Worth a second look (former NWN hater)
User Rating: 8.7 | Neverwinter Nights: Shadows of Undrentide PC
GAMEPLAY: Unlike most RPGs, the gameplay really does vary depening on the character you decide to make and how you play it. The default difficulty isn't terribly high, so the game is certainly more challanging and interesting if you make a character that isn't all that powerful and set the game to highest possible difficulty. However the designers did a nice of job of occasionally pitting you against very powerful opponents that are all but impossible to defeat (at least initially) in a direct confrontation. GRAPHICS: Nothing special here, althought some of the spell effects can be a little spectacular. SOUND: WOW. The music (and sometimes the ambient noise) is among the best of any game I've ever played. VALUE: This will largely be determined by the player and how they approach the game. I initially bought the expansion just to get the feature set that came with it and to allow for greater compatability with online multiplayer. However, the campaign itself turned out to be quite a gem. FINAL THOUGHTS: I've played all three campaigns, the Original, SoU, and HotU. I must say that I was supprised to find that Shadows of Undrentide was my favorite of the three. The Original lacked a cohesive plot and sadly HotU has yet to capture my imagination. SoU while at first seeming unispiring, ended up unfolding into a richly woven world reminicent of Baldur's Gate. Not only does it make ample use of compelling plot devices, it also has the perfect difficulty level to keep the game at a decent well paced challange. Your milage may vary, but keep in mind that the game becomes more interesting (challenging) if you don't try to maximize your characters' ability to kick butt. Right now I'm using an Enchanter and I'm trying to play the game with minimal use of Evocation (or destructive) spells. Playing as an enchanter is a blast, and opens up a plethora of roleplaying options. The customized responses for my abilities actually make me want to play the game through again (something I've never actually wanted to do in an RPG) from another uniquely underpowered perspective just to see how different and enjoyable the experience will be. Seeing how the world seems to meld itself to my Enchanters perspective, I can sense the myriad possibilities of playing other so called "gimp" characters that have an personal appeal and are very effective regardless of their lack of sheer killing power.
