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Perhaps Obsidian/Atari should finish the game before releasing a "Gold" edition...

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 26 / 30
Date: June 11, 2008
Author: Amazon User

Like many fans of the original Bioware epic Neverwinter Nights, I was giddy as a schoolgirl when we approached the release of Neverwinter Nights 2. Perhaps the fact that it was constantly delayed should have been a warning, but I wasn't deterred at all and was travelling all over the city on launch day trying to find a copy of the Limited Edition with rings that don't fit and an art book.

But let me digress for a moment...
Bioware was the creative studio behind the epic hit Knights of the Old Republic, and Obsidian's only prior game as a studio was Knights of the Old Republic 2 which was lauded for its excellent story, and bemoaned over its incomplete nature and buggy unfinished feel. Neverwinter Nights 2 was Obsidian's second title, and also their second continuation of a Bioware masterpiece, and ultimately the foreshadowing of what was to be released should have been heeded by those of us who were chomping at the bits to get our hands on it as soon as possible.

Obsidian released Neverwinter Nights 2 without the DM client, despite the fact that they had been touting the fact in interviews a year prior that the online component of the game was well in hand. On the contrary, the online component of NWN2 was in shambles, and even after multiple patches over the course of 2 years now has the online component stabilized... to a point.

When you play online with the latest patch, you still get load screen freezes, the game crashes every time on exiting (Vista and XP), and it appears to have enormous memory leak issues which have not been resolved. I am not running a weak machine mind you, I'm running a dual core 2 duo 8400 (Wolfdale), 4 GB of RAM, and a 64 bit operating system, with a 512MB Geforce 8800GT... a powerhouse which crashes consistently with NWN2.

I had the same problems on my prior system, an AMD core, with 2GB of RAM and a 7900GT and XP. Multiplayer freezes your computer or crashes the game randomly.

Let us be honest... the Multiplayer component may not be what sells the game out of the gate, but it is what makes the original NWN a hit even in the present time (6 years post-release). Multiplayer was incredibly unfinished by Obsidian, and reading the release notes it is almost criminal how they acknowledge bugs, don't know what causes them, and don't issue any timeframe or even a plan on an expected fix.

This game hasn't worked since release for those who enjoy Multiplayer. Single player is buggy, but the campaign is good (reminiscent of KOTOR2).

Despite all this, the cash cow milking is at work, and Gold Editions, Platinum Editions, Diamond Editions, etc. are promised features and fixes for those who shell out cash to buy the newest bundle or expansion.

Obsidian/Atari should not be planning any expansions until the game actually works. Instead, they are financing development and running the license into the ground because of the shortsighted nature of development.

This game was supposed to be a D&D fan's dream, but many of us are moving back to NWN where Bioware still adds free content, fixes, and additions to the game despite not making much money off of it.

Perhaps Obsidian/Atari should slow down on milking the consumer and think about what breeds customer loyalty. I've bought every single Bioware title to date, and I will continue buying because I get what I expect - quality, and a finished game.

I can't say the same for Obsidian. Boo.

What happened to creativity?

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 17 / 23
Date: May 12, 2008
Author: Amazon User

This game was so exciting when I first put it on, and played through the first level or so. Then slowly, I realized, the developers of this game didn't finish the game. I've encountered at *LEAST* 15 or so bugs in the game that stopped me from progressive further, I had to find debug commands online in order to continue playing. This sucked horribly. And if that wasn't enough.

Then I started realizing and noticing other things. Like every creature/chest in the game *ALWAYS* drops the same items *EVERY* time you play through it, with any class. It's ridiculous. What kind of RPG doesn't have random loot?

Then I decided maybe I could get some redeeming qualities from playing Multiplayer with a friend. We encountered even more bugs than I previously saw, and decided to try me running the server as a DM and just helping him through the story, create creatures and new treasure chests to make things more interesting. That didn't even work for too long, cause it kept trying to load my DM character through the cutscenes, without giving him the option to speak to people.

There's also been about 14 patches for it so far. And even with all those patches, only some of the bugs were fixed.

Overall, I'd say this game had a potential for a 5 star rating, but due to the fact that it isn't finished, I'm giving it a 1 star, and recommending you don't buy it, unless you're ready for a headache.

EDIT: I've noticed a couple of comments about my review not mentioning the Mask of the Betrayer Expansion. After attempting to stumble through the campaign, and having it fail miserably, I did play through the beginning of the Mask of the Betrayer. You know what I noticed? Well, you were a higher level, and had nicer powers, and the game was a little less buggy. I'm not sure how that's supposed to be a redeeming quality for the Gold Edition, considering it is Both games. The expansion shouldn't be the only working part of a game. And it would be more of a redeeming quality, if the expansion improved gameplay in the initial campaigns of the game, but it doesn't.

It should also tell you something, that just because I didn't give the game or its expansion a great review, they must resort to calling me a dimwitted teenager. It's nice to know that name calling is a good defense against an incomplete game.

