Neverwinter Nights
by Atari
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Video Game Reviews of Neverwinter Nights
Customer Review: Neverwinter nights
Summary: 3 Stars
All in all this game is addictive. I had just finished the Morrowind series and was looking for something to fill the void. This is what I picked. To compare any game to Morrowind would be ludicrous, since I have yet to see a game with its scope and potential, please correct me. All in all this game takes you into character development that is a little lacking. I have never played D & D on paper and so I am unaware of what everything means and how it plays out. I understand how strength can affect a fight but the other characteristics have little bearing on the game so far. There are a lot of times where a persuade option becomes available when talking to a character but what controls what persuades or not mystifies me. If you are familiar with D & D then this part of the game may hold sway. On the other hand I envision a DM (dungeon master) `watching' you go through these caves and adding or subtracting from them at will. For this game you must enable certain interactions in order to participate in a certain dungeon. You can still go in but if not pre-ordained what is the point.
The overall camera angles are okay but can get in the way of everything else. You can pan this way and that and still not get the picture you are looking for. When an enemy shows up in red you just click on him to attack. If your character is strong enough I would recommend going to the bathroom so as not to waste your time on a pause.
The potential for this game is fantastic. Any and everyone can become a DM and create there own world for you to play in. This makes this game a keeper since people will continue to create long after this game has been surpassed.
This game is fun and addictive. Make no mistake and do not compare it to any other game. You will be surprised at how many hours are wasted at fighting through an area where it really matters little.
Customer Review: Great game, but maybe a little too ambitious
Summary: 4 Stars
Neverwinter Nights is a great single-player game. Neverwinter Nights is a great multiplayer game. Neverwinter Nights is a great all-around game. 1,2,3, the cat ran up the tree.Really, though, it is a great game. I have a sort of souped-up computer now (3 Ghz processor, 1 GB RAM, ATI Radeon 128 MB graphics card) so the graphics run smoothly no matter how high the settings are. On my older computer, though (1.8 Ghz processor, 256 MB RAM, cheap Intel graphics card) it didn't work as well, so if your computer isn't great it might not runn so well. Overall, the gameplay is great; it isn't too hack-and-slash, the single-player campaign is superb, and I think it does a pretty good job of porting the D&D 3rd Edition rules (though I, being too young to have played the original pencil-and-paper D&D, wouldn't really know). Still, there are a couple minor flaws you should know about when deciding whether or not to buy the game:
1. Henchman (i.e. any companion you may have). There a few issues here. The first, and most glaring, is that you can only have one (excluding any people you are leading somewhere as part of a quest and familiars [animals or whatever that you summon via magic]). Still, when you play the game, you might be glad of this, because the pathfinding for henchmen is really inexcusably abysmal. Lots of times rounding a corner is enough to make your henchman freeze in his/her tracks and stay where he/she is until you come back and "bait" him/her out by inching along. Also, you can't control your henchman's inventory (although you can in the expansion). This, I suppose, is only a pain if you are a shady player who likes to take all he can from his henchman and sell it. But it can be troublesome if they have a good weapon that they aren't using and that you want.
2. Pathing in general. Pretty self-explanatory. The camera is rather awkward, which makes it even harder. Combine this with henchman pathing and you have a real pain.
3. The instruction manual. This is the biggest, baddest problem. Like I said, I have no clue how the original D&D was played; when it was in vogue, I was an embryo. I don't know what character class is. The term "skill modifier" is a mystery to me. And what is a "saving throw?" Here's a real gem, straight from the manual: "Only rogues may disarm traps with a DC over 35 or greater. With 5 or more ranks in Set Traps a character gains a +2 synergy bonus on Disable Trap checks." and there's more: "Standing still provides a +5 bonus to a Listen Check. A character with the Alertness feat gains a +2 synergy bonus on listen checks." And also, it was only after much ponderings that I realized that the often-referred to "2d6" meant a 6-sided die rolled twice, and "1d8" is an 8-sided die rolled once. And why does a "Greatsword +1" cost about 50,000 times more that a regular Greatsword? The list goes on and on.
4. Turn-based combat. For "turn-based" read "dumb, pointless and frustrating." For no real reason, there is a 5 or 6 second delay between each combat action. A zombie will swing a fist; the character will duck. A HUGE pause. You will swing your sword. The zombie may or may not duck. Why the pause? It conveys no sense of "my turn, your turn." Is it to make all the necessary "skill checks," "saving throws," and "dice rolls?" Come on, folks. This is a computer. It can do 20 times that amount of simple math in a millisecond.
Well, anyway. It's a great game, just these minor details. Get it.
Customer Review: Fantastic game!
