Neverwinter Nights (pc: 2002): Reviews

> Switch to Advanced Search

Games Homepage
Best of 2007 | 2006 |2005
Advanced Search

PS3 | PS2 | PS One | PSP

Xbox 360 | Xbox

Wii | DS | GBA | Cube | N64

PC | N-Gage | Dreamcast

How Metascores Are Calculated
Discuss Games In Our Forums

sort by name

sort by score

xx Abbey, The
xx Aces of the Galaxy
80 Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures
xx AirRivals
54 Alone in the Dark
51 Art of Murder: FBI Confidential
79 Assassin's Creed: Director's Cut Edition
xx Backyard Baseball '09
xx Baseball Mogul 2009
xx Beauty Factory
xx Beijing 2008
55 Belief & Betrayal
xx Blokus World Tour
xx Chaos Theory
xx Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian, The
xx Code of Honor: The French Foreign Legion
xx Combat Mission Shock Force - Marines
78 Command & Conquer 3: Kane's Wrath
xx Concerto Gate
xx Crazy Machines 2
xx Crimes of War
xx Cross City
xx Crusaders: Thy Kingdom Come
xx Cry of the Infected
xx Dancing with the Stars
74 Devil May Cry 4
71 Dracula: Origin
xx Dreamlords: The Reawakening
xx Europa Universalis III: In Nomine
74 Europa Universalis: Rome
76 Everyday Shooter
45 Fate of Hellas
xx Field Ops
xx FlatOut: Ultimate Carnage
93 Galactic Civilizations II: Twilight of the Arnor
xx Galactic Dream: Rage of War
xx Goin' Downtown
50 Golden Horde, The
53 Great War Nations: The Spartans
88 GRID
xx Gumboy Tournament
xx Happy Tree Friends False Alarm
56 Hard to be a God
xx Hope Springs Eternal
xx Immortals of Terra: A Perry Rhodan Adventure, The
xx Incredible Hulk, The
72 Insecticide: Episode 1
32 Iron Man
77 Kung Fu Panda
79 LEGO Indiana Jones: The Original Adventures
xx Limbo of the Lost
78 Lost Cases Of Sherlock Holmes, The
74 Lost Planet: Extreme Condition Colonies Edition
xx Mabinogi - Fantasy Life
xx Magic: The Gathering Online III
90 Mass Effect
xx Nancy Drew: The Phantom of Venice
69 Napoleon's Campaigns
xx Noitu Love 2: Devolution
xx NOMBZ: Night of a Million Billion Zombies
59 Obscure: The Aftermath
77 Out of the Park Baseball 9
69 Overclocked: A History of Violence
xx Panzer Command: Kharkov
78 Penny Arcade Adventures Epsiode One: On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness
72 Political Machine 2008, The
xx Princess Bride Game, The
xx Requiem: Bloodymare
68 Riddle of the Tomb
xx Romance of The Three Kingdoms XI
68 Roogoo
85 Sam & Max Episode 205: What's New, Beelzebub?
xx Samurai Warriors 2
xx SBK-08 Superbike World Championship
xx Settlers: Rise of an Empire - The Eastern Realm, The
xx Shattered Suns
71 Sherlock Holmes: Nemesis
xx Ship Simulator 2008: New Horizons
xx Silent Hunter: Wolves of the Pacific U-Boat Missions
67 SimCity Societies Destinations
58 Simon the Sorcerer 4: Chaos Happens
xx Sims 2 IKEA Home Stuff, The
xx Sims 2: Kitchen & Bath Interior Design Stuff, The
xx So Blonde
81 Spore Creature Creator
xx Stateshift
xx Strategic Command 2: Patton Drives East
45 Stronghold Crusader Extreme
xx Supernova 2: Spacewar
69 Supreme Ruler 2020
xx Tank Universal
xx Terrorist Takedown 2: U.S. Navy SEALs
xx Terrorist Takedown: Conflict in Mogadishu
78 Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Vegas 2
xx Top Trumps: Doctor Who
xx TrackMania Nations Forever
85 TrackMania United Forever
66 Turok
xx Ubersoldier 2: The End of Hitler
67 UEFA Euro 2008
xx Urban Empires
xx WALL-E
52 Warriors Orochi
xx Windchaser
xx Women's Murder Club

Stars indicate the most critically-acclaimed games.

