Highly disappointed in this review, especially as it comes from a person whose opinions I respect. Neverwinter deserves much better than a shabby 6.0. The combat is exceptional. The lighting and graphics are quite good, especially the armor and weapon models.
The story is admittedly thin but this is an Action oriented MMO targeted toward those of us whom are exhausted by the hackneyed fantasy tropes and mainly want to hack and slash - which this game excels at. The user created content in the Foundry means that there is always something to do end game, besides grinding epic dungeon loot. Some of the Foundry quests are among the more amusing in the game. Crafting is automated so isn't the time-sink it becomes in other MMOs.
Bottom line: try it. I think most will be very pleasantly surprised, as I was. A new MMO should be judged on it's foundation and what it can build off of it. Neverwinter has great potential. I've played most of the big MMOs and this is, by far, the most fun I have had with one in several years.
I haven't played it but for those who have, don't the conversations get a little monotonous? I don't want to hear bad voice acting every time I start or complete a quest. I barely want to hear good voice acting. I just want to get on with the action. I think this is where Bioware went wrong. Instead of focusing on spoken story they should have focused on improving the action elements of MMOs. Vindictus with light sabres would have been pretty sweet. I also think the graphics are very poor in TOR...
Doberman Pinschers are a breed of dog seen rarely in Deus Ex. First developed in 1890, Dobermans have been used as a popular guard dog or police dog since their inception.
In Deus Ex, guard dogs have been mostly replaced by Bots, which, although more expensive, are also armed and can operate without needing to be given food or sleep. When guard dogs are used, they are used by the poorer NSF in Hell's Kitchen and Howard Strong'sgroup of MJ12 Troopers at the Missile Silo. They are also seen used in the Majestic 12 facility beneath UNATCO HQ.
Dobermans are usually used by groups to patrol the outer perimeters of areas that are not important enough to warrant human sentries. They will charge the player and bite. They also growl, drawing attention from human guards and other dogs.
@almat96 In Deus Ex the dogs actually do attack you. They are guard dogs. But I get your point and that may have been what he was trying to convey. It does seem like there is a greater sensitivity to animal killing than human killing these days, though. As a human I am uncomfortable with that :) His comments regarding fetishistic violence in games are spot on, IMO. I hope the graphics keep improving but I don't really have to see bits of medulla oblongata splattered on the wall to know I scored a headshot. It's Tarantinoesque gratuity...
Deus Ex is probably my favorite game ever based on the truly epic story, but the "horror of killing dogs" comments were kind of absurd. What about the horror of killing people? Should the stigma of dog killing rank above the stigma of people killing? I don't get Spector's morality here.
I am a skeptic and a Christian. The two are not mutually exclusive. One challenges the other. I think games that intelligently portray the putative dichotomy between Faith and Reason (though faith can be reasonable) could be very valuable. It saddens me that certain closed-minded religionists will never experience the brilliance of a game like Assassins Creed 2 because they are threatened by its revisionism. Unfortunately many atheists will behave similarly, avoiding games that contain Christian apologetics - even if it's well made. People need to chill... Anyway, superb article, GS! It's thrilling to read an analysis on religion that avoids the crass stereotypes which, too often, distort the central message of the faith. Props to the author! .
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