ProG says they've got some release dates straight from Atari UK, with the shocker being Alone in the Dark scheduled for release on the Xbox 360, PS3 and PC this November. We haven't heard about that game in ages, other than a mention that the author of Sleepers had come on board, but we'll take this as a good sign. Alone in the Dark, which was announced last year, was previously revealed to contain episodic content and wasn't yet in playable form. If it is releasing in November, there's a good chance we'll learn a great deal more at the upcoming Min-E3.

The ProG article also gives the dates for some other games: The Neverwinter Nights 2 expansion, Mask of the Betrayer, will release on October 12, Tamagotchi Party On! for Wii on August 31, Dungeons and Dragons Tactics and The Witcher on September 14, and Godzilla Unleashed in November.

[Via Xbox360Fanboy]

Not quite done casting Magic Missile and attacking the darkness of Neverwinter Nights? Well, good. Atari has announced an expansion pack for Neverwinter Nights 2, ominously entitled Mask of the Betrayer. Slated for release this Fall and developed by Obsidian Entertainment, the game promises more spells, more monsters, more weapons, more levels, more modding possibilities and presumably, more heartless backstabbing.

"Neverwinter Nights 2: Mask of the Betrayer's engrossing campaign will conclude the storyline that began in the original Neverwinter Nights 2 and focus on combat, exploration and classic D&D dungeon-crawling," says Obsidian CEO and plausible fantasy character, Feargus Urquhart. He also notes that the expansion will see enhancements made to the companion Influence System, as used in the base title and Knights of the Old Republic 2: The Sith Lords. Of course, it's probably best to just avoid adding any masked strangers to your party during this particular adventure.

Obsidian Entertainment has wasted little time getting Neverwinter Nights 2 into ship-shape this month. But when you consider the game already shipped at the end of last month, suffered a controversial critique, and was built by a bunch of talented Black Isle veterans, their efforts may not seem so surprising. The new 1.03 beta patch includes several multiplayer and toolset updates, in addition to some much-needed camera adjustments (fans of the first game will appreciate the modified "chase cam" view).

In case these fixes aren't reason enough to consider picking up the game, then how about a 50% discount? Through the end of Saturday, Best Buy is selling Neverwinter Nights 2 for $25.

[via GameBanshee]

It looks like the final chapter has been written in the ongoing saga of 1UP's Neverwinter Nights 2 review controversy. An updated review is now available at the Ziff Davis-owned gaming portal, and the new score is a 6/10 (upgraded from 5/10). Only this time, the review was written by Games for Windows editor Jeff Green, who just last week explained the decision to pull writer Matt Peckham's original review.

Green echoes Peckham's sentiments about D&D-based roleplaying adventures -- "success is largely determined by the understanding of a rule set that only a genius or a 13-year-old could fully comprehend" -- but he takes great care not to bash the genre with the same reckless abandon that tainted Peckham's analysis. Instead, more emphasis is placed on NWN2's performance issues, problematic camera, and faulty A.I. -- all valid criticisms. Still, you have to wonder if this is the score Green would've given Obsidian's RPG before the events of two weeks ago, or if he was somehow influenced by the score Peckham gave the game. Like the editor said last week, "there was no way to 'win' here."

See also: Metareview - Neverwinter Nights 2

Games For Windows magazine editor Jeff Green has posted a lengthy explanation on why Matt Peckham's now infamous review of Neverwinter Nights 2 was pulled from 1UP last week. Green's commentary offers some detailed insight into the new editorial process that will unify 1UP.com and GFW product reviews -- a system that seemingly left all parties involved with their backs up against the wall. In this excerpt, Green discusses his gut reaction after reading Peckham's review:

"...when I read it, I was unhappy. I felt that right from the start, it read more like a bashing of the genre rather than a review of this specific game. I could see valid criticisms of NWN2 in the text, but I felt that the overall tone made it seem that [Matt] was just so sick of turn-based D&D RPGs that the game never had a chance on its own. I felt, if I was a reader, my first question would be: 'Why the heck did they let him review it then?' I felt that what he was saying in general was perfectly valid -- but just not for this piece."

In summary, the GFW editor reaffirms 1UP's commitment to gamers, which is what drove the decision to remove the NWN2 review. Nothing like a little controversy to help kick off a publication relaunch, but in choosing to share the lessons learned by his organization, Green's retelling of these unfortunate events can benefit other trade publications.

In a move reserved for only the most high-ranking of screw-ups, 1UP.com has pulled their review of Neverwinter Nights 2. Stating that the review did a "disservice to fans of the RPG genre." We have what is said to be the original review after the break.

It's a very difficult decision to pull a story. An editor would normally rather suffer the wrath of an angry readership than go forth with a retraction. Not only does it show a lack of respect to the writer of the piece, but it shows a collapse in the editorial chain of command at a publication. As our metareview showed this morning, 1UP gave NWN2 a 5 out of 10, which was quite the departure from the rest of the reviews. Not that publications can't have different opinions, but seriously, when was the last time you saw a decent game get below a 7?

