Neverwinter - Live and Review Roundup

Neverwinter is now officially Live as announced by Cryptic Studios. We also have a few reviews to go along with the announcement.

We're so excited to announce that today marks the live launch of Neverwinter! After nearly two months of Open Beta testing, numerous feedback from players and fans, and many gameplay and balance changes, we are proud to be live. Today also marks the live release of Gauntlgrym, new end-game PvP and PvE content, and the new Alchemy profession.

Forbes

Despite some glaring open beta mishaps, Neverwinter has what it takes.  The combat is possibly the best in any MMORPG on the market today; it may have hit the elusive sweet spot between the old and the new.  There are a wide variety of options and activities that cater to both solo players and group enthusiasts.  Neverwinter offers experiences for players that normally wouldn’t play MMORPGs, and also provides a framework for core genre players.   Looking for action and adventure in the world of Forgotten Realms?  Neverwinter delivers.

GamingIllustrated

Neverwinter is not a perfect game, but it is definitely above average. With graphics that work on most machines and look great on high end machines, and decent gameplay, Neverwinter is surprisingly a breath of fresh air in an fairly stale genre. It’s future depends solely on how Cryptic intends to support the game and community. So far they’ve done a good job by releasing a massive balance patch rather quickly and they plan to release a bit of end game PvP/PvE in the form of a new even known as The Caverns of Gauntlgrym. If they’re able to keep it up, Neverwinter may just be an incredibly successful MMO. Only time will tell.

Venturebeat

Neverwinter is a fun game, and it’s an excellent introduction to the MMO genre. It doesn’t feel like you need to dump hundreds of hours into it, either, which may be a drawback for those concerned about endgame. However, I only made it so far through, and Cryptic seems prepared to support the game with new content like Gauntlgrym and the free expansion Fury of the Feywild, which is due this summer.

While the free-to-play system doesn’t cripple Neverwinter by any means, it will start to annoy some players because of its weird restrictions. “I hate those guys with the giant spider mounts,” one player told me in game. I agreed. Cryptic could benefit from lowering the value of Zen a bit or making it more accessible to players who don’t want to spend real money (maybe by allowing them to buy it with ADs?). In addition, the developer’s next focus should be to continue cleaning up the bugs, refining and adding more PvP modes, raising companion level caps, and definitely working on a more user-friendly Foundry Editor.

It may have its flaws, but Neverwinter is highly enjoyable and accessible to veteran, beginner, and casual players alike. I’ll see you in the city.