O/t Planescape torment

  • Thread starter Thread starter Guest
  • Start date Start date
G

Guest

Guest
I was reading through the posts and it seems like a lot of you really liked planescape. I have never played the game, but to me it looked pretty much the same as Baldurs Gate (Which I thought was ok, but not that great). I was just curious what was the big deal about planescape...Someone let me know if it sounds good I may go buy it :)
 
TORRRRRRRRRRRRMENT

[font size=1" color="#FF0000]LAST EDITED ON Jan-07-01 AT 06:45AM (GMT)[p]Planescape, in my opinion, is by far the best game ever created. And that's saying a lot considering I've been a completely rabid fallout fan ever since the damn *demo* of fallout 1 was first released... it takes a lot to put aside my undying devotion for fallout aside to admit that PS:T is better.

Why PS:T rocks -
- Awesome setting
- Much better dialogue choices than the Fallout series (I loved the 'lie' and 'truth' options, those added a lot more flexibility to truly roleplay my character)
- Closer view of the characters in main interface
- Very awesome (N)PC's with realistic personalities, great plot enhancement, and detailed backgrounds
- Great storyline
- Thought provoking
- Large hammers
- Mean ass looking axes
- Badass cutscenes (I loved "Vhailor's Arrival" and "The Transcendant One"... those are awesome)
- Final Antagonist has an even cooler voice than Frank Horrigan and the Master
- No blatant pop culture references (hooray!)
- There's rendered pictures of every type of creature you mean, and most of the NPC's you meet in your journal... I love the picture of the Lemure, it turns me on (j/k)
- Lots of description
- Vhailor's line "Know that I am your fate... and fate carries an executioner's axe" is damn cool
- Nordom can dance!
- Nordom can fall!
- Swearing at people is a wise battle tactic!
- The music is cooooooooooool (expecially TTO's theme)
- You can kick little green bug things that say "Piyo! Piyo!" that some dude sells as pets
- The immortality things makes the game pretty damn fun, and I don't reload *that* much
- I like soloing UnderSigil to level up pretty fast
- The pause feature to issue orders in combat is awesome
- I think there are even more prostitutes than FO2!

Cons -
- I found the Infinity engine a little hard to get used to, but after a few minutes i was cool with it
- I don't really like the first area, the mortuary, but once you get past that and learn your way aroudn the hive the game rocks
- You can't read Fall-From-Grace's diary, and Annah doesn't like you staring at her arse
- I don't like Ignus, he is a poo poo head, and has no witty lines.
- PS:T was the first real RPG I've played (dragon warrior 2 doesn't count) that you have control of more than 1 person. It's not a bad thing at all... it's actually quite nice, but it took a while to get used to.
- I hate DnD, and all their god damned backwards statistics. *HIGHER* armor class should mean you're harder to hit, you fucking hear me you "wizards of the coast" motha fucka's? I'm gonna FADE yo asses if I ever meet y'all bitches.
- Finding Nordom is annoying as hell, but at least it's not required.
- Some people say there is too much reading/description and too many dialogue options, although I consider this an extremely good thing (especially the "Snap his neck before he can call out" option on guards when they confront you.. that's just wicked)


Wanna know what really pisses me off? No, you probably don't, but I'll tell you anyways. I paid almost $60 for the game, and it was damn well worth the money. My sister asked me on thursday what game she should get her boyfriend as a belated christmas gift, and I suggested Planescape, so we drove up to Best Buy on Friday, and we couldn't find it... until we looked in the damn bargain bin. They're selling it for $15... and they're bundling it with theif. That's just not fair at all.

Next thing ya know they'll start packaging FO1 in the FO2 box... this world is going insane.


- Negative Material Patrol -
Hell_Patrol@juno.com
 
The other side of Torment

This seems rather off-topic. I suggest you go to a review site and look up some reviews for Torment. However, I'll offer the other side of the story here for you.

Torment is like an average fantasy novel cut and pasted into the Baldur's Gate Infinity Engine. It has its merits, but it also has a lot of drawbacks. Torment is easily the most TORMENTING role-playing game I have ever played. I do not say this lightly. It has shades of Fallout and Fallout 2, but in my opinion does not go up to par.

In my opinion, if you like a different kind of RPG with interesting characters and thought-provoking themes, Torment is your game. Even then, if you can't stand reading a lot of superfluous text, avoid this game.

I've included a link to a Torment message board where I've been voicing out my opinions on this game:

http://www.pcgr.com/forums/cgi-bin/dcforum/dcboard.cgi?az=list&forum=DCForumID10&conf=General
---

>They're selling it for $15... and they're bundling it with theif. That's just not fair at all.

