Neverwinter Nights 2

aka: NWN 2, Wu Dong zhi Ye 2
Moby ID: 24735
Windows Specs
Note: We may earn an affiliate commission on purchases made via eBay or Amazon links (prices updated 3/23 11:13 AM )

Description official descriptions

The tiny village West Harbor, located not far from the thriving city of Neverwinter in the Sword Coast region, served once as a battlefield between an evil being known as the King of Shadows and the defenders of Neverwinter. The protagonist's mother was killed during that battle; the elven ranger Daeghun took care of the orphan, raising him (or her) as his own child.

Their peaceful existence comes to an unexpected end when a group of githyanki attack the village just after its traditional festival. It appears that the attack was somehow connected with a mysterious silver shard that was left in a nearby cave shortly after the battle against the King of Shadows. The protagonist then leaves for Neverwinter, searching for Duncan, Daeghun's half-brother, who might have more answers.

Neverwinter Nights II is a follow-up to Neverwinter Nights. The two games share a common setting; where Neverwinter Nights uses the 3E ruleset released in 2000, Neverwinter Nights II utilizes the D&D 3.5 edition rules released in June 2003. As its predecessor, the game comes with a multiplayer feature and a tool set that allows players to create their own campaigns. However, the gameplay style differs from that of the predecessor by focusing on party-based combat, character management, and dialogue.

In the beginning of the game the player creates the main character, choosing his or her appearance, race (including planetouched, half-orc, and sub-races such as drow or moon elf), class (out of twelve available), and feats. The 3.5 edition of the AD&D rule set introduces prestige classes, into which regular classes may evolve, such as for example warpriest as a prestige class for clerics.

During the course of the game, various characters with their own motivations will join the protagonist. An active party may include up to four characters. The combat system is similar to that of Baldur's Gate: battles evolve in real time, and the player is able to pause at any moment to issue specific orders to characters. Automatic behavior routines for each character are available as well. Companions react to the player's choices during quests, and develop relationships with the protagonist depending on their ethical and personal preferences.

The player character eventually acquires a stronghold that can be used as a base of operations. The player can repair the stronghold, improve its defenses, and use it to repel sieges and generate income. It is possible to choose specific ways of using resources to upgrade the keep, recruit merchants, and command guards.

Spellings

  • 无冬之夜2 - Simplified Chinese spelling
  • 絕冬城之夜2 - Traditional Chinese spelling
  • 네버윈터나이츠2 - Korean spelling

Groups +

Screenshots

Promos

Videos

See any errors or missing info for this game?

You can submit a correction, contribute trivia, add to a game group, add a related site or alternate title.

Credits (Windows version)

444 People (331 developers, 113 thanks) · View all

President
Executive Producer
Senior Producer
Assistant Producers
Additional Production
Asset Manager
Chief Development Officer
Art Lead
Art Environment Leads
Environment Artists
Character Modelers
[ full credits ]

Reviews

Critics

Average score: 81% (based on 49 ratings)

Players

Average score: 3.8 out of 5 (based on 53 ratings with 5 reviews)

Obsidian Entertainment does it again...

The Good
The Electron engine which is a modified version of Bioware's Aurora Engine (used in the game's predecessor, Neverwinter Nights) achieves in displaying a graphically detailed world. Although by no means as sensational as the graphics in Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion (which was released before it) - they are somewhat different styles of RPG and for Neverwinter Nights 2's purpose, the graphics are good.

The music for the game is extremely well done, fitting in the mood of the game. Voice acting is also very well done which helps you immerse that bit more into the game.

The best part of the game is what Obsidian Entertainment does best - they make you feel like you're in the world by giving you choices, and heaps of them. The decisions you make along the way will change the way your party and other characters react to you, determine what quests you will do and ultimately alter the ending of the game. OE once again brings their Influence system from Knights of the Old Republic 2 which (as the name implies) determines how much influence you have over your party members. Influence can be gained or lost by you performing actions that are either in-line with their alignment or not. The more influence you have with a party member, the more likely you'll unlock side plots. This brings me to another good point of NWN2 and that's its re-playability. With so many ways to end the game, different alignments to choose and different race/class combos, you'll find every experience of the game a different one.

The Bad
Once again, Obsidian Entertainment, while strong with the story and re-playability of the game, somehow released the game with a myriad of bugs. Apparently a lot of material was cut from the final release, just as it was with Knights of the Old Republic 2, however this time at least most of the game appears to tie in much better than it did with their first attempt.

The system requirements for this game may be a problem for some gamers as well since you require more graphics processing power than what you traditionally did with existing RPG titles of this sort (I tried running with 2xGeForce 6800s in SLI and it ran very slow, even on lowest settings - although on a single 7800GS it worked fine).

The Bottom Line
Neverwinter Nights 2 is a contemporary role-playing game that is strong on story and just like a good book will keep you wanting to come back for more, urging you to continue turning each page, just to find out what happens next. The game does have its flaws, namely several bugs plus debatable performance on seemingly sufficient systems, however when compared to what's good about the game, these issues often pale into insignificance.