THE PATRIARCHS OF cRPGs ARE SLIPPING YET FURTHER DOWNHILL ...

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 21 / 34
Date: May 10, 2008
Author: Amazon User

I remember watching the trailer for the first NWN and actually holding my breath. I had IMMENSELY enjoyed BALDUR's GATE I & II and all their expansions, a well as the ICEWIND DALE series. I had been enchanted by the best cRPG ever, PLANESCAPE TORMENT. Now the same game developers were delivering a 3D, cinematic version that would make total immersion inescapable! Right? Wrong, oh boy, so WRONG!

Measly henchmen replacing our deliciously diversified company, nauseating camera movement, infantile designed objects, slow battle movements, low polygon characters and bland storyline. Now, NWN had its virtues, no doubt. It was such an original approach that games like WOW and OBLIVION borrowed heavily from its innovative concept of a Third-Person cinematic RPG. Nevertheless, it suffered from raising the expectations bar too high - and then not delivering but a fraction of its obvious potential. It eventually got accepted by the MODing community that created numerous ingenious MODs that saved the day.

It has been over two years now and NWN2 does not seem to take off. It is as if no one wants to concern himself with it. And for good reason.
The much higher system requirements do not translate onto the screen. There are improvements of course but not by much. It feels more like an expansion than a sequel.
The camera movement is even worse. Much WORSE! Supposedly it positions itself in the best angle, Well, I found myself spending more time repositioning the camera than the interacting with the characters!

Does it have bugs? Enough to make a horror B-Movie! Patch after patch gets released and the damn thing still stutters and freezes and crashes. Another fine example of an untested product rushed to the market unfinished. While traveling everything seems fine. When the battle heats up, though, and spells fly left and right all hell breaks loose. Tweaking the video and graphics settings helps but does not eliminate all problems.

All in all, a game to avoid if a cRPG fun. If new to RPG games do not start with this one: you will get disappointed and may be miss out on true gems.

Another fine example of accountants and stock-jockeys meddling with an art-form they cannot grasp...

Alas, the other reviewers are right

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 7 / 7
Date: June 29, 2008
Author: Amazon User

Having so thoroughly enjoyed the original game, I ignored the warnings of other reviewers reporting negative experiences with this sequel and went ahead and bought it anyway. But the complaints made by other reviewers are absolutely correct. Despite my meeting or exceeding all of the stated hardware requirements for the game, the thing crashes constantly. And, frankly, it's not woth the hassle. Plainly Atari, in typically corporate fashion, figured that they could turn a quick buck by buying up the rights to the game, turning out any old piece of shoddy junk, and people would still pay for it because they loved the original. It's immediately obvious that none of the love, sweat, tears, and creativity invested in the original game went into the sequel. The environment is disappoiningly static. Only a very small percentage of nonplayer characters allow you to enter into dialogue with them. Virtually none of the buildings allow you to enter and explore them. The NPCs lack any personality, style, or panache. The environment is consequently flat, lifeless, and noninteractive, lacking the myriad possibilities to explore and socialize of the original, which gave the original that successful illusion of navigating a real world. Quite a disappointment.

Good..not great

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 4 / 7
Date: May 27, 2008
Author: Amazon User

First of all lemme say what this game COULD have been and SHOULD have been. It SHOULD have been better than Baldurs Gate 2, and with significant party AI fixing and a proper top down camera mode it actually would be IMHO.
But sadly the only way to play the thing is with the AI turned off completely. And if you must turn off the ai then it needs a round-by-round strategic mode.Something that stops every round or stops when a target is dead or something like that. Just make a top down view that DOESNT change perspective when you select a new character and only reveals what your characters can actually see.And allows you to pan the entire battlefield.This MUST be impossible or something because these two things are so intrinsically what this game needed to improve its overall feel it seriously leaves me wondering this:

what idiot rushed this game to market too soon OR didnt put enough resources into its development?

Anyway thats why it gets 3 stars for "fun"

It gets 4 stars overall and heres why...

the replay value considering the player created stuff and the obvious care that went into the campaign (the cutscenes are really good its like watching a movie) as well as the hardcore faithfullness to trying to create a true-to-source computerized copy of D&D.

Its worth buying for that last reason ALONE. But jeez talk about dropping the ball this thing could have been WAY..WAY... bigger than it is or ever will be simply because of the aforementioned oversights.

Worth buying anyway especially at this price but turn the AI off and manually control your party unless you are entertained by random acts of violence and mayhem thrown about haphazardly and unexpectedly at every turn of the corner in a dungeon :) Dont give your guys any grenade-like weapons or AOE spells either if your playing hardcore...

I enjoyed it anyway, lol.

Except for the ending of the original campaign...worst ending I have ever seen in a D&D type game. Truly awful writing. Overall the campaign is pretty good but wow did they screw the pooch at the end.

Some good.... some bad......