What's so unfair about that? All games decrease in shelf-price in time.

>Next thing ya know they'll start packaging FO1 in the FO2 box... this world is going insane.

They already are. The world is now officialy insane.


===============
[font color=yellow]"If I could not live as a normal woman, then I would have to live as a weird one."
-- Misako Kurata, "Kodomo no Omocha"
 
RE: The other side of Torment

[font size=1" color="#FF0000]LAST EDITED ON Jan-07-01 AT 02:00PM (GMT)[p][font size=1" color="#FF0000]LAST EDITED ON Jan-07-01 AT 12:53 PM (GMT)

Edited some broken english

>This seems rather off-topic.
Yes. observe the O/t in the heading...

>Torment is like an average fantasy
>novel cut and pasted into
>the Baldur's Gate Infinity Engine.

Hah! The "average" fantasy novel is derivative drivel.
Torment has the most tightly wound plot, inventive scenery and character interactions of any RPG in recent memory.
The music, dialog and writing are all a cut above Fallout which were some of that games strong points. The voice acting is outstanding. I think the actual roleplay aspect is pretty strong in that meeting and interacting with the characters is more balanced than Baldur's Gate and Fallout where you can usually benefit best by simply looting everything and everyone.

Some ufavorable comparisons are the sum total of character options and paths are definately greater in Fallout2 due to FO2 being a bigger game and to the SPECIAL system being so much better than AD&D. Torment also suffers from a less than intuitive introductory scene; that is the mortuary, which like the temple of trials in FO2 can trip up nongamers, and turn them off right off the bat.
I don't understand what is so difficult in setting up a decent learning curve in games like this to ease in new players then become challenging for all.
So torment loses out on longevity compared to other CRPGs and it quirky theme which seems pretty hit or miss with different players. So much of the game happens in dialog too.
The criticisms are pretty inumerate but in my opinion don't add up at least due to Torment's strong points being so uncommon, and the game being fairly unconventional for a Interplay product.
 
RE: The other side of Torment

I didnt like it that much, after awhile it just got boring to me, but I dont know if anyone else had this problem but a few quest are hard, it was this one about the prostitues that were smart(they didnt have sex they talked I think),I think it was them I just know it was in that map, well you had to see this wierd item dealers and there was no hints I just happen to walk in there and ask the right stuff.
 
RE: The other side of Torment

I didn't like it either; it was too much of an adventure game. It had great story, excellent setting, well-developed characters, great feel, and mood, rich writing, but IMHO RPG elements suffered. There was not enough weapons, items, quests; the game was too linear (Curst was the worst). I'd say it was an RPG until you get out of the Hive. The only thing that kept me going after that was the great story (you try to find out who you are (couldn't get any more linear than that)). It seems to me like there wasn't enough actual game play; it's more fun to think about playing the game than actually playing it. Maybe I didn't like it because I was expecting a pure RPG, maybe if I treated it like an adventure game, I would enjoy it a lot more.
PST is definitely not the best game I have ever played, but it is one of (if not) the most emotional ones. And for 15 bucks... it's worth buying, even though it's bundled. Hell that's just how I got it (bundled with Thief).
 
RE: The other side of Torment

[font size=1" color="#FF0000]LAST EDITED ON Jan-17-01 AT 05:59AM (GMT)[p]> I didn't like it
>either; it was too much
>of an adventure game.
>It had great story, excellent
>setting, well-developed characters, great feel,
>and mood, rich writing, but
>IMHO RPG elements suffered.
>There was not enough weapons,
>items, quests; the game was
>too linear (Curst was the
>worst). I'd say it
>was an RPG until you
>get out of the Hive.
> The only thing that
>kept me going after that
>was the great story (you
>try to find out who
>you are (couldn't get any
>more linear than that)).
>It seems to me like
>there wasn't enough actual game
>play; it's more fun to
>think about playing the game
>than actually playing it.
>Maybe I didn't like it
>because I was expecting a
>pure RPG, maybe if I
>treated it like an adventure
>game, I would enjoy it
>a lot more.
> PST is definitely not
>the best game I have
>ever played, but it is
>one of (if not) the
>most emotional ones. And for
>15 bucks... it's worth buying,
>even though it's bundled.
>Hell that's just how I
>got it (bundled with Thief).
>


DIABLO II IS NOT THE IDEAL RPG!!!!!!!

Items, weapons, and linearity do _______NOT_______ constitute a fucking RPG.

Look at the term *Role Playing Game*

You create an alternate personality and characteristics of yourself (or mimic your own personality) and play that role in a game. An adventure game would be Space Quest, as you have no choice but to watch Roger hilariously make an ass out of himself time and time again. An adventure game would be Diablo II, as you have no choice to be a courageous adventurer hellbent on the destruction of all evil, and you don't even have dialogue options. Planescape : Torment is not a damn adventure game.