Neverwinter Nights


7.9

based on 34 reviews
Read critic reviews
How did we calculate this?

based on 62 votes
Read user comments
Rate this game

GAMES:

Official Website

A hideous evil has awoken in the Forgotten Realms. Now, in order to save the inhabitants of the town of Neverwinter you must uncover a sinister conspiracy, unmask your mysterious betrayer and complete an epic struggle to defeat the powerful forces that look to halt your quest and unleash an evil your people would surely never survive. [Infogrames]

PUBLISHER:	Infogrames
DEVELOPER:	BioWare
GENRE(S):	Role-Playing Game, Online
PLAYERS:	64
ESRB RATING:	T (Teen)
RELEASE DATE:	June 18, 2002

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

100

Yahoo! Games

It's hard to fathom, but what it really boils down to is the fact that gamers may never really have grasped just how faithful an adaptation of the D&D ruleset we are looking at. It is totally accurate in every, single detail.

100

Computer Games Magazine

The last role-playing game you'll ever desire, and at last, the fulfillment of a genre. [Sept 2002, p.68]

100

Pregaming

RPG'ers around the world should be jumping for joy, as Neverwinter Nights is the realization of every one of those gamers' deepest dreams. Or at least mine.

100

GamePen

This is the Next Big Thing that roleplaying fans have been waiting for.

Gamer's Pulse

It is a rare thing indeed when the builders’ tools are as addictive as the game but the AT presents such a slick, clean interface and ease of use that it is hard to stay away from at least trying your hand in a little Module creation.

PC Gameworld

Where Neverwinter Nights really earns the points is in its longevity.

PC Gamer

Central to its pull is a storyline as persuasive as any I've encountered in a fantasy roleplaying game. [Sept 2002, p.60]

Armchair Empire

A brilliant and highly polished RPG masterpiece.

Electric Playground

It may be the best PC game of a good many years. I can picture other gamesmakers checking out the game, and then just surrendering...I am floored by this game.

ActionTrip

The game is addictive and considerably lengthy; a RPG fan's dream.

netjak

THIS is the future of online multiplayer, not that massive stuff. Apart from poor sounds, average included modules, and some negatives in the new rules, Neverwinter Nights is a must have for any roleplayer out there.

GameZone

Simply incredible. The plot has depth, the game play has so many options and side quests that players will be immersed in this three-dimensional world for a long, long time.

GameSpot

Simply put, once you get into Neverwinter Nights, you'll likely have no need or desire to play another role-playing game for a long time--or any other game for that matter.

GameSpy

Its single-player game will rank among the best PC RPGs of all time and is sure to earn it fame. Power, however, is something it gives, rather than gets. More than any other game, Neverwinter Nights truly gives players power.

Game Revolution

A terrific game, one of the best computer translations of D&D ever created. Though its gameplay is a bit ubiquitous, it offers more dork depth than anything else in town.

Game Over Online

It’s everything a role-playing fan could ask for. Decent graphics, a great story and endless possibilities with the Aurora toolset makes this a must buy for the hardcore RPG fan or even the casual in-between-classes RPG fan.

FiringSquad

Once you toss in the graphics, sound effects, quality core rules and the toolset, it’s easy to understand how we came up with 91.

Adrenaline Vault

A revolutionary step forward in role-playing games...Any fan of the RPG genre should not be caught dead without a copy of Neverwinter Nights on his or her PC.

Cincinnati Enquirer

Incredibly deep and gratifying.

GamePro

Offers more multiplayer options than you’ll likely ever use combined with a single-player experience that’s wonderful but somewhat typical. Still, it’s the best PC D&D game ever, bar none.

Computer Gaming World

The DM client and tools elevate Neverwinter Nights into a creative medium of expression. [Sept 2002, p.80]

AtomicGamer

If you've never played the Baldur's Gate series, Planescape: Torment, or Icewind Dale, it's a fine single player game with the possibility of some very engaging multiplayer action.

Games Radar UK (Pre-2006)

Despite a few minor design issues, Neverwinter Nights is a flagship for the platfrom - a worthy successor to the BG series and a game no one should be embarrassed to hold in high regard. [Edge]

Total Video Games

If you’re going to play on your own there is enough to keep you playing for days, take it online and you have a masterpiece that could last you a lifetime.

All Game Guide

It's a pity the single-player story mode isn't a little more engaging, because it's the only thing keeping Neverwinter from getting the maximum rating.

IGN

A finely crafted, in-depth RPG with a lot of story and plenty of side quests to keep you busy for a long, long time, and it will surely satisfy those of you looking for your next fantasy fix.

