<s>
Neverwinter	B-Application
Nights	I-Application
2	I-Application
:	I-Application
Storm	I-Application
of	I-Application
Zehir	I-Application
is	O
an	O
expansion	O
pack	O
for	O
the	O
role-playing	O
video	O
game	O
Neverwinter	B-Application
Nights	I-Application
2	I-Application
,	O
developed	O
by	O
Obsidian	O
Entertainment	O
and	O
published	O
by	O
Atari	O
Interactive	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Like	O
previous	O
entries	O
in	O
the	O
Neverwinter	B-Operating_System
Nights	I-Operating_System
series	O
,	O
Storm	B-Application
of	I-Application
Zehir	I-Application
is	O
based	O
on	O
the	O
paper	O
and	O
pencil	O
fantasy	B-Application
role-playing	O
game	O
Dungeons	O
&	O
Dragons	O
,	O
and	O
uses	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
3.5	O
edition	O
ruleset	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Storm	B-Application
of	I-Application
Zehir	I-Application
was	O
inspired	O
by	O
older	O
video	O
games	O
like	O
the	O
Baldur	B-Application
's	I-Application
Gate	I-Application
and	O
Icewind	O
Dale	O
franchises	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
storyline	O
foreshadows	O
the	O
events	O
of	O
the	O
fourth	O
edition	O
of	O
Dungeons	O
&	O
Dragons	O
and	O
follows	O
the	O
adventures	O
of	O
a	O
group	O
of	O
merchants	O
in	O
the	O
Samarach	O
and	O
Sword	O
Coast	O
areas	O
of	O
the	O
Forgotten	B-Application
Realms	I-Application
campaign	O
setting	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Storm	B-Application
of	I-Application
Zehir	I-Application
received	O
mixed	O
reviews	O
from	O
critics	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Storm	B-Application
of	I-Application
Zehir	I-Application
is	O
an	O
expansion	O
of	O
Neverwinter	B-Application
Nights	I-Application
2	I-Application
and	O
continues	O
the	O
formula	O
of	O
a	O
role-playing	O
video	O
game	O
played	O
from	O
an	O
overhead	O
third-person	O
perspective	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
rest	O
of	O
the	O
player	O
's	O
party	O
can	O
also	O
be	O
created	O
,	O
unlike	O
Neverwinter	B-Application
Nights	I-Application
2	I-Application
,	O
but	O
pre-made	O
characters	O
are	O
available	O
if	O
the	O
player	O
is	O
not	O
interested	O
in	O
complete	O
customization	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
party	O
can	O
then	O
explore	O
several	O
regions	O
on	O
the	O
Forgotten	B-Application
Realms	I-Application
continent	O
of	O
Faerûn	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Storm	B-Application
of	I-Application
Zehir	I-Application
uses	O
the	O
dice-based	B-Language
d20	O
System	O
of	O
Dungeons	O
&	O
Dragons	O
and	O
each	O
action	O
requires	O
a	O
random	O
number	O
generated	O
by	O
a	O
die	O
roll	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Storm	B-Application
of	I-Application
Zehir	I-Application
also	O
includes	O
a	O
regional	O
economy	O
whereby	O
players	O
can	O
establish	O
trading	O
outposts	O
in	O
various	O
towns	O
and	O
create	O
caravan	O
routes	O
between	O
them	O
,	O
providing	O
merchandise	O
to	O
consumers	O
along	O
each	O
route	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Like	O
other	O
games	O
in	O
the	O
Neverwinter	B-Operating_System
Nights	I-Operating_System
series	O
,	O
Storm	B-Application
of	I-Application
Zehir	I-Application
takes	O
place	O
in	O
the	O
Forgotten	B-Application
Realms	I-Application
campaign	O
setting	O
,	O
on	O
the	O
continent	O
of	O
Faerûn	O
on	O
the	O
planet	O
Abeir-Toril	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
is	O
set	O
mostly	O
in	O
the	O
Samarach	O
and	O
Sword	O
Coast	O
regions	O
,	O
with	O
visits	O
to	O
locations	O
featured	O
in	O
previous	O
games	O
such	O
as	O
Crossroad	O
Keep	O
and	O
the	O
city	O
of	O
Neverwinter	B-Protocol
.	O
</s>
<s>
Since	O
the	O
Shadow	O
War	O
depicted	O
in	O
Neverwinter	B-Application
Nights	I-Application
2	I-Application
and	O
the	O
subsequent	O
disappearance	O
of	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
protagonist	O
,	O
the	O
Knight	O
–	O
Captain	O
,	O
Neverwinter	B-Protocol
and	O
the	O
surrounding	O
area	O
have	O
been	O
declining	O
