Neverwinter Nights 2: Vault Reviews NWN 2

NW Vault has announced a series of reviews of the myriad aspects of NWN 2. Starting with an overall review by Berliad:

As you can see, I have mixed feelings about the official campaign. I had a great time in the second and third acts, but the first act was, at times, hard to sit through. But even the first act had some great moments, which made it worth playing. Furthermore, the game engine itself works well, offers spectacular visuals, improved rules, and the toolset provides opportunities for our community modders to take their craft to a new level. As a whole, I'm thrilled with the product Obsidian has delivered, and very encouraged by the support that they and Atari have been able to provide the community thus far. With ongoing support from a team of programmers and designers dedicated to this product, there's every reason to think that Neverwinter Nights 2 will be an outstanding platform around which our community can thrive for years to come.

Final Score: 7.71

On the heels of the overall review is a review of the toolset (first of many to come) by Adam Miller:

I've been using the toolset for a long time and it's difficult to properly review it. Things that drive some folks nuts I probably don't notice anymore due to workarounds and simply getting used to things. On the other hand, things that once seemed miraculous are now ordinary. Making an exterior and painting terrain was incredibly cool once, but now is merely yet another task along the way to making a game.

Fortunately, the toolset seems to be quite effective at making games for NWN2. A few tasks are still slower than I'd like, such as working with scripts, but have improved considerably since launch. Creating areas is slow, simply due to the huge flexibility available. When I can place individual pillows every which way and tint them to my heart's content, it's difficult to know where to stop. Making areas easily takes ten times longer than NWN. The good part is that the results can be stunning and I don't have the feeling of monotony I had with NWN.

Head over to see the rest of both.