Neverwinter Nights 2: Mask of the Betrayer Preview

GameSpy has conjured up a new two-page preview of Neverwinter Nights 2: Mask of the Betrayer, based on what they saw of Obsidian's expansion pack at Gen Con Indy. I'm actually pretty excited to check out some of these improvements firsthand:
They've also re-worked the camera, allowing players to switch at will between a "Character" cam that defaults the camera to a position over the main character's right shoulder for a perspective similar to that seen in Knights of the Old Republic. The other mode -- "Strategy" -- moves the camera to an overhead perspective similar to that employed by the classic Baldur's Gate and Icewind Dale adventures.

Storytelling has also been much improved. The number of companions has been reduced and no one companion will ever be forced on the player at any time during the campaign. The companions are also quite a bit more interesting. They include the aforementioned Red Wizard, a half-angel Plane-touched Cleric and an undead thing called "One of Many" that seems to consist of the imprisoned essence of hundreds of evil human souls. Each companion also has considerably more dialogue with more distinctive personalities and more opportunities for the player to influence them.