Neverwinter Reviews
Neverwinter fails to nail the social aspects and adapt to consoles effectively, but it's still a great solo experience. A solid F2P loot-grind with D&D flavor, but it lacks the social aspects that highlight the MMO genre elsewhere.
If you've been waiting for an MMO on Xbox One, this is an easy recommendation. It's not particularly deep or intricate, but there's enough content to keep you busy for a long while. The frame rates are a significant problem, but probably won't deter anyone from playing the game.
Neverwinter's transition to console isn't perfect but it's one of the better implementations we've seen. The gameplay is interesting and varied while combat has been tuned really well for the Xbox One controller. The mechanics are well thought out and it's possible to experience the entire game without spending a dime, despite all the temptations the game tries to throw your way. The technical issues make group play a bit of a chore at times, but the quests are varied and interesting enough to keep you coming back for more.
Bland and grindy, it's tough to recommend
So, ultimately, Neverwinter is strongly recommended for RPG fans, and even more so for MMORPG fans. There are a couple of hiccups from a technical standpoint, and the controls aren't perfect. Graphically, we've all seen better, as well. But there is a whole world of Dungeons & Dragons-inspired adventuring to be had in Neverwinter, and you can see as much or as little of it with friends as you so desire. You're not pushed into spending money on digital goods too much, though the limited stock inventory size does leave much to be desired. Provided the (currently very active) PS4 community holds up over time, Neverwinter will be the MMORPG gamers turn to time and time again.
An MMO with fast, satisfying combat and a great example of a free-to-play model. Some minor performance problems pop up, but overall it's a very fun gaming experience solo or with others.
There are a lot of small things to nitpick about Neverwinter, but the overall experience is something more than worthy of its exceedingly fair price point. The combat may not be particularly skill based, but there's something very tranquil about doing quests at your leisure, managing your loadouts/inventory, or even just chatting it up with some friends you've made through guilds or questing.
Neverwinter is one of the better MMO's to release this generation, and especially on console. It's competence is far and wide, and the developers have clearly put in enough effort to give this game a long life-cycle. There will probably be a dip as usual, but with how great it is, I'm expecting much less so.
Even with two weeks of play under my belt, I feel like I have probably completed one half of one percent of what the current iteration of Neverwinter has to offer.
Slightly watered down version from PC, but still a good game to enjoy both with friends or alone.
To an extent, I did enjoy my time with Neverwinter. It's extremely mindless grinding, which can be fun now and again when you're feeling non-committal. And from what I've learned of the endgame offerings, when you're fully leveled, you can just experience much of the same. I'm not sure how long someone would want to experience more of the same, and I don't feel like anything I've played warrants going through it all again with another character. It's just not all that compelling, but if you have friends you'd like to quest with, it's certainly something to do… like many other things.
If you're in the market for a lightweight console MMO, look no further than Neverwinter. It's a steal.
On its own, Neverwinter is a very solid and very enjoyable MMO — with its free price point, there's no reason that you shouldn't be giving it a chance.