#773 Pain

Posted: 6th March 2012 by Mulholland in Games
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3

128th played so far

Genre: Action
Platform: Playstation 3
Year of Release: 2007
Developer: Idol Minds
Publisher: Sony

As we have seen in recent years there has been a move towards downloading smaller, cheaper games on the likes of PSN, WiiWare and XBLA. The list also reflects this with a sizable number of entries between 2007-2010 being from this group of games. We have already reflected on Bastion and From Dust being possible future entries on the list but for now here is the first such game we have covered; Pain.

Our Thoughts

There are some games that we have covered so far that are on the list because they have achieved the status of an all-time classic. In contrast to this there are games like One-Dot Enemies and Line Rider where the games are unique or take a simple idea and do it very well; it doesn’t take a genius to realise that Pain falls squarely in the latter group.

That is not to say that Pain is not a fun distraction (because it most surely is) but due to its fairly limited gameplay it is able to achieve some form of focus which many games (some of which we are yet to cover) could only dream of having. This focus is very simple; use a giant slingshot to fling your character into a cityscape in order to cause maximum damage by knocking over giant  bowling balls, derailing trains, knocking grannies down stairs onto tube tracks, blowing up things… you get the idea. The graphics are not ultra-realistic but are comically styled in a way which reminds me of the humans in Second Sight and because of this the game is able to get away with things that many games would be chastised for. InGrand Theft Auto and it’s subsequent games you are able to blow up old women and derail trains and people (usually in America or Australia) get angry and call for it to be banned. In Pain, however, it’s very funny and socially acceptable.

Seeing how you can get this game for under £7 (I got it on a PSN sale for £3.19) it also has its limitations. There was originally only one area available for flinging (a second was added which was sponsored by a deodorant company) and there are many things (including characters and landscapes) that are reliant on future transactions. However, there are many things to recommend buying the vanilla version of the game such as it’s sense of humour and the joy of flinging a mime through sheets of plane glass.

It’s nothing complex but, at the same, the sheer number of different throws are amazing to try out and the many different features in the game are brilliant. It’s comparable to Burnout 2: Point of Impact‘s crash mode in simply revelling in the glory of destruction. I know it’s fairly simple and straight forward, but boom…

Final Thoughts

This game will always occupy a special place in my heart since it was the first game that I ever bought on one of these online stores. For now I will get back to flinging a Fat Princess through the centre of a donut.

#3 Breakout

Posted: 2nd March 2012 by Mulholland in Games
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4

127th played so far

Genre: Action
Platform: Various
Year of Release: 1976
Developer: Atari
Publisher: Atari

Games really do not get much older than this (with the exception of the earlier covered game Pong and the first actual game on the list).

I would like the reason we chose to do this game to be fairly noble but it was because I was so itching to cover Arkanoid and Shatter that we agreed to do this game earlier. In a way it builds a case for us having covered the games in chronological order… but it would have meant a shoot ’em up saturation effect and we would have been bored witless. It also drives our averages down a bit… we might just have to put in a few more of these quick and easy games more often. They probably won’t be as simple soon enough, but historical perspective and all that… also it’s fun. 

Our Thoughts

Here is an interesting fact about the original Breakout game; the machine was black and white and used coloured pieces of cellophane to stop the display from looking dull. A bit of an oddity when you consider one of the most influential games of all time was the machine equivalent of the purple one in a tin of Quality Street.

Be it Arkanoid, Alphabounce, Shatter or Cybersphere it is near impossible to find a gamer in the world who has not played either Breakout or a Breakout-clone. Why is this game so important to gaming history? Well it is pretty much the first major game that tried to create something original rather than emulate something already existing in human culture. Pong? It’s a game of real tennis. The Oregon Trail? It’s a history lesson. Apart from some futuristic sport where we use bowling balls and a moving trampoline in the demolition buisness there really isn’t a human allegory to Breakout and thank Zeus for that.

While this game is certainly abstract, that increases its appeal in a way – you’re focused on the action and with that, involved more in beating the computer. You know you can do better, you know you can destroy the blocks and you want to do so before the computer brings those blocks down too far.

