NWN2 is to Baldur's Gate what NWN1 is to Icewind Dale. That is to say, where NWN1/ID focus primarily on combat, NWN2/BG give equal time to roleplaying.
In NWN1 there really was only one substantial roleplaying quest (the trial in chapter 3), companions had no personality ("please help me find some item, and I'll give you a bonus", repeat...), quests didn't go beyond "fetch X" and "kill Y", and the world just didn't feel like a place were people actually lived.
In contract, in NWN2 NPCs once again have memorable personalities, quests are diverse, the world is atmospheric, you get to invest in it by building up a base of operations, etc.
I do have to say that I played this game when most bugs had been patched, and by then its only major weakness was that it required a very heavy pc while not looking particularly great.
Now, 5 years later, I still consider NWN2 to be one of the better RPGs ever made. It's right up there with games like BG, KotOR, and Morrowind. (And the first expansion, Mask of the Betrayer comes close to Planescape: Torment.) Heartily recommended!… Expand

As close as a RPG can get! Combat can be a little sluggish at times but with patches, that problem clears up. Sadly, developers are making games now where its more hack n slash with a little story.

Awsome game! Bioware's games rule! Why?... I DONT KNOW! They just do! Neverwinter Nights forever! But if talking seriously - its a good game because it have a tonn of side quests and its never boring. The bad thing about it is the "waiting for the loading to stop" that takes up about 20 % of your whole playing time... But in all the game is great. 9/10 - awesome

One of the best rpg I have ever played. The graphic is nice, the plot, as a whole, is outstanding, the ending "cinematic"'s passable, but not great. The voice work and dialogs are absolutely the stunning. Don't be discouraged by the naysayers, this is a great game for those who are NOT D&D hardcore and over skeptical. 10 out of 10.

Giving it a 9 mainly because of small crash to desktop issues, else it is a game of neverending joy where one self even can decide the content for eg. mod building, anyhow with all the posibilities you get, then you can really get alot of gameplay out of it as well as lust for creating your own mod for both multiplayer reasons or singleplayer reasons. The Reason to that I do not give it a 10 is mainly because of certain hardware errors that occurs with some video/sound cards that causes you crash to desktop with the option to report an error to windows, those most of the time can be walked around still, but you are in need to know in what to do if you receive an error like this.. For those people giving the score of 1, I would say some of the stuff I have read does not explain or anything constructive said other than eg. talking about another game for then simply flaming away in a way that does not provide any proper feedback.… Expand

This game was really enjoyable, I played through it twice at least back in the day. Don´t know why it has such a bad score. The storyline was enjoyable, the classes were fun and leveling up your characters was fun. I don't remember having any issue with bugs in it either, except one with the cut scenes but they fixed that.

I play D and D 3.5 every week and I love this game. It does an ok job coverting 3.5 into a real time game, but i would rather have turn based. The games strongest point is its plot. This game does a great job creating a roleplaying experence similar to a real (paper and dice) RPG. The main story is complex with many aproches to that incresses replay vaule. Wile the plot is thick the game alows you to engage parts you may enjoy, like building up your keep, and ingnor parts that are lame, like the bard. This game is a real rpg fueled by player choices not FMV.… Expand

A pleasant surprise compared to other boring RPG around. It is a game where the design is so pervasive that you need to cover it entirely to experience all the nuances in gameplay and variety. The factor that dragged down the game in the eye of a lot of people is that you have to actively play it to enjoy it. If you are trying to find a game where the first hour of gameplay is an exaustive demo of the entire game experience go away, in this game every action you take counts. It's a better sandbox game that those dull approximation of a lifeless reality that they dare to call RPGs. At least here there's a story to shape aside incompetent NPCs to kill.… Expand

I agree with most of you naysayers out there. NWN2 has serious camera issues, AI flaws, and steep hardware requirements. My computer barely meets the requirements, and I have the graphics all the way down. The cut scenes still look decent, but in general, not a big step up from NWN1. I've used the toolset a little bit, and its daunting. But with the online community it's pretty easy to get your feet wet, and after all, for a truly powerful toolset you would have to complicate things...its in the nature of power. Finally, the game is FUN. The voice acting, while at times exaggerated, is hilarious. I can't wait to play though as an evil character. The different choices do an excellent job of making the player feel like he's bearing an impact, and quest accomplishment is rewarding. It gets an 9 for its overall play value, and while it does have issues, its one of the most potentially replayable games in a long time.… Collapse

To sum up: good= long, brilliant, immersive storyline, well crafted characters, very well voiced dialogue. bad= Looks somewhat dated except on cutting edge hardware, unstable framerate, a few minor bugs(that are being ironed out in patches bit by bit)

I dont know what is the problem with you people here!! NWN2 had some bugs, true! But they are not so big to give a great game a score 0/10. Almost noone mentions the bugs Oblivion had, which is far worse game in every regard when compared with NWN2! This so unfair! And it is clear that Bethseda payed you people to slander NWN2 so they could boost their sales on Oblivion, which BTW doesnt deserve one point above 7.… Expand

Finally, finally, after the blunder of Neverwinter Nights I, they have gone back to the way Baldur's Gate was done -- brilliantly sophisticated and intelligent, funny at times and always subtly beautiful. Well done guys.

