Planescape: Torment

I won't comment too long here -- I've already seen enough praise from other posted comments that perfectly mimc what I think of this great game. I will say, though, that I have been an AD&D Planescape fan since it first showed up, and was totally amazed by the incredible ability to create its unique architectual, character, and overall art style into this 3D masterpiece. It was loads of fun, was chock-full of wonderful elements in RPG and story sense, and I can only hope for more and more of the same. My ONLY disappointment was that you don't get to venture out to more planes of reality, but they have to leave SOMETHING for the sequel, eh ^_~?

The computer role-playing game industry was supposed to be dead. If it wasn't dead, surely it was dying. As advances in CPU speeds and 3D accelerators continued the push for 3D games that would showcase these technologies, seemingly groundbreaking games such as Half-Life, Unreal, and Quake III Arena threatened to become the final nail in the computer role-playing coffin.

Then Interplay and Black Isle Studios brought them back. Fallout and Baldur's Gate were the first twitches of life the CRPG genre had seen in years, and Planescape: Torment signals the full recovery of the breed.

Fittingly, PS:T is centered around The Nameless One, an immortal whose memories decay in each brush with death. You assume the role of The Nameless One just as he pulls himself off a slab in the Mortuary once again. It's up to you to re-discover who you are, or were, and piece together the story that placed you in this situation.

It's quite a story, and a good one at that. Although the game features stunning graphics and incredible audio, it's the detailed and involving text that immerses you in the Planescape multiverse. Book reviewers often describe a title with an excessively compelling story as "a page turner" or "one you won't want to put down." Moreso than any other computer game, PS:T falls into that category. This is as close to an interactive novel as anything produced to date.

You not only play PS:T, you read and write it as you go along. Decisions made at one juncture have a real and concrete effect on the outcome of later events. This game rewards reason and favors experimentation and the thoughtful solution. If your idea of a good time is hacking and slashing your way to glory, you may want to steer clear of this game, unless you're ready to see your style of play undergo a complete transformation.

Technically speaking, PS:T isn't as 'cutting edge' as the latest Quake-clone, but that's not such a bad thing. PS:T is a world unto itself, with incredible artwork, detailed animation, immersive audio, and tons of replayability. Most folks, once they've played through PS:T and witnessed the ADJECTIVES! ending, will immediately start the game again, just to see the outcome of the path not taken.

Personally, I believe that Black Isle should be commended for such an outstanding and original effort, especially in these days of "what can I kill next" mediocrity. The merits of PS:T cannot be overstated, though any attempt to describe the experience is doomed to miss the mark. It's a great game, there should be more like it.

Planescape: Torment is one of the best, if not THE best video games I've ever played. Interplay did a great job with the voice acting, but didn't rely on it as too many of the games coming out do. Without giving away too much, the storyline is basically thus: Your character (the Nameless one) awakens on a stone slab in a mortuary. You have no recollection of your past, and in fact no memories at all. Your first interaction comes right from the onset from a floating skull named "Morte". Morte helps explain a bit as the game progresses, and mainly serves as a VERY lighthearted companion throughout the game. He is the source of most of the comedy throughout the game, and by reading this, you may have gotten the impression this game is comical. Far from it. In fact this game is anything but. Your quest will take you across several different planes, and will be a long one. If you're the type of person that likes a short lived romp in the arena fragging and killing other players, then this will most likely not be your type of game. However, if you are an Anime fan, or a fan of great Sci-Fi and Fantasy, this is your type of game. Some people may be turned off by some of the elements, and there are a few somewhat adult oriented elements through the game. These range from some scantilly clad women, to a few sexual innuendo's by Morte and a few others. So, if you're a parent that doesn't want your children seeing this sort of entertainment, I'd suggest against this one. However, everything said and done in this game can and will be seen on regular network television, so your children should be safe. That said and done, I can only give this game the highest regards in my opinion, and as I am a very picky game player, I can only hope this will spark your enthuiasim into this game. The game is based on the AD&D set of rules based in the Planescape realm. It is and RPG, and I can only stress that you will need time to get into the game, and once in it. You will need more time to quench that desire to go even further into the games' storyline.

After playing adventure and computer roleplaying games for almost 2 decades I can clearly say that this was one of the best, if not *the* best experience I had sofar.

The game sets itself appart from other games of the genre that (over-)used classic medieval or tolkien-style fantasy. Instead it introduces us to a completely new fantasy setting originating in the Planescape universe of the AD&D pen & paper roleplaying series. The story is extremly interesting, non-linear and full of surprises until the very end of the game. Characters and quests are very well developed and although the game has countless side quests and interesting choices for the player, I never felt that I got lost in the game or stuck. The game features lots of dialog that truly contributes to the storyline, immersion of the player and presents content and choices that are truly part of the game advancement rather than a tedious cosmetic add-on found in many other hack-and-slash roleplaying games. The combat system is interesting and well balanced. While combat and character development do play vital roles in the game, they are by far not as excessive or repetitive as in most RPG games like e.g. Icewind Dale or even the classic Ultima series. Every dungeon crawl is followed by at least one interesting NPC encounter. Quite often long and complex quests that are not related to combat, such as investigating a crime, create a good balance between combat and dialog/exploration that may be somewhere around 50:50, which I felt very comfortable with.

Although at the very beginning things might look a little bit confusing for newbies, this game is both interesting to the RPG veteran and still suitable for the occasional or less experienced player. The reason are the many new elements of the game, the lack of really fatal mistakes in character development, absence of hardcore puzzles and the length of the game itself. This game can be completed in reasonable time, while still offering many hours of entertainment and an almost unprecedented depth of the story. The trick lies in the removal of almost all redundant and repetitive tasks that you find in many other RPGs. This makes Planescape such a dense experience. Every hour of gameplay is full of interesting content and when playing, unlike in most other RPGs, I never felt forced to "work" towards a goal. Instead, discovery, achievement and story-telling are combined in a very clever way. Even after you complete this game you will not regret the time you have spent on it. The biggest problem will rather be, that you find yourself looking forward to a sequel. A true piece of art!

This was the most fantastic game I have ever played. And that's saying a lot. I have been a huge fan of the Planescape setting for many years now, and this game brought Sigil to life like I never thought possible. The game was pretty much exactly how I pictured everything to be... The buildings, the speech, the entire atmosphere. It was amazing. I have never been so immersed in a game before. The characters were deep and I found myself truly caring about them. The story was so engrossing and unique... so deliciously tragic. I loved every bit of it. Finally, the music added just the right flavor to set the mood of every scene and place. I just can't put into words how wonderful this game is. It is truly my favorite game ever! Thanks to everyone involved with the game for bringing the world of Planescape to life so beautifully!