Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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77 of 89 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
Perhaps Obsidian/Atari should finish the game before releasing a "Gold" edition..., June 11, 2008
Fun:3.0 out of 5 stars
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.
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13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Your Mileage May Vary, August 24, 2008
Fun:5.0 out of 5 stars
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.
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19 of 23 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
Alas, the other reviewers are right, June 29, 2008
Fun:2.0 out of 5 stars
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.
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