An excellent game (after the fifth patch). Not quite as good overall as the original but better in many ways.

I am impressed. It definitely has a different feel from the original Neverwinter Nights... if you've played Dungeon Siege, try to imagine that with better graphics and an actual plot. I'm running a 1.73 Ghz Pentium 4 with 1.0 gigs of ram, with a GeForce 6800 video card, and while I can't play at an extremely high resolution, the detail settings are pretty high without any frame rate issues. It's doable, and enjoyable, if you have my specs or even slightly lower. The gameplay is engaging and the character details are fabulous. I also enjoy the "cinema" conversations, which resemble dialogue in your average popcorn movie. The interface is a tad cluttered, and the whole game does not feel as "sharp" as NWN 1, but the trade-off is excellent. I recommend this game for anyone with reasonable computer specs and a love for the NWN story.… Expand

The first real RPG in years. If you liked BG2 and KotOR, this will ´rock your socks off!

I really don't understand what you people are complaining about the "camera angles" for...I've never had any trouble with the camera. Maybe that's because I actually control it to look at what I want to look at. Also, the graphics look a billion times better than NWN1. The A.I. is spotty, yes. But, that is in the very nature of A.I. so there is really no reason to rag on Obsidian for that. I haven't been able to play the multiplayer yet, but it doesn't seem that bad. Just wait for the PW's to get back in the swing of things. Single player story is pretty good, but I've never been a single player guy. A lot of people have been talking about it being a "rehash of NWN1." Obviously you never followed NWN2's development. They did that on purpose, going by the "If it ain't broke, don't fix it" policy. I wish they had added more voices sets, but still. It's progress forward. I don't have the video settings on high because my comp has been built on a small budget, but it runs very smoothly for how I do have it set, so once again I don't know what you people are talking about. And, don't compare it to BG...I'm sorry, but BG wasn't that good anyway. And, NWN2 is 2 generations past BG. NWN was designed (from my perspective) to sit the fence between single- and multi-player. BG was meant to be single-player. The official campaigns are not going to be the same quality, because they want us to have room to make our own stuff.… Expand

I play the game and I am close to end it. The game is great the graphics are very good the story is great with lot of subquests and the gameplay is good. I like the way that equipment appears on the caracters the swords the armors and especialy the clocs. I believe the only problem it has is the camera but with the patch the things are better. I play D&D 5 years and the game the best singleplayer RPG for those who love D&D.… Expand

Everyone who gave NWN2 a score 0 is a total retard. The game has some bad points, true. Its far from perfect, but 0!!!! COME ON!!!! Thats why i am giving 10!

At first, I thought the game was about a 4. Clunky interface and mediocre visuals. Slowly, I decided after using my friend's computer as a server (no 3rd party server needed), that that feature alone was excellent. After playing through 8 levels and running a second 3 player campaign (which we are only 6-7th level) that the fun was rolling along. Each spell and each night spent with a friend over 1,000 miles away makes me realize, that when the multiplayer servers are up and running, that the game has potential. The graphics are better than I thought, but they do tax my system as well as the interface is still mildly clunky. But heads up. We're doing a 2-3 player raid which has lasted over 20 hours and is better and better as we go. So far, maybe one gamespy crash. But well worth the 10 minute delay.… Expand

An excellent RPG with great expansions. The addition of the Auto down loader makes visiting PWs a snap.
The graphics are better than NWN1 and the mod community is strong and helpful.

Man! I am total surprised at the low score this is getting. You have to give it marks for just providing an editor (the tool set). The ability to create a multi-player mod give this game 9 right off. Yes! The campaign provided is crap..agreed. However, this game is about communality content. Like me, if you are a wanna-bee game designer you have no other options out there to create multi-player worlds.. So from a game designers perspective this game is a must have. I have hundreds of hours spent building my modal and I find it very rewarding. . Coming from a game designers perspective the NWN2 tool set id leaps beyond the nwn tool set. Yes. the nwn2 tool set requires an advanced builder..so maybe cut your teeth first with the first tool set.… Expand

Very good story. Good graphics. Not well optimized performance-wise (graphics quality to machine-requirement ratio). Good moddability but more coding needed. The mods weren't as big as in NWN though. Agreements could be the cause of this, and maybe additional complexity in the toolset. The expansions weren't of the snuff but the single player experience with the base NWN2 was very good.

