So I picked up Neverwinter Nights 2. Right off the bat here is Gamespot’s Review. They peg it pretty good. Here are some action screenshots:
While I could never ever finish the first Neverwinter Nights original campaign (and I’ve tried many times) this time out it’s a different story. So far the campaign has been very enjoyable. It will remind you at times of the Baldur’s Gate games. But most often it will seem very similar to Knights of the Old Republic II. Which may have something to do with the fact that both games were developed by Obsidian Entertainment.
The biggest problem is the AI (Artificial intelligence). Jesus the AI is bad. The AI is best explained by this post by Plastickiwi in the Something Awful Forums:
Party: Gavick the bard, Casavir the paladin, Shandra the fighter, Sand the elven wizard and Neeshka the tiefling rogue.
Gavick: OK, stand still, shitfuckers. We’re all hurt already because Herbie the Elf here decided to Fireball us in the back during that last encounter….
Sand: My tactics were sound! Fireball is my Best Spell ™!
Gavick: Cast Dispel Magic on yourself; I think you’re Feebleminded.
Sand: Nay, my mind is keen as a rapier!
Gavick: If you say so. Shandra, why are you fighting with no weapons?
Shandra: It seemed like the thing to do at the time.
Gavick: No, that’s the way they fight in the Bizarro Forgotten Realms, where the object is to fail your mission and die. Put your sword in your hand … no, the other way….
Shandra: Ooh, shiny!
Gavick: Whatever. Where’s Neeshka?
Shandra: I think she’s ahead of us.
Gavick: Oh, fuck. Follow Me! Follow Me!
Neeshka: Hey, I brought back all the guys in that room like you wanted. They look pretty pissed.
Gavick: So am I.
[Enemies pour into the hallway. Sand runs into the space next to Neeshka, blocking the fighters behind him.]
Sand: Now you will fall before my … ouch … my power of … ouch, ouch, stop hitting me!
Gavick: Defensive Casting, clowndick!
Neeska: Oooh, if you’d just let me … ouch … reload my … ouch … crossbow….
Gavick: Use your short sword! Pull back! Pull back!
Casavir: Now I shall save the day by increasing everyone’s saving throws with a well-timed spell!
Gavick: Didn’t pack any healing spells, by any chance?
Casavir: No. Why would I do that?
Gavick: Silly me. Incoming!
[The enemy caster throws an Entangle. The party is (further) trapped.]
Sand: My arcane might shall … ouch … ouch …. But I’m a wizard in the Forgotten Realms!
[Sand dies.]
Gavick: The only thing you Forgot was the rules, lickmeat.
Neeska: I could use a heal … I see a long tunnel with hellfire at the end….
Gavick: Go into it.
[Neeska dies.]
Casavir: I shall avenge my fallen comrades! I … um, can’t move.
Shandra: It’s a spell! We’re … entangled, somehow.
Gavick: [emotes “smacks his forehead”]
[Enemy caster rains fiery death upon the party.]
Casavir: Gods!
Shandra: Save us, Gavick!
Gavick: Already did. [hits Quickload]
Thus ends today’s exciting adventure of the Company of the Short Bus! Tomorrow, Shandra wrestles with the difficult concept of fractions, and Neeshka learns to tie her shoes like a big person!
Now they patch the AI up and we have ourselves a damn good RPG. Give me some stuff from Baldur’s Gate like formations and better control of the AI and we have a great RPG. Till then it’s a nice game that is much better than the first Neverwinter Nights in terms of the original campaign.
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Beautiful Review!
To go further in-depth based on your review I’ve decided that three specific additions to the game would fix all of the issues in Neverwinter Nights 2.
1. Free-floating camera that doesn’t have to center on the character. [BG style, maybe with some zoom]
2. Fog of war in *every* map (the cities lack it.) [BG style]
3. Ignoring buggy-by-nature follow-the-leader pathfinding and implementing the ability to select all/some of your members and move them as desired with formations. [BG style]
Boom, game fixed. All companion AI is suddenly unnecessary, all camera modes currently implemented are unnecessary, all follow-the-leader pathfinding is unnecessary… All of the major complaints are addressed.
They took the implemented; yet, player ignored options within Baldur’s Gate, tossed them in the game.. then left out the game-saving features that would prevent the gameplay from being so frustrating! They… were… so… close… :(((
At this point I don’t even want to finish the game.
TBH I would reinstall and play BG2: Shadows of Amn if I didn’t play it to death over four years ago…
Oblivion is a better game than this due to better gameplay mechanics, and Oblivion is Baldur’s bitch!
Ok, thanks again for writing the review. :)
Yeah I’m pretty much on hold till a patch or a fan made mod adds these things to the game. It’s a shame they completely ignored some of these things that made Baldur’s Gate so good.
It’s lazy and they obviously only were wanting to cash in on the holiday buying.
Beta Patch 1.02 to 1.03
Hurray:
Rest of the patch notes here.