NWN 2: Storm of Zehir - Review @ GameSpy

[Dhruin]

GameSpy has reviewed (http://pc.gamespy.com/pc/neverwinter-nights-2-storm-of-zehir/937158p1.html) NWN2: Storm of Zehir, resulting in a disappointing 2.5/5. Here's a snip that outlines the criticisms:
The upside of this is that it lets the player really utilize all of a party's skills. It forces the player to really pay attention to the kinds of characters they bring into the mission and work to get a good breadth of abilities. In many ways it's a throwback to classic D&D "dungeon-crawl" adventuring where the player was tasked with merely exploring an area, killing lots of monsters and looting as much treasure as possible. The downside is that the included adventure completely fails to build any kind of compelling experience. Storm of Zehir is the worst sort of "Keep on the Borderlands" throwback filled with generic, poorly designed dungeons, haphazard monster layouts that feel more like treasure obstacles than any kind of working ecology, and the sad underutilization of the Yuan-ti -- easily one of D&D's most interesting and fun races.
More information. (http://www.rpgwatch.com/show/newsbit?newsbit=10945)

[Hedek]

Interesting discussion about this review here: http://nwn2forums.bioware.com/forums/viewtopic.html?topic=659648&forum=128

[Benedict]

I've seen a few reviews on this now and there's one thing that all the negative ones seem to have in common - they all seem to have set up their parties without a decent ranger / survivalist type character and end up getting in endless overland map fights. I've never found myself forced into a fight so far, everything's been easy to avoid if I'm not in the mood, but I can see that it'd be an agonising slog if I had to fight every one.

[Hedek]

I sure wouldn't want to be in Obsidian's shoes right now. They've been criticized in the past because several skills were useless (spot, listen, survival, etc.). In SoZ there has been an obvious effort to address this. And now stupid reviewers are complaining because they thought they could take any party, overlook the D&D skill system and take over the world nevertheless.

Yes SoZ requires some thoughts on how you're going to build your party and which companions you're going to choose before you even start the game. So what? Has thinking and planning become forbidden things in games nowadays?
The results of years of "streamlined" and oversimplified RPGs (Fallout 3, Oblivion, etc) I guess.

To add insult to the injury, the first two companions that Obsidian gives you, before you even leave the first city and use the overland map, both make decent overland map leaders: a ranger and a druid.

There are several valid concerns and criticism in this review. But factual mistakes (death system in RPGs and in SoZ, "semi-strategy" game between *Samarach* cities? lol), and the tendency to judge games based on how reviewers think games should be makes it quite uninformative.

Sadly, hundreds of potential buyers will be deterred because of such unfair reviews.

[Turok]

Unfair, i dont know what the hell is happening with reviewers, they always expect games like fallout 3 or gta4.

Worst review i have see so far, i really like the game, i really enjoy a game for long time and is getting bad reviews because dont have any shiny bum bum or any stupid graphic or simplistic play stile a la console.
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[Benedict]

Sadly, hundreds of potential buyers will be deterred because of such unfair reviews.

At least it's an expansion pack, probably means a significant proportion of the core audience will be familiar enough with the franchise that they'll just buy it and give it a go themselves.

[Prime Junta]

I'm enjoying the game too, more than I'd expect for something as simple and old-skool as this one. The one thing that I consider nearly unexcusable is the load times -- this is fundamentally simple gameplay made for fast-paced gaming, and the way it's made up, I seem to spend more time staring at the progress bar than actually playing the game.

[Turok]

By the way, someone notice how nice and beautifull are the backgrounds?? it remember me a lot of the 2d backgrounds of the baldur's gate/icewind dale.
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[Umbragen]

I never cared much for the Yuan-ti, I didn't think them fun or interesting.

[Phonix]

Sadly, hundreds of potential buyers will be deterred because of such unfair reviews.

Nah.. As it is the 3rd Expansion only core NVN2 players going to buy it anyway (inc me).

[Dhruin]

Third? I think you got one more expansion than everyone else. ;)

[Benedict]

I'm enjoying the game too, more than I'd expect for something as simple and old-skool as this one. The one thing that I consider nearly unexcusable is the load times -- this is fundamentally simple gameplay made for fast-paced gaming, and the way it's made up, I seem to spend more time staring at the progress bar than actually playing the game.

Agreed, shocking how long it takes the overland map encounters to load up, it does incline me not to bother.

Although if it didn't I'd probably hit the level cap in about the first two hours of play, run out, charge into every encounter tossing fireballs around, rest, repeat, a disproportionately high amount of experience for what would be very quick fights without the loading times.

[crpgnut]

Once you're a few levels above a particular encounter level, you get almost no experience for the fight. Something like 3 xp for a kill and 30 xp for the whole encounter. It'll take a LONG time to level against those foes :D

[Maylander]

Indeed! After level 10 or so, I usually just avoid random encounters. Doing 30-40 random encounters per level would turn SoZ into an MMO experience.

[doctor_kaz]

I've seen a few reviews on this now and there's one thing that all the negative ones seem to have in common - they all seem to have set up their parties without a decent ranger / survivalist type character.

How many characters can you have in your party? If it's only four, then I can't blame somebody for sticking with the tank-healer-wizard-rogue formula and not choosing one of the more specialized characters who are comparatively gimped in those roles.

[kalniel]

How many characters can you have in your party? If it's only four, then I can't blame somebody for sticking with the tank-healer-wizard-rogue formula and not choosing one of the more specialized characters who are comparatively gimped in those roles.

Then why are they complaining? - if they use a rogue they should have no problem with overland map encounters.

[Prime Junta]

Unless they just click through the tutorial and don't read the manual, and end up having their 6-for-brains fighter or nerdy wizard as the party leader.

[Prime Junta]

Spoil me: where's the Fated Winds quartermaster? I joined, and the bearded dude keeps telling me to see him about some cool equipment, but I can't find him anywhere.

[Starwars]

As far as I know, all the goods from the quartermaster (as well as from the towns where you set up trading posts) enter Jacobys inventory, so try looking there.

[Avantenor]

Who the hell is the quartermaster? We couldn't find out, we thought Jacoby is the quartermaster.

[Starwars]

The quartermaster himself is just a NPC who gets stationed for flavour near the entrance to Crossroad Keep when you join a merchant cartel. All goods are made available through Jacoby.

[Prime Junta]

Thanks, folks. I thought he'd be someone in Neverwinter; never thought of looking for him in Crossroad Keep.