economically	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Storm	B-Application
of	I-Application
Zehir	I-Application
's	O
story	O
begins	O
with	O
the	O
player	O
character	O
escorting	O
a	O
ship	O
called	O
the	O
Vigilant	O
,	O
sailing	O
from	O
the	O
Sword	O
Coast	O
to	O
Samarach	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Development	O
of	O
Storm	B-Application
of	I-Application
Zehir	I-Application
began	O
during	O
the	O
end	O
of	O
development	O
of	O
Neverwinter	B-Application
Nights	I-Application
2	I-Application
's	O
first	O
expansion	O
,	O
Mask	B-Application
of	I-Application
the	I-Application
Betrayer	I-Application
,	O
and	O
was	O
initially	O
referred	O
to	O
as	O
"	O
NX2	O
"	O
by	O
its	O
designers	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
would	O
be	O
developed	O
by	O
Obsidian	O
Entertainment	O
,	O
creators	O
of	O
Neverwinter	B-Application
Nights	I-Application
2	I-Application
and	O
Mask	B-Application
of	I-Application
the	I-Application
Betrayer	I-Application
,	O
and	O
was	O
given	O
a	O
release	O
date	O
of	O
the	O
fourth	O
quarter	O
of	O
2008	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Despite	O
being	O
released	O
after	O
the	O
fourth	O
edition	O
of	O
Dungeons	O
&	O
Dragons	O
,	O
Storm	B-Application
of	I-Application
Zehir	I-Application
would	O
continue	O
to	O
use	O
the	O
3.5	O
edition	O
rules	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
design	O
team	O
for	O
Storm	B-Application
of	I-Application
Zehir	I-Application
was	O
smaller	O
than	O
that	O
of	O
Mask	B-Application
of	I-Application
the	I-Application
Betrayer	I-Application
and	O
was	O
given	O
a	O
shorter	O
development	O
period	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Like	O
Neverwinter	B-Application
Nights	I-Application
2	I-Application
,	O
Obsidian	O
was	O
inspired	O
by	O
older	O
role-playing	O
video	O
games	O
for	O
Storm	B-Application
of	I-Application
Zehir	I-Application
,	O
such	O
as	O
Fallout	B-Application
and	O
the	O
Baldur	B-Application
's	I-Application
Gate	I-Application
series	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Storm	B-Application
of	I-Application
Zehir	I-Application
's	O
storyline	O
occurs	O
concurrently	O
with	O
Mask	B-Application
of	I-Application
the	I-Application
Betrayer	I-Application
,	O
which	O
was	O
set	O
in	O
the	O
Rashemen	O
region	O
of	O
Faerûn	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
team	O
leads	O
decided	O
to	O
create	O
an	O
adventure	O
that	O
they	O
considered	O
more	O
in	O
line	O
with	O
the	O
roots	O
of	O
Dungeons	O
&	O
Dragons	O
by	O
departing	O
from	O
the	O
more	O
serious	O
,	O
epic	O
stories	O
presented	O
in	O
Neverwinter	B-Application
Nights	I-Application
2	I-Application
and	O
Mask	B-Application
of	I-Application
the	I-Application
Betrayer	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Audio	O
director	O
Alexander	O
Brandon	O
collaborated	O
with	O
composers	O
of	O
games	O
like	O
the	O
Heroes	B-Application
of	I-Application
Might	I-Application
and	I-Application
Magic	I-Application
series	O
and	O
Primal	B-Application
,	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
"	O
rookie	O
composers	O
"	O
from	O
Rogue	O
Dao	O
Studios	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Designer	O
Nathaniel	O
Chapman	O
said	O
"	O
Furthermore	O
,	O
it	O
provided	O
an	O
opportunity	O
to	O
increase	O
the	O
effectiveness	O
of	O
various	O
skills	O
that	O
,	O
frankly	O
,	O
were	O
underutilized	O
in	O
previous	O
Neverwinter	B-Operating_System
Nights	I-Operating_System
titles	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
overland	O
map	O
feature	O
was	O
created	O
with	O
the	O
modding	O
community	O
in	O
mind	O
,	O
and	O
players	O
using	O
the	O
Neverwinter	B-Application
Nights	I-Application
2	I-Application
toolset	B-Application
can	O
modify	O
the	O
map	O
's	O
options	O
on	O
an	O
individual	O
basis.Storm	O
of	O
Zehir	O
was	O
ready	O
for	O
mass	O
production	O
on	O
November	O
1	O
,	O
2008	O
and	O
was	O
released	O
on	O
November	O
18	O
,	O
2008	O
in	O
North	O
America	O
,	O
November	O
21	O
in	O
Europe	O
,	O
and	O
December	O
11	O
in	O
