Neverwinter Nights: Hordes of the Underdark

"A Worthy Expansion Pack to Neverwinter Nights"

As I have stated before in my previous two reviews for Neverwinter Nights (NWN, and Shadows of Undrentide), I am not an all knowing D&D fan, nor do I know about all the rules, and details and terms and what not. With that said, I have played both Neverwinter Nights and the first expansion pack, Shadows of Undrentide (SoU), and enjoyed them thoroughly. The second expansion pack, Hordes of the Underdark, is no exception. To be blunt, it's an excellent expansion pack to a great RPG. I found the previous expansion pack to be quite lacking, however, Hordes of the Underdark (HotU) is quite redeeming.

Story: 8/10

The story of HotU picks up right from where SoU left off, but ties in much more closely to the first games core story. You can either create a new character, or continue an old one. The basic storyline is that the city of Waterdeep is in trouble and is under attack by the Drow. Basically, it's nothing we haven't seen before, especially in the previous two games, but there are a lot of side quests that make the game interesting, and a lot of characters that were player favorites from both previous games are in this one. Also, your character will be starting out at level 15, and you will be given the choice of leveling up manually, or letting the computer do it for you. Also, the game takes place as mostly a ''dungeon crawl'' which means there aren't any outdoor/forest kind of areas.

Gameplay: 8/10

It is the same as the previous two games, but this time the new additions to the game are pretty cool, and are much more worthwhile than SoU's.

Expansion Pack Add-Ons: 8/10

-5 new prestige classes (Shapeshifter, Red Dragon Disciple, Weapon Master, Dwarven Defender, and Champion of Torm)
-new spells (about 40 new ones)
-new feats (about 50 new ones)
-new tilesets
-new creatures
-more camera options
-new level cap (up to level 40!)
-new epic levels, spells, and feats
-new heads and voice packs
-new abilities, ie - crafting your own weapons and armor, including magical enchantments
-and of course, new weapons, armors, and even the new addition of robes for clothing

There are probably some other things I forgot to mention, but HotU's new additions are really cool and make NWN an even better experience. Where SoU's additions were quite lackluster, HoU's additions exceed. The newer prestige classes are also much more worthwhile this time (and unlike in SoU's prestige classes, you don't necessarily have to be an evil alignment). The new level cap is also a very, very nice new addition. You are no longer limited to level 20, but now to level 40. Once you get past level 20, your character can gain special ''epic spells and feats'' that make you more powerful. Another subtle, but very nice, addition is the newer camera option. You can now lower the camera to a behind the head view, if you so desire. The camera isn't nearly as limited as it used to be. You can also now craft different weapons and armors to make yourself look more appropriate to your tastes. Sometimes its expensive as hell though and not worth it, but its there. You can also now enchant weapons with magical effects, if you have a skill to do so.

Overall, HotU's new additions really make the NWN experience a lot better. While SoU did have some good new features, they just weren't all that interesting or useful. This is where HotU rises above SoU. It's new additions really make the experience feel new and different, whereas SoU was basically the same NWN game with just a few mediocre additions. But both expansion packs together make one excellent package.

Graphics: 8/10

They updated the graphics quite a bit, and the game will now require a heftier graphics card (A GeForce 4 I believe) to run properly. But this is sort of a let down, because the graphics are still basically the same, and the engine itself is a little bit dated. Regardless though, the graphics still look pretty good, and especially with the new spell effects.

Sound/Audio: 9/10

I love the music in this game. In last years SoU, there was a different composer I believe (which isn't a bad thing, mind you), but the ones who did the music in the original NWN are back in HotU, and it is really pleasing to the ears and sets the overall mood of the game. However, just like in the previous two games, the music can get awkwardly loud at times. Easily fixable, but still a slight nuisance. Just like in both the previous two NWN games, the voice overs, when used, are done marvelously. However, the game still has loads and loads of text to read, which isn't necessarily a bad thing, but it can, and does, grow tedious.

Replay Value: varies

The replay value is just like the previous games, which is usually quite high assuming you like the game. Going through the campaigns as different character classes will have you coming back, and multiplayer is pretty limitless with new and different modules to download.

Final Thoughts

If you liked NWN, there's no reason why you shouldn't pick this one up. If you liked SoU, or like me - was disappointed in it, HotU is wonderful, and is the expansion pack SoU should have been like. With that said, I'd like to make one more statement regarding the two expansion packs. You do not need SoU in order to play HotU, but if you only buy HotU you will not get any of the additions that SoU comes with (like the prestige classes, feats, etc) HotU also picks up where SoU left off in the campaign, and returning characters from that expansion pack are in this one. So in a sense, HotU makes SoU worth purchasing, but overall HotU is the better expansion pack, and if you like Neverwinter Nights, Hordes of the Underdark is definitely a worthwhile purchase.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 12/28/03