Atari Announces Neverwinter Nights 2 Adventure Pack

Neverwinter Nights 2: Mysteries of Westgate Available Fall 2007

NEW YORK, Oct. 22: Atari, Inc. (Nasdaq: ATAR), one of the world's most recognized brands and a third-party video game publisher, today announced the development of the first Neverwinter NightsTM 2 Adventure Pack to be available exclusively by digital download. Created by Atari and some of the most prominent members of the Neverwinter Nights 2 communities, Neverwinter Nights 2: Mysteries of Westgate provides hours of additional entertainment with all new engrossing storylines, professional voice acting, enchanting musical scores, new in-game content, and much more. Neverwinter Nights 2 is set in the DUNGEONS & DRAGONS® Forgotten Realms® universe created by Wizards of the Coast, a subsidiary of Hasbro, Inc. (NYSE: HAS). DUNGEONS & DRAGONS is under license from HPG, the licensing division of Hasbro.

Developed by Ossian Studios, Neverwinter Nights 2: Mysteries of Westgate is the first full featured Adventure Pack available from Atari. Set in the infamous Forgotten Realms city of Westgate, players find themselves in possession of a powerful but cursed treasure that threatens to destroy them. Linked to the underworld organization known as the Night Masks, the treasure will draw players into a city-spanning clash between warring factions. Players must choose their allegiance in order to break the curse and ultimately uncover a plot that threatens Westgate itself.

"Our premium module program for the original Neverwinter Nights was an enormous success due to the sheer amount of new, high-quality content we provided in each adventure," said Hudson Piehl, Vice President of Product Development, Atari, Inc. "With our new Adventure Packs, such as the upcoming Neverwinter Nights 2: Mysteries of Westgate, we are evolving the premium module: fans can expect higher production values, deep storylines, and lengthy new campaigns they've come to associate with Neverwinter Nights."

From the creators of the critically-acclaimed Neverwinter Nights module, Darkness over Daggerford, Neverwinter Nights 2: Mysteries of Westgate will feature a non-linear, open-ended single-player campaign with numerous side quests covering more than 15 hours of game play. Atari's new Adventure Pack will also feature 3 new companions; an entirely new underground sewers tile set themed after the seedy underbelly of Westgate; a host of new monsters to do battle with, including some truly epic foes; an exciting new and original musical score; as well as thousands of new lines of professionally recorded dialogue.

The Neverwinter Nights franchise has sold more than three million copies worldwide, is translated into 10 languages, sold in more than 40 countries and features one of the largest and most active fan communities in all of gaming. To date, fans of the franchise, which includes Neverwinter Nights, Neverwinter Nights: Shadows of UndrentideTM, Neverwinter Nights: Hordes of the UnderdarkTM and Neverwinter Nights 2, have created more than 5,000 modifications to the original game using the award-winning toolset included with the full game that allows players to create their own universes, quests and storylines.

Neverwinter Nights 2: Mysteries of Westgate is scheduled for release in fall 2007. The new Mysteries of Westgate, as well as future adventure packs, require the original game and will be made available for purchase and download directly from Atari. More information about Neverwinter Nights 2 can be found at www.nwn2.com, which includes user forums, project news, development updates and more.

The Israel Defense Force sends recruits who play Dungeons and Dragons to a psychologist before giving them a security clearance, YNews reports.

"These people have a tendency to be influenced by external factors which could cloud their judgment, a military official says. "They may be detached from reality or have a weak personality - elements which lower a person's security clearance, allowing them to serve in the army, but not in sensitive positions."

Army officials say that gamers are also susceptible to influence. Man, they're going to freak out when they realize there's this little thing called video games out there. Brian Crecente

Army frowns on Dungeons and Dragons [Ynet News]

Some new footage of the upcoming multiplayer RPG Neverwinter Nights 2 has found its way to YouTube. Although apparently taking place in a fairy-elf fantasy world where the sun has completely been extinguished and the illumination only gloams from blacklights, what portions of the video can actually been seen are quite attractive. Florian Eckhardt

I haven't decided yet if I should be more excited about the Dungeons and Dragons MMO or the Age of Conan MMO. Both look like they could be quite good, but then again I never seem to last on MMOs anyway. Sure I pay for them for a year, but I actually only play them for the first few months and then get bored. Maybe I should just hold out for Auto Assault.

Game Gossip has some new screens up from Age of Conan, check em out and report back.

Age of Conan [Game Gossip]