately needed inventory management).

The toolset expansion is welcome as well. While it's still not as easy to use as I would want, they've incorporated a lot of small improvements that make it feel a bit more like (to steal another reviewer's image) Leggos and less like object-oriented programing. The new tilesets are useful as well, though they're only "just as good" as fan-created content available for download.

Really, ultimately, what makes this a 4-star game (and one I keep coming back to) is the fan-created content. While the OC stuff is pretty much hack-and-slash D&D (the kind I liked when I was 13), you can download old-style adventure gaming (full of challenging puzzles--it's like Riven with a sword), PvP deathmatch (Rune with a wizard), and even online social servers (like those MMRPGs without the MM part). There are even scripts to allow players to create full-size parties. It's exciting to have a game where the official releases are only a jumping-off point for users to improve upon.

SecuRom...more like Suck-U-Rom

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 19 / 31
Date: July 25, 2003
Author: Amazon User

Like others, I'd like to put a disclaimer up front that BioWare seems like a good company and the people there seem to care about their product.
Atari, on the other hand, clearly does not. I am one of the many people who are unable to use this game with my cd drive. I tried everything under the sun (checked that drivers were current, updated firmware, etc.). There is no fix for this on the BioWare or Atari site (as of 7/25/03). I emailed Atari's tech support (after going through their troubleshooting maze) TWO WEEKS AGO and I have received NO RESPONSE.

As some(probably most) people's cd drives work with the SecuRom, one could say that it is MY problem that it doesn't work and I should just go out and buy another cd drive so I can play this game.
The question is, "Do you want to gamble with your time and money?"

Alternate Review:
This game is great. Unlike the previous NWN, this expansion revolves around the exciting world of computer troubleshooting and technical support. You play an unwitting dupe of the Atari game distribution company who has been suckered into buying a game that won't run on your computer despite the fact that your system meets the requirements printed on the packaging and that there was no disclosure of the known hardware incompatibility issues. Your pulse will race as you search for new drivers. Your heart will pound as you update the firmware for your cd drive. Will the firmware work? Or will this be the end of your drive? On-line play is great to, as you post to discussion threads and share your frustration with other "users". The high level of realism makes this title "one not to miss".

An awesome expansion to an awesome game

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 15 / 23
Date: July 02, 2003
Author: Amazon User

Neverwinter Nights was a brilliant game, though the single player game was lacking. Shadows of Undrentide has fixed this, and added immensely to the most amazing aspect of the game, the toolset. Creating your own modules is easy. Scripting requires a knowledge of C programming, but isn't hard. The additions to the toolset enable users to create even bigger, better worlds, expanding the spectrum of possibilites. Scripting is especially improved with a number of great new functions that are much needed. This game isn't for everyone though, as much as I am obsessed with it.
This issue of multiplayer play is an important one. Everything is based on custom user content, which is good. The bad part is that many users that create modules simply don't know what they are doing. Bioware NEEDS an official on-line only campaign. However, there are so many modules broken into so many catagories, you are bound to find something somewhere you like. The fact that on-line play is free makes it even better. Regardless, the single player expansion and the vast, vast array of new toolset options (Especially within the scripting realm) make this addition a must have. Even if all they added was the new toolset stuff, it'd still be worth it.

i'm extremely happy with SOU - a must buy

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 10 / 14
Date: June 26, 2003
Author: Amazon User

i'm going to say it fast: if you thought NWN had potential, but wasn't everything you had hoped - buy this. this expansion is a huge step towards fully realizing the potential of NWN.

the SOU campaign is far, far better than the original NWN OC. the characters you meet are much more realistic, fleshed out, and have a sense of complexity to them. the whole campaign is more challenging - the "normal" fights tend to be tough; the "boss" fights tend to be very, very challenging or impossible (if they are impossible, you have to find a special secret or solution to win); chests in town no longer contain magic items - they contain people's worthless junk; your alignment shifts properly when you steal, and gaurds will attack you if they see you breaking the law.

in addition to the campaign, the new tilesets (specifically desert and ruins) look amazing. there are so many good new feats that SOU makes the game 100 times more complex. the new prestige classes are very popular and everyone is experimenting with them right now - shadowdancers and assassins are very popular. and finally, the new monsters look great, and are fun and challenging to fight.

bioware has done an amazing job of giving the NWN communtiy *exactly* what they asked for: the feats, monsters, spells, and the kind of campaign that everyone wanted.

Fun to play, but...