Planescape is probably the most RPGish RPG in the history off all CRPGS. In no other game I've seen so many dialogue/quest options that let you so precisely define what type of character you're trying to roleplay... even down to mimic dialogue options to let you choose if you're lying to the person or not. PS:T is almost *unarguably* more of a RPG than Fallout 2, which is definitely one of the few available RPGs that focuses more on the aspect of being able to roleplay your character to however personality you please.

Sorry, but the thought of saying PS:T isn't a ROLE PLAYING game just sickens me, and I'm already pissed off enough tonight.

- Hell Patrol -
Hell_Patrol@juno.com
 
RE: The other side of Torment

I think we simply disagree on what is a true RPG...

"Items, weapons, and linearity do _______NOT_______ constitute a fucking RPG."

What are you talking about? When did I ever say that linearity made a good RPG?

You say that linearity does not constitute a good RPG, PlaneScape Torment was rather linear don't you think... You go from Curst to Prison, to the Desert, to Baator, back to the desert, back to Curst. That order will not change no matter how you role-play. Isn't that how Deus Ex was paced?

“You create an alternate personality and characteristics of yourself (or mimic your own personality) and play that role in a game.” But I felt that PS:T didn’t provide enough game play variation to express the alternate personality I have created. Say in Fallout you could be a brutal gunslinger or a talker able to BS your way through the game. What I'm getting at is I think that the character should be mainly expressed through his actions rather than just talking (just like in real life).

You are going to hate me for saying this, but for me PST was Diablo where instead of clicking on enemies you click on dialog options. Note: I've never played Diablo so flame away if I'm wrong.
 
Love it or leave it

The opinions about Planescape:Torment seem to be divided in two factions.

I know several people that disliked the game right from the start, because of the unconventional graphics, atmosphere, strange NPC's and story and so they quit playing the game very early.

On the other hand almost everybody who played Planescape to the end, says that it's by far the best CRPG ever made (even better than Fallout, and Baldur's Gate 2), for the very same reasons.
I count myself to the second sort.

It's obviously a matter of taste.
 
RE: Love it or leave it

I am a long time AD&D player, but I have to say I thought Planescape was a bit booring, combat was way too easy, I was able to take out anything by either using large amounts of healing items (similar to Fallout actually, get in inventory and just use as many as you want, at least in fallout you had to take a few action points to do so, in planescape its free) taunting with the skull and having everyone beat on the backside of whatever was chasing him. I still don't think AD&D works too well in real time (pausing is stupid and doesn't work very well) which is another complaint especially when you are trying to controll more than one person, at least CTB seems to be o.k. so far but a bit hard to controll several people. I took out the necropolis (fighting on the order of 100 zombies and ghouls all at once) the first time with no problem because I wasn't about to bow down before some undead king. I started to find the continuous talking a bit on the booring side, there wasn't anything really interesting going on, I finally quit playing just after the brothel of thought. It's not much of an RPG as you are stuck playing this undead guy pretty much as a fighter - I always want to play mages or priests in a fantasy setting, and playing a mage doesn't work to well the way they have it set up and you can't play a priest (healer), and what combat there is is a joke after getting out of the motuary. It's not much of an adventure game in my opinion as no one is very interesting, you never talk to anyone very much, theres no one you get attached to like Harold, I never cared what happened to anyone. as far as being original fantasy books and games from time immemorial have had the "hero who doesn't know who he is" premise, I found it a bit hackneyed.
As for verses fallout & fallout 2 it's a no brainer for me. Fallout 2 takes a crit with a bozar to the pitiful excuse of Planescape.

o.k. now that I have dissed PST I'll give it a few things.
I did like the "neck breaking" option and I was surprised by it.
I did like the various possible options to take when talking to people.
Morte is cool :)

over all I wouldn't pay $10 for it if I had it to do over again.
I'm also sick of people comparing things to fallout and it never being true... people compared it to fallout - no way never un uh. I recently bought a game called odium as it was referred to being a cross between fallout and x-com (gee tactics says this too) but it was more like final fantasy meets battlechess... Don't ever compare to fallout unless you can blow the top half of their body away and see bits of skelleton with a machine gun thank you very much.
 
RE: Love it or leave it

Jesus! The unconventional atmosphere was awesome! How could you have disliked it!
 
RE: Love it or leave it

cmon this is the first rpg, where the story comes first, and everything else was secondary. this is what rpgs should be like. games with meaning not just fightig
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top