Obsidian Entertainment and dungeon masters the world over can breathe a collective sigh of relief now that the scores for Neverwinter Nights 2 are in. The single player campaign has been well received by the gaming press, and the revamped toolset is expected to afford NWN2 a shelf life comparable to its predecessor. However, not all is well in the Forgotten Realms. The 1UP reviewer seems to have overlooked the fact that Oblivion and NWN represent different styles of roleplaying. Bethesda emphasizes aesthetic presentation and open-ended adventuring, while BioWare and Obsidian have focused on a tighter combat system (hence the rules) and an extendable architecture befitting of the classic Dungeons & Dragons experience. Keeping this in mind, both franchises excel at what they were designed for.

• GameDaily (100/100) cites several improvements over the original NWN: "There are plenty of things about NWN2 that are different from its precursor. Better graphics, a much more robust and option-filled character creation process, plus deeper plotlines, with more twists and better villains help add to an already stellar feature list. Neverwinter Nights 2 is truly one of the most epic adventures found on a PC, and it should be purchased without hesitation."
  
  
• GameSpot (86/100) considers NWN2 the most authentic D&D experience to date: "If you're willing to look past a few relatively minor technical issues, you'll have a great time exploring the world of NWN2. The excellent story, characters, and quests will appeal to your sense of adventure without getting overly convoluted. When you factor in the multiplayer and the editing tools, you'll find that NWN2 is a fantastic value and a thoroughly enjoyable game."
  
  
• 1UP (50/100) fired a 3d6 Melf's Acid Arrow right at the heart of the D&D community: "With all the added rule-shuffling, NWN2 seems like it's working twice as hard to accomplish half as much. Worse -- and blame this on games like Oblivion -- NWN2's levels feel pint-sized. As if the pencil and paper 'module' approach were a virtue that computers -- by now demonstrably capable of simulating entire worlds with considerably more depth -- should emulate."

Update 1: 1UP has pulled their damning review of NWN2, so I guess there is justice in the world. Here are a few new scores: Yahoo! Games (90/100), IGN (85/100).

T-minus seven days until Obsidian's Neverwinter Nights 2 hits the shelves, and Russian web site CRPG has posted over a dozen updated screens that highlight the shiny new interface. GameSpot also has some excellent screen grabs of the enhanced NWN toolset, which at least one enthusiastic developer is already putting to good use. How many of you depleted your Halloween candy budgets to order the limited edition?

See also: NWN2 elite races, prestige classes previewed

After you finish the core campaign in Obsidian's Neverwinter Nights 2, you won't have long to wait before jumping into the mod community sandbox. A small outift known as Rogue Dao Studios is hard at work on the Planescape Trilogy, a series of modules that promise 45 hours of gameplay in the Dungeons & Dragons Planescape campaign setting (home of that other RPG). The first module, Purgatorio, will be available at the Neverwinter Nights Vault in December, and if you register at Rogue Dao's forums, you can sample some of the music and visuals from the game.

[via GameBanshee]

Obsidian's Neverwinter Nights 2 is just around the corner, and this ugly lookin' crew is waiting to meet you when the game ships later this month. The bald dude is a frenzied berserker who is basically impossible to kill during his "deathless frenzy" attack (fortunately, he gets tired). The blue chick in the middle is a sword-wielding mage and top servant to the Lich Queen, but she shows some serious age lines if she ventures too close to the Forgotten Realms.

Lastly, we have the manipulative diplomat Torio, a man-hating, angry as f@#%, agenda of rage, bitter...(you know the rest, Banky). Seriously, if you take away those flotation devices, we've got some serious androgyny going on here. Actually, neither of these villainesses represent the prototypical, evil hot babe we've grown accustomed to in the role playing genre, so you shouldn't feel to guilty carving them up.

See also: Your new Neverwinter drinking buddies

Neverwinter Nights 2 has been delayed by a week, but now you have a little extra time to get to know your in-game cohorts. IGN introduces us to three companions found in the game, each of whom you can use to put Obsidian's character influence system (from KoTOR 2) to the test. It looks as though Obsidian may have been slightly influenced by the popularity of the Warforged race from D&D's Eberron setting, judging by their inclusion of Construct the blade golem. Then again, we've seen big friendly brutes in previous Neverwinter campaigns.

GameBanshee is reporting that Atari's Neverwinter Nights 2 has been delayed until late October. According to a representative from Obsidian Entertainment, "the sheer size and scope of Neverwinter Nights 2 and its 50 to 60-hour single player campaign" is what prompted the KoTOR 2 developer to push back the release date. NWN2 had an impressive showing at this year's E3, taking home Best RPG awards from both GameSpot and IGN. Look at it this way, the delay will give you more time to play Infinite Dungeons.

See also:

• Obsidian's Avellone on breaking into the industry
• NWN mod creator on Atari, Infinite Dungeons
• Atari halts NWN1 support, in financial ruin
  

Over at Penny Arcade, Obsidian co-founder Chris Avellone has some advice for aspiring game designers. A creative force behind RPG classics Fallout 2, Planescape: Torment, Icewind Dale and the upcoming Neverwinter Nights 2, Avellone is always an entertaining read. He values persistence, practical experience, and attention to detail over academic background.

And if you want to be a writer, a sense of humor doesn't hurt, either. Just make sure your email address isn't SuperMageCockLord@yourmomma.com. Chris will explain why.

See also:

• NWN mod creator on Atari, Infinite Dungeons
• Obsidian's Urquhart: happy thoughts on KoTOR 3