An epic and intriguing campaign, as well as several neat features, make Neverwinter Nights a resounding success.
Despite being an RPG that's accessible enough for newcomers, there's still a rather steep learning curve. My previous RPG experience consists of all but one game, Vampire - The Masquerade: Bloodlines (another masterpiece that is one of my all time favorites). However that game was more user friendly, with a greater emphasis on character development and role-playing through the story and dialogue, while character customization was easy to manage thanks to a simplified character sheet. Neverwinter Nights on the other hand carries a greater degree of complexity, where the simple process of creating a character is bound to take time and a lot of consideration. Making a haphazardous choice could leave you with a weak character that's going to make the campaign considerably harder. It's a wise idea to spend an hour or two reading the manual so that you have a clear idea of how the game works.
On the other hand you could simply pick one of the "recommended" packages that the game offers when creating characters. This packages are sure to give you a competent character that will be easy to play with. Sure, this takes some of the fun out the character creation process but it's a great inclusion since it helps inexperienced players quickly get into the game. Still, it's only advisable to make use of the recommended options early on because eventually you'll specialize on certain aspects that probably won't make a good combination with some of the recommended options.
Neverwinter Nights is based on the Dungeons and Dragons universe, which means that all the rules of the tabletop game apply here. Now before this scares you away, no previous D&D experience is needed to play the game. All the complicated rules are handled on the background while you can just concentrate on enjoying the combat. Of course, understanding said rules will make the game much more enjoyable since you'll be able to understand how the outcome of battles is determined. There's a lot of strategy involved and with a good understanding of the rules you'll be able to create much more proficient characters and truly be dominant in all but the toughest battles.
But what about the game's story? It's brilliant. It may not seem so at first since the story starts in the somewhat typical fashion of a "kingdom under threat" where you must come to the rescue. What's great about the story is the sheer amount of lore and background information that there is to every aspect. The main story starts out simple enough, with a devastating plague crippling the lives of the citizens of Neverwinter, and you're tasked with finding the cure to it (which requires that you first find 4 missing creatures). However with each further quest that you finish you'll slowly uncover many details that make it clear that there is much more than meets the eye. By the end of the first chapter several plot twists take place and a whole set of sub-stories are developed. Eventually you'll have to uncover a sinister cult (that's chasing you as you're chasing them), deal with turmoil from within the inside of Neverwinter, and even confront an ancient race. Buried within the many books and characters of Neverwinter are infinite details about the history behind the city, the events that have lead to the current situation, as well as background information to most of the side quests you'll engage in. Normally you'd think reading while playing a game might be off putting, but the backstory of Neverwinter is so rich and interesting that anyone who appreciates the game's story is well advised to gobble up any last bit of lore available.
The game also features many interesting characters though one in particular stands out and that's Lady Aribeth. She's a paladin who fervently serves the divine call of Tyr and who will act as your mentor during the early portions of the game. What's great about her character is how real she feels. Despite her loyalty to Neverwinter and Tyr as well as her role as an authority figure, she deals with a lot of internal conflicts and you can feel how the ongoing war takes a huge toll on her. Not only is she a great character in ever sense of the word, but she plays a pivotal role in the story and her appearances are always standout moments in the campaign. Without spoiling much, if you play your cards right you'll have the chance to become a close friend and confident of hers, something that towards the end of the game will give you the chance to.... OK, too much information, but let's just say that you're well advised to fully explore her conversations.
As you advance in the story your character will grow in power and reputation. I found it refreshing how the game truly makes you earn the title of hero. During the first chapter, guards, pedestrians, and other characters will react to your presence in the same way as any of the other apprentices who have been called to save Neverwinter. Some of them will even treat you with disdain and mock Neverwinter for having to rely on such unproven warriors. As things progress and stories of your heroic deeds start to spread out you'll be treated with more respect and eventually even revered by the vast majority of the population. It's a welcome change from most stories that treat you like a hero from the very beginning.
