We're almost done wrapping up our PAX East coverage, but as the saying goes: "We've saved the best for last!" Up today is Neverwinter!

As I near the end of my PAX East coverage, I can't help but think of the old adage: "Saving the best for last." Mind you, Cryptic Studios' Neverwinter isn't quite the last of my previews, but I can definitely say it was one of the best MMORPG demos of the show. Allow me to explain why.

Prior to sitting down for a Neverwinter presentation with Cryptic COO Craig Zinkievich and Lead Producer Andy Velasquez, I'll admit that I wasn't expecting much at all. Since being acquired by Perfect World Entertainment back in May 2011, Cryptic has been quietly working at revamping Neverwinter; transforming it from a co-operative multiplayer game to a full-scale free-to-play MMORPG. After releasing the debut trailer at 2011's E3 convention, Neverwinter was pushed into development obscurity, emerging only to release a tepid "story trailer" in November.

In fact, it was this lackluster story trailer I had in mind when I sat down for the presentation, but I can assure you now that it's anything but. Neverwinter takes place in Neverwinter (naturally) in the aftermath of the spellplague that ravaged the land. Neverwinter itself remained relatively unharmed, but the resulting chaos has taken its toll on this city, meaning players will need to quell the fires at home before adventuring out into the surrounding countryside.

In terms of gameplay, Neverwinter is looking very solid for an action MMORPG. The combat engine of Neverwinter is looking so smooth that I'm tempted to say it will be on par with or better  than most action MMORPGs currently on the market. Of course, whether that responsiveness will translate over with the implementation of more complex server architecture remains to be seen, but the underlying engine is impressive to say the least. Throughout our presentation, I watched Andy Velasquez closely as he demolished orcs and skeletons alike; at one point successfully dodging an enemy attack a split-second before it landed.

Players in Neverwinter will have an array of skills to bring to the fight, with "At-Will" powers being akin to your auto-attack abilities (the Wizard in our presentation had Arcane Missiles and a channeled damage attack for at-will powers), "Encounter Powers" rounding out your core abilities, and "Daily Powers" being your explosive "ultimate" abilities that deal huge AoE damage and utility. Encounter powers are most like standard MMORPG abilities, as they are class-defining abilities (ice shard spells, control spells, etc) with short cooldowns, while daily powers need to be charged up by either dealing damage or performing tasks suited to your class (which builds up your ability power meter much faster).

Judging from what was on presentation, it seems that Neverwinter's core approach to action combat is less about carving large swathes of AoE destruction, and more about tactically singling out opponents to control and damage. While we may have been watching a more control-oriented wizard (and such a specialization is possible in Neverwinter) at play, many of Andy's control spells involved more mental upkeep than the usual long cast time crowd control spells. In other words, keeping enemies under control seemed to be more focused on targeting them and shackling them every few seconds, as opposed to starting every fight with a three second crowd-control spell, and then telling your teammates not to touch the stunned (or slept or polymorphed) enemy for the duration of the fight.

Graphically, the game looks spectacular, and I am genuinely looking forward to seeing Cryptic's world-famous character creation toolkit at work with Neverwinter's beautiful graphics engine. Individual spell effects really stood out on screen, although there is some concern - as with any action MMORPG - with figuring out what spell abilities are your own in a large group setting. Still, the game looks really crisp, and it has an artistic style all its own. 

Finally, staying true to its Neverwinter roots, Cryptic is planning to implement a robust player-created content base with a tool it's calling The Foundry. While no major details have been released regarding The Foundry, Craig noted that Cryptic was going to be really focused on supporting fan content, and that its in-game UI would reflect this level of support.

Ultimately, Neverwinter has really taken me by surprise by how solid it looks overall and how well-executed its vision is at the moment. The underlying foundations of the game - the graphics, the combat, the polish - look like they're already there, and that's a fantastic place to be for a game that has all summer to work on content and more polish. 

Neverwinter promises to be a solid product from Cryptic, and it's certainly working with a theme that plays to its strengths. I've always felt that games like Champions Online, - despite its fun action-oriented combat - lacked meaningful character progression and real visual development as you progressed to endgame. Neverwinter, in contrast, seems as if it will have a lot of character depth gleaned from the Dungeons & Dragons franchise while continuing to offer Cryptic's pedigree character customization system. Considering that Cryptic can now be considered a veteran (of sorts) within the MMORPG development industry, having both Champions Online and Star Trek Online to learn from, it seems that Neverwinter will be poised to take the industry by storm later this year.

Chris "Pwyff" Tom, Editor-in-Chief