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 0 / 0
Date: July 26, 2008
Author: Amazon User

I agree with many of the other posters here - the baldur's gate series (especially No. 2) and the superb torment (why don't they make an oblivion esq. sequel???)were outstanding and was let down initially by NWN. I eventually spent quite a bit of time on that game online however, once I found a cool server. I then gave it up and spent quite a bit more time on WOW, but I find myself growing more and more mind numbingly bored with that game and decided to give NWN 2 a shot. I was suspicious however, with the relatively terrible reviews etc. and didn't have too high of expectations when I took it out of the box about a week ago.

The good-
The single player is a vast improvement over the original. Being able to control your henchmen in and of itself greatly improves the experience. The graphics are a nice step up, and found myself not overly dismayed by them. They are by no means on par with oblivion, however they are vastly superior to the original. The added classes from the 3.5 rules seem interesting, and the character creation / leveling process is pretty much intact from the original. The storyline is good so far, about 3/4 the way done I think with the first campaign. Not anywhere near as good as either baldur's gate 2 or torment, or the fallout games - about on par with temple of elemental evil I guess - but it is a lot better than the single player story in NWN.

The bad-
Muliplayer. I just cant get the thing to run at all. Stutters all over, crashes, simply gave up on it. Too bad too because I was really looking forward to checking out the game online.
For the single player, the pathfinding is horrible. Even worse than the original. So terribly frustrating when you consider they have had a lot of time to tweak this. In addition, the targeting is frustrating when it jumps back and forth between conversation and combat, loosing who and what you have targeted to jump to your main character and then leaving you fumbling back to try to target what you had previously to continue the fight. The inability to switch the leaders of your part is also garbage. Thirdly there are bugs where combat begins and the game will not let your pause - for 10 or more seconds at times. These are simple dynamics that you think they would have fixed in play testing, however with the multiplayer as horrendous as it is I guess they outsourced the play testing to the equivalent of nomadic tribesmen in Mongolia.

Too bad too because there would have been some good stuff here if they could have made it work.

this has the original and add-on campaigns

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 0 / 0
Date: August 01, 2008
Author: Amazon User

The other reviews make many good points but none of them seem to have mentioned that there is a new campaign that is much better than the original campaign in this "gold" version. mask of the betrayer aint amazing but its not bad. Unfortunately the various improvements in the add-on dont effect the horrible original campaign. You can however play the add-on with out playing the original campaign. Mask of the Betrayer in no way beats Baldur's Gate 2, but its worth a go if you have a reasonably fast PC and you like "deep" single player PCRPG's. By the way, my PC never crashed once in single player mode. The game needs a fast PC with at least 2 gigs of RAM to run well and perhaps some folks were running under the specs.

Your Mileage May Vary

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 0 / 0
Date: August 24, 2008
Author: Amazon User

OS: Vista Ultimate 64
Processor: 3Ghz Intel (forgot the exact name)
Graphics: nVidia 7950 GT
Sound: Creative Labs Xtreme Gamer Pro
Ram: 4 Gigs

This game runs fine on my system and it's on Vista 64.
You can set the graphics setting from low to high.
Check out the NWN 2 forums ([...]).

Some people have horrible time getting this game to run. Others run this fine.

The in game AI is not too good, but Tony K's AI ([...]) is awesome. Monsters and companions fight smarter and know when to switch from range to melee weapons. You can even set your companions to disarm traps, unlock doors, and pick up nearby loot for you (assuming they have the skills to do those things).

The player content for this game is small compared to NWN1, but it's growing. The player content and the community makes this game 4 stars.

The Original Campaign (OC) is a light fantasy. You grew up in a small farm now you must save the world. Some of the NPCs are very rememberable, while others you may chose not to include in your party unless you must.

The sequel Mask of the Betrayer is a much darker fantasy with the story surrounding your survival. The NPCs are more fleshed out and people seem to like this dark story more. Very few companions to join your party compared to the OC.

For me this series has tons of fun factor because you can customize your character, the gear, the monsters, and the game itself (within limits). The toolset lets you create your own world, but it's a heavy learning curve. The player community has put quite a bit of their material at the nwnvault.com and it's slowly growing.

If you like AD&D (this uses the 3.5 rules) you should checkout this game. The player community gives this game tons of replay value. I agree with other reviewers that this game should have been given more time before released.

If it weren't for camera angles...

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 0 / 0
Date: August 25, 2008
Author: Amazon User

I liked this game. For all you PC complainers out there, you haven't owned a Mac for gaming, so you don't know pain...I took advantage of my Mac's ability to boot Windows, and played the original campaign on Mac (Aspyr product) and the MOTB expansion on Windows. The MOTB version absolutely blows the Mac version out of the water. I did note that when I installed, the automatic updater went to work and installed many, many patches, so maybe a lot of the problems have now been fixed. Unfortunately camera control is not one of them...it's atrocious.

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