The gameplay, as if we need to talk about that, is very simple; destory the blocks with your ball and paddle. In total there are only two levels and an absolute maximum score of 896 which should add up to a boring and repetitive crapfest of a gaming experience (if you excuse my Klatchian). But, like we said with Space Invaders, this game really does have the ‘one-more time’ factor. It helps that the game, at its simplest, is actually incredibly tough – it’s hard to even make it past the first level, never mind making it through the second. It’s certainly beatable, but it takes time and practice, which draws you in even further.

Final Thoughts

Back to the same thoughts here – yeah, the game is simple. You bounce a ball around, hitting as many bricks as possible and trying to keep it from falling in a chasm. But as so often, that simplicity works and leads to an addictive gameplay. We’re soon going to see this improved on in future games, but right now it more than works for us.

#635 Drill Dozer

Posted: 27th February 2012 by Mulholland in Games
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1

126th played so far

Genre: Action
Platform: Game Boy Advance
Year of Release: 2005
Developer: Game Freak
Publisher: Nintendo

Whilst there are many things that we love about this list there are also a large number of obstacles and annoyances along the way.

Today’s game, Drill Dozer (designed by Pokémon’s Ken Sugimori), is the first example of an irritation that we had to overcome; localization. For whatever reason this game was not made available in the EU with only Japan and America getting all the drill-based fun.

I have no idea why this never made it here but thanks to the magic of eBay it arrived.

Our Thoughts

How has it taken us this long to reach a GBA game? There are many Jeroen has thanks to the 3DS Ambassador and it still took us this long to get to a GBA game… and what an unusual one it is.

I can discern no real reason why Japan has a thing about drills but when one of the most popular anime series in recent years (Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann) revolves around people in mecha-suits wielding progressively larger drills you know that there is something there. I don’t want to go down the road of drills and drilling being the hallmarks of sexual repression (since I really do not know enough about Japan to make such a generalisation) so let’s just leave it there.

The premise is very simple, you lead a group of thieves (not unlike our friend Sly Cooper) and use your Drill Dozer to enact revenge on the behalf of your injured father and it is your job to retrieve the Red Diamond that has been stolen by a rival gang. It’s a pretty tropish storyline when you are trying to make heroes out of thieves… but it works out when well executed so screw it (pun unintended).

To be honest the story is pretty unimportant, the game’s charm lays in it’s sense of humour and the ingenius use of a drill to provide a large variety of controls. You can simply drill through walls but also use rubber bricks to throw yourself across the room, open doors, travel through screw tunnels, swim and operate all manner of winches. Also there are many enemies with holes that need to be drilled into submission… they really are not helping those with a dirty mind now are they?

Moving away from some dirtier thoughts (I’m sorry, that just didn’t feel like a train of thought I wanted to interfere in), the game itself is an entertaining semi-platformer (though we classed is as an action game – the platforming isn’t always as much of a focus) that makes great use of the drills.

First, they allow for a lot of additional exploration. There’s mostly still a straightforward route through the level (although some upgrades can create shortcuts) although these twist and combine throughout, but because the drill allows new paths to be hidden everywhere, there are plenty of nooks and crannies with bonuses hidden.

Second, the drill plays a large part in the major and minor bosses you encounter. These are mostly the usual type of thing – hit the boss when a specific weak part is visible or open – having to use and place the drill in the right point adds a bit of a challenge and sometimes has it make more sense. It’s also simply more fun to be able to undo the one screw holding the enemy robot together.

The drilling adds a few other nice things as you play through – each level you collect gears so you can make your drill go faster and last longer, which requires some related gameplay skills as well to switch gears on time and keep that going. Nothing too complicated, but a small extra challenge. You also gather credits as you play, which allows you to upgrade your HP bar, give you additional level and, most interesting when playing through, allow you to break through more materials and get to more different areas.

Final Thoughts

 Having gone through this, the game is a lot of fun. It’s got a lot of possible exploration through some quite interesting levels with some nice scenery.

It’s not the most brilliant action game, too, but the sense of humour and the use of the drill make for a charming and interesting game that’s quite a lot of fun to play through.

