Neverwinter Reviews
Posted Wednesday, July 17, 2002 - 17:43 CET by Mollusken

GamePen (5/5):

There’s something wonderful about gathering together with a group of friends, pulling out the dice and rulebooks, and having an evening of role-playing goodness. Maybe it’s the fact that, together, you’re creating a story, each person adding their own personal touches to the tale, spinning an ever-changing, ever-growing yarn. Maybe it’s the social aspect of hanging out with like-minded individuals. Or maybe it’s all about rattling those little plastic polyhedrons for hours on end. In any case, computer role-playing games have never been able to capture that feeling of a truly organic world, one that can be tweaked on the fly by a talented game master to cater to the whims of the individual players. Computer RPGs have been static things, puzzles to be solved and quests to be conquered, instead of stories to be told. But now comes a game that offers a huge step forward in bridging that gap between pencil-and-paper and keyboard-and-mouse.

Loadedinc (9/10):

I found it impossible to sit down and play the game for less than three hours at a time. The gameplay combined with the sheer size of some areas usually wound up taking that long just to complete. Not only that, but the inclusion of the Aurora Toolset has intrigued me to create my own modules, providing increased replayability. Also, the variety of character classes, feats, spells, henchman, and multiplayer component make this game highly desirable in the replay value column.

As far as comparisons, this game is a lot like Planescape: Torment, but more focused on battle than doing mindless chores for others. I highly recommend this game to any role-playing game fan. [Persuade] This is a must-have for Dungeons & Dragons table-top role-playing fans.

SpinXero (A-):

Neverwinter Nights has definitely succeeded in raising the bar for RPGs, and while it might not appeal to everyone(specifically those who like to have a full party at their disposal) the masses will be more than happy with this game. The toolset will ensure that the game will be around for a long time to come and hopefully in further patches the pathing issues can be resolved. The engrossing single player story, the large amounts of side quests, the customizable characters all ensure that even die hard fans will find something to keep them happy.

Game Rankings (94/100):

Then I hopped online and invited some other gamers to share my creation. It was pretty sparse at first, but it's grown since then. I now DM my own story, sending players through dungeons and giving them rewards, challenges, and a story to explore.

Buy Neverwinter Nights. The single player campaign is good enough for most of us… but the toolset and ability do DM your very own game makes this game one of the most revolutionary games in history.

The Gaming Lounge (5/5):

atmosphere succeeds in getting you involved in the game. I used a GeForce4 card and had full details and all the bells and whistles switched on. Fireballs lit up corridors as they raced to fry Trolls, torches cast different shadows on your character and the water "reflects" light. One disappointing thing (as with Dungeonsiege) is the camera doesnt get low enough to the ground so you can really see what your new armour looks like on your character or see further along into the forest for Orcs with large clubs.

The Trades (A+):

My grade for this game reflects on the important things that Neverwinter Nights has achieved by bringing the richness of D&D gaming and stories to the PC, something that every game that has come before has failed to do in one way or another. It is somewhat disappointing that Bioware was not able to meet the level of graphics optimization that Dungeon Siege did as well as the no loading ability of that game. It is unfortunate for gamers to have to feel as if they are taking a slight step backwards when playing the game, because it is such a superior game in nearly every other aspect. This game is one to keep your eyes on even if you find the original campaign lacking in some way. The community is huge and hungry for quality module productions, especially after what many felt was a disappointing release of community tools and features from Dungeon Siege. The intricate game mechanics of Neverwinter Nights is a wonderful system for people to build their worlds upon. Diablo II had a rich environment filled with unique items and complex calculations that people could strive to combine into the best character they could.