As with any roleplaying game worth their salt, you're given the chance to deal with most situations in different ways. You can act like a stoic heroic warrior (punishing criminals, rescuing hostages, or in one of my favorite quests, rescue a group of animals from a local zoo), choose to be a sniveling weasel (backstabbing some of the people you're working for), or somewhere in between. During the character creation process you're given the choice of nine different moral and ethical alignments (between Lawful Good to Chaotic Evil). While the alignment you choose does not confine you to a certain path, the game does check for consistent roleplaying. If your actions during the game are consistent against your current alignment there's a chance that your character will experience an alignment shift, something that could carry drastic consequences, such as not being able to continue advance in levels as a certain class (for example, a paladin always has to be Lawful Good).
A great number of the quests you'll embark on can be resolved in many different ways. Sometimes you'll find it easier to just attack everything in sight, while in other occasions it may pay off to try and persuade your way out of trouble. There are a few quests that are extremely open ended with many different outcomes available depending on how you handle the situation. One of my personal favorites was a trial in which a native tribesman was being accused of murder. It was up to the main hero to act as a defender (although you could easily decline offering your help). This quest involves a lot of dialogue and requires that you pay close attention to everything that's being said before or during the trial. It's one of the few quests that doesn't involve any combat at all and it isn't even relevant to the main story, yet surprisingly it's also one of the most enjoyable.
One thing that must be said about the roleplaying aspect of the game is that while you're given the freedom to act anyway you want, the game doesn't give you the chance to be a truly evil character. Sure, you can extort people or perform particularly nasty actions (like going on a massive killing spree across town or choose to spare the life of a heinous criminal), but this hardly changes the way the story unfolds. Not that I wanted to be an evil character mind you, since I prefer to play a good character, but it would've been really interesting if an evil aligned character was given the chance of taking part in the destruction of the city (for instance joining the forces of Neverwinter's rival city, Luskan), as opposed to always having to fight for Neverwinter.
Aside from the epic campaign, Neverwinter Nights also includes several other game modes like a multiplayer component, a Dungeon Mast client (where you're essentially the boss of how things work in the game), and a toolset that allows you to craft your own campaigns. This features have given the game long lasting legs seeing how even after nearly a decade of existence the game's community keeps on churning out new modules. Truth to be told this is just the icing on the cake, seeing how the main campaign is more than enough to leave you satisfied.
Neverwinter Nights is also a very good looking game. Sure, the game was never cutting edge from a technical point of view, but the game is gorgeous nonetheless. Textures are crisp, animations looks great, and the various effects that show up during spellcasting are superb. The game's art direction is excellent, with a wide variety of different environments as well as new types of creatures at every corner, something that will make exploring the gameworld a joy.
The game's audio fares just as good if not even better. The soundtrack is epic, consisting of soothing tunes while you're peacefully exploring, as well as bombastic notes the minute you enter into combat. Particularly the combat tunes are worth praise since they truly elevate the tension during the many epic battles you'll undertake.
The game also features excellent voice acting. Not every line of dialogue is voiced. In fact only the major characters are given full or partially full speech, but every bit of voicework is great. In particular Aribeth's voice acting deserves the biggest praise. There's a particularly emotional section towards the end of the game (a somewhat optional section though) where the actress behind Aribeth's voice, Wendy Lee, does such a fantastic job at delivering the right emotions that you can't help but be totally invested in the situation and truly feel the pain and sorrow of Lady Aribeth. Voice acting of this quality truly deserves the highest praise.
All things considered, Neverwinter Nights is nothing short of a masterpiece. With an epic campaign that can easily last you anywhere between 60 to 80 hours, as well as the potential for even more gaming goodness with the multiplayer and the toolset, there's just too much great value to be had here. The developers at Bioware have earned a reputation for making nothing but excellent roleplaying games and this is just one of their many pieces of great work. RPG fans as well as newcomers to the genre should not miss out on this title, as it is a classic for the ages that will welcome you with open arms and just won't let you go.