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Neverwinter Nights 2 Expansion Pack: Mask of the Betrayer Review (continued)
More User Submitted Neverwinter Nights 2 Expansion Pack: Mask of the Betrayer Reviews
Date: 2007-10-26
Buyer beware!
I have played and enjoyed Neverwinter Nights 2, so I was looking forward to this expansion. First of all, I need to point out that it does not come on PC CD-ROM, as Amazon advertises--the only PC version is DVD-ROM.
After I installed the game, the first thing I noticed is that the camera is much harder to control--a real challenge. Graphics are somewhat improved, and the occasional jerkiness of the animations in the original game have been corrected.
But (and this is a BIG but) the Mask of the Betrayer expansion messed up the original install of my game! As the expansion provides new starting options, I designed a new character to play from the beginning. When I reached a critical plot point early in chapter 1, the game refused to acknowledge that I had achieved the goal needed to proceed. Loading an old saved game from later on in the story, I found more game-stopping bugs that had not existed before. I uninstalled the game, thinking to just reinstall the original MWN 2, but that game will no longer install properly. As a result, I cannot play any version of the game now (and my computer more than meets the specs for optimal performance).
My advice is this--don't risk the expansion until you have are thoroughly played out using the original campaign!
Date: 2007-10-22
Some differences between the original
Let me start off by saying that I was... am a big fan of Neverwinter Nights 2. Great storyline, cliffhanger ending. I looked forward to this expansion.
The storyline here continues on where the NWN2 left off. You wake up in a strange land on the other side of the continent from where you ended NWN2. There is no trace of your allies from that game, and you have a gaping wound in your chest...
The story takes off from there.
The allies/friends you gain in this new realm are intriguing. Each has their own reason for wanting to help you as well as some pretty strong powers. It's up to you to figure out how to get them to trust you enough to help them. And when they do begin to trust you, they'll share their power with you.
OK, pros and cons of the game, the stuff everyone wants to know about:
Pros - Story. Graphics.
Cons - Camera angles. They've changed the camera controls from the original NWN2. In this game there are only two camera controls that equate to "chasing camera" and "free camera" in the original NWN2. Personally, I can't really stand either. I wish they had kept the camera styles/choices from the original game.
Another con is the "plot device" that they've added. Yes, I get it. This game is for characters 18+ levels, so things are needed to balance gameplay so that you're not a god among mortals. But this... affliction they've chosen to add to the character is annoying. I know character development/stories are best when the main character is twisting on the horns of a dilemma, but this just seems contrived, as if it was added at the 11th hour. The affliction is not unlike a drug addiction. The story unfolds as you figure out what's happened to you and why.
But, all things aside, I'm enjoying this game. The story slowly unfolds where you find out little snippets of what happened to your past allies (who survived, who didn't...) as you deal with you affliction. You help your new allies with their problems and receiving their help with yours.
Much like the first game, this one starts off slowly, allowing you to get a feel for the game before things take off.
If only they'd fix the camera controls...
Date: 2007-10-21
Great expansion, somewhat annoying gameplay...
Firstly, I played this on a dual-core 2.13ghz pentium, 2gb ram with a Nvidia 8600 GTS on Vista 32-bit.
Okay, I loved the vanilla Neverwinter Nights 2 and the expansion is great in terms of storylines and the involvement with your new buddies is superb. Rather than have a variety of NPCs that travel with you following traditional race/class lines you will gain very distinct and original companions, I'd say more but I wouldn't want to spoil anything!
One of the bad things mentioned countless places is the Soul-Eater "feature" that rears its ugly head at the end of ACT I. I have mixed feelings, in that it makes the game more challenging but really detracts from your ability to explore freely, talk to NPCs because you are constantly watching your soul meter. Also, if you deviate from any extreme alignment like Chaotic Evil or Lawful Good, you are going to have a heck of a time.
The gameplay overall is fun and challenging, with a big increase in difficulty level for the fights you will have. Unless you are a melee fighter type its going to be pretty rough for you initially, especially if you don't import your 20ish level character from the original Neverwinter Nights 2 as you only start at level 18. Granted that's not a huge leap, but its enough to feel it at the beginning especially if you are a caster type character.
There isn't much of a frivolous atmosphere in Mask of the Betrayer, from the areas you visit, the NPCs you encounter and the story you traverse...everything has a sinister and dark nature to it. There are some good fights and action in this, but expect lots of dialogue, reading and choices in terms of Good and Evil.
Pros:
- Everything that was good about NWN2 and removed some of the bad!
- Great Music
- Good storyline
- Wide variety of class/race combinations
Cons:
- Spirit Eater Meter sucks
- Might be annoyingly challenging for non-imported characters/casters.
Date: 2007-10-18
I like it, except...
I was late getting Neverwinter Nights 2, and I was very happy with it. I'm running Vista with an NVIDIA 8500 graphics card, and it's super smooth. The look and feel and play of the game is great. I have to say that I haven't played any other games since I loaded this on my computer about a month ago.
For the expansion, there are some new races, new classes, new feats, new spells, and new areas to explore. These are all top notch. I love most of the game. My only real beef with the game is that they did not really stick to the 3.5 D&D rules, but came up with a different rule set where the player is cursed with a spirit energy addiction that requires feeding on the energy of spirits and undead. It forces the player to either suppress the addiction, making your character more LG, or indulge in the addiction and eventually need to kill everything that moves to live and feed your addiction. It doesn't really support LE, CG or TN alignments very well, since there is not much middle ground due to this spirit eating addiction. If you normally like to play as LG or CE, then you will love this game. I prefer more middle ground, frankly, but I still give it 4 stars. There are plenty of mods and other things available with the gaming community. After you have finished the official campaign, if you want you can download modules created by other players. Many of them are very good.
Date: 2007-10-18
Say it isn't so!
First off, let me say I was really pulling for this game. Despite the bugs that the original had, I have a solidly entertaining run through, both times I played it from start to finish. I was really looking foward to picking up my old character and making a new run through the NWN universe.
That hope quickly died as I started my first run through. I opted to create a new character, as I was anxious to take the new genasi out for a spin. A few min later my fighter/duelist walked out onto the scene. Over the next few hours I found my anger and frustration growing. First to rear it's head was AI issues, which had supposedly been worked on. My wizard buddy still loves to both overspell, and cast spell types inappropriate for the situation (ex, spell resistance in a fight with all melee types).
I also seem to be having some issues with the scaling of combat. Now, it's possible that it's because I made a new character (18) instead of importing my old one (20). I'm starting over with the import, but even so, the fights seem incredibly difficult in places. This almost makes the game unplayable.
So, I am going 3 stars because it's a blend of a 5 star plot (so far), and a 1 star implimentation.
Neverwinter Nights 2 Expansion Pack: Mask of the Betrayer Reviews Page: 6 of 7 Prev<< 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Next>>
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