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> Results: Neverwinter Nights 2: Mask of the Betrayer
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The ESRB Says
Blood: GamerDad saw blood spatter as he destroyed enemies. Alcohol Reference: Everyone likes a good stop at the pub. Mild Language: The usual use of words like 'hell' and 'damn'. Sexual Themes: There are some complex sexual overtones, but without anything real happening. Violence: The game is full of exciting turn-based battles. The initial release of Neverwinter Nights 2 was met with mixed response - Dr. Matt Carlson pointed out many of the flaws, while my review on another site weighed in favor of the many strengths. However, critics and fans alike united in agreement that the game was not optimized at release - camera control was problematic, multiplayer was broken, and performance wasn't remotely optimized. In the year since release the game has seen a few patches that have dealt with nearly everything - camera, interface, performance, and a host of other minor bugs and issues. Enter Mask of the Betrayer, a new expansion that takes off from the end of the first game and sends you on a well written journey through the epic levels of the D&D world. Since you start out where you left off, which means somewhere near level 20 (the maximum for 'standard' D&D characters), you are already quite powerful - and therefore the enemies you deal with from the very start are also very tough. Add to that the fact that character development at the so-called epic levels (above level 20) is a complete blast due to the massive spells, feats, prestige classes and so on that become available. This was the formula that made the Hordes of the Underdark expansion to the original Neverwinter Nights such a fan favorite. Of course, there was also the story and writing and characters - and that same high quality level returns for this expansion. While there is constantly a battle to fight, the story of your travels and adventures in the planes and Rasheman are the focus. The game forces you to into a difficult moral position by giving your character a 'spirit hunger' - you will lose energy and eventually face diminished attributes and possibly death based on whether or not you consume souls or siphon off spirit energy or try to fend off this hunger. The choice impacts your alignment as well, and plays significantly into how you become part of this unfolding tale. It is an excellent mechanic that forces you to think about yourself and your choices - no longer can you just rest ever five minutes to replenish health and spells. It is this innovative thinking and creative writing that make Mask of the Betrayer such an excellent game. Even if you skipped on Neverwinter Nights 2, I recommend that any role-playing fans pick this up - with Planescape: Torment-quality writing and characters and epic D&D battles, this is a blast of a gaming experience!  
The world of Mask of the Betrayer is darker, more serious, and more morally ambiguous than that of the original Neverwinter Nights 2 campaign. The characters are complex, and the relationships are more adult. The game is Rated T and definitely deserves a 14+ GamerDad Age Seal due to some of these concerns. The turn-based battles are intense regardless of the ability to pause the action at any time. There is much more reading than in the original game, but this isn't intended for those too young to deal with the text anyway. This is a single-player campaign, so there are no special concerns added regarding multiplayer - but playing the game over a local network is still a blast for family gaming with teens.
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