Neverwinter Nights

The Good
I care nothing for "constructing" games or for multi-playing, so this review concentrates on the Single Player game only .. with all patches applies.

I knew that NWN was a long game before starting. So I waited to play it when I could give it my full attention. And, believe me, it takes that .. I have been engrossed for weeks now.

I hadn't played an AD&D game lately (my most recent was the original Icewind Dale, which I liked very much) and Neverwinter Nights has gotten some really good commercial reviews, so I figured this was a natural choice. The reviews here on Moby thus far are varied, but lean towards the "bad" side. Well, although I agree with some of the other reviewers, my opinion leans heavily toward "good".

Hands down, the story is the best part about NWN. Even though the game is a "medieval fantasy", the plot is believable, intriguing and interesting. The script writers must be geniuses! Conversations with each character are unique, and there's very little repetitive dialog.

Second to the story, I think, is the way the game is divided. Each of the Chapters feels like an entirely new game .. new places, new people and new quests. And yet, those parts are flawlessly meshed to bring all of them together towards the finale.

Next .. the "quests" are wonderfully diverse and challenging. There are plenty of dungeons, caves and caverns, plus buildings and landscapes to explore. You don't need to complete all of the quests to finish the game (but it helps build experience!).

The "henchman" idea is terrific! You play your character alone, or with a "side-kick" if you wish. In this game, you don't control their equipment at all so they're not just "pack rats". You give them commands (such as "attack nearest", "follow me", "guard me" or "stand your ground") and can talk to them (something lacking in other games). Your partner should compliment your abilities, so if you're a spellcaster, choose a fighter. The experience points they gain are yours also, so it doesn't seem to matter who kills what. Their level is always one behind yours, which is different too. (I understand the expansion packs add more features for the henchmen, including managing their inventory.)

Although at a glance the graphics don't look different than many other games, some things are better. Special effects are cool especially during spellcasting. You're able to "zoom" in and out for close-ups of everything. In that view even blades of grass become more realistic. Being able to rotate the angle of view also helps pinpoint a particular spot, even when everybody is crowded together (like the "remains" of a chest you just opened).

Playing around with the arrangement of inventory has always been fun, and it's good in NWN, but not perfect. Finding "bags" to group like items together is a plus and they've included different ones here to reduce weight of the items in those bags .. 20% all the way up to 100%. Since the henchmen can't carry any of your gear, this means even a weak cleric can tote loads of stuff around.

This is the first time I've played as a Druid and, as most people know, a druid must keep their alignment neutral. It's interesting to note that conversation choices and actions you take DO have an effect on alignment. Many times I've had to restore an earlier game because something I said or did swayed me towards "evil".

NWN includes other things that I've grown accustomed to .. full maps; being able to add notes to those maps; auto-save; a well-organized journal.

The Bad
The music is nice, but not nearly as beautiful as in other games I've played.

I agree with another reviewer who commented on the maps. Several of the areas dump fully to your screen when you first arrive, complete with annotated locations. So much for discovery! But, that's a little thing.

I wished that when a "like" item was picked up, it would automatically combine with others already stored in one of my inventory bags instead of separately. I also wished that more than 10 potions could be stacked in one slot. (Bolts, arrows & bullets do .. why not potions?)

When levelling up you are allowed to pick new "feats" and (as a druid at least) your new animal companion side-kick. That's okay, but you're not able to increase your core attributes (strength, wisdom, intelligence etc.) except in 5 special levels. If you've made a mistake during those selections, you may never attain high enough qualities to beat the end-game boss. (This is especially important for spellcasters, druids and clerics who need those high level spells.) I didn't like that part. I wished the properties would have automatically upgraded as I advanced.

The Bottom Line
There are several words that I think describe the single-player Neverwinter Nights game .. good, solid, big, engrossing, challenging, interesting .. fun!

I have not been bored or disappointed .. not for a minute.

Sure, as a role-player I'm not as experienced as many of the other reviewers of this game. But, hey, I know what I like .. and I like Neverwinter Nights. I like it so well that I may go for the expansion packs (something I've never done).

Worth playing? YOU BETCHA!

The Good
I loved the fact that a game company was trying to incorporate multi-player AD&D in such a way that it can be controlled by a DM. The module creator is extremely powerful and lets the DM do anything he/she can imagine. Unfortunately, this is about the only thing I liked about this game.

The Bad
Mostly everything. Even on the highest settings with the best machine, the graphics still look mediocre compared to the old engine used in Baldur's Gates etc.. Why go 3D polygons? It ruined it in my opinion. Angles become an issue which you must adjust now in the middle of combat.

YUK! 3rd edition rules.... terrible. What was wrong with 2nd edition? Nothing. I can't stand 3rd edition or anything after it.

This game was basically boring and a terrible let down. This is a perfect example what happens to a named like D&D when it gets sold and passed around from company to company and bastardized over and over. Atari really should have no involvement with AD&D. Either should Wizards of the Coast. Its too bad TSR had to sellout.. This game was a big let down and the only way to redeem themselves is to go back to the old engine and hand-drawn art work like in the older games. Graphics, sound and gameplay are all very mediocre and disappointing.

