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Reviews: NeverWinter Nights
NeverWinter Nights
Developer: BioWare
Publisher: Atari
Genre: Fantasy
Released: 6/18/02
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NeverWinter Nights - Div Devlin (07-15-02)
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| Having Fun, Looting the Castle! |
Ok. I admit it. I'm a gaming dork. In about the sixth grade Maestro called me up one early Sunday morning and told me to come by. His Uncle was going to introduce us to this cool game we had been hearing a lot about called Dungeons and Dragons. I rushed over. The kitchen table had been converted into this simplistic diorama of dominos (representing the walls of a dungeon) and little lead figurines, which served as our playing pieces. About an hour into it after a brief explanation of what our characters could and could not do, we encountered the dreaded black pudding. This oozing mass of dark substance thought I was a meal. My fighter swung valiantly with his sword, slicing into the creature, dividing it into multiple parts. All bent on eating me, which it did, as I slowly melted away.
I was hooked. A year later, a new comic shop had opened in the neighborhood saying that they hosted weekly Dungeons and Dragon games by experienced Game Masters, I was all over it. Maestro and I would truck down their every Saturday morning spending the day gaming, into which became our hobby. As more of the guys in the hood became involved, our parties grew. Then over time, the comic shop had closed, but we continued to play on. Continuing with our weekly gatherings, we would game twelve hours a day once a week with some of the greatest campaigns we had the experience of taking part in.
As all good things of youth, eventually everyone has to grow up. Our group of childhood friends who continued to play weekly sessions moved onto monthly sessions, and then departed altogether as careers, marriages, families took over. Once a year we would still get together to go to GenCon and keep in touch with each other over new games and trends, until eventually we would only reminiscence about the glory days gone by.
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| The Oldest Profession! |
Then I was introduced to this quiet little game hosted on America Online called NeverWinter Nights developed by SSI. It was based off the gold box edition of their other Dungeons and Dragon games, and I became addicted. Within this game up to four hundred players could interact in a living, electronically breathing persistent world. This put the “Living Cities” which were toured around the country to shame. Each day you could log in and fine some new development, which had changed the political-landscape of the lands, as guilds rose up or were put down. Quests hosted by the staff, players fighting to the death. It was endless. Then, America Online shut it down. A community was lost, their home ripped away.
Fast forward and rumor's began to surface that BioWare had acquired the rights to the NeverWinter Nights name, and after the success of the Balder's Gate series was working on the NwN title. A communities hopes rose up, after being exposed to Ultima Online and EverQuest that a new MMOG based on the original NeverWinter Nights game using the Dungeons and Dragons rules system was in the works. This could be the Holy Grail to gaming that many had been searching for, and if anyone could do it, BioWare had a proven track record so far.
The community flocked, as well as others to BioWare seeking news and information, guilds long passed resurfaced, and names all but forgotten from the Forgotten Realms of America Online were returning starved for information and a home where the community could once more be itself. BioWare quickly shut that down. Eventually revealing more information about what the new NeverWinter Nights would be. Some became dejected and left, while others actually took note and listened.
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| I hate spiders, even in games! |
We were given NeverWinter Nights by BioWare, something unexpected and the truest conversion for paper gaming to the computer. I was some what jaded as I loaded the game onto my PC, three disks total, two alone for installation, but as I hit the play button everything changed. I was ready to hit the roller with an ample supply of java, as I would have to wait hours to get the perfect stats to take up my profession of choice. This is where the first surprise hit me.
Character Generation. Using the newest edition of the Dungeons and Dragons rule-set all the bad pain was taken away. As I began clicking through the options I had selected my gender, my race (which even allows you to create your very own sub-race), one of eleven starting classes, your traditional alignment values, and then onto kit selection, which they call packages. Specialized professions based on your class of choice. Assign profieciencies, attire yourself and into the game you go, with your character already equipped with starting items based on your previous selections.
Within minutes you are inside the lands of NeverWinter introduced to the training academy where your character starts out with the built in campaign giving you a tutorial that takes just the appropriate amount of time to teach you the basics you need to interact with the games simple interface. As you begin wandering around you will become astounded by the graphics engine built from the Aurora toolset in which you see shimmering particle effects, light reflections and shadows, especially if you play a spell caster. It just rocks. Animations move fluidly and do not stutter, adding just the right touch of realism in movements.
When they touted the graphics engine, they did so knowing they were not making empty promises. Although, the swinging camera motion can take some time getting used to, they allow you to lock your camera view so that you do not need to become frustrated with dizziness. No need for Dramamine here!
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| But, Mummy Dearest... |
Moving into combat and adventuring, another surprise comes up as the game allows you to make “Attacks of Opportunity” based on your class and special abilities. Mid way through my first combat, I was able to put my weapons away and chug a potion, no need to pause the game, and map out actions, as everything can be hot keyed to your task bar. I still died in my first major encounter. Unlike titles of the past, you can only have one henchman to assist you in various objectives as well as a pet. In each section of the included campaign you are going to need different henchman for different tasks. As you advance in levels, you may also be eligible for a pet that can aid you as well bringing your adventuring party to three.
As the sun was rising the next morning, I had realized I spent the entire night so enrapt with NwN I had forsaken sleep and had become addicted. There are no huge disappointments with the game play, and alone the included campaign offers over 60 hours of continuous play including side quests, which are enjoyable. Some even with humor!
Moving to the DM Toolset, BioWare has given the individual the necessary items to begin crafting your own homegrown campaigns to share with others. Using a simple click and drag interface you have no need to be an advanced degree holder in programming as you begin crafting your own campaigns one items at a time. Already players have begun announcing their campaigns in the making and several available for download. I was upset that the release did not have the venerable Kobolds or Medusa within, but they do have plans for continued support as more tile-sets, creatures, and scripts become available.
I have plans to begin hosting campaigns with the guys I grew up with as we get the game, and return to the days of our youth reliving some of our greatest adventures with the characters we had played. And just like Dungeon magazine, if your need to toss up a module to run your group through for an upcoming play session, just incorporate one of the player generated modules for share.
While NeverWinter Nights may not of been the Holy Grail we were looking for, there is no doubt that fantasy based PC games will ever be able to match the creation unleashed by BioWare as the game gives unlimited re-playability. This has to be the best game of the year, and probably the next two years, leading a new generation of games in the market.
Discuss: Send me modules!
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