Eurogamer reviews MotB - 7/10
Eurogamer reviews MotB - 7/10
Review - posted by Vault Dweller on Mon 15 October 2007, 18:07:56
Tags: Neverwinter Nights 2; Obsidian EntertainmentEurogamer has reviewed Mask of the Betrayer, giving it 7/10 because it's not as good as Oblivion (10/10!).
A lot of things which Neverwinter Nights 2 got wrong, Mask of the Betrayer nails precisely. Oddly, some of the things which NWN2 got right are where MoTB goes a little awry.
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It's immediately clear that Obsidian is a lot more at home with NWN2 than it was the first time out. Going back to the original campaign confirmed it, but it's a lot prettier than before, which deserves some applause. The developers are also doing, on average, much more imaginative stuff. NWN2's opening seemed like a well-executed slog through a lot of standard fantasy tropes. MoTB has a lot more personality, putting you in fantasy situations a little more interesting than "Orcs are angry!" Not wanting to give anything away, much of the game focuses on Spirits, which as well as introducing the Spirit Shaman (and explaining why they're not just Druids with a double-barrelled alliterative name) gives it a unique dreamlike timbre. Hell, there are bits which bring to mind things like Gaiman's Sandman graphic novels, which is high praise indeed.
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So where does that leave us? A mass of excellent content - any add-on pack good enough to make you start the original has more than a certain something - with a few problems. It really isn't for anyone other than the devoted western-RPG head. Which is fine; the devoted western-RPG head has had a particularly weak year, and will lap this up. As they should. But if you're not in their ranks there's little here for you.So the game gets a 70% score because it's not for everyone? Imagine if such criteria were applied to books and movies. "Citizen with like a cane or something is like the worst movie evar 'cause nobody would watch it!"
Spotted at: RPG Watch
A lot of things which Neverwinter Nights 2 got wrong, Mask of the Betrayer nails precisely. Oddly, some of the things which NWN2 got right are where MoTB goes a little awry.
...
It's immediately clear that Obsidian is a lot more at home with NWN2 than it was the first time out. Going back to the original campaign confirmed it, but it's a lot prettier than before, which deserves some applause. The developers are also doing, on average, much more imaginative stuff. NWN2's opening seemed like a well-executed slog through a lot of standard fantasy tropes. MoTB has a lot more personality, putting you in fantasy situations a little more interesting than "Orcs are angry!" Not wanting to give anything away, much of the game focuses on Spirits, which as well as introducing the Spirit Shaman (and explaining why they're not just Druids with a double-barrelled alliterative name) gives it a unique dreamlike timbre. Hell, there are bits which bring to mind things like Gaiman's Sandman graphic novels, which is high praise indeed.
...
So where does that leave us? A mass of excellent content - any add-on pack good enough to make you start the original has more than a certain something - with a few problems. It really isn't for anyone other than the devoted western-RPG head. Which is fine; the devoted western-RPG head has had a particularly weak year, and will lap this up. As they should. But if you're not in their ranks there's little here for you.
Spotted at: RPG Watch
