If you are running windows 7 or later and want a copy of NWN that will install and run with instant access to multiplayer servers, then NWNEE is for you. If you want an enhanced edition of one of an older title that will impress you with a modern look, slicker UI or improved content, prepare to be disappointed. Out of the box, on my system, NWNEE looked considerably worse than NWN Diamond. EE allows you to zoom to extreme close-up to see those Win98 era pixelated graphics in vibrant colour, but zooming out - where you actually play when the action starts, everything looks very blurry. Using the advanced graphics list now included in options and unselecting all of them clears this up. Perhaps with the latest graphics card, this will appear as an improvement, but I can discern no graphical improvement, even when looking at Beamdog's promotional stills. I am also experiencing periodic audio levels dropping when playing in multiplayer, which do not occur on the same system running NWN DE. Some tileset "improvements" are annoying, like peaked roofs inside parapets to drown your archers. EE allows for better multitasking allowing me to minimize the game to the taskbar just like the old game did with windows XP. That is a positive I have not seen in other reviews. UI scaling is a big improvement for some displays. Keep in mind that the developers chose to make what is basically a patch report as a new version making it incompatible with NWN patched to 1.69, unlike the community 1.71 patch which is fully backwards compatible. Fortunately, GOG is offering NWN diamond for free with the NWNEE purchase, so anyone who wishes to compare can still do so, and NWN EE will allow individual users to upgrade with overrides from the vault with as much effort as it would take with previous versions. Adding additional content like the latest CEP is as easy as ever, except that the NWN folder has been moved to the Documents folder in Windows.
This was the first game that I played that was true to the AD&D experience. NPC interactions and story are about the best I have seen in any RPG. The original had a few bugs that were corrected with the Tales of the Sword Coast expansion, included here. I paid full price for both when they came out and felt it was worth it for the many hours of immersive game play, the huge world and exceptional re-playability. If you are a fan of D&D 3 or higher, you will need to use the manual to brush up on some 1st edition game rules, like dual classing for humans. Henchmen NPC's are fully under your control, level up using the same interface as the main character. They can be made party leader to get better(or worse) reactions, steal from stores, etc. BG was also the first game that I played which allowed your party to split up, so that thieves could do solo missions without being forced to take the armored tanks and mages along on the job. Henchman alignments determine whether or not they will fight amongst each other, or even leave you if your reputation is not going the way they would like. The game is also unmatched for game balance - unless you are hunted by the Flaming fist which are over powered to discourage mindless evil spamming. Even this can be balanced with the atonement system, however. Actual game mechanics - like in all infinity engine games - are dated, but again, the time it takes to do combat is very similar to playing AD&D. In a way, taking that time to assign actions gives you a better appreciation for what each character is doing and sometimes much greater satisfaction as a result. Just now writing about it, I want to load it up again.
This is a very good game with an open world. I love the relative pacing of the game - Stick to linear and very typical quests, or wander the woods hunting natural creatures and herbs. It has everything you want in an RPG. Many appraches to combat, magic use, crafting by combining similar items or making potions and gem powerups. I especially like the attention given to the artwork, using real plants to draw the placeables, believable natural animals to fight A reviewer said magic is an inefficient way to fight - but there is strategy in spell use in this game and some creatures that go down much faster with the use of the right spell than with any weapon. Difficulty of the game on medium seems pretty easy, but hard difficulty leaves no room for error, as it removes any option to respawn if you die. The in-game graphics effects and maps are great for a 2005 title, but the cut-scenes, which run any time you talk to someone are horrible. Lip syncing is always off (they would have been better off not having mouths move) and the voice acting is about the worst I have heard. Writing for conversation throws in a lot of superfluous words and phrases like "forsooth," "pray thee," etc., which is also pretty annoying. All I can say is that the longer cut scenes at the beginning of the game seem to be the worst, and they get slightly better as they go along. One strange feature of this game is that they have only rendered one female NPC, so you go to town and see a rich selection of costumes amongst the male townsfolk, and then these female clones all wearing the same gray dress, most of whom will verbally abuse you if you accidentally click on them. Also the game allows you to modify the appearance of your avatar, but you are only allowed to be a lumbering and swaggering man. You do have a sister who you presumably get to rescue, and maybe she is the hot brunette you see in the cover art, but at any rate handling of women in the design is bordering on Twilight Zone weird.