In the interest of full disclosure…

Posted: 26th February 2012 by Jeroen in Uncategorized
1

For the few regular readers that keep track of this and feel this would influence them:

I have recently started a job in the videogame industry. Mostly backend work at the moment, and not for a company currently in the list, but a job in the industry all the same.

I’m not planning on having it affect my opinion – positive or negative – and nothing else should change, but I figured some of you guys might at least be interested – it at least seems wise to be clear about all of this.

That is all 🙂

p.s. I am so frickin’ jealous it is beyond belief!

#6 Space Invaders

Posted: 23rd February 2012 by Jeroen in Games
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9

125th played so far

Genre: Shoot ‘Em Up
Platform: Arcade (and then everywhere)
Year of Release: 1978
Developer: Taito
Publisher: Taito

Just as we reach our one in eight games point (awesome!), we thought about doing a proper classic. And as far as imagery go, you can’t get much more classic than Space Invaders and its aliens. A type of classic imagery that has, in fact, been showing up in cities around the world.

Space Invaders itself, in the mean time, is the now classic story. Aliens are invading. You shoot them with your little ship thing. Kill them all before they kill you. I know it sounds cliched (and really, it is) but as this was one of the first games, if not the first of its kind, to do it, it works.

Our Thoughts

This is one of those games everyone knows… what can we say about it? Let’s just say that if you haven’t played it yet, find one of the many clones out there and give it a go. For those of you who are regulars on Neopets they have a clone of it known as Swarm.

Back? Thank you.

Space Invaders is, in the basics, a simple shoot ’em up. There’s only left and right movement and you fight the aliens, each of which dies in one hit. There’s a couple of towers to defend you from the incoming fire from the aliens.

This simple gameplay, as with many of this era, is addictive, for a large part because of that same simplicity. There’s a simple satisfaction from killing the aliens and, more important, there’s real tension as the aliens slowly creep forward towards your ship, an unrelenting march forward that gets your heart racing as you try to defend yourself. Very real and frightening.

This combines with memorable graphics. Yeah, the aliens are pixelated and simple, but are alien and scary – not nightmare territory, but weird and strange enough. And as said, now iconic enough to matter.

What is interesting is that this could be one of the first games to be flogged to death with many ports, sequels and soft drink related spin-offs. It also inspired many revamps during the naughties which, like those for Pac-Man, include some titles so successful that they have made it to the list itself.

With these early games, there’s little to say. Yeah, things have moved on, they look fancier, but to be honest, not always as effective. Because of the time when this was made, they had little choice – only the core elements had to be in, and they had to work. And that’s what they do.

Final Thoughts

Sorry for the short write up folks but it is really hard to come up with things that have yet to be said about this cultural icon. I mean this is a game so iconic that it was chosen to grace the front of the book itself!

As mentioned earlier we will back to the Space Invaders formula with the two portable console revamps so here’s hopeing we have more to say then.

 

#429 Team Fortress Classic

Posted: 19th February 2012 by Jeroen in Games
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1

124th played so farGenre: First-Person Shooter
Platform: PC
Year of Release: 1999
Developer: Valve
Publisher: Sierra

If today’s entry seems short, it’s because a lot of this can reference Half-Life again. It is, you could say, the nature of this beast.

Team Fortress Classic is a remake of Team Fortress, a mod for Quake.  It was remade by the original developers when they were hired by Valve, now using the Half-Life engine. The result is this game.

Basically, this is a multiplayer mod that offers several new match modes, with class-based play and several new maps.

Our Thoughts

I’ve always liked these sort of team-based shooters (even if I’m not that good at them). There’s something fun about sitting in a room with others and trying to work together to kill as many of the others as you can. We tend to skirt over the multiplayer mode of most games we review since if the single-player mode is a bit pants then what hope is there for the multiplayer. However, this is one of those rare games which is exclusively multiplayer… something that we have yet to come across. Also it appears to have been a HUGE influence on games like Timesplitters 2 and that is never a bad thing.

Team Fortress Classic is built for that, and just that. It’s very good at that and a lot of fun although I am looking forward to some more outrageous guns which can be found in fellow listgame Team Fortress 2.

