Neverwinter Nights 2: IGN's First Impressions

IGN has posted their early impressions of NWN 2:

While there is a choice on the player's part regarding which path to follow, the path is linear once chosen. We have yet to encounter any kind of open-ended wandering to discover new quests, though this may in fact open up as we continue through the game. So far, each map area has been fairly small in terms of explorable area. It's generally just a path with a beginning and end. Even in Neverwinter, there aren't all that many side quests to pick up. We're not saying there aren't side quests, but there just don't seem to be that many. Also, the side quest goals so far are almost unavoidable as you follow the path prescribed by the main quest. The game seems more focused on the main narrative that opening up and letting the player roam the countryside in search of new adventures. We're still waiting to acquire our own stronghold, however, and like we said before, the game could open up at some point. Even if it doesn't, it's still been a lot of fun to play through so far.

All this said, we're having a much better time with Neverwinter Nights 2's single player mode than its predecessor's. It's a lot more involved and more strategic due to the fully controllable and equippable party members, and overall more interesting in terms of what happens. It's also more dynamic, shifting the player between different settings regularly. If you're one of those gamers looking to delve into an enjoyable single player experience on your PC, this is a good choice so far. We'll have to check out more of the game to get a better idea of how things turn out.