NWN (1991) - Hall of Fame Nominee @ Diehard GameFAN

Diehard GameFAN continue their search for a D&D game they can place in their Hall of Fame and they found one in the Neverwinter Nights game from 1991.

I’m always saddened by how this game has been lost to the sands of time. 99% of MMORPG fans don’t realize that this was the first ever game of its type and assume that the only game bearing this name is the 2002 BioWare title that uses the same name. Without the massive success of Neverwinter Nights, we wouldn’t have had Everquest, World of Warcraft and the other games that flooded the PC market a decade after SSI and AOL teamed up to create a whole new genre of role-playing game that would fundamentally change the gaming industry as whole. Who would have thought that in 1991 that you could have a game that was able to be played online like a MUD (Multi-User Dungeon) but with (for the time) top shelf graphics and immersive gameplay similar to The Bard’s Tale and other SSI Advanced Dungeons & Dragons games?
Obviously the servers are down now, but I booted up my old hard disc version of the game and was ecstatic to see it was still playable as an offline title. Still that doesn’t compare to how over 115,000 gamers felt as they journeyed through the city of Neverwinter and the lands beyond in a day where video games were nowhere near the huge market they are today, or in a time where social gaming was limited to going over to a friend’s house or metting up in an arcade. Unfortunately playing Neverwinter Nights offline won’t let you same the game, but it’s nice to know that if someone really wanted to, they could set up a dedicated server for the game and play it for Nostalgia’s sake. HINT HINT Wizards of the Coast!

More information.

Interesting, I didn't know there had been another NWN game before Biowares. I had also always assumed that Ultima online and Meridian had been the first MMOs (besides MUDs).

And AOL - man they were huge once…

I always wanted to try this game back in the day when the GoldBox AD&D series was in their prime. I'd see advertisements for it in magazines and just the concept of a multiplayer goldbox style adventure used to be very exciting…

Unfortunately, I never did get to play it…would be great to hear some stories from those that did!

Originally Posted by GhanBuriGhan
And AOL - man they were huge once…

I hated AOL with a passion. They spammed advertisements like crazy, and their software was bloated junk.

Hard to believe they had a hand in creating a D&D crpg.

Originally Posted by JDR13
I hated AOL with a passion. They spammed advertisements like crazy, and their software was bloated junk.

Hard to believe they had a hand in creating a D&D crpg.

Yeah, their client was painful. Still, I believe they were my first dial up internet provider at home. I remember checking into a chatroom there, being amazed at the crazy and absolutely random conversations going on there…

Never heard of this.

I've always thought Neverwinter Nights (2002) was a stupid name for a D&D game. Now I think it's an even more stupid name.

Originally Posted by Ovenall
I've always thought Neverwinter Nights (2002) was a stupid name for a D&D game. Now I think it's an even more stupid name.

As opposed to what? Pool of Radiance? Baldur's Gate?

A few years ago, there was a hacky NWN server out there that people connected to. I think they got harassed with C&Ds and changed the name. I think it still is up somewhere, I just forget what it is called. D: