MaximumPC 2006 12

reviewsTes Ted. Reviewed. veRdic Tized

96 MAXIMUMPC december 2006

I

s it simple human greed that makes us

want more than one life to live? Whether

escaping into books, movies, or video

games, we as a species spend an enormous

amount of time absorbed in fictional realms.

Neverwinter Nights became the stuff of user-

modification legend, offering an arduous

main quest, retail expansions, and innumer-

able top-drawer community-created adven-

tures. By all rights, its sequel should be a

controlled substance.

Like the Dungeons & Dragons v3.5 mod-

ules it emulates, this slab of latent addiction is

crafted as elaborate forking fiction rather than

free-roaming alternate reality. While there are

plenty of optional side quests, travel is restrict-

ed to markings on the world map. There’s

tremendous freedom in building and leveling

your avatar, thanks to an array of races, char-

acter classes, and abilities, but the world your

party is thrust into isn’t so easily manipulated.

What you lose in freedom, however, you gain

in meaning. The main story might begin too

traditionally—a foster child raised in a small

burg becomes the unwitting target of powerful

unseen forces—and it takes its time gathering

a head of steam, but the authorial control that

guides more than 60 hours of gameplay gives

your actions weight, whether you tirelessly

serve justice, exploit the weak, or vacillate

from one extreme to the other. Every character

has its own attitude, ambitions, and approach;

and keeping the gang happy is sometimes

more challenging than keeping everyone alive.

Faerûn’s landscape and spell effects are

lovely, with trees

that wave in the

wind, fireballs that

explode in bril-

liant flashes, and a

menagerie of nasty

beasts to cut down

in intricate real-

time combat that

can be paused at

any time. Interiors

are still based on

tile sets, but the

variety of fixtures and detritus

that litter the requisite dank

tombs and inns keep locations

from feeling prefabricated, as

they did in the previous game.

Unfortunately, for all the barrels,

chests, and crates piled about,

precious few are interactive, sap-

ping some appeal from exploring

every corner of the world. When a

mage lets loose a fiery inferno in

a troublemaker’s home, the invul-

nerable surroundings damage the

world’s credibility.

As good as it looks, and as

enjoyable as it is to craft your

own armor, weapons, potions,

and other goodies, the equipped

items could be more visually

interesting. Even powerful items

often look plain and unexciting, and seeing

only your shoulder pads change color when

equipping new armor takes some

of the thrill out of collecting loot.

This might be a more realistic

depiction of medieval flavor, but

it’s just not as satisfying seeing

a lowly Harborman grow from

barely clothed newbie to gleaming

engine of destruction.

At its core, Neverwinter Nights

2 is interactive theater: Nobody

can act in contravention of the

script’s predetermined branches,

and the scenery has to survive for

the following show. The single-

player experience is long and

satisfying, a slew of multiplayer

options ensure your friends can

get in on the action, and you can

bet your enchanted long sword there’ll be

countless first-class adventures constructed

with the powerful free tools included. It’s not

without flaws, but the sheer gameplay value

here is enormous, and if you’re a fan of old-

school RPG story-telling, Neverwinter Nights 2

will keep you adventuring for a good long time.

—Cameron Lewis

Neverwinter Nights 2

Raising the curtain on the exhausting next chapter

of a D&D saga

it might seem like an attack of the clones, as enemies tend to look

alike, but fights are almost always a blast to watch.

You’d never see a hometown this vibrant and lush

without Neverwinter Nights 2’s new graphics engine.

$50, http://www.nwn2.com, ESRB: T

neverwinter nights 2

LawfuL good

60-plus hour campaign;

excellent creation toolset;

huge replay value.

ChaotiC eviL^8

Largely sterile non-interactive

environments; minor camera

trees and grass wave in the wind, and water laps at and cohort management issues.

your heels. faerûn has never looked this good.