Before you start reaching for pitchforks, torches, and other assorted

implements of destruction, take a deep breath and hear me out. Is Neverwinter

the end all, be all of Dungeons & Dragons goodness? Does it uphold the

sanctity of THAC0 (you know you all loved it)? Can you pick any class ever

created? Can you be any race you wish? Does it finally fulfill the

ultimate dream of being able to play D&D with all your friends around

the world in spectacular fashion? The simple answer is no, but if you let

that stop you, youre going to miss out on something special.

Pen and paper Dungeons & Dragons has been beloved by droves of fans

since the 70s. Ive been playing D&D regularly since 1984, and Im a

tough critic when it comes to my favorite franchise of all time. Cryptic

took on a juggernaut franchise license, which is the ultimate show of

bravery, stupidity, or just pure audacity. But, after having spent a

significant amount of time with the game, I think its safe to say

Neverwinters developers were fanatical D&D fans themselves and have

done the legacy justice.

Turbines Dungeons & Dragons Online suffered from a number of issues,

but its biggest drawback was probably its setting. Of all the D&D

settings they could have chosen, the Ebberon campaign setting may have

been the least-known and least-favored by D&D players. Rather than

tread down the same path as Turbine, the folks at Cryptic brought us a

game nestled within the most popular and well known campaign setting of

them all, the Forgotten Realms. Not only did they pick the Forgotten

Realms, they did so at a point in its history where the world is still

trying to recover from a cataclysmic event, The Spellplague, caused by the

murder of Mystra, the goddess of magic. Magic ceased to exist for nearly a

decade, but now its back. Chaos reigns supreme and its high time for

some heroes to venture forth and battle for honor and glory!

Im not a huge fan of the 4th edition Dungeon and Dragons rules when it

comes to a live roleplaying pen-and-paper game but, with some tweaks, they

translated impressively to a video game. Rather than leave all the combat

up to the decision of virtual dice, Neverwinters combat is much more

action-oriented. I know we hear those buzzwords--action combat--with every

new game that comes out. They annoy the hell out of me. Fortunately for

all of us, Cryptic has used just the right amount of twitch-play in their

system. Its enough to keep an old goat like me constantly engaged when

fighting monsters, but is not so difficult as to become frustrating.

When you need to dive out of the way, there are very clear indicators.

This keeps combat from feeling the like the game is trying to cheat or

just ganking you, as in other games where you need to pay attention to

every subtle change in monster positioning to be ready when a huge attack

is incoming. Giving a player a clear indication that they need to move,

then giving them enough time to do so, followed by punishing them harshly

if they dont, combines to make for the perfect level of combat

interactivity. Ive been having so much fun with the combat system, in

fact, that Ive started calling myself Dr. Death simply because I stop and

kill everything in my path. Always. Its awesome.

A game needs to be about far more than combat, especially one sporting

Dungeons and Dragons in the title. Some of the most important staples of

D&D are cool environments, extraordinary monsters, and epic quests.

Neverwinter has all of these in spades. As you gain power, youre given

more important quests and missions to investigate. As you progress through

the game, you begin to realize that the last dungeon you claimed was the

coolest dungeon youve ever seen soloing (Im looking at you Clocktower)

is no longer the coolest...because the dungeon youre in at that moment is

now the coolest.

The further you go, the more monsters you encounter, each with their own

special ways of dealing as much damage to your poor character as they can.

I find myself regularly trying out different power combinations and

methods of dispatching just as much pain and agony back at them. As you

delve into Neverwinter dungeons, not only will you discover more methods

of death, destruction, and dismemberment, youll be greeted by some old

D&D classics. The Mimic and the enormous Gelatinous Cube that tried to

eat me the other day were both brutal and welcome sights. Theyre not

overused and provide just enough flair and distraction to be a joy rather

than an annoyance.

The team at Cryptic has done their homework. If I had to guess, Id say

some of them may have been playing Dungeons and Dragons even longer than I

have. Thats a good thing (and no small feat), because the love they have

of the license comes through loud and clear. Neverwinter is as close to

the epitome of a Dungeons & Dragons game that were likely to see now,

or any time soon. It has the familiar feel that D&D players expect

combined with a kickass combat system.

Rather than taking my word for it, why dont you give it a try yourself?

Its free to play and free to download. Youve got nothing but time to

lose. And after youve played it for a while, be sure to come back here

and let me know what you think. Am I the antichrist come to this world in

the flesh for the sole purpose of getting you to waste your time, or the

savior who restored your faith in the gaming world? Feel free to call me

either.