Summary: 5 Stars
This easily has to be one of my favorite games right now. Actually I just finished it and am working on Hordes of Underdark. Which I am so far thrilled with, and am glad I got to use my previous character since there are tons of freakin drow. It's challenging to the point at frustration sometimes but eventually you'll win, just be sure and save before the big bosses that's for sure. You'll be fighting those buggers over and over couple times, trust me I've been there.NWN is a beautiful game, the graphics are great. Detailed backgrounds give life to the stages. You can see the grass swaying in the breeze and a light fog over the forest floor gives it that dark & brooding feeling. The characters looks good as well, except there's not much for facial expressions, meaning none at all. The dialog is pretty deep, which means get ready for lots of talking. It's a little overwhelming at times, but it's important to talk to everyone to get information out of them or quests. I find it helpful to have a character with high CON, since you can persude people to tell you things.
I chose a paladin for that reason, that and I can wear heavy armour & wield a great sword (which is HUGE!!).
The only real problem I had with the game is the bugginess of it. There were a few points where I got stuck and couldn't move, which is infuriating since I had to quit and do that whole dungeon over again. The testers obviously didn't do their job very well. The one henchman is annoying, it's good to have one but would be even better to have another. I would have liked to have a monk or something but am stuck with Tom the thief because I need him to open the doors & chests that I cannot. If you don't have a thief you'll be missing alot of treasures & such, so yah kinda need one. The AI for him is quite a nuisance as well, again with the getting stuck behind things such as crates,buildings,stupid crap.
All in all it's a gorgeous game with great action sequences & an interesting plot line with plently of twists along the way. Haven't done the multiplayer yet but have heard many wonderful things about it. I think it's awesome you can create your own dungeons and have your friends run through them. The whole D&D feel is there, you get to see the dice rolls, and it pretty much goes by the rules from what I can remember. If you're into RPGs or D&D I would definatly pick this up, you'll find yourself addicted in no time.
Customer Review: Disappointment after Baldur's Gate/Icewind Dale games
Summary: 2 Stars
I have enjoyed all D&D PC games since discovering them shortly after purchasing my first PC. I'm not a hack or programmer, just a regular person who enjoys fantasy and SciFi and really like the strategy and hard work necessary to beat the previous D&D games. I like finding lots of loot and saving damsels in distress, etc... However, I do not like NWN's focus on walking around, picking up one or two gold pieces, and hacking at a few smugglers now and then. And I really dislike having only one henchman!! And not being able to control that one with any success is really frustrating. Decent accessories at the stores are way too expensive for the loot you are able to find to pay with.The graphics are pretty good, but I don't like the game well enough to try to figure out how to make up my own game. I won't buy the new expansion pack coming out, I will buy the Icewind Dale II game, and hope Bioware and Black Isle will put out more of those type games.
Customer Review: It's a Niche Game, Not Everyone Will Enjoy It Like I Did
Summary: 3 Stars
If I could think of a way to best describe Neverwinter Nights, it would be Diablo meets Baldur's Gate. The game is made by the same people that designed Baldur's Gate but it's more of a mainstream "hack and slash" adventure than an epic RPG. Don't get me wrong, the in-game story is great but it just doesn't feel like a classic RPG. One reason for this might be because of the easy-to-use Aurora Toolset. If you've ever messed around with PC game editors, this one will probably be the easiest custom content maker you'll ever use. It was designed that way so that D&D fans everywhere could quickly create their own adventures. (The game even allows you to act as a Dungeon Master with your spiffy new adventures.) Unfortunately, the official adventure included with Neverwinter Nights also uses the same toolset that was designed for "Joe Schmoe" and something probably gets lost in the process because each map uses the same same grid design and 3-D structures. Frankly, most maps just feel the same and after all is said and done, the offical campaign in NWN comes across as an average gaming experience. Keep in mind too that while it's very easy to place items and creatures with the toolset, you'll need a basic knowledge of programming to script actions in your module. If you're convinced that this game is for you, check out the newer Neverwinter Nights Gold which comes with the original game as well as the first expansion (Shadows of Undrentide). You may even want to wait a little longer because the second and last expansion (Hordes of the Underdark) just came out and undoubtedly, it will soon be packaged in a newer "platinum" edition. Make sure you check the official Bioware website so that you can download one of the many custom adventures designed by gamers. There is also a fairly large online community and many gamers have set up their own servers that are up and running 24/7 for online D&D fun. I had a good time with Neverwinter Nights, but not everyone may find the game as enjoyable, especially if they don't like online play or the easy-to-use toolset. If you enjoy the feel and gameplay of NWN, it has an extremely long lifespan because of the online community, but many gamers don't find the game that appealing to begin with.