By Nicole Hamlett

Fans of NeverWinter Nights are in for a treat as Atari unveils it's latest expansion from Obsidian Entertainment, NWN2: Mask of the Betrayer.   I was able to get a look at this anticipated new title on the first day of Gencon. 

I sat down with Nathaniel Chapman, Mask of the Betrayer's Assistant Producer. As the hero in this ongoing saga, you find yourself banished to an unknown place with the Shard of the Silver Sword wrenched from you body. You don't know where you are, or how you're going to get back.

Does this sound familiar? Of course it does! It's the premise of every good RPG since the beginning of time. The only thing missing is the jail cell and the giant rats. Jails and rats aside, you will find yourself with a hunger for spirits which spirals you into an epic conflict involving past events.

Mask of the Betrayer really expands upon the previous NWN titles by amping up the Single Player, Multiplayer and Toolset features.  The game itself has 20 to 30 playable hours as well as the capability to host 50 to 60 concurrent players on a server.  Obsidian has also beefed up the toolset.

"We use the same tools to develop the game that we give to the players," Nathaniel told me. "We're very community driven in this effort. We want to make tools that the players want to use and we want to make a game that encourages our fans to play." 

Something a little different in this version is Obsidian's desire to really bring the game to life.  In order to do this, they've beefed up the artistry of the game.  As your character runs through the maps, you will encounter a more lifelike environment.  Alot of work has gone into creating art effects, floating particles and moving vegetation. The graphics are absolutely gorgeous and the monsters are badass as ever.

I talked to Nathaniel about the toolset, because it just wouldn't be NWN if we couldn't get mods. As I mentioned before, they use the same tools to create the game that we are provided for the mods.  You are able to create quests, maps, new monsters and completely unbelievable environments with this set.  As a person who has never been able to master the art of modding, I was curious to see how easy it would be to make something exciting and new.  Nathaniel, took me through and showed me how to create an environment full of dragons and mountains in less than five minutes.  So, if you're a novice don't fear, you may become a huge game designer yet. 

When I asked about creating mods and quests and how Obsidian supports those players he replied, "It's not about the stories we want to tell. It's about the stories YOU want to tell."  That was enough to get me excited for the next installment of my favorite RPG.

NeverWinter Nights 2: Mask of the Betrayer will be available mid September to early October.  The game is finished and ready to hit the shelves, but Atari wants to ensure that they can do a simultaneous world-wide launch.  As soon as those translations are complete, you'll see it at your closest game store.  You can get more information on this and other Atari titles at http://www.atari.com/nwn2/ and  http://www.atari.com.