If you're a fan of Bioware's more story-focused RPGs (e.g. Baldur's Gate) or of Knights of the Old Republic, this game is definitely worth a look.

Windows · by Rambutaan (2782) · 2007

Neverwinter Nights 2

The Good
- Companions. They are well-written, different and not always get along. Being everyone's friend isn't an option. - While the setting is somewhat generic, the actual plot is pretty engaging. Good side quests.

The Bad
- Third act is incredibly bland. - Gameplay. It's very easy to screw up the character creation and if you do, you're in for a bad time. The game should be called "Trying to hit everyone and missing 99% of the time" Nights 2", i hate this kind of combat system in games. - Obsidian have a really obnoxious way of designing indoor locations, which are all look the same, plays the same and resemble a usual tabletop dungeon which looks like it's been randomly generated.

The Bottom Line
It's probably not that bad, i just suck at these kind of RPG's. But i still think it's very outdated at this point in time.

Windows · by SanfordMorgan · 2023

I was expecting Neverwinter Nights 2 NOT Neverwinter Knights of the Old Republic!

The Good
I'll refrain from using the "blasphemy" word yet, but be sure I'll use it and I'll show you why.

Well I know this is where you say the good part, but I'd prefer saying my mind about my first thoughts on the game.

Now I've played games for a very...very long time. So usually it only takes a couple of minutes (one hour at most) to notice whether a game is worth playing or not. And I've never been wrong at least for me.

So what's the first thing I notice? The intro-cut scene. Most people don't notice the intro movie cut scene, but I do. To me, the cut scene identifies the soul of the game. Like advertising and story-telling. The foreplay before lovemaking. It sets the mood. And what do I get? A sword wielding wizard fighting one of the most uncreative excuse of a monster/villain I've ever seen. Makes you wonder sometimes if a tentacle monster would look better here. Now if you start thinking that, you know that the game is on a really bad start.

But cut scenes aren't everything (but they do give you a hint). The next thing I notice is when I entered the game, the graphics where shabby...or let's say "stuttering". Now there's one thing I really, really hate about 3D games is when I'm faced with unstable graphics. But that should no longer be a problem now, it's like 2006 already? 3D graphics being unstable are no longer a problem.

Wrong. I first played with version 1.00 then patched the darn thing (no much difference, but at least playable now). Had to tweak the video game options like a dozen times. More just to get the sky color right (which apparently shouldn't have any color at all).

Is it my video card you say? Dude, I played Oblivion and Company of Heroes that practically require better video acceleration than this game (and better graphics) and this was a couple years back. If Oblivion worked, than hell sure this darn game better work.

So I had to turn off almost everything, shadows-none, anti-aliasing-none. Ironically, after the change, there wasn't much difference.

And if you didn't notice already, I haven't even begun saying about the bad stuff about the game.

The Bad
The Bad.
Neverwinter Nights 2, prepare to be burned for being one of the worst RPGs of 2006.

I'm a fan huge fan of Neverwinter Nights 1 (except of the overly long dialogs). So what does any fan expect from a sequel? Everything already in the original game. But I'll save that for later.

Let's get back to the main issue first:

Graphics
The graphics are lame. This is late 2006, with all the hype of 3D graphics and all that crock, I was expected to be blown-away with the game of this magnitude and marketing. But what do I get? Clumsy graphics with mediocre artwork at best. Am I being to harsh. If the game was release 3-4 years ago. Maybe. But again, I must repeat myself this is 2006. Such standards of graphics are appalling. My memories of Icewind Dale were better graphically. There isn't one single area in the game where I can remotely call as "beautiful". In fact, the graphics in the game aren't memorable at all, since most of the time your focusing on where your moving to.

Camera Disaster
Give me Neverwinter Nights 1, give me Knights of the Old Republic. Hell give me a god-damn freakin’ stable camera to play with. Sure the game has numerous camera views (which were greatly upgraded with patches). Do not try v1.00. Nightmare doesn't even describe the camera in version v1.00. The patches didn't fare better, trying to balance the slow-moving graphics and a view-point where you can move and fight from a nice angle is quite a feat. I'm surprised kids today with the average IQ of a doorknob could actually play the game, since you need to tweak the camera for several eons to get it right. Not that I ever found the right camera-view. But it was a whole lot better than the default one.

Speaking of default, shouldn't the system detect your computer settings or something? Well it does, and it detected maximum graphics everything. Not correct since I had to disable every freakin’ graphics settings.

What a game in this virtual age with lame graphics? Yep. Slow moving, rugged graphics. It's a wonder why I played this game thus far. The skies in the game never seem to have any graphics, there's this graphical blur that looks like something from a bad TV set. Don't know what's going on here, but the hype is over-rated.

