Four hours into a Reno 911 marathon, we stumbled across a short, cautionary tale that highlights the dangers that await those who would dabble in the dark arts of D&D. It's no Dark Dungeons (Gor Bless you, Jack Chick), but we hope this clip proves just as educational. Forward to timestamp 17:41 to jump straight to the relevant moment.

We preface this piece by saying it is very old (2005), but still a good topic for discussion. If somebody is reading this in Israel -- because we know many of you are -- and has an update, we'll be sure to note. GamePolitics found this article from YNet confirming that Israeli citizens entering the Israeli Defense Force (IDF) who admit to playing Dungeons & Dragons are "automatically given low security clearance." Israel has a policy of mandatory service in the military.

Unlike the US policy of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" towards gays in the military, the Israeli army actively asks if incoming members take part in a role-playing lifestyle. A security official says, "One of the tests we do, either by asking soldiers directly or through information provided us, is to ask whether they take part in the game ... If a soldier answers in the affirmative, he is sent to a professional for an evaluation, usually a psychologist."

The IDF defends the policy by saying that D&D players are "detached from reality and susceptible to influence." Of course, D&D players interviewed for the piece are aware of the IDF policy and keep their gaming quiet out of fear they may lose status or clearance. We'd like to know if this policy applies to online RPGs as well, considering this article was written before the rise of World of Warcraft. It's such a strange basis to discriminate on, and taking into account American military discrimination in just the last 75 years we have no right to judge, but it is interesting to see what different armed forces get uppity about.

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]

If you're a PSP owner looking for a deeper roleplaying experience than the Untold Legends series provides, you might want to check out what GameSpot has to say about Atari's Dungeons & Dragons Tactics. While not quite Neverwinter Nights, D&D Tactics includes character customization similar to its PC-based big brother. Race, class, alignment, skill points, and even body style and portrait selections are all here, in addition to 40 quests that each require you to assemble a small party beforehand. The dungeon crawling takes place in a generic Dungeons & Dragons world (similar to the Xbox's D&D Heroes), although it would be nice if Atari had leveraged the unique appeal of one of the franchise's many realms. D&D Tactics ships in February and is being developed by Kuju Entertainment (Battalion Wars, Crash Twinsanity).

See also: Metareview - The Lord of the Rings Tactics

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.

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).

Those lucky cats at IGN got their hands on an alpha build of Dungeons & Dragons: Tactics. While we know the game, which is developed by Kuji Kuju Entertainment and is published by Atari, will include the 3.5 rule set and will feature more than 200 unique spells and 650 items, IGN has uncovered even more details:

• You can have up to six members in your party;
• All the core races and classes are present;
• Two new psionic classes - pychic warrior and psion;
• Primary character's alignment effects storyline and game's missions;
• 41 different quests in the game;
  
• The game should last between 30-40 hours;
• Chess Mode allows players to fight through the game without watching battle animations, making the game move along quickly;
• All planned downloadable content was finished early and is now included on the UMD; and
  
• The game supports six-player co-op and four-player versus modes via ad-hoc.

The inclusion of the Chess Mode is a great idea and should make the game even more portable friendly. And I appreciate Kuji Kuju including co-op and versus modes in the game, but am I the only one who wants to see some infrastructure action? I mean who even has six friends these days?

[Update 1: GameSpot has the trailer available for download. And it's Kuju, not Kuji, Chris.]

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

Atari and Obsidian announced today that Neverwinter Nights 2 has officially gone gold and will be available Oct. 31. To tide us over, WarCry and Neverwinter Vault have been chronicling the emerging details of NWN2's new elite races, which include the Aasimar, Drow, and tongue-twisting Svirfneblin.

You can also find complete descriptions of the game's 17 prestige classes (including the new Arcane Trickster and War Priest) in this post from BioWare's NWN2 forum. Be sure to get the obligatory annual viewing of It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown out of the way before launch day, kids.

See also:

• Planescape Trilogy planned for NWN2
• NWN2's baddie nasties revealed
  

A group of dedicated Dungeons & Dragons role-playing fans have managed to accomplish something Atari and Troika failed to do three years ago -- fix most of the bugs in The Temple of Elemental Evil. Circle of Eight's labor of love has resulted in a consolidated patch that greatly enhances what many consider to be the best electronic interpretation of true D&D turn-based gaming. The Co8 updates even provide some extra content, such as additional quests, and new character portraits and voices.

Team Troika consisted of Interplay veterans who had worked on the Fallout series, and the company's other two releases, Arcanum and Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines, also had bug problems, despite garnering praise for their general gameplay. Even though Troika has disbanded, you should still be able to find ToEE for between $10-20, either online or at your local game store.

[via PC Gamer #154]

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

IGN's Neverwinter Nights Vault is reporting that NWN2 has officially been delayed until October 31. Probably not the greatest news for young trick or treaters with a high percentage of gamers in their neighborhood. In the meantime, fans can check out 18 new screen shots at the revamped Vault portal, including in-game character creation screens.

See also:

• Atari announces NWN2 Limited Edition
• NWN premium modules earn one last gasp

BioWare has given Neverwinter Nights fans a pleasant surprise this week. In addition to posting the 1.68 update, the company has announced they are selling a new premium module, Wyvern Crown of Cormyr. How exactly did this happen after Atari pulled support for NWN back in May? A moderator on BioWare's forums has this to say:

"As for WCoC, it was the most complete of the premium modules at the time the decision to cancel the program was handed down to us, in fact it was very close to release. Atari and other parties were very impressed with the amount of content and quality of work that had been done and how close to completion it was, so they changed their mind and decided to make an exception for this module."

It's more likely Atari's about face has a monetary incentive. Their financial woes have gotten so bad lately, some quick digital download revenue wouldn't be unwelcome. That might also explain Cormyr's $11.99 price tag -- the highest yet for a BioWare premium module. Still, this will also be the largest NWN adventure to date, and you can ride horses now. On second thought, maybe that's why Atari approved this release -- horse armor!

Don't forget to check out the excellent (and free) Darkness Over Daggerford module from Ossian Studios.

Sakura Internet and Turbine Entertainment are launching Dungeons & Dragons Online in Japan this week, and both organizations are banking on localized content to help attract fickle Japanese gamers. Like the popular Chinese version, DDO Japan features Asian-themed armor and weapons, although you would never know this after poking around the game's web site (essentially a clone of its western counterpart). DDO retails for ¥5,040 (US$43).

See also: DDO: Litany of the Dead previewed

Even though Atari has officially dropped support for the original Neverwinter Nights, the mod community is still thriving. In fact, the database of fan-created modules is over 4,000 strong, according to NWN's developer, BioWare. And if you thought Infinite Dungeons was the last of the professionally-developed modules, a small Vancouver-based game studio is serving up another 25-30 hr. adventure in the Forgotten Realms.

Ossian Studios is comprised of BioWare veterans and RPG enthusiasts, and while they had originally planned Darkness over Daggerford as a premium module release, this lengthy single-player campaign is now available as a free download at the Neverwinter Nights Vault. Check out BioWare's interview with Ossian co-founder Alan Miranda, and let us know what you think of Daggerford.

See also:

• A touch of RTS in Neverwinter Nights 2
• NWN2: new interview with Urquhart, more screens
• NWN mod creator on Atari, Infinite Dungeons