But the game adds a twist. This probably isn’t the only game that does it, but as I don’t think I’ve ever seen it implemented as such, it’s worth mentioning here. Rather than all playing as carbon copies of each other – different looks, possibly, but really just with the same stats – you play as one of nine classes. Each have different abilities and weapons, and aside from shooting there’s types like the medic (heals others), engineer (create sentry guns and such to aid defense) and spy (dress up as another class, of your or the other team). This adds a nice additional layer to gameplay.

To this day there are very few games outside of the RPG genre that allow for different classes. In fact, off the top of my head I can not think of another game that have passed it off as well as the Team Fortress games.

As for gameplay, the additional modes added go a bit beyond capture the flag – there’s a one-sided version, but also something best described as ‘capture the base’ (known as Assault in Timesplitters), where you slowly push forward through the map, or prevent the other team from doing so. In the end that does feel balanced and is quite a bit of fun to play through.

Final Thoughts

Look, many of you are not going to play this on your own. This simply isn’t the game for that. You can get and install bots, but it’s not the same, and it’s not what you want.

Manic multiplayer is fun, and this game offers it. It also offers a lot of strategy and many more options than you normally see. It might be fairly singleminded… but with the time we spent on it (willingly!), it does seem like the game is very much worth it.

#203 Civilization

Posted: 15th February 2012 by Jeroen in Games
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10

123rd played so far

Genre: Strategy
Platform: PC
Year of Release: 1991
Developer: MicroProse
Publisher: Microprose

I have a slight confession to make here. While early on we said we’d play a game for five hours or until we completed it, we haven’t always followed is as strictly – if we got a good idea, we sometimes stopped a bit earlier, so we’d have more time for other games.

As you can see, today’s game is Civilization. Now, we’re both fans of the series – I’ve started playing the first game with friends, then getting the second for myself and continuing, with love, to enjoy the third and fourth. Peter just has experience with the fourth, but enjoyed that as much.

We’ve already discussed part of this in our Sid Meier’s Alpha Centauri write-up, but it’s worth emphasising this now.

So when he suggested we do this game next, I knew this would be a long time playing, and trust me, we’ve spent far more than five hours on it.  It’s a good thing we’re writing this over our Christmas holidays.

Our Thoughts

I need to start our thoughts with a bit of a defense of us not playing games for 5 hours or until completion… you try playing Frogger, Demolition Derby or Bookworm for five hours and you’ll see why we had to cut it short sometimes. Rest assured that we still take the time goal seriously with most games (unless they are really beginning to piss us off).

Civilization was never in any danger of pissing either of us off since we both already had prior experiences of losing hours to an edition of this blasted game. One fateful Christmas Eve it happened again… before we knew it is was five hours later and I had to be off to help in the advanced preperation go Christmas dinner. Even now I can not quite put my finger on what makes this game so incredibly addictive but all I know is that I was itching to get back to the empire to wipe out the remaining Babylonians.

Part of Civilization‘s appeal is always the ‘one more turn’ sentiment that any fan will probably recognise. There are so many things to keep track of and so many goals to go for that it’s a straight forward response to always try to keep going to move a few forward. This could be developing a base further, nurturing past its initial stages, conquering another civilization or advancing scientifically so you can build your own space ship. This is not so much just a case of having many different things to do as having many different places to do these things.

This game is the first in a long(ish) line of games that very clearly build on each other and, as referenced, we’ve played multiple games in the series. Because of its continuous improvements, our impressions are influenced by this and it’s tempting to compare. Keep an eye open for our followup posts for more on this.

Now then, Civilization is, on its own, a 4X-game – Explore, Expand, Exploit and Exterminate. Rather than other, more fast-paced games, it has an increased level of detail and complexity that allows you to regulate the lives of your people on a quite detailed scale, with combat being an essential, but simpler part of the game – the focus is on management, rather than battling. In this it is also notable that the further into the game you get the longer each turn takes because of how many balls you have in the air. There are cities to look after, railroads to build, tanks to maintain, Aztecs to slaughter etc. I am so looking forward to when we get to Civilization IV where military prowess and a space program are the ways to win the game.

In all of this, Civilization arguably shows its age. It’s not the first game to feature this style, but it’s the first to be as big as it is, as well as being as succesful. There’s a balance struck between exploration and securing your own borders, between growing your cities and growing the number of cities, of development versus strength.

