| Neverwinter Nights 2 Review
The short review: go out and buy it.
The longer review:
I'll admit this game isn't perfect, but there's been a gap in my rpg-loving self for quite some time now. The largest single problem with rpgs today, in my opinion, is a lack of storyline. WoW would actually probably have me fully addicted if it had any sort of a storyline, but that game only kept me playing for 3 weeks. Guild Wars was actually somewhat decent, but that's been a long time. Oblivion was fun due to the open endedness of it, so it didn't need a storyline. However, when I started running out of houses to buy, sidequests to do, and new cities to mess around in, that game got somewhat repetitive too. I'm sure if I could find my Oblivion CD, it would still capture my interest, but I ramble.
So, you may have guessed by that paragraph that I find the NWN2 storyline pretty engaging. The tutorial level isn't horribly boring like most are, but after NWN1 there isn't much use for that part.
Graphics are pretty stellar. Not Oblivion, but I don't think they were going for photorealistic. It gets the job done in style.
Gameplay is mostly intuitive... There are, however, quite a few control decisions they made on this game that are quite irksome. In a large confusing battle, you'll pretty much be lost the whole time until things settle down a bit. The pause function is super valuable. However, changing combat modes, special attacks, and the like is really quite lame. Not a biggie in my book as I tend to not use them anyway.
The AI is very very good on most points. There are a few glitches, but if the AI were too good, it wouldn't require you to do anything at all. Sometimes, your party members will randomly select different targets and just run off before they've killed the one you put them on. You can put them in puppet mode, which means they do nothing without you saying so, but then everytime a spell is cast, every time an enemy dies, you have to update their orders. Too painstaking for me, so I customized the behavior tab (could have been more in depth, but still a great tool to have included) and go from there. Mages are senseless with their spells, so I usually command my own character, then use the mage for the rest of the battle.
What else is there? The levelling/character stuff is true to D&D, most of it raises no questions. Your party members squabble, just like they have since Baldur's Gate, if they aren't of the same disposition. It's much more intense in this game though, and forces you to decide things. The game, supposedly, can be played in very different storylines depending on the actions you take and the things you say. I for sure will replay the game saying everything bad and killing everyone I can, unlike my current valorous hero does, just to see what happens.
Not sure what else to say, other than it's a fantastic game, and it has filled the RPG void in my being for now. When it leaves a gap, I'll turn to Dark Messiah.
__________________
*Insert something clever here* | 
