In one sentence? The Game. The game that became an epic "book" with new chapters and stories being written even as you read these words; the LONGEST experience in gaming world ever and one the best experiences overall. In fact Neverwinter Nights (NWN) is not merely a game; it is a gaming universe, a game that in the course of 15 years multiplied itself into dozens of great epic games and stories (called "modules") thanks to NWN Aurora toolset and Neverwinter Vault (neverwintervault.org) that features work of modders who create innumerable piles of content (games, music, landscape, tilesets, scripts etc.) to this day. Some of this content is better than content by professional studios… and some authors were hired after creating the stunning NWN modules that were made and are available for free! Example? Visit Neverwintervault.org and you’ll immediately see the list of best mods together with player’s opinions. Mind you, some authors spent as many as 5 or 8 years (!) creating these mods. To start with the epic best: Aielund Saga, Dance with Rogues, Prophet, Bastard of Kosigan, Accursed Tower, Swordflight, Hunt Through the Dark, Bloodright... all of them offering 30, 60, 90 or more hours of gameplay; and all of them better than the original campaign, taking you to the new level of psychological depth, interaction and roleplaying. I’ve carefully selected epic modules to play and I do not regret a single second, even though I sank probably around 1000 hrs in the course of last 3 or 4 years. You can check our my advice by googling "Best NWN Modules according to Greg" or visit other module lists like the one on Lilura's Blog. So… Spend a few buck and know thyself. 1000 hours. You have been warned! :)
Before I praise the game, a serious WARNING: original levelling system in this game is a disaster that may RUIN gameplay. Its logics forces you to grind minor skills (like: using 300x a spell on self, summoning monsters only to beat them up, wtf?) while avoiding levelling other skills. Why? Because in Oblivion, without absurd grinding, you "waste" levels (i.e. you get 1/5 of possible skill on level up, no turning back) but unfortunately the strength of enemies is level-dependent and standarized, so you really need efficient 5/5 levelling to cope with them. People fix the problem by installing "Realistic levelling" mod or similar stuff, but this requires installing additional manager to be implemented and may have impact on game balance. LUCKILY, there is a simpler solution that does not change mechanics too much: "All +5 Attribute Modifiers" mod (it only requires you to put mod's ESP files in your folder and tick its file). With ""All +5" mod any time you train your skill, you get +5 bonus. Congratulations: grinding avoided, enjoy the game. This mod or other levelling mods really SAVE this great game, from, well... oblivion! This caveat aside, if you fix levelling, Oblivion becomes one of the greatest RPGs ever -- and such words are not uttered easily by hardcore "Gothic II" and "Neverwinter Nights" fan as myself. It is basically a more "universal" Gothic (playable both as FPP and TPP). The quests are engaging and the continental, Central European landscape abundant with green & sunny flora is much more enjoyable than gloomy Scandinavian Skyrim. After 10 years, with max details, the landscapes are still breath taking! Also, the gameplay is not as generic as Skyrim, which is an advantage as well (there's no feeling of artificiality). You basically spend your time in the wild, watching the sun, reflexes on water, taking care of the people, your own horse, castle, spire as well as your own personal development. A genuine "life in RPG universe" simulator !
As a G1 & G2 fan I can confess: G3 Enhanced Edition is a great conclusion of Gothic saga! One thing to remember: you should play it with the tenets of Community Patch (Alternative Balancing and Alternate AI) turned ON. Why? As you read critical reviews of G3 bear in mind many of them were referring to G3 from the times BEFORE the Community Patch (CP), which essentially reworked all the problematic/irritating issues, thus fully polishing the game. With Alternative Balancing ON you cannot get all possible skills in one gameplay and - as a consequence - you have to focus (like in G2: for example I finished the game on level 73, first developing basic hunting skills and swordplay, then learning selected low-level spells, to finally learn the best spells and return to development of sword skills by the very end; I finished the game with a battle mage who relied on tools such as lesser summoning, fog and fire rain, occasionally whacking enemies with 1-handed sword and a shield). Another thing with alternate balancing is that you can learn the "highest" magical knowledge with ultra-powerful spells such as Fire Rain, Meteor, Army of Darkness only after you choose one of the Gods as your ally. So in principle you use them to conduct ethnic cleansing by the end of the game :) In turn Alternative AI, when ON, fixes the fighting system that ruined original gameplay. It makes physical confrontation more demanding and realistic, as the enemies can block effectively (whereas original G3 allowed for killing everyone simply thanks to mad mouse-clicking). Other great things to mention are: a very huge world, wonderful landscapes and great climate (the deer crossing your path under the moon, the snowy villages of the clans, the sleepy Cape Dun by night or the moaning ruins of Vengard... this is a work of art in itself), interesting subquests, great orchestral music by Kai Rosenkranz recorded in philharmonic hall of Prague and many other things. In sum: with Community Patch Gothic 3 is as cool as it should be. Get it an enjoy it!
