RPGWatch's 2006-2007 RPG Overview, Part One

The guys at RPGWatch have posted the first installment to a new 2006-2007 overview of the role-playing game scene.
Obsidian's Neverwinter Nights 2 (NWN2) was certainly one of the most anticipated games of the year, with fans eagerly waiting to see what writer Chris Avellone would turn out. NWN2 marked a return to classic party-based gaming and included an interesting stronghold scenario and crafting. As with Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords, Obsidian delivered a darker, deeper gameworld but couldn't match the level of polish that BioWare delivered before them. NWN2 was also disappointingly linear and had some strange interface oversights but there are good signs that Obsidian will continue to develop and improve the title over the long term.

On to Gothic 3. Devastatingly unpolished, flawed, badly optimised, replete with broken melee combat and released in a shameful state, Gothic 3 nevertheless had an improved character development system, is truly non-linear and has one of the most reactive gameworlds seen in many a year. If there was ever a schizophrenic game still worth playing â€( this is it. My simultaneous pick for Disappointment of the Year and Game of the Year.