At the same time, the game keeps things simple and clear enough that you can keep up with all this detail. It doesn’t overwhelm you with the details of happiness or corruption, you find out enough to influence it, but you don’t need to spend a lot of time to figure it out.

Beyond that, the graphics actually hold up remarkably well for a game of its age. While it’s not the peak of what it can do, it looks nice enough and makes things surprisingly clear. Nice and clear enough to still be the gaming equivalent of heroin.

Final Thoughts

I think everyone reading this will agree that a game does not have to new in order to be fun. The fact that is some of the most fun we have had playing games are with the old classics since they really do have that ‘one more time’ feeling.

Look, we have three more entries in the Civilization franchise to play through before we reach the end of this voyage… so if anyone has any Pizza Hut vouchers we can use?

#745 Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare

Posted: 11th February 2012 by Jeroen in Games
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1

122nd played so far

Genre: First-Person Shooter
Platform: PC, Playstation 3, Xbox 360
Year of Release: 2007
Developer: Infinity Ward
Publisher: Activision

We’ve referenced our list of games borrowed from Peter’s friend Chris before (quiz question: who here knows which we still have to play?). This is the next game on our (admittedly quite good) FPS list.

We’ve covered Call of Duty before (the second game in the series actually), but this game is slightly different. As the subtitle implies, this game is set in modern times (terrorism gets referenced regularly) although the villains are still Russians – silly and shocking at the same time… even so, the movement in technology should make for some interesting setpieces in this game.

Our Thoughts

Let’s start with my first observation when playing the game: The tutorial is boring and the game needs until halfway into the first mission to really feel interesting. It’s weird – tutorials are rarely brilliant, but this one felt especially bad (perhaps due to the barely present British accents that they think should be there. Weird but true.) The problem with accents in games, films and TV shows is that they always feel exaggerated… even when performed by natives of the country.

One thing that I am happy to see in this game versus Call of Duty 2 is that they actually tried to craft a game centred around a future (future when this game was published… it’s in the past now) conflict. The fact that half of the conflict is occurring in the Middle East is not a big surprise and makes a lot of sense (apart from the fact that it is taking place in Saudi Arabia which is one of the few nations in that area that is unlikely to be attacked by America!). This I take no grievance with.

What I do take issue with is the Russians being the big bad enemy again. When will America actually wise up? The Cold War is over. It has been for twenty years. Get the hell over it! But hey… at least it isn’t the Germans… this time. Be glad that the Brits are on the Americans’ side… if you believe the movies, the bad guy must be British.

Many of the things were great about this game is things we tend to say about all the modern FPS games. Great graphics and great sound. This is one of those cases where they’re simply as good as you’d expect. There is no getting away from the fact that this game looks and feels like an adrenaline rush. In a similar vein here is an issue with this game which, although also present in games like Killzone 2, feels far more pronounced here… it feels all too linear.

Don’t get us wrong this game is nowhere near a rail-shooter because during missions there are houses to hide in and (strangely) collectibles to find in the debris but there are times where the game blocks off two of the three arches of a bridge because you just HAVE to go through the arch on the far left. It just feels a little bit forced. The bridge was probably the clearest example. There’s a bridge that spans the swamp. On my playthrough I wanted to go through the central one – get a bit closer to the goal, knowing there wouldn’t be an attack just yet – and it was blocked… by a shopping trolley you’d climb over in other levels. The third arch was similar.

Beyond that, the criticism of a linear shooter applies. True, there’s a few side areas, but there are a few places where the “You must go this way” barriers are frighteningly obvious. It isn’t too bad when playing, but could have been a bit less in your face sometimes. A bit of leeway would have been nice.

In other news, one thing that we have yet to address is the online multiplayer; something which really did catapault this games popularity into the stratosphere. As fun as it was (and this is not a comment on the game to be honest) most of the other players I encountered were complete and utter douches. So yes, this is something that I could have seen myself playing a lot if it wasn’t for the ‘online gaming community’… good grief that sounds anti-social.

