I've spent the weekend playing Neverwinter Nights 2 and Final Fantasy XII. First, I agree with the reviewers for the most part. They are both fun games and deserve the high scores they got.

That said, I have a some issues with both of them. As a big fan of both I can't help to notice things that detract from the experience. I'll start with Neverwinter Nights 2.

I hate the interface and the camera. They should have kept the same they had for NWN 1. You can't explore the world (which is beautifully rendered) without the stupid camera getting in the way. Add to that the cumbersome delay for right clicking (changing the slider doesn't help much) and the whole experience is not immersive at all. The interface should be transparent and the camera shouldn't have to be adjusted every 2 steps. None of the modes are efficient to play.

A shame that a game with an interesting story, excellent graphics (I'd say as good as Oblivion, but with better water :D )and superb sound gets crapped on by an interface and camera that seem to still be in beta. I'll continue playing, since the story got me involved, but I'll have to suffer with the interface. I doubt I'll continue playing it after I'm done with my current character.

Another complaint is the font size. They just couldn't make it any smaller. I have better than 20-20 vision, but this is ridiculous. Funny that my game rig is hooked up to my HDTV and I was planning on playing it there and the game supports 1920x1080, but you can't read the text on screen. Is it too difficult to have a font size setting in the game menu? I wonder, since they have HD support :roll: I had to drag an old monitor next to my HD set to play the game :P End of rant on NWN2.

Final Fantasy XII. Great game. I like it a lot. I normally give a 10 to any and all FF games. This one gets a demerit point for the stupid license system. Where did Squeenix get the idea from? M$ and $ony? I hate seeing the word "license" on every piece of software, games, music, etc I get. Now it comes in gameplay too :P It is not enough to level up. It is not enough to have money (which is very rare in this game... that's another complaint) but you can't use an item until you get a "license". That sucks IMO. Can be compared with level restricted items in other games, but at least you can have them and keep them for later use. The lack of auto-leveling in this area makes the micro-management a pain that detracts from the action. You have to think well in advance what you want your characters to be. Unfortunately the grid system reveals little on what the future options will be, so you can't plan ahead. Result: I ended up using items that may be a little low for my level, so I got my butt kicked a few times for not being able to endure the damage. That's never happened to me in a FF game. I always make sure I level up and buy the best so I can kick my enemies around with impunity. I can live with the lack of money and the fact that you have to sell the few enemy "drops" that happen in-game (just takes longer to make money), but the "license" system just sucks. Having to "buy" 50 extra HP in a grid that doesn't show you a path of upgrades is pathetic and not what you expect in a RPG. At least NWN2 can be patched and fixed :roll: