

Instead of being limited to one companion, now you can travel with up to three characters, each with their own history, motivations, and likes/dislikes. For those who adventure solo, the designers have greatly expanded the "henchman" system from Neverwinter Nights. It's possible to play the main campaign alone, or with up to three friends. NWN 2 comes with a powerful toolset that allows creative (and technically-savvy) players to craft their own adventures and modules.

Once complete, your character can be exported for play online, or used in the game's main campaign, a massive, sprawling affair with plenty of gameplay, even without downloading custom player-created modules, a staple of the previous series. The player creation process, one of the most involved in an RPG to date, could keep you busy for hours, especially if you're unfamiliar with D&D. When creating their character, players can choose from an array of eight races (some with two to three sub-races), 12 classes, and (eventually) 16 prestige classes.

The strength of the Neverwinter Nights franchise has always been in its customization, and NWN 2 doesn't disappoint. Unfortunately, some all-too-familiar annoyances drag the game down, notably a frustrating camera that hinders as much as helps, and suspect AI.īut first, the good. An engaging sequel to 2002's RPG Neverwinter Nights, Neverwinter Nights 2 offers a fresh single-player campaign, new classes, spells and items from the Dungeons & Dragons 3.5 edition rules, and updated tools, tiles, and other goodies for budding Dungeon Masters.
