First Look – E3 2002
Two
years in the making and the time was well worth it.
BioWare,
in conjunction with Infogrames, debuted Neverwinter Nights – a 3rd
Edition Dungeons and Dragons rules role-playing game – at E3 2002 in Los
Angeles. The game will blow fans of the genre completely away.
Not
only are the animations exquisite, but the graphics are absolutely amazing, and
shine with 64-bit texturing.
“The
game’s graphics are right up there,” said Dr. Raymond Muzyka, Joint CEO of
BioWare. “ We have all the bells and whistles you’d expect in a great-looking
game.”
The
game features seven main races, 100s of new character portraits, several hundred
spells (all with incredible on-screen effects), dynamic lighting and a module
editor that will enable players to not only create levels, but edit the story as
well to create their own adventure.
As for
playing the game itself, be prepared to spend a lot of time Muzyka stated he is
in the third chapter of the game, and has put in 120 hours with a clean run
through the game.
There
are “tons of quests and subquests” and the gameboards are huge – roughly created
on a 32×32 squares, with each square representing 10 kilometers. The camera will
move in and around the units, zooming in to reveal incredible detail.
Muzyka
acknowledged that the Baldur’s Gate series, also from his company, is dialogue
heavy. Players won’t face that with Neverwinter Nights. Muzyka describes it as a
cross between the BG series and Blizzard’s Diablo. There is a lot of action.
The
player interface will be familiar to those who have trod the paths of Baldur’s
Gate, and will still be simple enough to give newcomers immediate access to an
enjoyable gaming experience.
Neverwinter Nights is slated for a June release.
