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Rendelius
Critical Error
Joined: 06 Jul 2001
Posts: 16
Location: Austria |
| Planescape: Torment review at JustRPG |
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JustRPG has written a <a href="http://www.just-rpg.com/default.asp?pid=332" target="_blank">review of Planescape: Torment</a>. Not surprisingly, the game receives a rating of 92% and these favorable final remarks:
<br><blockquote><em>This game has many, many hours of gameplay stuffed within it, and many more should you want to discover everything. I do have one complaint though, and that is the game's reliance on Intelligence and Wisdom stats to reveal memories. Having 18 Wisdom and Intelligence is all fine and good, but when you're a fighter, it's worth pretty much nothing. Even so, the game will keep you playing on and on to find who the Nameless One is.
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<br>And that's only half of it. You can play the game straight from beginning to end, but if you do, you're going to miss out on more than half the game. Discovering new things is what the game is all about, not just playing from beginning to end. Probably the most interesting to discover is your relation to the characters that you had before you woke up in the beginning. Once you finish the game, you will sit back and wish there was more. It feels like you have just finished a great movie or book - and don't want the magic to disappear!</em></blockquote> |
Sun Mar 30, 2003 6:27 pm |
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Ammon777
Warrior for Heaven
Joined: 20 Apr 2002
Posts: 2011
Location: United States |
Woah. These guys must be in Tinbucktoo. Its about time they reviewed this... Its only, what, 4 years old? Do they update their website every, say, 4 years, or what? |
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Sun Mar 30, 2003 6:29 pm |
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Merz
Protector of the Realm
Joined: 22 Oct 2002
Posts: 260
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Still a great reading.. It makes me wanna try this game!
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- Merz |
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Sun Mar 30, 2003 6:59 pm |
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Ammon777
Warrior for Heaven
Joined: 20 Apr 2002
Posts: 2011
Location: United States |
Yeah the game is pretty cool actually... i wish they would make a sequel, or at least something else in the Planescape settings... They could make a VERY much larger game -- bigger than BG2 even -- in Planescape, its so huge... The planes are a big place... err, placeS, rather. |
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Sun Mar 30, 2003 7:06 pm |
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Vindicator
Village Dweller
Joined: 30 Mar 2003
Posts: 16
Location: Washington, USA |
Merz, if you haven't played it, it should be on your must buy list. Planescape Torment is one of my all-time favorite RPGs.
It's a bit gruesome, with lots of sick, twisted humor. 
Here is some dialog from the game:
Nameless One: "Can you dig around in my body for anything?"
Marta: "Marta can do that, cancha Marta? Yes you can"
Nameless One: "Check the intestines... anything could be lodged in there"
You lie upon the table, and Marta stands over you, a rusty knife at the ready. There is a stabbing pain as she slices into your abdomen, then cuts brutally downwords in a saw-like motion, exposing your innards. Despite the pain, you watch in silent morbid fascination as she plunders your organs, humming to herself. |
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Sun Mar 30, 2003 8:04 pm |
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Ammon777
Warrior for Heaven
Joined: 20 Apr 2002
Posts: 2011
Location: United States |
what the heck did that guy swallow !!! ?  |
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Sun Mar 30, 2003 10:54 pm |
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elkston
High Emperor
Joined: 21 Sep 2002
Posts: 691
Location: North Carolina, USA |
quote:
Originally posted by Merz
Still a great reading.. It makes me wanna try this game!
To be honest, I can't for the life of me figure out why Torment is held in such high regard.
Yes, the writing is very good and the characters are well developed. However, this is true of any quality book or motion picture. We're talking about a game here and the quality of interaction and the "fun" factor
are more important to me than the story.
I never felt like I was having "fun" while playing the game. It does succeed at pulling you into its world in a very detailed way. The question is: Is it a world you want to adventure in? It was all just too dark and depressing for me. I might even go as far as to say the "depth" of the story was forced and seemed pretentious to me.
I didn't have that feeling "I can't wait to playxxx"
because ultimately I didn't care about The Nameless One or his quest. Not to give up any spoilers, but the ultimate goal is pretty much a bummer right? Sure, if this WAS happening to you, you'd want to do what The Nameless One is doing is his quest. But do you want to play a game
where this is happening to you? Sure, there are some cool aspects that ccome with your state, but to play all the time knowing what the ultimate goal is? I just don't get it.
It seems to me that many were impressed by the good writing and figured that was enough to start calling it "Best RPG ever", etc.
Give me a break. I've played RPGs since the mid 80's and PS:T is not the best ever. D |
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Sun Mar 30, 2003 11:24 pm |
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Vindicator
Village Dweller
Joined: 30 Mar 2003
Posts: 16
Location: Washington, USA |
Fun factor more important than story? 
