Planescape: Torment is often cited as one of the best RPGs of all time. However, it didn’t really sell all that well back when it was released. I’ve always wondered how many people really played it and what they really thought about it. Now’s your chance to be honest! So that’s what this poll is for.
I played it when if was first released and while it was good, I’m not sure it’s in my top list of RPGs of all time.
It was good, but I played it after the fact, so it didn’t blow me away. I can understand why people think it is so good, but having played so many RPGs since it came out, it wasn’t new to me.
It’s definitely the real deal. Coincidentally, I’m actually playing it at this very moment. Ooops, guess I better alt-tab back in.
Also, I tried the widescreen/high-res mod, but I decided to stick with the plain, old 640x480 version since I can read the text sooo much better. And frankly, a 2D game like this doesn’t need to be rendered in super high-res (or HD as you console kids call it these days.) ;)
I never finished it. It was fun for what it was, but it turns in to a horrible slog at the end, and that’s before you get to the absurd amount of bugs. Tip: If you are going to play it, don’t cast spells unless you like force-quitting the game a lot.
Why is this a private poll? I wanna wring the necks of the people that aren’t voting “properly!”
I’m hoping that will lead to people being more honest. People sometimes seem reluctant to admit they haven’t played or didn’t really like games that are generally viewed as “classics.”
I can’t even begin to figure out what you’re trying to say here.
I think he’s referring to all the other RPGs with numerous memorable characters, tons of great writing, and totally unique settings. Games like . . .
Ok Danger, what ARE you trying to say here?
:-)
He was saying that he played it years after it was released, so he doesn’t get why it was as good as it was.
The reason why it was as good as it was, of course, is that was revolutionary for the genre in the same way Ultima IV was before it. It took the traditional assumptions about RPGs (like death being game over) and stood them on their ear. It changed how games were, and all the subsequent games learned from that.
Deionarra’s theme and “what can change the nature of a man” still give me chills. One of the all-time greats.
Interesting point-of-view. I’m on my 3rd playthrough of PS:T, having just beaten Dragon Age and Fallout 3 recently (with Dungeon Siege 2 and Torchlight thrown in the mix, but since they’re action RPGs, I won’t count them.) It does stand up next to those newer RPGs very well – in many ways surpassing them, but admittedly, lagging behind in other ways. As I’ve said before, you have to approach this game more like a book rather than a game. Maybe that doesn’t fly with some gamers, but it works for me.
The only thing that changed PST for the worse since it came out is RPG fans turning into a bunch of slack-jawed faggots.
It’s a pretty lousy game, but it’s a fun read.
There’s no option for played it but didn’t finish it… I can’t really comment on the quality of the game considering how little time I spent with it, I intend to finish it one day but the only option for that states I never played it at all which would be a lie.
In my top handful of games ever. Absolutely love it.
I did too, and it’s still in mine. PS:T got two things mostly right that cRPGs otherwise tend to fuck up more or less beyond recognition. Mostly more.
The first one is character dependent choices, opportunities, information & flavour. Ability & skill checks abounds in PS:T like in no other cRPG I’ve ever gotten my filthy paws on. In fact, it’s better at it than some GMs I’ve played with over the years.
The second one is the storytelling. But I probably don’t need to get into that.
Beyond that it has terrific art direction, fantastic spell effects (especially for the time - FF eat your heart out), and the best realisation of Sigil that ever happened to the PlaneScape setting.
Of course it has faults - crap UI, pathfinding, mind-numbingly dull combat & lack of content in the last 3rd of the game, just to name a few - but overall it’s a better role-playing game than almost everything that’s come after. Mostly by a very wide margin. And no, I’m not just saying that because I love PlaneScape fiercely. Though I admittedly do.
And now to something completely different: there’s at least 3 different font sizes available for PS:T, and a fix available for the nVidia driver fuckup that destroys the game when spells are cast (and it’s not really fair to blame that on PS:T, considering the problem only occurred some 5 years ago). It’s nothing terribly complicated to get it to run stably & legibly at whatever resolution you want.
The only reason it’s not on my all-time great lists is because each of those games left me with a “holy crap!” moment or ending and PST didn’t. Maybe it’s because I basically minored in philosophy in college, but what PST was talking about wasn’t notably mind-blowing for me even if I can understand how that could have occurred for others. Great fiction, and great storytelling in games, should make you really think and that was clearly the case for PST for a lot of people. It just wasn’t for me.
Planescape is also one of the few RPGs that seriously explores the philosophy, imagination, wonders and alienness of a world that is entirely original. (Well, original from all other cRPGs, jRPGs included). There really hasn’t been an RPG before or after Planescape that brings the player to a world so utterly alien to the standard fantasy tropes and still be clear about the intent of its story, the motivation of its characters and the tensions of the conflicts held within.
Yup. It is late, I was having a hard time trying to word what I was thinking of. Athryn is right thought.
That is how it often is for games, if you weren’t there when they were revolutionary, it won’t have as huge of an impact on you. I started playing it a couple of years back, but I couldn’t get through it. I recognized how unique and cool the game was… it just didn’t grab me. There are plenty of games now that have built upon when Planescape did, and having experienced those before Planescape, it isn’t as exciting and new as it could be.
Wrong.