Levl 30 Impressions / Part Review

Speedhaak

Just before I do go on, I want to clarify that I am only level 30, so please don't jump down my throat when I am giving my opinion on the game thus far. Thanks. 

 

NEVERWINTER IMPRESSIONS

 

Right then, I've been skulking about the MMO scene now since about 2002/2003 where old classics such as FF IX, Lineage 2 and initially, WoW, introduced me to the World of online RPG's. I have to say, that since then I have not really been held by any other MMO that's launched and that I have subsequently tried. I played WoW from 2004 to 2008, and clocked about 200 days across all of my characters. 

After WoW I moved on to play games such as WAR, LOTRO, Aion, Rift, TOR, Tera ect ect... Most of which I did not like or stick with, but one of the biggest issues was the time consumption of said titles. Since my days of WoW circumstances have changed and I can no longer pump ludicrous time into MMOs. Even now, I know in my mind I'm spending too much time playing Neverwinter, but I'll soon get back on track. 

This is a matter of taste and opinion, but the biggest draw for me with Neverwinter is it's bite size way of distributing content. Little Dungeons tucked away in zoned maps, a nice navigational city (In my opinion Guild Wars 2's were just too big, as pretty as they were) and easy access to PvP, Dungeoneering and Crafting. Oh, yeah, the Gateway system is a nice touch for doing stuff on the go too. The ability to help yourself along the way with the cash shop is nice too, although I know this upsets more people than it pleases apparently, it still is a welcomed feature for someone like me who doesn't have much time to play.

I guess you could say this is an impression and snippet review aimed at casual players or people in their late 20s/30s. I would highly recommend Neverwinter to you if you fall into that category; if you have a full time job, a partner in crime and perhaps some other hobby's then Neverwinter is a great little MMO to get some stuff done in.

 

+ Points for a person of limited time:

 

1. Steady leveling. You feel progress, even with only a handful of hours to play a week.
2. Interesting Zones/Maps - Each Map has a different theme and is nice and manageable. Not too big, and not too small. Just enough to enjoy yourself in.
3. Limited Quests - None of this business of going to a zone and hoovering up 10+ quests before heading out into the field. The quests are nice, short and sparse enough for you to enjoy the story and content within.
4. UI/Hub - Excellent use of the UI and sub-hubs so that you can participate in events, dailys and dungeons/PvP without having to be at specific points in a map. 
5. Combat - Nice, manageable combat mechanics with intuitive leveling system and a less is more approach to skills. If you stop playing for a month or two you will not be overwhelmed upon return by 80+ action skills and hotkeys like in other MMOs.
6. Story - respectable story arch with some interesting quests along the way, makes the levelling a little less monotonous and your presence in the world a little more meaningful. 
7. Community - one of the first things that struck me in the last game I played (GW2) was how unpopulated it felt. No one talked and Cities were often Empty (apart from Black Lion ect..) In Neverwinter the main city is bustling with people and you will always see people out and about in the zones you are in completing their quests. Even though they are instanced and only allow for 20 odd people per map it still feels like a lively place to exist.

 

Anyway, those are just some of my thoughts on the game so far. I would really recommend Neverwinter to someone who prefers a more structured game. I realise it isn't everyone's cup of tea though. So if you are a hardcore MMO players this might not be for you. However, if you enjoyed games like Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning then I reckon *ahem* you'll enjoy this outing.