Planescape: Torment... Why?

[LavaLampBamboo]

I hear a lot about Planescape: Torment. Mostly that it is one of the greatest RPGs ever made and everyone should give it a go.

Well, I like to think that I know a fair amount about games, and that it's something of a duty of mine to play some of the best of them.

Unfortunately, I'm also a student, so I can't just be spending money willy-nilly. I'm looking at the game on GOG.com right now, and whilst it is only a very reasonable 10 dollars, I just can't bring myself to click "Download Now"

So I put it to you, o peoples of Escapia, convince me that this game truly is as great as people say it is. Tell me I'm a fool to hesitate. Conversely, tell me why you think I SHOULDN'T buy the game, and why it's a waste of money.

Pictures, words, videos, poetry, whatever. Just tell me why I should get this game.

 

[Clockwork Scarecrow.]

I have several friends who would highly recommend it and am planning to put some cash on my own GOG account and buy the hell out of it.
I myself don't have much knowledge of it, but any game made in the 90s that endures to this day and comes with so many recommendations is certainly worth a measly 10 bucks.

 

[Vault101]

its only ten dollars.....

ok I can see why the game is great, its got a fantastic world and a really really cool story

however dont get it unless you know you can "really" play an oldschool RPG, and if your not like me and cant play somthing unless its pretty (Placescape isnt ugly..but its old)thats jsut me..I have gaming ADD

for me its "yeah I can se why its great...but I dont wanna play" things

 

[endtherapture]

You'll find yourself thinking about the game for days and days.

It's intellectual stimulation of a very high level, which you get very rarely in games nowadays.

 

[redisforever]

Going to go against the trend here, but I have heard people complain it's incredibly user unfriendly. Haven't played it, but that's my warning.

However, look up The Last Express. Another good game from the '90s, and better if you like your world war I era history.

 

[s0p0g]

uhm... if you cant get yourself to spend a measly ten bucks (what do you usually get for it? i have no idea how expensive stuff is over there, but here ten bucks can get you into a movie at the cinema of your trust, and maybe, just maybe, a softdrink - small size, of course) on one of the best RPGs ever conceived, i am afraid no-one and nothing will convince you

let's just say that is has a rather unusual settings, really strong characters, the city's crawling with crazy people, and there's even a whorehouse - to satisfy your intellectual needs; the ladies there are pretty smart, have good manners, are wise, creative, intuitive, you name it.

you also get to find a self-conscious robot in a maze... i recommend you to draw a map when you're in there ^^

oh, and the goal of the game is to die.
what else could we possibly need to say? ^^

aunty Edith says: why in the blue hell are you still not playing? ^^

also, what Dwarfman says

 

[Dwarfman]

Snip

Let me put it to you this way. You could, today, walk into a games store and spend 90 bucks on a very pretty, yet under-developed, overpriced, half-assed game that'll give you maybe four or five days of pretty yet mediocre game play. Or, you could spend 10 bucks on a game that people - despite that game being 12 years old - still rave about, still obsess about and still buy at the games store for twice the amount you just past it up for and play for months on end.

The ball's in your court son. I'm sure you'll make the correct decision.

 

[BlindTom]

Planescape:Torment is at times a depressing game, it has a terrible UI, it is based on the old fashioned an confusing- at least for non tabletop types- AD&D ruleset and the dungeon crawling and combat can be a slog.


It's also a huge contender for my favourite game of all time. It's extremely well written and engaging from start to finish. If you read (good) books you will like this game.

 

[Trotgar]

I'd surely recommend it. It has lots of dialogue, but the writing is great (and occasionally hilarious) and it has the best characters I've ever seen in a game. Although the graphics are a bit outdated, the graphic style is gorgeous. Plus the world is very unusual and interesting compared to most fantasy games.

And of course, it's very nice that the characters actually are able to run properly before acquiring some magical equipments that grant them that seemingly extraordinary feat (I'm looking at you, Baldur's Gate).

Some say that the gameplay is clumsy, but I don't really think so. The only (and still minor) drawback for me was that the camera could be slightly further away than it is (there might be mods to change that though). Also, it took me a while for me to get the game running properly on XP, but after founding a fix I was extremely happy (I had played about half of the game with it running very slowly and the graphics totally breaking every time a spell was cast and now it ran fast and smooth).

Oh, and one last thing: the beginning might seem slow, but the pace will get more interesting later on. EDIT: and by that I mean instantly after getting out of the starting area.

 

[Smertnik]

Arguments against the game:
- a huuge amount of text to read
- bad UI
- bad combat
- graphics are (naturally) old

Arguments for the game:
- awesome story
- good writing
- interesting and unique characters


If you play games to enjoy stories and can look past gameplay inconveniences, then you should definitely get PT. In my opinion it's got one of the best stories video games have to offer. I actually dislike "old-school" D&D based RPGs but the story aspect of PT kept me playing until the very end.

 

[DazZ.]

Combat is terrible.

That is the only fault, I loved absolutely everything else.

 

[Fetzenfisch]

Its written damn great. Crazy, twisted but friggin clever.
downside: its a D&D based game.

 

[Ezco]

I think Planescape: Torment's biggest strength is also its biggest weakness. It still is my favorite game of all time, but if you don't like to read I think you won't like this game.

What I would like to add to previous comments is that the soundtrack is absolutely amazing, that alone is worth 10 bucks.

 

[Signa]

Don't buy it.

Spend $20 on this:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005JQ064A/ref=oh_o00_s00_i01_details

In all seriousness, the games are aging poorly because of their slow gameplay. However, they are far from unplayable, because you won't find another game like them today, or probably ever. In that uniqueness, you probably should try it. PS:T was probably the best of the D&D games, and can either make you appreciate or hate where games are today. I know I do a little of both.

 

[hazabaza1]

A bit of advice, there's a lot of text. If lots of reading in a game bores you, then I'd advise against it.

 

[Kahunaburger]

Basically what everyone else said - the story/writing are essentially second to none.

 

[EvilPicnic]

Some say that the gameplay is clumsy, but I don't really think so. The only (and still minor) drawback for me was that the camera could be slightly further away than it is (there might be mods to change that though).

There is: http://www.gibberlings3.net/widescreen/

To echo those above, there is a massive amount of text to read, but on the plus side it is very well written (pretty much like reading a novel or play), and the choices actually MEAN something.

I mean, if I'm remembering correctly, it's possible to complete the game without killing a single enemy.

The plot is fantastic, the characters are all sympathetic (especially the Nameless One) and it has a great voice-cast: Michael T. Weiss, Jennifer Hale, Sheena Easton, Dan Castellenata, Keith David and John de Lancie (Q!!)

It's a great game, but an acquired taste, especially if you haven't any D&D experience or played any other Infinity Engine games.

And pro-tip: make sure you have high WIS and INT to make the most out of the dialogue options, and consider forgetting STR entirely. The game is not at it's best when you try and be combat-oriented, so it's best avoided.