This is a great game. Like NWN 1 it starts very slowly, which can be a pretty big barrier for those going back to this game after enjoying stella controls and camera with newer, better presented games like Oblivion. This game gets really good as you get to higher level and deeper into the plots. Character development was fantastic. The writing is awesome. The scenario is great. But the engine SUCKS big time. Sorry guys, I can't agree. There has been a lost decade for Bioware in which they have tweaked and published all their games on sub-optimal engines. Everything has been published on a different version of different engines, so they have never been able to publish what they needed to: a sequence of games that could provide real continuity in building a single fantasy world. They are still messing around with new ideas and a totally different engine for Dragon Age 3. (Frostbite 2?) Thus a whole long series of games since Baldur's Gate add up to ten years of LOST TIME, facking about with totally different engines, totally different character systems, totally different approaches to narrative, none of which have been significantly better than what they had with Baldur's Gate 2 back at the turn of the century. In the light of this the forced resignation of the two chief honchos was inevitable. Their performance was too erratic. It would have been nice if at any stage they had taken the time to build a single SUPERLATIVE engine and used that as a stable basis for a series of games that built an amazing fantasy world. They have only flushed about a million hours of professional paid labour down the toilet. perhaps we will see the dawn of understanding at last. In a sense it doesn't matter. Without Greg and Ray, there is no more Bioware. When David Gaider cleans out his office it will all be a memory. Thanks for the great games guys! Never say never! Have a break Reflect on your mistakes and try again. For Thedas!… Expand

Only the (not justified) huge system reqs prevent it from being plain perfect; even so, it's the best game since NWN 1.

Best Game Ever!!!!

Only the late release and a few bugs keep me from a 10 here. I don't know what Andrew C is talking about with the camera, the controls are just like, and just as responsive as the original NWN. As to there being not enough monsters, or not enough models, well, let's just say that if there's not enough, I haven't seen it and they do an excellent job of killing me whenever I don't plan well for a fight. Graphics are phenomenal, the storyline is engaging and long (I'm over 15 hours in and still in Act I), and the back end of the system is solid. On second thought, it's worth a 10. It just so happens to own my soul right now.… Expand

This is an enjoyable new saga to the nwns world. Great intro cut scene and a very powerful modding program combined with a strong story makes it a must by for all those d&d players out there.

Solid entertainment, improves on the first.

Though there are a few technical deficiencies, the official campaign is a massive improvement over the first game's. The party companions are always sure to bring plenty of chuckles with their dialogue and character. The toolset and multiplayer mean infinite value for a long time.

A faithful continuation of the NWN franchise, this one blends elements of the first NWN game as well as elements found in the older party-based InfinityEngine games such as Baldur's Gate. Recommended for fans of D&D.

I can't stop playing this game. The graphics are lush and very detailed. Everything is dynamically lit and done very well. The technical flaws keep this from becoming a 10. Sometimes the cut scenes wont focus on a character and my frame rate keeps dipping (on a 3 ghz, 6800 geforce, 1gb ram). Still, inspite of the flaws, I'm really enjoying this game so far its very addictive and well done.… Expand

Don't believe the nay-sayers, this is a great game. The graphics are nice (especially if your system is strong enough to take advantage of them). The difficulty level isn't too easy, it's quite challenging at times. There are lots of new races and abilities added so lots of variety in character choices. I haven't played multiplayer yet but I'll check it out soon.

This game is several light years ahead of the original Neverwinter Nights and its expansion packs concerning the singleplayer campaign. Granted, it does have its flaws, like for example the camera, AI and the poor performance. These negative factors are however overshadowed by the interesting characters, a good plot which steadily improves during the course of the game, the big variety of different classes and feats you can choose for your characters, the often very well written dialogue with its many choices and the party/henchman based system which leans more in favour of the system in Baldur's Gate than the original Neverwinter Nights much more uninteresting more Diablo-esque system. To summarize my experiences with the game, I most point out that I have had a great amount of fun with the game. And if you desire a more refined gaming experience than that of the rather shallow predecessor, than Neverwinter Nights 2 could very well be worth buying.… Expand

Good fun dnd game. Interesting tactical fights. No major bugs for me. Toolset seems very powerful so I can't wait to see what gets made.

This game is hard to like when you play only the (tutorial) inicial part. The story does not start as good as Baldurs Gate series, so, dont rely on this to continue the game. The game becomes very good after the inicial part and once you get used to turn based in real time that easy to see it greatness. Its 7.5/10 for me, But the 10/10 was given due to low score given by many without full gameplay. I recommend to buy it on STEAM.… Expand

Considering how much of a blow Neverwinter Nights was to me, it's suprising I did try this one at all - and I didn't regret it! This a lot of fun, the graphics are actually pretty good (no more wireframes like in NWN1!), and - the story! The characters! Time to roleplay. Loot, skills, feats, everything D&D was meant to be! Ah yes, and even the multiplayer works and is a whole lot of fun.