Australia	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Reviewers	O
were	O
in	O
favor	O
of	O
Storm	B-Application
of	I-Application
Zehir	I-Application
's	O
focus	O
on	O
exploration	O
and	O
the	O
ability	O
to	O
postpone	O
or	O
ignore	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
main	O
storyline	O
,	O
and	O
they	O
compared	O
the	O
gameplay	O
to	O
older	O
role-playing	O
video	O
games	O
such	O
as	O
Icewind	B-Application
Dale	I-Application
II	I-Application
and	O
Fallout	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
ability	O
to	O
handcraft	O
an	O
entire	O
party	O
instead	O
of	O
just	O
the	O
main	O
character	O
was	O
welcomed	O
,	O
with	O
GameSpot	O
's	O
reviewer	O
noting	O
"	O
Rather	O
than	O
playing	O
as	O
a	O
solo	O
hero	O
chosen	O
for	O
some	O
great	O
destiny	O
,	O
you	O
roll	O
up	O
a	O
party	O
of	O
four	O
average	O
joes	O
just	O
like	O
you	O
did	O
way	O
back	O
when	O
in	O
D&D	O
classics	O
like	O
the	O
Baldur	B-Application
's	I-Application
Gate	I-Application
and	O
Icewind	O
Dale	O
franchises	O
,	O
"	O
(	O
Baldur	B-Application
's	I-Application
Gate	I-Application
did	O
not	O
actually	O
contain	O
the	O
ability	O
to	O
create	O
the	O
entire	O
party	O
in	O
single	O
player	O
mode	O
;	O
however	O
,	O
in	O
multiplayer	O
,	O
this	O
was	O
possible	O
)	O
and	O
IGN	O
saying	O
"	O
There	O
's	O
a	O
strange	O
kind	O
of	O
nerd	O
joy	O
when	O
it	O
comes	O
to	O
creating	O
a	O
D&D	O
party	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Reviewers	O
were	O
grateful	O
that	O
the	O
time-based	O
,	O
"	O
spirit-eating	O
"	O
gameplay	O
mechanic	O
of	O
Mask	B-Application
of	I-Application
the	I-Application
Betrayer	I-Application
was	O
not	O
included	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Reviewers	O
generally	O
praised	O
Storm	B-Application
of	I-Application
Zehir	I-Application
's	O
use	O
of	O
the	O
Dungeons	O
&	O
Dragons	O
3.5	O
edition	O
rules	O
with	O
the	O
exception	O
of	O
GameSpy	O
,	O
who	O
expressed	O
skepticism	O
of	O
the	O
ruleset	O
in	O
a	O
preview	O
of	O
the	O
game	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Unlike	O
Neverwinter	B-Application
Nights	I-Application
2	I-Application
and	O
Mask	B-Application
of	I-Application
the	I-Application
Betrayer	I-Application
where	O
defeated	O
characters	O
would	O
be	O
automatically	O
revived	O
after	O
a	O
battle	O
,	O
Storm	B-Application
of	I-Application
Zehir	I-Application
requires	O
a	O
powerful	O
spell	O
or	O
a	O
"	O
Coin	O
of	O
Waukeen	O
"	O
to	O
resurrect	O
dead	O
allies	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Baldur	B-Application
's	I-Application
Gate	I-Application
had	O
this	O
all	O
worked	O
out	O
over	O
a	O
decade	O
ago	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Several	O
reviewers	O
described	O
the	O
Electron	B-Operating_System
engine	I-Operating_System
as	O
aging	O
;	O
IGN	O
Australia	O
said	O
"	O
The	O
two	O
year-old	O
engine	O
is	O
surprisingly	O
sluggish	O
for	O
something	O
that	O
looks	O
dated	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
GameZone	O
referred	O
to	O
the	O
graphics	O
as	O
"	O
serviceable	O
"	O
,	O
and	O
IGN	O
said	O
"	O
The	O
world	O
map	O
is	O
a	O
bit	O
ugly	O
,	O
but	O
otherwise	O
Storm	B-Application
of	I-Application
Zehir	I-Application
looks	O
slightly	O
better	O
than	O
its	O
predecessors	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
focal	O
point	O
of	O
criticism	O
was	O
Storm	B-Application
of	I-Application
Zehir	I-Application
's	O
story	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Critics	O
considered	O
its	O
focus	O
on	O
trade	O
and	O
economics	O
shallow	O
compared	O
to	O
the	O
epic	O
adventures	O
presented	O
in	O
Neverwinter	B-Application
Nights	I-Application
2	I-Application
and	O
Mask	O
of	O
the	O
Betrayer''	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Other	O
complaints	O
included	O
the	O
presence	O
of	O
random	O
encounters	O
on	O
the	O
overland	O
map	O
,	O
which	O
were	O
considered	O
excessive	O
,	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
long	O
load	B-Operating_System
times	I-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