Maybe you should be playing Diablo or Quake.
Sure, it might not have been the lighthearted romp through Neverland that you'd hoped for, but come on... it's not called Torment for nothing.
One reason why it's held in such high regard is its unconventional story and setting. It was a breathe of fresh air for those of us jaded with traditional rpg storylines (or lack thereof).
I agree that Torment was not the best crpg ever... but I would rank it as #3, with Ultima 7: The Black Gate and Fallout being #1 and 2. What all of these have in common is a compelling storyline. |
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Mon Mar 31, 2003 3:04 am |
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elkston
High Emperor
Joined: 21 Sep 2002
Posts: 691
Location: North Carolina, USA |
quote:
Originally posted by Vindicator
Fun factor more important than story?
Maybe you should be playing Diablo or Quake.
Sure, it might not have been the lighthearted romp through Neverland that you'd hoped for, but come on... it's not called Torment for nothing.
 i don't mind dark stories or even unhappy endings. I guess I just didn't like *this* one. Or my character.
quote:
One reason why it's held in such high regard is its unconventional story and setting. It was a breathe of fresh air for those of us jaded with traditional rpg storylines (or lack thereof).
Perhaps. Of course I'm not saying its a bad game. But you should see how many "best ever" proclamations I've seen of this game. Something that is the "best ever" you'll want to experience multiple times. Wasteland,
Wizardy 8, Starflight, Gothic... these are games that have compelling gameplay that you want to experience AGAIN. I just can't see why anyone would want to go through Torment's depressing story over and over again. It's not like you have a myraid of different character options you can play with to get a different experience. To me it would be like reading a novel over again. But in order for me to want to do that, it would have to be a DAMN GOOD novel. And while Torment's story may be noteworthy for a CRPG game, it is rather ordinary when compared to all the written fiction that is out there.
quote:
I agree that Torment was not the best crpg ever... but I would rank it as #3, with Ultima 7: The Black Gate and Fallout being #1 and 2. What all of these have in common is a compelling storyline.
Agreed on the Ultimas and Fallouts. But lets look at what those games had in *addition* to good stories:
-Engrossing gameplay where you had many options to interact and become immersed in the environment (esp in U7)
-A real *external* sense of conflict in the story. The Guardian / Batlin / Enclave / Mutants, etc. Sure, essentially these are just big "kill fozzles" - but you have to admit that they create a sense of danger and immediacy that makes you want to progress in the game. The conflict in Torment is more internal. It may make for good reading, but not good GAMING in my opinion.
-Many quests/subquests presented in a mostly open, non-linear fashion.
-Large, vast worlds that invite and encourage exploring.
-Compelling character advancement that drives you to want to advance levels.
In the end, i guess PS:T was not my cup of tea. I just feel like games should be games FIRST, and stories second. I would rather have a convential storyline that is presented in a novel, exciting way than one that is original, but wrapped up in stale gameplay. |
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Mon Mar 31, 2003 5:06 am |
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Merz
Protector of the Realm
Joined: 22 Oct 2002
Posts: 260
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elkston, thanks for giving an alternative opinion.. Indeed, I read only superlatives about the subject, and even if I cannot discard them, the game just might not be my cup of tea. I am curious if there is a demo avalaible.
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- Merz |
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Mon Mar 31, 2003 9:03 am |
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Val
Risen From Ashes
Joined: 18 Feb 2002
Posts: 14724
Location: Utah, USA |
No demo exists that I'm aware of. However, since the game is old you can probably find it in a local bargin bin for about $10. Not bad for a game that has recieved critical acclaim.
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Freeeeeeedom! Thank heavens it's summer!
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=Guardian, Moderator, UltimaDot Newshound=  |
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Mon Mar 31, 2003 9:12 am |
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Dhruin
Stranger In A Strange Land
Joined: 20 May 2002
Posts: 1825
Location: Sydney, Australia |
It is indeed a matter of taste but I'm sure I wasn't just overwhelmed by the writing.
I did enjoy the gameplay and the gameworld is still the most unique, fascinating world ever in a CRPG with some of the most memorable NPC's. |
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Mon Mar 31, 2003 1:30 pm |
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Guest
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quote:
Originally posted by Ammon777
Woah. These guys must be in Tinbucktoo. Its about time they reviewed this... Its only, what, 4 years old? Do they update their website every, say, 4 years, or what?
Hehe. That could be. Although, I don't think their site is anymore than 6 or 8 months old...
I've never played planescape torment, but it's high on my list of things to do.... |
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Mon Mar 31, 2003 1:58 pm |
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