Final Thoughts

Yeah, sorry, aside from the linearity, we can’t really say anything bad about this game. The storyline… Russians? Come on, it is ridiculous. Still, those are things that are easy to ignore when you play the game, just as you can ignore that the Brits sound very American.

But at the same time, there’s little outstanding either. It’s a good, solid game – sure, deserving of inclusion on this list – but I know I find it difficult to find the one great thing other games don’t do.

#54 Mad Planets

Posted: 7th February 2012 by Mulholland in Games
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1

121st played so far

Genre: Shoot ‘Em Up
Platform: Arcade
Year of Release: 1983
Developer: Gottlieb
Publisher: Gottlieb

Have you ever watched or heard something and thought that it would make for a fantastic computer game? I know I have. Too many times to be completely honest. (If a developer ever reads this please make a kick-ass game using the music from Sleigh Bell’s debut album Treats).

Like painfully too few people in the UK I am a massive fan of the long-cancelled animated series Invader Zim. This show and the insane robot character GIR has given me hours upon hours of entertainment. Anyway, I am reminded of an episode of Invader Zim since there is so much in an episode entitled ‘Battle of the Planets’ that appears to have been inspired by this game Mad Planets.

In this game you are a ship fighting a series of planets that come at you in eccentric orbits as they throw their moons at you. Why convert your planet into a navigatable battleship? According to some extinct aliens in Invader Zim: “because it’s cool”

Our Thoughts

That explanation from Peter already gave away part of what I wanted to say. You see, that’s the game. You’re a planet-sized ship trying to blow up rapidly growing planets before they throw their moons at you and destroy you. Luckily, your missiles can destroy moons and planets (although if they grow too large, the planets may require several blasts to destroy… if they don’t hit the moon the planets are shielded by instead). There are also comets for you to shoot down as well as some poor troubled astronauts that need saving.

To do this, you can move in all four directions, have unlimited fire power and can (unusual compared to most games) rotate as well. This last bit is the most interesting and confusing, as the rotation can quickly get confusing… I might have abandoned that after a while and shoot in only one direction. As a control option, however, it’s very interesting. The fact is that in order to progress really far in this game you really need to master the rotate option. There are times when planets will begin to glow red and then start to follow you around the screen at an increasingly rapid pace and it will attempt to destroy you from your blind side… it is then where knowing how to rotate will save your ship and the astronauts you have rescued.

The game, beyond that, is a manic shooter – keep firing, avoid the planets, and hope they die before you do. As the planets, when grown, require multiple hits to kill, while colliding with a planet or moon kills you instantly, the game encourages you to kill the planets while they’re still small, which could result in a perfect score.

While the graphics are fairly simple, they are very colourful and make the planets seem positively mad. Chaotic. Possibly slightly evil. All in all reaching higher levels, with their different planets, are a nice small reward as well. I am also a big fan of the music and sounds, it is not a big point but it made us smile in all it’s retro glory.

While it’s an old manic shooter, this is also a really fun one. It’s just a shame that the unique controls meant it could never be properly ported to another platform… something we’ll have to keep hoping for for another time. Possibly, with new control method being developed now with the new platforms, this might lead to this shooter making a return. It would certainly be worth it.

Final Thoughts

Mad Planets really does what it says on the tin, there are planets and they are pretty bleeding mad. As with many manic shooters (including DoDonPachi) this game is alarmingly addictive since there is always that ‘one more play’ which will lead to that ever higher score… stupid video games.

#516 Neverwinter Nights

Posted: 3rd February 2012 by Jeroen in Games
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2

120th played so far

Genre: RPG
Platform: PC
Year of Release: 2002
Developer: Bioware
Publisher: Atari

 On this blog, as well as elsewhere, I’ve never made a secret of my fondness for the Bioware RPGs (as well as certain related spin-offs). Neverwinter Nights is no exception.

In its single player standard campaign, you go to save the titular Neverwinter from a plague, as well as chasing after the guys who caused this. The game was (and really is) more than that, however. First because of the strong multiplayer component – the game had been designed with that in mind from the start – and second because of the powerful toolset which allows you to create your own adventures using the engine. The entire campaign (as well as its sequels and such) could be recreated using this engine if you’d want to. You can create them for your own pleasure, to share and play with friends (up to having online D&D sessions using the game) or to give to everyone out there to play through.

