Gaming Goodness Headed Our Way

The fall is always a traditionally good time for gaming, but this fall is extraordinarily good.

Neverwinter Nights 2, successor to perhaps the best PC RPG of all time, is slated for release on October 17.  I have many fond memories of this game, especially playing worlds that I constructed or playing through campaigns coopertiavely with friends.  This is a MUST PURCHASE for anyone who likes RPGs.  As an aside, the original Neverwinter Nights was the first PC RPG I had ever played, and one that showed me that the genre could be a rich gameplay experience.  Apparently, pre-ordering will give you access to the toolkit a month before launch, which will give those of us so inclined a chance to hone our skills at world building.

Company of Heroes is a must-play for anyone who loves the WWII milieu.  As I mentioned in a previous post, I had the opportunity to be a part of the beta, and I have to say that this is hands down the best tactical RTS I’ve ever played.  It released today (Best Buy is holding my copy right now!), so I’ll have a full review sometime within the next week or so. 

Battlefield 2142 releases (unfortunately) on the same day as Neverwinter Nights 2.  While I admit to being a Battlefield fanboy, I sincerely hope that the issues that have plagued the beta are cleared up.  I was never able to resolve my duplicate CD Key issues (EA was not helpful), by all reports the server browser is still the steaming pile of dog doo that has plagued the entire series, and map load times are ludicrous, even on high end machines.  This isn’t to say that the gameplay doesn’t rock harder than the asteroid belt, but if the cover charge of headaches and frustration is too high for the masses, EA may finally get the bloody nose it deserves for not listening to their fans.  Followed by the fiasco of the Battlefield 2 1.4 patch delays, EA has a lot of ground to make up.