First of all, if anyone hasn't heard, there's a pretty reasonable sale going on over at GOG for old RPGs. Here's the list:
Baldur's Gate: The Original Saga
Baldur's Gate 2 Complete
Neverwinter Nights: Diamond Edition
Icewind Dale 2 Complete
Icewind Dale Complete
Temple of Elemental Evil, The
Dungeons & Dragons: Dragonshard
Forgotten Realms: Demon Stone
Planescape: Torment
It looks like a good chance to pick up some old gems. At least, I've heard positive things about many of these titles. But I've never actually played any of them. Which ones should I get, given that:
1) Story is really important to me. REALLY important. It's my number one priority. This includes the plot, the characters, the setting, the dialog, the twists, how the characters develop...all those things. Bonus points if the story isn't Generic Fantasy #12864, but as long as it's well done, I'll be fine with it. (I also prefer to not have the option to pick, e.g., my character's sex. Shouldn't whether I'm male or female have a significant impact on the story? But in games that allow the choice, it rarely does.)
2) Good gameplay is likewise important. Not quite as important as the story, but I'd prefer if the combat didn't get boring and repetitive a quarter of the way through the game. I'm also not a huge fan of what I call "twitch" gaming, where whether you survive or not depends on how fast/well you click the buttons. I only rarely play real-time strategy and first-person shooter games for that very reason.
3) Grinding for levels/equipment is not a plus. Nor are fetch quests. I can handle some of both, but I'd rather have a game that's 20 hours of fun rather than one that's 20 hours of fun, 10 hours of level grinding, and 20 hours of fetch-quests.
I've already all but decided to get Planescape: Torment, because I've heard some really good things about that game and it sounds like it'd be right up my alley. Which others (if any) should I also give a whirl?
Baldur's Gate: The Original Saga
Baldur's Gate 2 Complete
Neverwinter Nights: Diamond Edition
Icewind Dale 2 Complete
Icewind Dale Complete
Temple of Elemental Evil, The
Dungeons & Dragons: Dragonshard
Forgotten Realms: Demon Stone
Planescape: Torment
It looks like a good chance to pick up some old gems. At least, I've heard positive things about many of these titles. But I've never actually played any of them. Which ones should I get, given that:
1) Story is really important to me. REALLY important. It's my number one priority. This includes the plot, the characters, the setting, the dialog, the twists, how the characters develop...all those things. Bonus points if the story isn't Generic Fantasy #12864, but as long as it's well done, I'll be fine with it. (I also prefer to not have the option to pick, e.g., my character's sex. Shouldn't whether I'm male or female have a significant impact on the story? But in games that allow the choice, it rarely does.)
2) Good gameplay is likewise important. Not quite as important as the story, but I'd prefer if the combat didn't get boring and repetitive a quarter of the way through the game. I'm also not a huge fan of what I call "twitch" gaming, where whether you survive or not depends on how fast/well you click the buttons. I only rarely play real-time strategy and first-person shooter games for that very reason.
3) Grinding for levels/equipment is not a plus. Nor are fetch quests. I can handle some of both, but I'd rather have a game that's 20 hours of fun rather than one that's 20 hours of fun, 10 hours of level grinding, and 20 hours of fetch-quests.
I've already all but decided to get Planescape: Torment, because I've heard some really good things about that game and it sounds like it'd be right up my alley. Which others (if any) should I also give a whirl?
