I have an obsence amount of hours in NWN2. Was it out of enjoyment? No. I just wanted to finish the main campaign. I couldn't bring myself to do MOTB. I'm sure it's the best in terms of storytelling but it's *still* more Neverwinter Nights 2's gameplay. The Neverwinter series is my first in-depth experience with DnD. Pros -The selection of "new" races, classes, and spells and other abilities -Having your alignment be interactable is a welcome change once you figure out how it works here. -Unlocking prestige classes are nice, I just wish there was a notification -Upgrading the Keep was the best part -The Jerros & Sand carry the campaign on their backs -Nice Guy Casavir vs Problematic Chad was about as interesting as watching two incels fight on Reddit Cons -AI didn't age well, it plays worse than Dragon Age Origins -Gamebreaking bugs could either force you to reset an entire playthrough or use the console -Crafting is complicated and useless -The OC is *that* bad, there's only 3 or 4 characters who had decent arcs -Combat. It's okay at best when everything works... if you don't mind babysitting your companions -Inventory management is... something else. No cross companion inventory at the keep or inn when you have over 7 companions? Never again, that's all I have to say.
Sad to say, I'm extremely frustrated with my experience. Game installs just fine. The artwork is gorgeous. The music is wonderful. I had just finished Knights of the Old Republic on Steam, again, and figured I'd play a different old school Bioware title. Or, I literally would have, if I could see any of the text on-screen. I do not and will never understand why this game wasn't shipped with an actual UI scale. I shouldn't have to be told to go upvote for future accessibility. It makes me question the developers. I can't even edit the .ini files to sort out my own issues. How can this game stand on its own when it lacks basic accessibility? Even if you aren't visually impaired, it's a headache. There's no full-screen mode either... the game starts up as a mini browser and I could barely see what was going on. The only reason this gets 2 stars and not an outright 1 is because it comes with Diamond. Other reviewers have recommended using the Diamond version instead. So do understand if you buy this, you're getting Diamond packaged with it. So, until the developers fix their lack of accessibility, wait for it to go on sale and play Diamond.
For starters, I play this game offline. I wasn't a fan of Harvest Moon, so I was put off by this game for a long time. I wasn't interested in "wasting time" in another fruitless game, trying to achieve something for nothing. My best friend loves this game and it was she who is responsible for me buying this. Granted, I whined about it, but I bought it nonetheless. This game feels closer to Minecraft than it does Harvest Moon (I never played Terraria, sorry). It has something for everyone to enjoy. It teases you with new areas to explore, secrets to uncover, and skills for you to unlock. Stardew Valley allows you the freedom to do these things at your own pace. To break the monotony of farm life, you'll have town activities, side jobs, and quests--- all optional but worth doing. The problems I have with this game comes down to certain mechanics. I don't like the save system. You save by sleeping. If you accidentally ate a rare fruit you meant to get more seeds from, you'll have to exit and restart the entire day. The rewards you get from bundles don't always make it worth it. Thousands of gold for a lightning rod when it rarely rains in my game? The writing at times is hit or miss, why give me the option to tell people about a secret I can't do? A certain character regressed the moment I married him, even after reaching 14 hearts. I also found the unlocked areas underwhelming after the first time exploring it. I'm still hungry to do and see more of Stardew Valley. Ape has done an amazing job with the game thus far. The modding community is the icing on the cake.