Movement/Combat/Gameplay Mechanics
One of the worst I've experienced. Movement is sluggish. You never seem to click where you want to. For instance, clicking on a moving character is almost impossible. You keep walking to an area beside the target. Now this is really irritating when your in combat. Since you have to pause the game half-of-the-time. Since some stupid tree, NPC or another monster is blocking your view.

Then there's that irritating Dungeon Master list-thingy, that states all those little statistics. Not that its a problem, what is a problem is when I'm in a dialog and I just wanted to know if my influence, bluff, diplomacy or whatever succeeded. Hey, in Knights of the Republic AND Vampire: The Masquerade they had the courtesy of having that info in the dialog. But here I had to scroll that stupid box for god-knows how long just to find in small fonts "Success" or "Failure".

Dialogs
O.K. that does it. How in the name of all the gods was stupid enough to create the dialogs AND the story in this pathetic little game?

Beautiful and interesting dialogs? Where? The only memorable scene was in the inn where the sorcerer was insulting everyone, well that and the wizard. They seem to be the only 2 with intelligent conversation levels. More than half of the characters lack dialogs.

In Knights of the Old Republic, you intentionally pair-up different characters since YOU KNOW they will say something to each other. That option does not exist in this game. Neesha only says little about the dwarf and the druid Elaine. The paladin doesn't say much, neither does the bard. Hell, they all don't say much. Storytelling for crying out loud, where's the god-damn story telling. I WANT VOICE-OVERS I want to hear the emotions of the actors, their stories. I DO NOT want to click on my dwarf only to find out that after several hours of gameplay he still has the same stupid thing to say: I got beat up by monks in a bar. Even after he became a monk, he has even less words to say. Where is the god-damn ambition in the game here?

Game Engine
O.K. this is where I draw the line. I was expecting Neverwinter Nights 2. Do you know what made Neverwinter Knights 1? The game engine. It had this wonderful god-send game engine which could create and sustain the most fantasy-like creatures your heart could imagine. A friend of mine once created a scene where you could have 100 monsters fighting each other with you in on top of a tower watching the chaos. Now honestly, can you imagine a similar scene in Neverwinter Nights 2? No. Why? Where to put them? The game will be more sluggish, the camera settings won't fit them...you may think. Voila.

When I was waiting for Neverwinter Nights 2, I was waiting for one thing and one thing only. Does anyone remember the license? DUNGEONS AND DRAGONS. I've played Dungeons and Dragons since I was a wee little RPG playing wizard. The game engine of Neverwinter Nights 1 created a game engine that could simulate real-size fire breathing dragons. Now that alone was enough to worship Neverwinter Nights 1. I want Dragons, hell, I need Dragons. Someone give me a god-damn dragon!

The Bottom Line
B L A S P H E M Y

Windows · by Indra was here (20756) · 2007

[ View all 5 player reviews ]

Discussion

Subject By Date
Interesting mods in development. The Fabulous King (1332) Jan 15, 2008
Snore... Indra was here (20756) Jul 26, 2007

Trivia

Pre-order extras

Pre-ordering the game gave customers a Pre-Order DVD with a serial number which gave early access to the toolkit, granted an exclusive in-game talent called "Merchant's friend" (which unlocks a special item that lowers the prices when buying from merchants) and contained the fan site kit.

Online servers

The game's online servers which were hosted on GameSpy were shut down on 5 December 2012.

Awards

  • GameSpy
    • 2006 – #5 PC Game of the Year
    • 2006 – Best Character of the Year (PC) (for Khelgar Ironfist)
  • PC Powerplay (Germany)
    • Issue 03/2007 – #3 Best RPG/Adventure Game in 2006 (Readers' Vote)

Analytics

MobyPro Early Access

Upgrade to MobyPro to view research rankings!

Related Games

Neverwinter Nights
Released 2002 on Windows, Linux, 2003 on Macintosh
Neverwinter Nights: Shadows of Undrentide
Released 2003 on Windows, Linux, 2004 on Macintosh
Neverwinter Nights: Diamond
Released 2005 on Windows
Neverwinter Nights 2: Storm of Zehir
Released 2008 on Windows
Neverwinter Nights: Hordes of the Underdark
Released 2003 on Windows, Linux, 2004 on Macintosh
Neverwinter Nights: Platinum
Released 2004 on Windows
Neverwinter Nights 2: Deluxe
Released 2008 on Windows
Neverwinter Nights 2: Gold
Released 2008 on Windows

Related Sites +

Identifiers +

  • MobyGames ID: 24735
  • [ Please login / register to view all identifiers ]

Contribute

Are you familiar with this game? Help document and preserve this entry in video game history! If your contribution is approved, you will earn points and be credited as a contributor.

Contributors to this Entry

Game added by The Fabulous King.

Macintosh added by Corn Popper.

Additional contributors: Unicorn Lynx, Jeanne, Corn Popper, UV, Sicarius, Zeppin, Paulus18950, Patrick Bregger, Plok.

Game added November 2, 2006. Last modified March 6, 2024.