GameBanshee Forums

Hello forum, I am a gamer who may be interested in purchasing the original Neverwinter Nights. I have heard some good things about this game, as well as a friend who was really into it for a time, and I wanted to ask some veterans of the game if they would recommend it for me.

I consider RPGs to be one of my top 2 favorite gaming genres (along with FPS). The recent RPGs I have been playing, however, have either been simplified action RPGs or games that have gotten old a while back. I'm trying to expand my gaming library to include slightly more "complex" and "pure" RPGs. To give you an example of my past experiences, i'll list a few RPGs i've played.

Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic 1-2
Mass Effect
Fable 2
Elder Scrolls 3-4
Pokemon Red Version (lulz)
Golden Sun
Final Fantasy 7

(I'm looking for more of a Western RPG, so don't mind the last three on the list)

I'm looking for a game that uses the d20 system and is set in a Forgotten Realms sort of world. Which is what NWN is, from what I have heard. So, my final question. Can you recommend this game for an RPG fan who wants to expand his tastes to more complicated RPGs?

Go for it. It's a wonderful game. I recommend finding a nice persistant world and getting in on the multiplayer scene to extend the game's longevity beyond the campaign.

Better games have been made, but the expansion packs (SoU and HotU) makes up for a mediocre original campaign.
The game is good enough if you like RPGs that it should provide you with some fun, but - as said - better games have been made.
I'd recommend the sequel - NwN2 - over this one though.

Or better yet - pick up Baldur's Gate 2, although it is not D20, but then again - NwN is not D20 either - it is D&D 3ed, which D20 is build upon though

If you haven't aleady played Balur's Gate and Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn, they would be a better buy in my oinion. They are set in the Forgotten Reals, are more complex and far better games than NWN.

I second Xandax and Galraen. The BG series is infinitely superior to NWN, especially if you like deep story development and party interaction.
I have yet to finish the original NWN campaign. The expansions, as Xandax mentions, are much better.. but still, there are better purchases to be made.

I have to disagree with Xandax about buying NWN2 over NWN I'm afraid, NWN had its faults but nothing as bad as Nwn2, which is the worst RPG ever made.

re: should I buy this

First rule: games even older ones are most likely always available AND getting cheaper; so buy one game, play it and when you finish it then think of buying the next one. NEVER buy many games at a time!

Second rule: NWN is a pretty good rpg game and I do not advise against it. But it is a D&D 3.5 rpg type of game, so if you haven't experience with this type, you will need some time to get used to it.

Third rule: always ask that type of question in a forum other than NWN's since you will likely get a better pros and cons answers.

A worthy title

Neverwinter Nights was the first RPG I ever really played and is fairly easy to just pick up and run with. The original campaign is fun the first time, and if you can find someone to multiplayer it with I would recommend it as it adds more to it. The NWN community is still highly active and the toolset is relatively straightforward to use and there are hundreds of fan made modules to play (which are free to download) some of which are way better than many RPG's it would cost you a lot to play. NWN is cheap and easy to find and if you can buy it bundled with its expansion packs go for it!

The OC can take over 50 hours to complete if you are thorough, the expansions about 20 hours each and with all the community content a lifetimes worth of gaming! If you are looking however for a detailed, rich and immersive storyline and a game you can pick up and leave as you like then I would recommend the Baldur's Gate series as it has better character development etc. I also agree that NWN2 as a campaign is a lot more interesting than NWN and it's community though still young is growing....

And NWN's multiplayer is vastly superior to the NWN2 multiplayer. If people still play that online and you manage to find a good server that is.

i agree that the BG series is better than the NWN series. that is why i would start with NWN; it would be hard to take the step down from BG to NWN.

mcgregor