Icewind Dale Returns To Curse Neverwinter

[Andy Chalk]

Icewind Dale Returns To Curse Neverwinter

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Dungeons & Dragons fans can finally return to the frigid realm of Icewind Dale - sort of.

Remember Icewind Dale? It's a wintry region of Faerun that Black Isle Studios turned into a CRPG hit back in the early-oughts with a pair of eponymous PC games and an expansion, Heart of Winter. They weren't my favorite of the Infinity Engine games - in fact, I'd put them well behind Baldur's Gate and Planescape: Torment - but the setting was grand and unforgettable.

And now it's back, after a fashion, in the free-to-play MMO Neverwinter as Curse of Icewind Dale, the third expansion module that's now open to the public. It's obviously not the old-time RPG we knew and loved but there's undoubtedly an air of nostalgia to it: Players can sign up as a mercenary in the employ of the Ten Towns as they battle the Arcane Brotherhood for control of Black Ice. (Of course, you can always opt to work for the Brotherhood instead, but what kind of neutral evil monster are you?)

The expansion will add new "heroic encounters" to the game as well as open-world PvP, new quests lines and PvE campaign, a new Paragon path for the Hunter/Ranger class and epic Black Ice gear, the most powerful equipment in the game. All of which is probably important to people who actually play the game, but I'm really here for the memories - I'm sure harvesting Black Ice is lots of fun but I think I'd rather just head straight to the Severed Hand and blow the day roaming around inside.

Neverwinter: Curse of Icewind Dale is live now at playneverwinter.com [http://www.playneverwinter.com].


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[spartandude]

Now if Neverwinter was any good i would have been interested. Too bad about reality.

 

[Andy Chalk]

Eh, while IWD played well (though it was tough as nails), the fact that your entire team consists out selfmade characters without any personality or even a single line of dialogue other than battle cries kinda ruined it for me. I think I've played to the part where you find a giant tree or something before I dropped it.

Yup, same issue here. It's basically a giant, zero-personality combat simulator, and after enjoying the depth of NPCs in BG and PS:T, going back to a gang of faceless, self-rolled automatons just didn't work for me. I finished IWD and Heart of Winter, but I just couldn't power my way through IWD2. Complete loss of interest.

 

[Karadalis]

Eh, while IWD played well (though it was tough as nails), the fact that your entire team consists out selfmade characters without any personality or even a single line of dialogue other than battle cries kinda ruined it for me. I think I've played to the part where you find a giant tree or something before I dropped it.

Yup, same issue here. It's basically a giant, zero-personality combat simulator, and after enjoying the depth of NPCs in BG and PS:T, going back to a gang of faceless, self-rolled automatons just didn't work for me. I finished IWD and Heart of Winter, but I just couldn't power my way through IWD2. Complete loss of interest.

Well that was the good part of the old games.. if you wanted an epic story.. you got Baldurs gate 1+2

If you where in it for the battles Icewind dale 1 + 2 where the go to. It was a matter of taste but both games had excelent gameplay one way or another.

Also there are some mods i think that add characters with character into icewinddale.

As for neverwinter online... the game is to much of a cooky cutter mmo and not enough DnD for me, the silly restrictions and lack of choices for things like weapons and equipment break it for me sadly. Also i dont like the whole "building onto the glory of past games to attract players" at all.

Ever since Baldurs gate all DnD games had to play up and down the swordcoast.. i would wish that they would finaly explore some other regions of faerun and not only the west coast all the time. But then again throwing around names that people connect with good games from the past seems to be a thing.. right syndicate?

 

[Ieyke]

I'm waiting for a Forgotten Realms MMO that's actually got good gameplay, the atomsphere and realistic style of Skyrim, and has graphics and animations on the level of The Division.

Basically I want to be able to wander around a realistic version of the Realms....and I want the game to be fun. Is that so much to ask?

 

[algae]

Eh, while IWD played well (though it was tough as nails), the fact that your entire team consists out selfmade characters without any personality or even a single line of dialogue other than battle cries kinda ruined it for me. I think I've played to the part where you find a giant tree or something before I dropped it.

Yup, same issue here. It's basically a giant, zero-personality combat simulator, and after enjoying the depth of NPCs in BG and PS:T, going back to a gang of faceless, self-rolled automatons just didn't work for me. I finished IWD and Heart of Winter, but I just couldn't power my way through IWD2. Complete loss of interest.

If you want to experience IWD2 without the boredom of a silent party take a look at the IWD2 NPC Project [http://www.gibberlings3.net/iwd2npc/]. It adds characters with, well, character who will banter, romance and (on occasion) swear at you and each other. I have yet to finish my play through it, but so far the mod has really enlivened the whole game.

 

[scw55]

Neverwinter isn't a bad F2P MMO. It's just the open world questing is old fashioned and the Crafting System is Obnoxious.

I enjoyed playing my DPS Cleric. It's just I don't enjoy competing for Quest Credit in an MMO in the year post-2010. There are some things that really should stay it the past.

 

[DarkhoIlow]

Awh..for a second there I was hoping for a IWD "remake" HD just like Baldur's Gate 1&2 got.

I played Neverwinter, but only 'till like level 55 and then I quit, but this is good news for those that still play it.

 

[Absolutionis]

"Neverwinter" already tried to invoke happy thoughts with the name alone. It fell flat.

Now they're trying again with "Icewind Dale".

Next we'll have "Baldur's Gate" or "Amn". Why can't these games forge their own identities. I hear Waterdeep and Cormyr are still interesting and haven't had any games named after them. All this Neverwinter stuff feels cheap.