Neverwinter Nights 2: Trusted Reviews: NWN 2 Scores 8/10

Trusted Reviews has put their review of Neverwinter Nights 2 up for reader perusal today. Scoring the game 8/10, the review is quite positive:

In other words, NWN2 is slightly old-fashioned, fairly complex and demanding, and it's not even immediately accessible. It'll be three or four hours in before it really registers that you're actually enjoying it. What's worse, there are still odd issues with crazy AI and lousy pathfinding, and - until patched - my copy had a horribly tendency to crash out during area transitions or while saving. Why bother?

For the TPG faithful, the answer's too easy: because NWN2 is the sort of game that can immerse you in a world and hold you there for hour after hour. Even if this is the last of the dinosaurs, it sits near the pinnacle of their evolution. For one thing, Obsidian seem to understand the genre inside out. They know how an RPG should develop, starting off small and slowly offering a taste of greater powers. You hit a few dungeons, make a few friends, glimpse a few enemies, and before long you feel involved in larger affairs. Guess what - you're hooked. What are those evil-looking shadow priests up to? What is this mysterious shard that you're carrying? What will happen when you take it to Neverwinter? Why not carry on playing for a few more hours (make that days) and find out?

And finally:

Is this the last of a dying breed? Maybe, but it's going out not with a gasp, but with a song. NWN2 is a reminder of all that was once good about the classic RPG, and what will continue to be good while this game and its community lasts. It's not a game for everyone, but if you loved the old-school D&D epics and mourn their passing, then this is the best wake you could imagine.

Verdict

Defiantly old-school, the single-player campaign is a superb example of the classic RPG. And with the tools and the community behind it, there's no reason why it can't be something more.