The Bottom Line
I bland attempt at AD&D compared to its predecessors. Some might enjoy this but most everyone i've talked to, hates this game and all like it. Is this an example of how all their games will be in the future?? Lets hope not.

The Good
Whenever I talk about BioWare, there is always one game I try not to mention, and that is Neverwinter Nights. You can jump straight to the "Bad" section to find out why; but for the sake of objectivity, the game's good sides should be listed as well.

As a disclaimer, I must state that my review is restricted to the "vanilla" single-player campaign that constitutes the actual game in my eyes. I understand that Neverwinter Nights was conceived primarily with the construction kit in mind, aiming to allow players become dungeon masters and create their own adventures with the included editor. This would essentially classify the campaign as a demonstration of the new engine and rule set. This idea, while certainly controversial for a developer with BioWare's reputation, is not unacceptable per se. My main gripe with the game is the perceived lack of investment into the campaign, even considering its lower priority on their scale.

Here and there you can find glimpses of genius that earned the company its stellar reputation. The writing is somewhat awkward, but some optional dialogue choices attempt to bring back the glory of the sprawling conversations and the moral decisions of Baldur's Gate. There is also humor to be found, if not in characterization, but in some of the dialogue lines. A few characters are promising and could have evolved into substantial figures if this side of the game were given any serious attention. In short, even what BioWare does without care and love is still not completely devoid of merits.

The graphics are technically good, with some impressive shadows and nice-looking spell animations. Even though you can't look up and down, at least they included the possibility to rotate the camera left and right, as well as zoom in and out. Generally, I welcome the transition to 3D, though I think it should mean more than just modeling everything in the new fashion, and perhaps include physical interactivity. Still, it is important that a non-Bethesda RPG tried to be a bit more modern in presentation.

The Bad
Neverwinter Nights reminded me of Quake. I nearly had a feeling of deja-vu when I fired up the game, saw the impressive graphics, played for a while, and felt more and more that I was playing a tech demo. Just like with Quake, the game was obviously created with multiplayer in mind; in this particular case, perhaps the toolkit was meant to be the main selling point. I know that many will disagree with me, saying it's not fair to criticize the weak single-player campaign since the game wasn't supposed to focus on that. To this I can only say that anyone who played BioWare's previous offerings may have expected anything but a game with such premise, and I can't blame fans (myself included) for being sorely disappointed.

Probably in an attempt to cater to those affected by the Diablo craze of the time, BioWare decided to reduce most of what made their previous RPGs enjoyable - exploration, side quests, moral decisions, etc. - and concentrated on combat. Everything in Neverwinter Nights is smaller, blander, and much more shallow than what we have seen in Baldur's Gate games. There is little sense of adventure, and surprisingly little to do in general. You basically follow the main quest in one prescribed fashion, and that's it. The complex world full of characters, quests and decisions has disappeared almost without trace.

The laziness in design is evident in everything, starting with the thin, straightforward main story and ending with the abundance of "twins" (same character portraits are liberally used for completely different people). Even in the graphical front, I consider Neverwinter Nights a letdown. The 3D of the game is purely cosmetic; it brings nothing substantial that would enhance the gameplay beyond the previous isometric experiences. While the graphics are technically good, they lack the artistry of the company's preceding creations. Textures tend to be repetitive, and brown-yellow color palette is overused (again, Quake comes to mind). There is something artificial, mechanical in the way the game looks - perhaps not so surprisingly, considering the fact it consists of tiles, presumably with the goal of making it easier for the players to design their own maps. In fact, the whole game does feel like a halfway competent, yet uninspired mod.

However, if you asked me to choose one flaw that contributes most to the game's downfall, I'd answer without hesitation: the absence of a party. This is a fatal error that ruins the game, making me wonder how could it happen that the very same company that revived party-based combat for modern RPGs could overlook it. You don't need to be a RPG expert to understand the simple fact: turn-based combat (whether in its pure form or in BioWare's trademark "real-time with pause" incarnation) doesn't work without a party. It turns into a snore-inducing experience devoid of strategy and satisfaction. I still cannot fathom how these experienced designers released a combat-oriented game in which combat lacks the basic ingredient that would make it enjoyable.

The new shiny third edition rules become useless when you realize they only apply to one single character. You can't replay a game twenty times just to try out every single class and ability combination for the protagonist; moreover, it is pointless because AD&D was designed with a party in mind, where coordinated attacks are the meet and potatoes of combat. What's the point of playing as a lonely fighter, cleric, or mage, if you cannot control anyone who would complement your skills? Yes, you can hire henchmen, but they are pitiful substitutes to real party members, both in characterization and from the gameplay point of view. Like in Fallout, they cannot be controlled; much worse is the fact you cannot have more than one at the same time. Needless to say it becomes impossible to draw any satisfaction from this crippled combat. Even the monotonous clicking of Diablo was more rewarding, since action-based battles sit well with the "no party" policy.

The Bottom Line
I can easily understand why many fans are angry at BioWare for making Neverwinter Nights. Regardless of its innovations as a toolkit, the actual game is a dry, uninspired, formulaic affair with dubious design choices. To those looking for simple, unpretentious AD&D hack-and-slash, I'd rather recommend the conceptually much more coherent and fulfilling Icewind Dale. Devoted BioWare admirers should probably move on.