RPGWatch Feature: NWN 2 OC Review

Well, everyone is entitled to their opinion and I accept it was a controversial review but you are ignoring the other opinions included to give different perspectives. If you read through this thread, you'll see a number of people disagree with you on the quality of the story and being able to fix the AI through mod efforts absolutely, categorically should not be taken into account in a review.

I'm a fan of Obsidian but as I comment earlier in this thread, they are among the most experienced RPG developers in the world and initial release of NWN2 just didn't reflect that. Mask of the Betrayer looks like the game NWN2 should have been.
 
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Well i just became a member thanks to what i have read on this thread:) Some good points were written and i would be a moron not to take them into consideration. Guess i was just lucky with the game from what i have read, or maybe i just have alot more patience considering i ve been playing games since i was 4 years old on my ZX Spectrum;)

Still i think the game is great. Maybe the best RPG made in the last few years. Certainly far better than Oblivion. My score NWN2: 90; My score Oblivion: 75:)
 
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Well i just became a member thanks to what i have read on this thread:)

Welcome - great to have you here joining the discussion. I know I liked the game more than Corwin, but certainly see some faults ... wish I had more time for MotB to see how that enhances everything!
 
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I had my frustrations with NWN2 as well, partially due to having my expectations cranked up a bit high but it was definitely a game I don't regret playing and rate highly.

I'm trying to get into Mask of the Betrayer also at the moment and so far, it really looks like a lot of Corwin's issues (and mine) have been at least partially addressed. It's got the same high level of story immersion as NWN2, without some of the rushed feeling. I haven't got up to a full party yet, but the AI seems a bit improved.

it does look like it will continue the series and keep interest in it alive.
 
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I just bought Mask of Betrayer and i cant wait to start playing it. But i m just worried about the spirit meter. I heard it makes you rush the game, while i really like to take it easy and slow. Has anyone tried it yet?
 
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Yes, and I'm not finding it much of a rush yet. I understand what they mean though.
 
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Hi Mareus, and welcome to the forums. I had issues with NWN2 OC and I expressed them in my review. I didn't hate the game and in many ways I too prefer it to Oblivion. Many of the things which annoyed me have been fixed, but some haven't, such as all the cut scenes destroying my tactics. BAD design there when your character is FORCED into the front row of a battle.

In a review, I try to avoid comparisons with other games as much as possible, though such comparisons can be helpful. In my upcoming review of Two Worlds, you won't see Oblivion mentioned once!! :) The other point to remember, is that I'm a NWN fan. I play with an online group every week and we play mods for both games. We WANT more NWN2 MP mods and I wrote sa follow up review on the MP aspect of the game.
 
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No need to explain Corwin. Your review pointed out all the bad things about the game, and i agree with most parts, as does almost everyone else who played the game i think. Unfortunately it does just that. When i read your review i only get the negative side, and for a good review in my oppinion you have to say also what is good, and i dont get much of that from what you wrote. That wouldnt be so bad if the game really didnt have anything to offer, but NWN2 offers alot. It offers so much you could probably spend 2 pages just writting what is good about it.

People buy games based on what they read on sites, and believe me after reading your review i would never buy that game. NWN2 got some really bad reviews out there. I will never forget the review from 1 UP, which got withdrawned and reposted after new edit, because it was so obvious the guy didnt even play the game. Even in Metacritic site, which calculates the averege score from all other sites that are in reviewing buisness, NWN2 scored 84 i think (i dont have issues with this score), while it scored 55 from users which is outrages. Some users gave it a complete 0/10, and i really dont uderstand why. I want arguments for giving a game a bad score, not personal feelings(this is not to you Corwin, but to morons who actualy gave it 0/10). While bugs can certainly lower the alltogether score, it is by no way an excuse to give a game that really has alot to offer a 0/10. I mean i would not give a 0/10 to any game unless its about telletubies:p

And then i look at the scores Oblivion got, and its from 90 to 100 on almost every site which is apsolutely OUTRAGES!!!! 7.7 from users (i dont have issues with that score too much...cause few points more or less thats how much the game actualy is worth)!!! Did Bethseda pay them to writte lies??? I really find it fascinating that Oblivion suffers from many similar bugs as NWN2 does, but none of the biggest review sites seemed to mention it! While on those same sites, NWN2 gets the "ohhhh my god how many bugs" treatment.

That is why i think some more positive things should be put in the review (and i know you know there are many good things in the game Corwin). If your intention was just to point out the bad things then i think the review is great, because you noticed some things even i didnt notice, and belive me i find even the smallest mistakes because i have been playing games since i was 4 years old on my ZX Spectrum and trust me i played almost every game worth mentioning atleast once.

BTW did you see a bug in NWN2 when you return in West Harbor after 2 months and there are still corpses laying around? In Oblivion after you return to Kvatch after two months the city is stil burning in flames:p

But also if your intention was to talk about issues and bugs with the game it is hard to call it a review,... i think it should be called something else... Hmm... I hope you see the problem. Review is about reviewing the whole game, not just some aspects of the game... Hmm maybe, a Review on bugs and issues or something...

Anyway i ll finish my post with a note that not every bug hurts the same. I can live with bad AI if you can customize it. I can even live with few pathfinding issues and such, but what really hurts are the bugs you cannot miss no matter how hard you try to look away. Bugs like return to West Harbor... or when a conversation starts with people from the other side of the map. Now those hurt! Fortunately it happens only once.
 
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Hehe, i have my picture now:) Thanks for the explanation:)
 
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I'd have to dig out my notes, but from memory, I did point out many of the good things in the game. However, I have to admit that at the time I wrote it, I was quite 'annoyed' with many aspects of the game, being very disappointed with many of the design choices!!
 
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