NWN2: Is it Worth Getting?

[Albromor]

I have been on many gaming sites and from what I have read since the release of this RPG the opinion of NWN2 is quite divided with the negative outweighing the positive (no, I'm not trying to start a flame war).

To be honest I haven't kept up with this game much so my understanding of the playability of NWN2 may be skewed. I do remember reading a lot of frustration with the camera, the many bugs, and the fact that the games system requirements brought even high end systems to their knees.

So fast forward to April 2010. Have these issues been worked out? Is it still as demanding concerning hardware specs? I really enjoyed playing NWN1 especially their community offerings.

I am also in need of an RPG fix! I tried Drakensang but I just couldn't get into it after hours of play. It reminds me too much of D&D 3.5 P&P and its demanding character creation; one can get lost in all the details.

Thanks.

[Calaethis Dragonsbane]

Depending on how much you're willing to pay, then yes, it's worth it. I suggest you get a cheap copy of Amazon or something and give it a go. If you enjoy it, then great, if not, well, you've not lost much.

The camera isn't too bad, and I think most of the bugs have been sorted, though don't quote me on that.

[Albromor]

Originally Posted by Calaethis Dragonsbane Depending on how much you're willing to pay, then yes, it's worth it. I suggest you get a cheap copy of Amazon or something and give it a go. If you enjoy it, then great, if not, well, you've not lost much. The camera isn't too bad, and I think most of the bugs have been sorted, though don't quote me on that.

Thanks. You're reply is much appreciated. Is the camera really that much different from the configuration as used in NWN 1?

[Calaethis Dragonsbane]

Np. .

And it's been a long time since I played NWN1. I remember that in the OC, the camera was dreadful, but in SoU and HotU, it did improve. NWN2's camera is similar to HotU, if I recall correctly, but as I said, it's been a long while.

[Albromor]

Originally Posted by Calaethis Dragonsbane Np. . And it's been a long time since I played NWN1. I remember that in the OC, the camera was dreadful, but in SoU and HotU, it did improve. NWN2's camera is similar to HotU, if I recall correctly, but as I said, it's been a long while.

I think I can handle it then! I actually enjoyed playing the expansions and I never found the camera to be an issue.

[CerebroDragon]

Thought I'd give NWN2 another vote of being worth the investment - especially now since it is so cheap. (You can get it from Aussiegamer for 20 bucks AU for example).

I was fortunate enough to obtain the game bundled with a video card pack, but later on purchased both Mask of the Betrayer (which is a fantastic game, superior to the vanilla product from a narrative and choice point of view) and Storm of Zehir, (Which I'm still yet to play.)
I'd go so far as to recommend picking up NWN2 just so that you can experience Mask of the Betrayer, because it is one of the better story-heavy crpgs since Torment.

As to the camera issues - they are there, but they are certainly able to be overcome with patience and a bit of tweaking. The expansions and patches also assist in making them a little more manageable.

Interesting that you haven't been able to get into Drakensang - that's meant to play like a smoother NWN2 in some respects. I had alot of fun with the demo, but it was fairly inoffensive (in a fun disney kind of way) and dare I say slightly generic. I wouldn't mind picking it up if I saw it locally - but our mainstream stores (Eb games) had no clue about it when I last enquired.

[Calaethis Dragonsbane]

Let us know what you think, by the way! Be interested in hearing your thoughts on it =)

[gaijinalways]

I just finished the first one! Had it for a while, my graphics card didn't work with it. Played through, though I missed having the diversity of a bigger party (I did solo BG2 once). The numerous magic bags and containers make it a little easier to carry stuff, but not being able to equip your henchmen was a bit boring.

I might think about getting NW2 if they made larger parties possible. Otherwise, I'll go back to playing strategy games and simulations.

[Albromor]

* Possible Spoilers *

Okay, its been three months since I first posted this thread and I finally purchased the Gold edition. It took significant time to patch! But it was very much well worth it as Calaethis Dragonsbane and CerebroDragon pointed out and compared to the NWN1 OC this OC was 100 times better.

Amazingly my aging socket 939 with a dual core 2.0 cpu, 2 gigs of RAM and my Nvidia 9600GT handled the game with ease. I can think of only two places where the FPS dropped enough to cause some lagging/stuttering but it was by no means a game breaker.

Here are my Pros:

* Obsidian developing a code whereby you can have a party of upwards of 7 (your PC + 6)! I love large party RPGs and it made for some interesting game play

* Cut scenes could get a little tedious

* Voice acting and character depth

*Excellent humor

*Moral choices that can make a difference

*Things I haven't experienced before in an RPG: A trial and defending a Keep.

* Alignments playing out through the NPCs. I found the embodiment of Lawful Neutral and Chaotic Evil to be about perfect.


Cons:

* Too linear at times

* The ending after completing the task: Meh. That is the only part of the game that felt rushed. And here Elanee and I were planning on getting married, raise a family, and eventually retire in the countryside.


All in all well worth my time and money.

[Mozenwrathe]

You know... I have never actually PLAYED NeverWinter Nights 2. I have it here, an original boxed copy. I never got around to installing it after hearing the nightmares people had with the graphics. Considering that I roll with an ATI card and many game companies insist on partnering with NVidia, it poses quite the problem. (Heck, even in NeverWinter Nights 1 I have issues with the "shiny water" graphics, and this is with a 3000+ series ATI PCIe graphics card.)