<s>
Neverwinter	B-Application
Nights	I-Application
2	I-Application
:	I-Application
Mask	I-Application
of	I-Application
the	I-Application
Betrayer	I-Application
is	O
a	O
role-playing	O
video	O
game	O
developed	O
by	O
Obsidian	O
Entertainment	O
and	O
published	O
by	O
Atari	O
Interactive	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
is	O
an	O
expansion	O
pack	O
for	O
Neverwinter	B-Application
Nights	I-Application
2	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
released	O
in	O
2007	O
for	O
Microsoft	B-Application
Windows	I-Application
in	O
North	O
America	O
,	O
Europe	O
,	O
and	O
Australia	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Like	O
the	O
first	O
game	O
,	O
Mask	B-Application
of	I-Application
the	I-Application
Betrayer	I-Application
is	O
set	O
in	O
the	O
Forgotten	B-Application
Realms	I-Application
campaign	O
setting	O
of	O
the	O
fantasy	B-Application
tabletop	O
role-playing	O
game	O
Dungeons	O
&	O
Dragons	O
and	O
employs	O
the	O
3.5	O
edition	O
rules	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Mask	B-Application
of	I-Application
the	I-Application
Betrayer	I-Application
continues	O
the	O
story	O
of	O
Neverwinter	B-Application
Nights	I-Application
2	I-Application
by	O
following	O
the	O
main	O
character	O
,	O
the	O
Shard-bearer	O
,	O
who	O
is	O
afflicted	O
by	O
a	O
curse	O
that	O
requires	O
the	O
devouring	O
of	O
spirits	O
(	O
and	O
occasionally	O
souls	O
)	O
to	O
survive	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
character	O
's	O
quest	O
to	O
determine	O
the	O
nature	O
of	O
the	O
curse	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
takes	O
place	O
in	O
two	O
nations	O
of	O
the	O
Forgotten	B-Application
Realms	I-Application
,	O
Rashemen	O
and	O
Thay	O
,	O
which	O
are	O
considered	O
part	O
of	O
Faerûn	O
's	O
"	O
Unapproachable	O
East	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Mask	B-Application
of	I-Application
the	I-Application
Betrayer	I-Application
is	O
an	O
expansion	O
pack	O
for	O
Neverwinter	B-Application
Nights	I-Application
2	I-Application
and	O
its	O
core	O
gameplay	O
is	O
identical	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Players	O
can	O
create	O
a	O
character	O
from	O
scratch	O
and	O
make	O
use	O
of	O
Mask	B-Application
of	I-Application
the	I-Application
Betrayer	I-Application
's	O
new	O
races	O
,	O
classes	O
,	O
and	O
feats	O
,	O
or	O
import	O
an	O
existing	O
character	O
from	O
Neverwinter	B-Application
Nights	I-Application
2	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Mask	B-Application
of	I-Application
the	I-Application
Betrayer	I-Application
features	O
all	O
of	O
the	O
races	O
from	O
Neverwinter	B-Application
Nights	I-Application
2	I-Application
,	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
introducing	O
two	O
types	O
of	O
elves	O
(	O
the	O
wild	O
elf	O
and	O
the	O
half-drow	O
)	O
,	O
and	O
four	O
types	O
of	O
genasi	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Like	O
other	O
Dungeons	O
&	O
Dragons	O
games	O
,	O
the	O
player	O
character	O
in	O
Mask	B-Application
of	I-Application
the	I-Application
Betrayer	I-Application
generally	O
relies	O
on	O
combat	O
to	O
progress	O
throughout	O
the	O
game	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Like	O
other	O
games	O
in	O
the	O
Neverwinter	B-Application
Nights	I-Application
series	O
,	O
Mask	B-Application
of	I-Application
the	I-Application
Betrayer	I-Application
takes	O
place	O
in	O
the	O
Forgotten	B-Application
Realms	I-Application
campaign	O
setting	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
story	O
is	O
a	O
direct	O
sequel	O
to	O
the	O
plot	O
of	O
Neverwinter	B-Application
Nights	I-Application
2	I-Application
,	O
set	O
almost	O
immediately	O
following	O
the	O
events	O
at	O
the	O
main	O
game	O
's	O
end	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Obsidian	O
Entertainment	O
began	O
planning	O
Mask	B-Application
of	I-Application
the	I-Application
Betrayer	I-Application
,	O
codenamed	O
"	O
NX1	O
"	O
by	O
its	O
developers	O
,	O
before	O
the	O
release	O
of	O
Neverwinter	B-Application
Nights	I-Application
2	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Obsidian	O
Entertainment	O
's	O
CEO	O
,	O
Feargus	O
Urquhart	O
,	O
said	O
that	O
Mask	B-Application
of	I-Application
the	I-Application
Betrayer	I-Application
would	O
continue	O
the	O
story	O
of	O
Neverwinter	B-Application
Nights	I-Application
2	I-Application
,	O
and	O
improvements	O
would	O
be	O
made	O
in	O
character	O
development	O
and	O
the	O
companion	O
system	O
along	O
the	O
lines	O
of	O
a	O
previous	O
Obsidian	O
game	O
,	O
Star	B-Application
Wars	I-Application
:	I-Application
Knights	I-Application
of	I-Application
the	I-Application
Old	I-Application
Republic	I-Application
II	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
character	O
could	O
be	O
imported	O
from	O