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 23 / 48
Date: June 23, 2003
Author: Amazon User

I bought this expansion figuring that, like most expansions, it would increase the difficulty of the original game, like LOD did for D2. So, I began with my char from NWN, a 9/7 ranger/rogue. I found the whole first chapter and interlude WAY too easy (I guess they really want you to start a new char for this expansion). I'm hoping that it will get a bit more difficult, because it's hard to level up when you're getting meager experience points. Plus, you can no longer use your Stone of Recall; you get a ring at the beginning that sort of does the same thing, but it's only useful for Chapter 1. After that, you're on your own.

That gripe aside, the game is fun to play. The new items and spells are a welcome addition. The new enemies are entertaining. The new henchmen are okay, but I find myself missing Daelen (man I loved him!). The graphics are great as well.

Performance wise, the game isn't too wonderful. I had huge load times and there were a couple of instances where it wouldn't load at all (and I exceed the requirements for the game). I read on the support site that this is a problem with the CD protection; don't know for sure, but it sure is a pain!

Bottom line, it's fun to play and a worthwhile addition to an already fantastic game!

Has Turbotax like copy protection that locks your computer

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 10 / 16
Date: July 06, 2003
Author: Amazon User

First I'd like to say that Bioware is a great company that has released a lot of good stuff, and this problem is not their fault. The only thing they did wrong is to pick Atari as their publisher.

You see Atari put copy protection on the CD by Securom, that pretty much either 1) locks up your computer after 5 min of play everytime, or 2)won't allow you to install the game. (Just go to nwn's forums to see how many complaints there are about this - nwn.bioware.com) I don't even understand why this is even on the cd since NWN is mainly an online game, it already verifies your game keys when you go online. Furthermore any pirate can bypass this with stuff like Alcohol Software. The only people this hurts are people like me who were stupid enough to buy this game. All the good reviews in the world won't help this game if you can't play it - all you'll do is hurt your wallet.

Bottomline: unless you want to play russian roulette with your time and money (for some cdrom drives - it does work fine), buy any other game at Amazon - like Warcraft III's expansion instead; their copy protection doesn't lock up your computer. Trust me, you don't want to pay money to be an unpaid tester of alpha quality software.

I can relate to it more than Hoard

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 9 / 15
Date: August 31, 2004
Author: Amazon User

First off, if you have NWN and HoUD get this too, you are missing out if you don't. Some of the Paladin's key abilities are in only this expansion pack(Divine Powers) Although Hoards has some more difficult challenges, Undertide has a better story and dialogue and is more about a small time student becoming a grand adventurer and less about the Darth Vader dark side of the force knock-off and all that God/deity B.S. in so many FRPGs (like Hoards of Underdark). In this you are an inexperienced youth unsure of what to do and either good or evil but in a more subtle sense. Unlike NWN original you have alternatives to fighting, but fight you will and thier is plenty of action(though Hoards is more fun in that reguard). As in Ultima 6-7.5 thier is comaradry amoung your party and other NPC's lots of dialogue unlike NWO which is cardboard by comparison. The Three that can join you have lives of thier own however(unlike NWO) and will leave if thier is too much conflict.(much like Iolo did when I stole that roast mutton from a ship I did not have a deed for o'those many years ago). Character generation is like NWO but with better abilities for all classes + some new classes(which I don't care for) evil characters can pick Blackguard which is a stealthy paladin(not at all appropriate for a black knight of evil) Archane Archer is for elves(hate elves) and the other is for bards(hate 'em for my PC) The campaign is the reason to get this(and some of the extra feats). Your starting class is what people will referr to you as(even if you have higher levels in other classes) My 4 level fighter 8 level paladin is considered a fighter (personally I think I should be able to role play a fighter/paladin with the status quo of a paladin if I want to, it is suposed to be open-ended you know!) Same can be said for rogues, if you start out a fighter you are a fighter(according to dialogue) even if you have 20 levels rogue and 1 of fighter.(most reference dialoge is not present at level 20) Shiza(if I spelled it right) is not the only one who referrs your specific class. Deekin the bard blabs about it a lot, and so does Xanos and Dorna up on occasiion(if you are a rogue) at least you can multi-class as ANY character(not excluding paladins and monks) with no penalties outside the race penalty of other classes which is nice IMO. The only other 3rd game I know of with this feature is Icewind Dale II and only if you follow the path of your Deity.
everybody's favorite compainions made his start in this one. So if you have Hoards and wonder what Deekin is talking about in his "story" get this game and live his tale.

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