GMR Magazine

If you're a D&D nerd then you already know, but buy this one for the multiplayer and user-made mods. [Feb 2003, p.94]

Game Informer

Offers a decent single-player experience, but it doesn't begin to hold a candle to the Baldur's series...Now for the Toolset. This thing is absolutely amazing, people. [August 2002, p.88]

Quandary

Neverwinter Nights isn't perfect. But I nevertheless had a great time on this journey and it's kept me well and truly entertained for the past few weeks.

G4 TV

A lot of game even if most of it is just potential.

Four Fat Chicks

There is not much to say. Neverwinter Nights is fun, a lot of fun. It is also bland. Despite its figurative colorlessness, it has an addictive quality to it.

eToychest

Another facet of this title that makes it something of a catalyst for online euphoria is the ability to create your own modules through which you can play by yourself, as well as others.

My Gamer

So if you can look past Neverwinter Nights’ monotonous single-player campaign to its much more stimulating multiplayer mode, it is a worthy buy for any fan of D&D.

EuroGamer

The single player campaign is, if anything, too long, and focuses more on continuous combat than actual role-playing. The lack of any support for parties in the single player mode is also disappointing, and makes the game far less involving than it should be.

The average user rating for this game is 7.9 (out of 10) based on 62 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

Sean B. gave it a10:
Incredible game. The campaign is good but the online capabilities are endless. Possibly my favorite game of all time.

Elias O. gave it a4:
Sadly, the singleplayer is lacking quality, but the multiplayer makes up for it, however most RPG fans are looking for a good singleplayer story... Which NWN did not provide!

Lidia M. gave it a7:
The best, the online gameplay. The rest, a boring D&D story looooong, and boring.

DemonicAngel gave it a4:
The graphics, even for the time of release, are fairly poor. Sound is good enough but nothing to write home about. The musical score, such as I've heard, is pretty appropriate, and the voice acting is at least adequate. The real sticking point here, though, is the utter tedium of the gameplay. Against more than one enemy, even early on in the game, your chances of survival are very slim because of the "sort of turn-based" nature of the combat. The D&D rules may be appropriate for tabletop gaming, but here they are simply limiting to the game's flow. I mean, come on - this is a computer game, and thus the only reason to use such antiquated devices as dice rolls is verisimilitude, which is a bad thing in this case. This is the problem with most of the (admittedly few) RPGs I've played, that they rely too heavily on rules. IMO, computer role playing shouldn't be about counter-intuitive statistics and linear quest lines - it should be about the freedom to do whatever you desire, creating your character through your interaction with the world around you. That's role playing. Whereas Neverwinter Nights is more akin to work, and therefore I won't be playing it again, nor will I ever go near a D&D-based computer RPG again.

Thesith gave it a10:
With power to make huge dungeons,towering citys, and even a area where master chief gives you plasma grenades this is a truley good game prefect for dungeons and dragons addicters like myself.Most of you say this lacks party abilty while even though you can have servers with over 60 people in it.You can make your own items, dungeons, storys, chacters,and even a easy way to cheat by giving yourself custom items. At only 20$ for the game and 3 more with it its a good game worth it.

Jason P. gave it a10:
An excellent game that I just keep coming back to again and again. It's hard to believe that it's really over 4 years old. The official and community content just keeps getting better and better. I'm currently playing the best community module I've ever played.

Brian J. gave it a6:
The only redeeming quality of this game is the toolset. The toolset has allowed people to make worthwhile single player adventures and wonderful multiplayer D&D experiences. The single player games that come with Neverwinter Nights Diamond, however, are pure tedium. This is NOT a true sequel to the Baldur's Gate series. The stories in these games are 100% linear, character interaction just doesn't matter. You cannot have a party of characters, only yourself and one henchmen, whom you do not control and has no significance whatsoever on the plot of the game. Unlike most RPGs, which attempt to weave stories involving as many characters as possible, each game that comes in NWN is just one simple plot, drawn out with as many repetetive action sequences as possible. Technically, there is an awful lot of role playing, as you repeatedly cast spells and use special abilities. Lots of role playing, but almost no game. The game does not require strategy, as any literate person can read what spells and abilities are more powerful than another and choose them. The game has puzzles, but they are completely obvious and will always require a bunch of boring combat - just like everything in the game. This game would have been infinitely better given the character interaction, full party control, and interesting plotline of Baldur's Gate II. Those were all the best parts of BG2, yet Bioware left them out. Buy only if seeking to play multiplayer (where people have taken the time to create interesting worlds where you can interact with other people, filling all the voids left in the singleplayer NWN).