Unprecedented, for sure. Amazing? I’ll be the judge of that one.

Our Thoughts

It really is a bit odd that for this write-up that I, a self-proclaimed not-so-big-fan of D&D style RPGs, take the lead on it… but in this way I can give a more impartial perspective on the game when compared to my good friend typing next to me. I’ve played this game so much, I really would lessen the mention of the inevitable flaws.

So far this is the third game (and apparently not the last) we have covered in this blog which is based firmly on the rules of the much-beloved (by a select few million) role-playing game and although the next few paragraphs may seem to some people as touching on a hate crime but… I’ve played better D&D based games than Neverwinter Nights and here are a few reasons why.

The first thing that hit me (apart from the game crashing on my Vista laptop… not their fault but annoying) is that the art-style in this feels like a bit of a step down when compared to Baldur’s Gate II and the earlier released Icewind Dale (see I know my Bioware RPGs). Where Baldur’s Gate II  has really stood up to the ravages of time the graphics in Neverwinter Nights feel oh so very dated. This in a way comes back to the discussion we had on Baldur’s Gate II before: 3D graphics like this have dated a lot more than the sprite art up to scratch. By trying to be realistic, you set yourself up for failure when technology moves on. Then there are the character portraits which in Baldur’s Gate II are varied and beautiful… here they are just plain creepy. You really are expected to provide your own… or find one of the few bearable ones that isn’t always reused.

The voice-acting too is not that great. The cadence of some of the character’s lines may drive you crazy after a while. Again when you look at a game like Planescape: Torment they have some fantastic lines of dialogue with great voice acting… not here. You can quite clearly tell here how the lines were recorded one by one, without any context, unlike other games, where it seems to be done as a conversation (even if some are repeats). The best example is with one of the main characters of the campaign, Lady Aribeth. Aside from being stuck up, she really sounds like she’s having constant mood swings… in every part of the month. Finally, (don’t worry we will be getting to the positives soon) there is the single player campaign which just feels cliched and it is very hard to develop any empathy towards the mission itself… seriously I would have just happily ventured off and left Neverwinter to their plague. To hell with them I have giants to slay. (Something you do get to do a few hours in). Don’t get me wrong here, the gameplay during the single player campaign (or actually to be more accurate, the official campaign) is as good as everywhere else, but the storyline is flat and boring… seriously just a way to get from quest to quest and chapter to chapter.

The expansions do this better, with them giving the game more memorable characters and some proper interaction that influences how your helpers develop, but it took Bioware a while to get this right. It’s worth getting Shadows of the Urdrentide (or however it’s spelled) and Hordes of the Underdark if you want to get a better story… they enhance the existing game as well, always making it a good addition.

Anyway, why is this on the list if there are so many things done better by older games? One word: customizability. Most games based on the D&D rules naturally have to allow for you to customise your character since they act as your avatar into a fantastical populated by barely clad women with strange names.  Here though they finally let dungeon masters have a field day and allowed for completely customised ‘modules’ where you can create maps, campaigns and even magical hostile penguins with a penchant for ice magic. It takes a lot to fulfill such a promise as “whatever you think you can make” and just like The Movies this game has a really fair stab at it and for the most part it suceeds majestically… and it really helps that you can upload your own portraits.

The premium modules add into this as well. Although a few have allowed for some engine updates to support more features, all in all the modules are actually made using the same tools everyone has access to. They are usually pretty good quality, making them a lot of fun to play as well. Beyond that, however, you can download tons (and with that I mean lots) of modules for free from other people. A good source is NWVault, which contains lots of them, as well as other files that are useful to add and download. Several of these are quite a bit better than the original, official campaign… making it worth checking out even now.

Final Thoughts

No game is without it’s faults and this does have it’s fair few but it was able to suceed in making a customisable fantasy game that is pleasing fans almost a decade later. What would I rather play? Saint’s Row 2 if I am being completely honest… but  Baldur’s Gate II really is better in every facet where you can compare the two. But I may still have a play in creating my own module with penguin bards and dragons who slur their speech; what other game allows for such indulgences?

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