‘Neverwinter Nights^TM 2: Storm Of Zehir’ Brings Bold New Adventures To The Forgotten Realms

Second Expansion for Atari’s Renowned Role-Playing Opus Scheduled for Worldwide Release Q4 2008

Ed: Many a 360 owner loves this series on the PC, so here’s an update from Atari on the release of the next expansion pack due out in the last quarter of 2008. Let’s hope that one day, games like this can also be found on the 360 and other console platforms.

Press Release: New Game News

“`Thursday 12th June 2008 – Atari, Wizards of the Coast, a subsidiary of Hasbro, Inc. (NYSE:HAS), announced today that Neverwinter Nights 2: Storm of Zehir is currently in production. Developed by Obsidian Entertainment, one of the premier independent development studios in the world, the second expansion to Neverwinter Nights 2 will deliver an engrossing D&D® experience in the tradition of the Neverwinter Nights franchise and is scheduled for worldwide launch Q4 2008.

Neverwinter Nights 2: Storm of Zehir hearkens back to the days of the Baldur’s Gate and Icewind Dale franchises by including full party customization, dungeon crawling, and free exploration of a non-linear game world via an Overland Map. The gripping storyline foreshadows the events that will take place in the Forgotten Realms with the coming of release this June of the Fourth Edition of Dungeons & Dragons® Role-playing Game.

In the aftermath of the defeat of the King of Shadows, the Sword Coast is in the midst of an uneasy economic recovery. Trade syndicates have sprung up to exploit the post-war confusion for their own ends. The player’s party will wade into this uncertain environment; in order to increase their own fortunes, they can either ally with a syndicate to create a trade empire, or cut their own path through Faerûn by preying upon caravans and selling the goods on the black market. As they attempt to extend their influence, players will become aware of a new faction working behind the scenes: the evil, shape shifting, serpentine Yuan-Ti.

In addition to trading and economic manipulation, the Neverwinter Nights 2: Storm of Zehir Overland Map allows players to explore the Chultan Peninsula and Sword Coast in a non-linear manner never before seen in any of the Neverwinter Nights games. Exploration will take players from well-known locations, like Neverwinter and Crossroad Keep, to more exotic areas, such as the xenophobic jungle nation of Samarach. Groups of highwaymen and monsters populate the Overland Map and the farther from civilization the player roams, the more difficult the encounters become. The 15-hour campaign in Neverwinter Nights 2: Storm of Zehir is also packed with new classes, spells, creatures, and playable races.

Fans of the compelling multiplayer features of Neverwinter Nights 2 will also be able to take advantage of new improvements to the multiplayer experience, while modders will be able to take advantage of the power and flexibility of the Overland Map and Trading System features along with other world-building enhancements.

Game Features:

• Travel the Sword Coast and Samarach using the open ended exploration of the new Overland Map. Use skills like Spot and Survival while on the Overland Map to avoid ambushes and even find hidden locales and lost artefacts.

• Create your own full party of adventurers. Devastate your foes with a squad of fireball-flinging Sorcerers, form a solid wall of steel with a party of Fighters, or strike the perfect balance in your party by spreading out the classes you choose for your characters.

• Improved party gameplay including streamlined party conversations, a new Teamwork Benefit System, and powerful party feats.

• The world’s economy reacts to your adventures and choices. And, through trading and quests, you can expand your merchant company into a massive trading empire.

More information about Neverwinter Nights 2 can be found at www.nwn2.com and www.atari.com.au

Filed under: 3rd Party Games, New Game Information, Press Release, Xbox 360 | Tagged: Arari, Bioware, Never Winters Night 2, Neverwinter Nights 2: Storm of Zehir, NWN2, Obsidian | 2 Comments »