Review 1UP torpedoes NWN2 - 5/10

Tags: Neverwinter Nights 2; Obsidian Entertainment

<a href=http://www.1up.com>1UP</a> has posted an overly negative and idiotic <a href=http://www.1up.com/do/reviewPage?cId=3154870>review</a> of <a href=http://www.atari.com/nwn2/>Neverwinter Nights 2</a>, giving it 5/10 because, apparently, the game has rules and that's, like, not cool and all.
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<blockquote>As a contemporary CRPG, on the other hand, NWN2 leaves a lot to be de-sired, and that's too bad, because these are the guys who brought us Planescape: Torment and Icewind Dale 2 therefore they are the guys I'm least inclined to take issue with.
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But issues exist, and defining them is really no more complex than saying, "Hello D&D superchrome, buh-bye storytelling and character development (you know, those things you're supposed to "immerse" yourself in)." The idea seems to be that we're meant to rah-rah about a superabundance of feats, spells, races, prestige (advanced) classes, and math-equation tickers full of the usual "I attack you with a +4 sword of --" booooooring. Fine, sure, dandy&but when is a "role" not a "role"? Simple: when it's a rule to a fault.</blockquote>Icewind Dale 2 was an amazing role-playing achievement indeed. Didn't it use the same rule system, btw? Anyway...
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<blockquote>Worse -- and blame this on games like Oblivion -- NWN2's levels feel pint-sized: <u>Peewee zones inhabited by pull-string NPCs with no existence to speak of beyond their little playpens.</u> Wander and you'll wonder why the forests, towns, and dungeons are like movie lots with lay-about monsters wait-ing patiently for you to trip their arbitrary triggers. As if the pencil and paper "module" approach were a virtue that computers -- by now demonstrably capable of simulating entire worlds with considerably more depth -- should emulate.</blockquote>That could be a valid complaint, but it's hardly enough to give the game 5/10.
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<blockquote>In all fairness, it's not entirely developer Obsidian's fault. D&D certainly puts the "rule" in role-playing, and a madcap base of D&D aficionados is no doubt ready to string me up for suggesting that faithful is here tantamount to folly (to these people, I say: "Go for it, NWN2's all you've ever wanted and more"). Call me crazy -- I guess I'm just finally weary of being led around on a pencil-and-paper leash and batting numbers around a glorified three-dimensional spreadsheet in a computer translation that should have synthesized, not forklifted.</blockquote>Well, Matt, we are going to call you a moron instead. You were supposed to write a review, not to post a rant about your dislike of numbers and spreadsheets. It's possible that NWN2 is a mediocre game, but there was nothing in your "review" proving this fact.
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Thanks, Noceur.

what the fuck. He dislikes the genre so gives the game a 5.. okay.
Call me crazy but aren't you supposed to write a review for others and not for yourself ?

I'm not exactly sure how Oblivion lacks "lay-about monsters waiting patiently for you to trip their arbitrary triggers". Sure, Oblivion mobs wander around, but only in a circle with maybe a 10-foot radius; I have a hard time believing NWN2 is appreciably worse.

Have reviews always been this bad, or are reviewers actually getting dumber? And can we blame this on Oblivion somehow?

Everything could be blamed on Oblivion somehow, even the North Korean nuclear test.

Oh my. I guess someone at "Obsidian" forgot to pay off this guy. And now he's pissed.

When's the Codex negative review coming out? I'm sure it be more worthwhile than this junk? Hell, while SP's review of NWN1 was negative; at least it was readable. The less said about this 'review'; the better.

its people like this that give people brain cancer. Seriously.


Faggot

How faithfull to D&D is the game? Volly, Voss, you guys would know. And why does the reviewer hy-phenate random words?

It's about as faithful as NWN1 give or take which means it's the most faithful D&D game ever (taking into consideration more than simply combat rules or else that award would go to do TOEE).

One of the dumber reviews I've read recently, even compared to the goofy Oblivion ones that don't even mention anything about the gameplay.

How the hell is he so high on Icewind Dale 2 than goes ahead and trashes NWN2 for doing the same stuff?

And Volourn's response almost threw me for a sec. Usually we get the the stock response of "Usual Codex bias reporting there VD!! ROOFLES!" Than i remembered it was about NWN

Yes, its always good to see Volly with his own bias cap on.

Since I can't get the page up, the little that is written here tends to suggest that this reviewer is a moron. Whats new? it seems these spastic sites are popping up like toadstools after some rain.

That's not the reason. It's a dumb review. Do a search for SP's review on NWN1. If you paid attention, I gave SP a COMPLIMENT on his review despite the fact he TORPEDOED my favorite game. And, i stand by that. Go figure. *shrug*

From what I can tell by exhaustively going over the NWN2 manual (the game arrives today), NWN2 looks significantly more faithful to D&D rules than NWN1.

That's because you are dumb. And, the manual is full fo errors. R00fles!

Otoh, you're the guy who refused to acknowledge all the needless ways in which NWN1 significantly deviated from the D&D ruleset.

R00fles!

Defintion of 'needless' is a manner of opinion. And, I dissed NWN1 on various deviations from pnp. So, stop the bullshit lying and tell the truth for once.

While this won't make the text any more elegant, I'm pretty sure 1up is trying to change their scoring system to break away from the old 7-9 scale and use the full 1-10 system. Hence, under 5 you see "competent".

Either way, I feel this review is coming out of left field. I never played Icewind Dale, but games like Planescape: Torment were very rule heavy as well. I mean, if it really is beneath him to figure out a good character build, can't he just use the recommend button? That, and I didn't see any discussion of the story, tool kit, etc.

Greatatlantic said:

While this won't make the text any more elegant, I'm pretty sure 1up is trying to change their scoring system to break away from the old 7-9 scale and use the full 1-10 system. Hence, under 5 you see "competent". .

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You cant break it!, its a vicious circle, after using the

10 = game's developer sponsors my site
9.9=great
9.8=very good
9.7=good
9.6=ok
9.5~9=regular
9~7=different levels of mediocrity
7~5=bad
and 5 and less = HORRIBLE!!!!

system for like 5 years, when you give a game 5 everyone is going to read it as "HORRIBLE!!!!"

"I didn't see any discussion of the story,"

You must be blind. My condolesences.

OMG VD IZ A FANBOI!! UR NOT TRASHING EVERYTHING NOT FALLZOUT! OBLIGION RULEZ! SUMMER IS NOT A DISGRACE TO DECREPITUDE!!

I can't blame the guy for hating D&D. The genre could use some originality in that regard, but P&P rulesets are exactly what we need. I think he has more issues with a Class system than it being modeled off of a ruleset.

What a jackass, though. Tiny play-pens? I guess if NPCs can't play with walls it just isn't good enough anymore.

What's a "pencil-and-paper leash"? Any ruleset more complex than Oblivion's?

The kind of ruleset that says you have to roleplay instead of pretending that you're the player character.

Teh fanboi power at QT3 got the review pulled.

mattpeckham said:

I'm really sorry it didn't work for you Steel Wind, and I hope you enjoy the game. But for the record, I'm a huge fan of the genre, if by genre we mean RPG, and if by RPG, we mean something that's still in motion and not some static thing that equals this-plus-that never changing.

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What a dork.