Neverwinter Nights:

- Do notnotnot even try playing the official module. It stinks to the high heavens from straightforward fedex quests, lame henchmen, lack of challenge, horrible plot, lots of hack'n'slash, to melodramatic voiceacting. Aribeth's voice has problems. There is also some inaccuracies concerning FR canon, and misportrayal of one canon character, although I doubt you'd care.

- The interface is between "bloody godawful" and "mediocre, barely tolerable". Radial menu, my behind. Who came up with it?

- The inventory is equally horrible. Someone must've thought Diablo 2's inventory is cool, and slapped it on NWN. There's not even a button to make them orderly.

- Graphics...? If I'd wanted graphics, I'd be playing Morrowind. Even Dungeon Siege has better. Bioware has a long way to go in making 3D engine.

- The only redeeming quality of NWN is custom-made mods and contents. Ironically, most of the user-made mods and some of the custom contents (new models, for instance) are a lot better than the official one. It saddens me that the professional team is this... pathetic. And they're paid to do it, too. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/rolleyes.gif" alt="" />

If you do pick up NWN, here're some brief reviews of some mods:

- Bone Kenning I: Art of Thanaturge - excellent scripting and a very creative way of henchman-making (collect different bones and different skulls that have different properties to create an undead "thrall"). Good story and concept that encourage neutral/evil alignment, as opposed to the generic, tiresome save-the-world heroism. Also comes with good dialogue and little grammatical mistakes. I was thoroughly awed with it. Medium combat. Short.

- The Witch's Wake: Field of Battle - it is Bioware-made, but a free download. Has many concepts that remind me of PS:T, good story, and a refreshing way of experience point rewarding, i.e., no exp from combat, but only from advancing the story or "roleplaying" your character. Low-power game, about level 1-3. Has original death/respawning. Minimal combat, some roleplaying, original. Short.

- Elegia Eternum - this mod is not for everyone, but it is very much my cup of tea. Has original music and voiceacting (!), and is story-driven to the point that it works more like an interactive novel than a roleplaying game. The story is good and original, however, although it's not something you would replay. It is also unforgettable. Minial combat, minimal roleplaying, original, dark theme. Short.

- An Ancient Heart - very typical adventure/hack'n'slash. The version I played (although there's a new one out, but I can't be bothered to try it) had grammar and spelling that reeked. The only thing it has going, I think, is the death/respawn system. When you die, you land in the Fugue Plains, which is full of other spirits waiting for their patron gods' heralds. (The mod's creator clearly knows about the FR setting beyond BG/NWN/IWD games, which is good.) There's a quest or two involving the afterlife. Maximum combat, so-so roleplaying. Cliched, unoriginal story/theme. No plot twist at all. Bleh. Long.

- Necromancer, Part 1 - Allegiance - Whee! This one's damn good, mechanically and otherwise. The scripting that allows you to raise the dead and obey basic commands shows hard work and finesse, although it's a bit buggy in that sometimes the dead just won't listen to you. You are very much encouraged to be evil, although there are some options for goodie-two-shoes. Equal parts combat and story/roleplaying. I haven't finished it yet, but have enjoyed it greatly so far. Even the battles are diverse in nature, and mages here are actually challenging.

- Foreboding in Sylvani - well, it has cutscenes (in NWN, this requires some advanced scripting, so it, yes, is special). It has some interesting areas with creative uses of placeables and lighting. The quests are so-so. The overall thing is so-so. Quite challenging combat, though. It also "fakes" swimming in certain areas, and has an underwater area.

Take it from me. Don't play the official module unless you're morbidly curious. Save yourself the pain and the despair as you trudge on, hoping that it'll get better at some point (it doesn't). Heck, even the voiceacting in Elegia Eternum is better than the one in the official module, IMO.