Neverwinter Reviews
Bland and grindy, it's tough to recommend
The best part in being free-to-play will be that Neverwinter is there for those looking to try and there's certainly no harm in paddling in Cryptic's pool. The number of players encountered is a testament to its accessibility. However, veteran MMO players may find it too easy; newcomers may disagree with the payoff vs. time spent. Either way it's worth venturing in - just don't expect a tale for the ages.
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.
Then again, if that's all the freedom you need, then Neverwinter is a free, easy and very, very simple game that you can put as much time into as you like.
This is yesterday's MMO by the merits of its own content, but compensates by potentially ushering in a DIY revolution.
Neverwinter isn't going to be that game that pulls me into the MMO world, but it did a damn better job than many other MMO's out there. The setting is interesting enough and the combat slightly engaging which makes it worth giving a try, but it's going to be the Foundry that keeps players going.
As a D&D and Neverwinter Nights fan, I wanted to see what an MMO version offered, and I came away feeling that it accomplished its goals, if only for a month or so. It's like a single-player sandbox dungeon; when I reached what felt to be the proverbial end, it was time to move on.
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.
[I]f you're a dedicated Dungeons and Dragons fan or budding content developer, you might just find what you're looking for here. Neverwinter also has a lot of potential; once it has had some time to find its feet (and maybe install a server farm in Australia, but that's wishful thinking) this could be a game worth taking another look at.
Slightly watered down version from PC, but still a good game to enjoy both with friends or alone.
Neverwinter is worth a visit by anyone who is a fan of both MMOs and of action-RPGs. Despite some glaring issues, including the lacklustre PvP and the Zen Market, the game is wildly fun and is a worthwhile detour on one's journey through the MMO space today. It remains to be seen what Cryptic does with the feedback it has received from the players during the past month, but Neverwinter is one to keep an eye on as time goes by. As the title says, Neverwinter is an Astral Diamond in the Rough.
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.
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 a fun game, and it's an excellent introduction to the MMO genre. It doesn't feel like you need to dump hundreds of hours into it, either, which may be a drawback for those concerned about endgame. However, I only made it so far through, and Cryptic seems prepared to support the game with new content like Gauntlgrym and the free expansion Fury of the Feywild, which is due this summer.
If you're a Dungeons & Dragons fan you may be willing to push aside the shortcomings. For everyone else it's a great vacation spot but not the kind of place you'd want to live in.
Neverwinter now offers more classes and zones than ever before, but combat still outshines every other aspect.
There's no doubt in my mind that Neverwinter is most certainly a fun game to play, standing proudly amongst the other F2P MMOs as one of the front liners. However, the suspect use of the F2P model along with a linear, unimaginative quest progression and a lack of good end game content make me feel it still has much to grow before I can proclaim it to be the F2P that completely wiped away the stigma they hold in today's game market.
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're in the market for a lightweight console MMO, look no further than Neverwinter. It's a steal.
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.