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Last week, Ossian Studios and Atari gave a press preview to the most recent build of Mysteries of Westgate, the first Adventure Pack being released for Neverwinter Nights 2. I had the opportunity to get a hands-on peek at the game, with the helpful guidance of Alan Miranda (CEO of Ossian). Although we were only able to delve into the beginnings of the mystery, I did get a good feel for the quality of the project.
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You have embarked on a journey to rid yourself of a cursed object – a mask. The mask is invading your dreams, turning them into nightmares. Rather than lose your sanity, you have taken a voyage to Westgate to learn of the curse. Will you survive the denizens of the seedy city and rid yourself of the mask? Will you end up a rotting corpse in an alley? Or, will you end up losing your sanity?
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Right from the beginning, I felt a good vibe about the story and was drawn in. In many games, I feel like my character is just plopped into a place to begin adventuring. But, in MoW, my interest was piqued. The opening video and introductory events were well done, and had the “magic” that is often missing – I was pulled in and definitely looking forward to the events that would unfold.
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There are 3 main areas of Westgate: the Harbor, the Market and the Arena. The sewers lie beneath, known as “Undergate”. The artwork for the areas was impressive – I didn’t have any feeling of “Where’s the detail?”. The regions I explored were like a detailed canvas. Very nice!
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Although I wasn’t able to hear too many of the characters due to constraints in the room, the VO that I was able to listen to was spot on. Recordings were crisp and clear and well acted. Yet another sign of quality pointing to the passion behind the game.
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Speaking of passion, it was definitely in evidence by the Ossian attendees. Along with Alan was Russ Davis. We knew that both were avid RPG enthusiasts by their exuberance in discussing MoW and its features – and that both were very proud of their creation.
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In closing, I’d like to say that I’m definitely looking forward to a review version of the game. I have great confidence that it will get a good mark from JustRPG!
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