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Neverwinter Nights uses the Dungeons & Dragons 3rd Edition rules in (nearly) all their complex glory. It's the first game to attempt to fully support D&D 3E's customizable features, and more significantly, it's the first game designed to re-create the experience of playing tabletop D&D. You can play BioWare's extensive campaign alone or online with your friends, or you can use the included Aurora toolset to build your own adventure module and run it for your buddies with all the control you'd have if you were running a tabletop game. The powerful Dungeon Master client lets you put words in nonplayer characters' mouths, control monsters, alter the game world, and customize your adventure on the fly. If playing is your thing, you can join other people's games and play through encounters with other gamers around the world.
Everything works as it should and the game is beautiful to behold. BioWare has used a limited 3-D engine to allow you to spin your viewpoint around your character and zoom in on the action. During combat, Mages unleash spectacular spells, Priests raise their symbols to drive undead hordes back, and Rogues tinker with locked chests, while Fighters dodge, parry, and strike ferociously at any attacking beasts. The sound is topnotch, with BioWare's typically high-quality voice acting and music from composer Jeremy Soule.
But all isn't perfect.
The game makes a great effort of implementing the full D&D 3rd Edition rules, but doesn't quite succeed. In NWN, Paladins lose their Detect Evil and Mount abilities. Druids can shape change into animals, but can't change back to human form at will. Darkvision has no noticeable in-game effect. Troublesome issues for hard-core D&D fans, but it's understandable that some changes would have to be made in order to shoehorn a freeform tabletop RPG into a computer program.
Other issues are not so easy to understand: the camera controls are simple and will not allow the user to lower to decrease the camera angle--you'll never get anything approaching a character's-eye view of the world. Moving to a new section within a building or going from an indoor to an outdoor area takes you out of the game and presents you with a (mercifully short) "Loading" screen. There is an artificial limitation on how many henchmen you can hire in the single-player game: you're limited to one hireling, and Baldur's Gate fans will miss the squabbling party from earlier games. More significant are the problems that arise from trying to re-create a social experience like D&D in a computer game. Multiplayer games with strangers are confusing and not as fun as they sound and, like the tabletop game, they're really only as fun as the players and especially the DM you're playing with. Multiplayer NWN is only worthwhile if you have a dedicated group and a DM that knows what he or she is doing. The last drawback is the documentation. The manual is large and detailed but it omits key help in module creation; you have to buy a separate strategy guide if you want that information.
But though slightly flawed, NWN has indisputably won the holy grail of RPG gaming: getting the Dungeons & Dragons experience into a personal computer. The included campaign is fascinating and the tools are powerful enough to ensure a steady stream of module content from devoted fans. Make no mistake, Neverwinter Nights is an achievement and will likely change the way CRPGs are played from now on. It's a game no RPG fan, no D&D fan, should miss. --Bob Andrews
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
51 of 56 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
I sold my original to buy this one...,
By
This review is from: Neverwinter Nights Collector's Edition (CD-ROM)
I loved the original version of NWN so badly that when I found out that Infogames was releasing a Collectors Edition, I sold my old copy and bought this one!!! First off:1) The game itself ROCKS! I mean, it's the best RPG on the market - period. And this is due to the single player campaign, the online modules and support, etc..The only other RPG's that compares to this are perhaps Diablo2 or Dungeon Seige The poster of Aribeth de Tylmarande is a)sexy b)huge c)it's made out of CANVAS - not paper. Now how {great}is that? 3) The artbook is a work of art itself. The only beef I have with this artbook is that it's softcover.But the content more than makes up for it. This is one book I will keep beside me in my "Geek Room" as I like to call my computer room! 4) The music CD is awesome enough. It's real primal, as the box describes it. 5) The game CD's themselves come in a custom DVD case - much better than these paper sleeves they're putting game CD's in these days... 6) The shirt [is great]First off, it comes in an awesome "stainless steel" bag with the NWN "Eye" on it. Next, the T itself is sooo cool. It kind of reminds me of the old "heavy-metal" T's from the 1980's. 7) The box itself is a masterpiece - I mean, what hormonal male geek doesn't like Aribeth de Tylmarande, elfchick-to-die-for? This is one gamebox you will be keeping. 8) the game manual is the same one that comes with the original game... That's it.
19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A real review,
By
This review is from: Neverwinter Nights Collector's Edition (CD-ROM)
Aren't you tired of reviews where people just say, "this is awesome," or, "I love this game!" Or, how about the ones where the game isn't even out yet, and people are rating it with 5 stars and saying, "I haven't seen it, but it will be great!" Well, here is some information you can actually use. I have owned the game for a couple of weeks now. I was waiting to write until I had played it for several hours. I am an avid gamer and love games like Baldur's Gate 2 and Diablo 2. If you are looking for another BG2, this really isn't it. It's probably as close as you can get, but plays somewhat different. It looks similar and the graphics are great, but it is not as huge as BG2. You can only have one "henchman" and your summoned/familiars with you, where you could have five others + familiars in BG2. That makes it a little easier to manage your party. The characters, enemies and quests are good, but the overall story-line isn't as intriguing as BG2. Again, don't expect this to be another expansion for BG2, as there will be a short adjustment period. However, if you like games of this ilk and are just looking for a good overall gaming experience, I highly recommend it. The best thing about the game is its expandability. There is a 40hr. expansion due this spring and another this summer, not to mention the toolset which allows you to make your own world. I don't know if I will ever make an interesting module, but others have, and they can be downloaded from the net. Don't let the fact that this game is smaller than BG2 deter you, since expansions could potentially make it even bigger. I do not know D&D rules except from computer gaming, so I cannot tell you how 3E rules translate in NWN. As far as the collector's edition goes, I got it on sale (50% off) and that made it worthwhile. If I had to pay full price, I would stick to the regular edition and save my money for expansions. It comes with a couple of nice things (the box is probably the best part), but the game is really all you need. Unless you are just a huge fan of the game and actually "collect" special editions, or you just have a ton of money to spend, get the regular one. If you shop around (ebay, gamespot, etc.) you should find it for under $... Overall, it is a really fun game with great graphics and infinite expandability. Well worth trying.
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Realistic review from avid D&D GM and computer gamer,
By "thereaperd" (Elk Grove, CA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Neverwinter Nights Collector's Edition (CD-ROM)
I have played and GMed D&D games for about 10 years now and have been a computer gamer since I was a kid. I have also completed the game all of the way through twice with different character classes.Of all the D&D computer games I have played, this one has far been the best. For those who are not used to rotating camera angles, this game can take some getting used to. Try the different camera options in the settings panel if you are not comfortable with it in a day. The games overall graphics are great. The character models are not a strong as they could be but, they get the job done. Storyline is interesting and fun for 1 player. For multi-player it is better is you are playing either with someone you know or someone you meet that is interesting. I found that playing in or near the same room where you can have running commentary the best. For those from the tabletop game, this has the closest implementation on 3rd edition rules that I have seen. There have been some modifications to make it fit better in the video game environment but these have been for the better from what I have experienced. Overall, this has been a great game and I recommend it to anyone that loves computer RPG's - even if your not really a fan of D&D (or have no idea what I'm talking about when I say D&D). For the special edition, if you like art and extra features, this kit is for you. If all you want is the game, save your money and get the standard because this has nothing extra for you. I hope you found this useful. 2115|RD5FJT2O2ICCD;2115|R3KBETYZGBU28D;2115|R2S1CZ247BAH0O;
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