I liked Neverwinter Nights 2 more than the first one. The first one is not necessary to play the second. The original campaign is very trope-y, but pretty good (although suffers from pacing issues in both act 1 and act 3). Mask of the Betrayer is my favorite campaign, and a direct continuation of the original campaign. It's classic Obsidian writing, with really strong characters, dramatic quasi-philosophical writing, and very impactful choices. Storm of Zehir is pretty good, but very story-lite - it's more about growing your merchant empire, but it's still a fun romp. Mysteries of Westgate is a good, bite-sized story. By far the biggest downside is the camera. The Enhanced Edition version has better camera controls, but I wouldn't call it "fixed" by modern standards. Still, this is well worth the time.
