Neverwinter Nights

"Bioware has finally done Multiplayer Gaming Right"

To be honest, I was not anticipating the launch of this game and really have not been following up on it too much. Bioware + Multiplaying do not go hand in hand in my book. Although I LOVE the Baldur's Gate and Icewind Dale series of games, they never were done properly in terms of multiplaying and therefore, I played them strictly in Single Player modes. Neverwinter Nights has proven that Bioware is and always will be, the most innovative RPG developer. They set the bar for everything RPG related and I feel they always manage to perfect it.

Presentation: 9.0 / 10
I do enjoy the small boxes that most games come in now, but please do not use them if you are forced to put the gaming cd's in those paper sleeves rather than a case. Main complaint is that I received this via Fedex and the paper slips for the cd's were all crumbled when they were shipped (this could have damaged the cd). I probably would not have noticed this if I purchased it in the store. However, for those that do not have the game, this manual is great. Beautiful manual separated in a few sections that goes over how to play, how to be a DM, the construction kit, and all about the game itself (storyline, spells, etc..). Included is also a cloth map of the land which is very nice to have but it should have been placed into a plastic bag or container to avoid it from being wrinkled in the box.

Installation is also done properly where once it is done you can simply run the configuration for the game and it will load you up with the proper settings you need to play it at an optimal performance. Video and Sound have a wide variety of customization and it is done very well to be able to simply disable certain features to speed up the game (and boy does this game run fast even on low end machines).

The menu system is also may be a bit awkward at first, but after a few minutes you will realize how well done it really is. The quickbar is by far my favorite thing since you have 12 quickbar buttons (F1 - F12) and if you hold down CTRL and press one of them, it is another 12 quickbar buttons and if you hold down SHIFT and press one of them it is yet another 12! Simply magnificient and it is very easy to remember what goes where since you will be playing this for hours at a time.

Graphics: 8.5 / 10
Graphics were simply beautiful and are the best graphics yet for an RPG. As always, all minor detail was taken care of as usual by our friends at Bioware and really made this game shine. Of course, it is not anything you have not seen before but because the game is so detailed, the engine is just a tad dated to where some of the newer games are. They simply sacrificed the gaming experience for graphics which nobody should complain about. 8.5 is very high for an RPG's graphics and even though I thought Baldur's Gate II was beautiful, it would be a lot lower than 8.5 if it was released today.

Sound: 9.5 / 10
Character voices and sound effects sound beautiful on my 5.1 surround sound speaker system. Everything is crystal clear and really takes full advantange of all higher end sound systems. This completed the roleplay experience for me.

Music: 9.5 / 10
The music is simply in two words, elegant & epic. One thing all pen & paper games are missing, is obviously music. Sure you can picture your character thrusting his rapier through the heart of some orc but you cannot begin to imagine the victorious music that would be played when you do so.

Gameplay: 10 / 10
Character creation is far superior to any game to date. There is so much you can edit and change in the character creation it makes multiplaying that much better since you will very doubtfully find someone who has the same character, or someone similar to your own. The storyline is very detailed and will get you and your character wrapped up into what is happening with all the sidequests to boot.

One important thing to realize is that this is not something you have seen before. While it does have some similarities to the Baldur's Gate series, it is very different and in a good way. The solo experience is much different due to the fact that you control just one person, your own character. You can hire someone at a local tavern of sorts to accompany you on your adventures and it is a lot different than having a 6 person party to venture forth with, you will just be accompanied by that one person you hire. Unless of course you are multiplaying. This will make the game much more challenging because you will have to pick someone well suited for the task that lay ahead. If you are a very powerful wizard, you might want to bring along a Fighter of sorts to help fend the enemies off while you are casting spells. Or if you are venturing into a very dangerous dungeon, a rogue may help so you do not spring a trap that could kill you and your companion.

Multiplaying, this game was done just right. While it is not an MMORPG, it has a lot of advantages of not being one. It is more like Diablo in terms of multiplaying environment but mixes things up very nicely to make it a true RPG. It is quite a feat to make a multiplaying RPG that has an in-depth storyline like Baldur's Gate since you will be joining games where you might have missed part of the storyline or some players might just want to run around killing things. In Neverwinter Nights, this was done properly by setting up multiple types of games. Some of the multiplayer gametypes that are categorized as RPG, move along slower and are meant for people to really get into the game roleplaying wise. Where as, some others are setup as Action to make thing move along a lot faster.

If you have a guild in some online game or simply a group of friends (perhaps ones you actually have played pen & paper D&D with) you really would benefit to playing online with them on a regular basis as this would be the best best thing since ... well since pen and paper D&D.

The dungeon master aspect really makes this game shine. The game is already great without it but this just is the icing on the cake and is why I gave it a 10 / 10. Someone will have a blast playing dungeon master (more like God actually) who will be able to view everybody traveling through the current module (module is what a game map you are playing on is called and is also what all chapters are called) and can do anything he wants at will. If we have a party of 4 adventures going forth to destroy a group of trolls that have been terrorizing a local town, and those adventures are tearing them to shreads too easily, our dungeon master can simply decide that it would be a great time for a fiery red dragon to swoop from the skies breathing a ploom of fire on our 4 powerful adventurers charring them to a crisp. Things like this make the game very fun to play and very fun to be the dungeon master. The dungeon master has many other powers as well and can completely change the storyline at his will and fairly easily may I add. If you have a newer player in your party, the dungeon master is even able to resurrect him and give him a hand to make him feel more welcome.

Lasting Appeal: 10/10
Not many games can get a 10/10 for lasting appeal in my book. But this game easily does. The 60+ hours of gameplay are great but the Construction Kit that the game comes with really makes it a great purchase. Since there are no monthly fees people that bought the game will be hooked for months if not years to come (many people still play Baldur's Gate I/II & Icewind Dale since they have been released). The construction kit is something I will want to review on it's own because it is the most innovative and detailed one for any game I have ever seen. You can completely make your own areas and adventures where you can write storylines and even have the ability to script code in C (the programming language that the game was made in) to put anything you could imagine into this game.

Overall (Not an average): 9/10
Now this is my choice for game of the year and the only reason I cannot give it a 10/10 is because it is not a game that everybody will enjoy. This is and always will be an RPG at heart and some people simply may not like how this RPG was done, but for those faithful to the Baldur's Gate series and those out there who love RPG's, the majority will love this game for all the power the player was given to making this the most innovative RPG to date. Hopefully Bioware has an expansion in progress, while it is not needed, while this is out for months they can see what the community would like to see in the game and what they would love to have more of.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 06/22/02, Updated 06/22/02