NWN also promises to set new standards in graphical terms, shedding the archaic 2D of Baldur’s Gate for a fully realised 3D world, as well as going nuts with pyrotechnic special effects. As Greg Zeschuk, joint CEO of Bioware explains: 'The thing I think players will like most about the game is its flexible nature - you’ll be able to play Neverwinter Nights in almost every conceivable way, certainly more than any other game.'

Then there’s the hugely powerful NWN Toolset, which allows you to construct your own game modules and play through them with your friends (or complete strangers on the Net if your friends frown on such behaviour). In a very cool twist, the DM not only oversees the action but can enter the fray at any stage by possessing a creature in the game world. Taking pen-and-paper RPGs as a model, Bioware has created an impressive Dungeon Master mode, which allows one player to take control of the game, shaping and directing the experience for the other players.

As any self-respecting goblin-fancier will tell you the Baldur’s Gate series is still widely held as the yardstick for fantasy RPGs, and Neverwinter Nights promises to deliver an experience that’s just as epic and absorbing as its forebeards, er, bears.īut the most exciting thing about NWN, and the thing that could cause major ripples even in the wider gaming world, is the inclusion of innovative new multiplayer features that give players the power to create their own gaming experiences. For rpg traditionalists, especially those with a shady history in the glamorous realm of pen-and-paper RJPGing, Bioware is the incumbent lord of anything even remotely resembling a virtual dungeon.

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