Neverwinter Nights: Shadows of Undrentide

"Don't spend $30 on this expansion pack!"

If you are thinking about this expansion pack let me make it clear for you. Don\'t spend $30 dollars on this. It is completely not worth that much money. If you are really into building your own content then at most spend $20 for it, but not $30. If you only like playing through the modules then I recommend that you don\'t spend more than $15.

Simply put this expansion has a lot of flashy stuff, but when it comes to substance it is seriously lacking. I would say that this expansion contains about half of the content that bioware should have released. Frankly this expansion is mainly for the builders out there who like to make their own modules and content, because one adventure that is not as long as the first neverwinter nights campaign is not worth a whopping $30. So if you are a builder there is a lot of neat new features and content to incorporate into your adventures, but even then it is still seriously lacking. They didn\'t add enough stuff to make this expansion well worth your while. Bioware should have included, way more portraits (only a few extra included), so that you don\'t have scurry around the net trying to find one you like, for starters. They added like 5 or 6 extra portraits per race. C\'mon what is that?? Also they should have worked on including more things that builders actually want like clothes, head models, weapon and item pictures and models, and a lot more. When you consider that bioware completely ditched their whole Witches Wake project for this expansion it makes you wonder why so little content?

One important note is that this expansion comes with the latest version of the game so it nice to know that if you have to reinstall you won\'t have to spend any amount of time downloading all of the patches again.

The good thing is that the module is professionally done and is of good quality so for those who are tired of the fan-made adventures out there this is a welcome relief. It is also a bit different from before so it will seem more fresh and new. For the little that it offers it is still enjoyable and entertaining: I liken it to buying a $3 dollar pretzel in the mall. It will have lots of flavor, but it won\'t fill you up. So in the end there isn\'t a lot of bang for your buck with this expansion although it is a nice addition if you can find it at a discount.

I would definitely recommend waiting for a serious price drop on this one, or at most buying it at a sale price of no more than $20 if you are a fan of making your own adventures.

So in summary there is little bang for your buck, but the little content that it has is fun and entertaining especially if you are a builder.

Reviewer's Score: 6/10, Originally Posted: 08/06/03