the	O
first	O
game	O
,	O
or	O
players	O
could	O
make	O
one	O
from	O
scratch	O
and	O
take	O
advantage	O
of	O
Mask	B-Application
of	I-Application
the	I-Application
Betrayer	I-Application
's	O
new	O
races	O
,	O
classes	O
,	O
and	O
other	O
features	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Neverwinter	B-Application
Nights	I-Application
2	I-Application
programmers	O
made	O
improvements	O
to	O
the	O
engine	O
,	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Mask	B-Application
of	I-Application
the	I-Application
Betrayer	I-Application
is	O
the	O
first	O
time	O
either	O
region	O
has	O
been	O
featured	O
in	O
a	O
Dungeons	O
&	O
Dragons	O
video	O
game	O
;	O
Obsidian	O
stated	O
that	O
one	O
design	O
goal	O
was	O
"	O
to	O
immerse	O
the	O
player	O
in	O
the	O
land	O
of	O
Rashemen	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Modifications	O
were	O
also	O
made	O
to	O
the	O
Neverwinter	B-Application
Nights	I-Application
2	I-Application
toolset	O
with	O
the	O
intention	O
of	O
giving	O
more	O
options	O
to	O
module	O
creators	O
in	O
the	O
fan	O
community	O
and	O
making	O
it	O
easier	O
for	O
players	O
taking	O
the	O
role	O
of	O
the	O
Dungeon	B-Device
Master	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
Over	O
two	O
dozen	O
monsters	O
were	O
created	O
for	O
Mask	B-Application
of	I-Application
the	I-Application
Betrayer	I-Application
,	O
such	O
as	O
new	O
types	O
of	O
golem	O
,	O
dragons	O
,	O
and	O
hagspawn	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Reviews	O
of	O
Mask	B-Application
of	I-Application
the	I-Application
Betrayer	I-Application
were	O
generally	O
favorable	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Eurogamer	O
stated	O
that	O
starting	O
Neverwinter	B-Application
Nights	I-Application
2	I-Application
over	O
from	O
the	O
beginning	O
after	O
installing	O
Mask	B-Application
of	I-Application
the	I-Application
Betrayer	I-Application
is	O
also	O
interesting	O
because	O
the	O
expansion	O
"integrate[s]	O
with	O
the	O
previous	O
game	O
(	O
i.e.	O
</s>
<s>
you	O
can	O
select	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
new	O
races	O
and	O
classes	O
and	O
go	O
back	O
and	O
play	O
NWN2	B-Application
with	O
them	O
)	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Reviewers	O
said	O
that	O
the	O
expansion	O
's	O
single-player	O
game	O
was	O
more	O
difficult	O
than	O
that	O
of	O
Neverwinter	B-Application
Nights	I-Application
2	I-Application
;	O
1UP.com	O
stated	O
that	O
Obsidian	O
"[Upped]	O
the	O
ante	O
with	O
tougher	O
enemies	O
and	O
a	O
more	O
challenging	O
experience	O
altogether	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Multiple	O
reviewers	O
mentioned	O
that	O
the	O
expansion	O
is	O
more	O
serious	O
than	O
Neverwinter	B-Application
Nights	I-Application
2	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
's	O
story	O
and	O
writing	O
were	O
praised	O
by	O
many	O
reviewers	O
,	O
with	O
some	O
noting	O
its	O
avoidance	O
of	O
common	O
fantasy	B-Application
clichés	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Some	O
reviewers	O
also	O
compared	O
the	O
quality	O
and	O
tone	O
of	O
the	O
writing	O
to	O
Neil	O
Gaiman	O
's	O
The	O
Sandman	O
series	O
and	O
to	O
Planescape	B-Application
:	I-Application
Torment	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Graphics	O
were	O
also	O
improved	O
from	O
Neverwinter	B-Application
Nights	I-Application
2	I-Application
,	O
with	O
better	O
textures	O
and	O
spell	O
effects	O
,	O
in	O
addition	O
to	O
a	O
new	O
option	O
so	O
that	O
the	O
player	O
can	O
change	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
level	O
of	O
violence	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Mask	B-Application
of	I-Application
the	I-Application
Betrayer	I-Application
was	O
nominated	O
for	O
Best	O
RPG	O
of	O
the	O
Year	O
by	O
G4	O
TV	O
,	O
and	O
it	O
was	O
named	O
Runner-up	O
for	O
RPG	O
of	O
the	O
Year	O
by	O
GameBanshee	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Criticism	O
of	O
the	O
expansion	O
was	O
aimed	O
at	O
its	O
poor	O
camera	O
angles	O
and	O
other	O
technical	O
issues	O
,	O
although	O
the	O
game	O
and	O
updates	O
since	O
Neverwinter	B-Application
Nights	I-Application
2s	I-Application
release	O
fixed	O
many	O
bugs	O
of	O
the	O
original	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
John	O
Walker	O
,	O
for	O
GamesRadar	O
,	O
criticized	O
the	O
companions	O
available	O
:	O
"	O
NWN2	B-Application
was	O
immediately	O
joyful	O
,	O
with	O
hilarious	O
characters	O
and	O
dialogue	O
juxtaposing	O
the	O
dark	O
story	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
MotB	B-Application
is	O
far	O
more	O
serious	O
,	O
and	O
while	O
the	O
companions	O
fulfill	O
the	O
role	O
of	O
representing	O
personality	O
extremes	O
,	O
none	O
of	O
them	O
are	O
particularly	O
entertaining	O
company	O
.	O
</s>
