I didn't get my copy from GOG, as I got the game when it was first released, but it needs to be said; BUY THIS GAME. Into single player RPG's? Here it is. Prefer multiplayer slugfests? This game has it. A fan of mmorpg's and persistent worlds? Neverwinter Nights 2 has those too, many of which continue to thrive even to this day. Yes, it was released in a buggy state (most of which were fixed over the years via patches), but frankly it isn't nearly as buggy as many other popular RPG's on release (*cough* elderscrolls *cough). Let me put this in perspective; this is the only game that my friends and I have been playing none stop, EVERY DAY over the last eight years. I am not exaggerating. The game's multiplayer is that good. Single player isn't bad either (Mask of the Betrayer is the highlight here), though the Storm of Zehir campaign is pretty terrible, so don't use that one as a measure for anything. I guess I should specify; its co-op multiplayer is good. It has PVP, though you'll get various statements about how it isn't good for that by many in the community. This however, is more due to the nature of D&D than NwN 2 itself. The best part about NwN 2 is what everyone says; the mods. Everything from levels, equipment and spells to entire gameplay conversions are available. There's a lot to be said about this game, but I won't ramble on much longer. Just leave it at NwN 2 being one of the easier games to recommend on GOG..
My brother and I used to spend days on a single match over this game. We had an absolute blast every time. It never was much to be counted for graphics, but the depth of its tactical gameplay and two player turn based mode made it one of the most fun strategy games we ever played. If you enjoy challenging a sibling or anyone else at home to a game of chess now and then, you will definetly have a lot of fun with this one.
I bought the Icewind Dale collectors edition several years back, before GOG even came online, but I figured i'd throw in my two scents here, because now that it is on the site and especially at this price; THERE IS NO REASON FOR YOU NOT TO BUY THIS GAME. Icewind Dale is one of the games that got me into video gaming to begin with, and is the only game to date that I felt truly captured the feeling of epic fantasy from books and movies, despite being more action oriented than Baldurs Gate. Maybe its the fantastic artwork (which is certainly more awe inspiring than BG) or maybe its the music (again, a truly epic OST). Might also be the fact that it is much more focused... either way, between Baldurs Gate and Icewind Dale, I would choose this any day. Gameplay wise, it is nearly identical to Baldur's Gate, with a couple of differences. First; combat is the focus and at earlier levels is, while challenging, seems a little easier to deal with. In other words, it scales pretty well. You also create your whole team; there are no NPC team mates in the game. You can create up to six characters, though nothing stops you from playing solo or with less than six. At any point in the game you can change each characters sound, portrait and even AI script. Graphically, Icewind Dale 2 aged much better than Baldurs Gate, a fact I attribute to its beautiful environments. With Heart of WInter, the character sprites are also different and of higher resolution. Story wise, the game is much simpler than Baldur's Gate, and is not too much more complicated than "dark lord rising; you must bash!", but it is presented in a very nice way, and your travels take you to many locations that have very well developed backstories of their own, so you never feel like the game has a particular absence of plot. There are also fewer side quests (and the ones that are in are very simple affairs too). Personally, I liked this, as I could never figure out why heroes trying to save the world from total oblivion always have time to rescue everyones pet cat... As said before; buy this. You will not regret.
The game that got me into computer games. More than any other game of its time, Descent 2 made you feel like you were zooming into a virtual world. A fantastic soundtrack, amazing gameplay that really is not found anywhere else, and a great atmosphere make this one of my all time favorites.
The game that got me into computer games. More than any other game of its time, Descent 2 made you feel like you were zooming into a virtual world. A fantastic soundtrack, amazing gameplay that really is not found anywhere else, and a great atmosphere make this one of my all time favorites.
