Rating: 
Summary: Even better than whatever I write.
Review: First, you have to ask yourself: why is a game from a few years ago STILL getting 5-star reviews -- a bunch in just the past couple months?!? And second: how could a 2-D game (like the Baldur's Gate 1 and 2 series) possibly hold up against 3-D games like Neverwinter Nights? Well, it's because of gameplay. It's remarkable.You start out by waking up on a slab, in a cemetary. You have no memory, but you've got a lot of wordy tattoos all over your body, and a very talkative floating skull to fill you in. As you progress, you'll meet up with many other characters who can join your group (or not), including a strange living computer called a Modron, and a bizarre man engulfed in flames. But what really makes the game stand out is how open-ended it is. It's like Morrowind in that respect. You can do anything, go anywhere, fight or talk, do some quests and ignore others. Your character can find "masters" who will teach your character to fight, become a magician, or a thief. You can even switch back and forth. But even better than that is the dialogue, which is NOT forced or pre-programmed to lead you one way each time. The dialogues that each character speaks can take into account your experience, your intelligence, how attactive you are, where you are in the game, etc. One of the most amazing discoveries for me went like this. Playing the game the first time, I had a fairly average character who was very strong. Some of the dialogue with Ravel, about two-thirds into the game, was just stunning. The plot twists threw me for a loop. But then I played again with a wimpy but incredibly smart character. I was stunned to see my character pulling out plot details from the characters almost as soon as they joined the group. By the time I got to Ravel, I was a completely different character and had completely different conversations with her. And the end! It can change! It's pretty great ending(s) too, so I won't even mention what happens. If anything is a disappointment, it is that the opening cemetary is pretty dark -- work through it and get out as soon as you can. If you can find a save-game online that at least gets you down onto the first floor of the cemetary, maybe do that. Once you are in town, the game just blossoms into something incredible. My only sadness is that the game did well when it was launched, but not stellar. I'd like to thank their marketing department for the hideous box cover for probably killing quite a few sales. Because of this, I've lost hope for there ever being a sequel or even a game with a similar style. I'm very sad to see that, even after a few years, this game still has no rival.
Rating:
Summary: The Best RPG Since Ultima 7
Review: Like some of the other reviewers, at first glance, I was somewhat turned off by the weird, gothic look of this game. After looking at the box, and even reading through the brief manual, I still wasn't impressed. My first impressions of this game couldn't have been more wrong! This is the BEST RPG to come out since Ultima 7 p. II, Serpent Isle. I'm glad I didn't pass this one over. It is a shame that it hasn't received the attention and acclaim of Baldur's Gate and Icewind Dale (YUCK!). These designers understand what an RPG is supposed to be about - a great storyline with a great plot and interesting characters, absorbing you into its world so well that you forget about the real world around you. You can tell that a great deal of effort went into the making of this game. The level of detail is amazing in all aspects - the graphics, sound, and most definitely, the dialogue, which can be extremely involved and lengthy at times (although sometimes annoying right before a big battle when you can't save the game). Despite other people's complaints, I found the reduced viewing range to be more than a fair trade-off for the improved detail and animation, where you can see the Nameless One cracking his knuckles, and Annah's tail flicking back and forth. Some of the spell sequences are something to behold, although they tend to cause slowdowns and sometimes outright crashes. The sound is the best I've heard as well - you can hear people shouting at each other in the background, hammers banging on anvils, and of course, the voices are first-class - look at the cast they got for this one. All of these elements together create an atmosphere to this game that makes you feel like you're there, living the story. This is one of the few games where I was truly disappointed when it was over, almost like going into withdrawl. If you like RPGs, you're a fool not to add this one to your collection, especially if you like deep plots and alot of conversation and problem solving. The development of character abilities and skills is also novel, allowing you to essentially turn the Nameless One into a demi-god towards the end of the game as you go to level 15+. This game has a few spots for pure hacking, but not too many. Most of your XP will come from completing quests and talking to other people. If you really like Diablo, you should probably avoid this one. If you liked Ultima 7, Ultima Underworld, and Fallout, you shouldn't miss it. There are several downers to the game though, and they're all related to the game engine and character AI. These are fairly minor points, but they can make combat quite frustrating at times. As in Baldur's Gate and Icewind Dale, the pathing can be pretty choppy. I'm surprised that they couldn't do a little better job with the AI also. After all, Ultima 7 is 8-9 years old now, and I remember that having so many AI choices for your party members (preset before combat), where you could have someone attack the strongest monster or the weakest, stay back or guard, defend another character, flank to the left or right, charge ahead, go beserk, or flee. In this game, you would have to go through each character individually during combat to assign their attacks. When there's a mass of bodies fighting and people running everywhere it gets confusing to say the least. If you attack as a group, everyone tries to mob one monster, trying to path around other bodies in the way, getting hit in the back as they go... not too effective. If they would fix these minor problems, you would have perfection. These things are easily overlooked when you look at all the other stuff you get from this game. This one is a winner. Side Note: Later in the game, you probably don't need your party members for combat. The Nameless One becomes strong enough to solo everything that comes his way (Whoa - take a look at your damage with a 25 strength, a +5 weapon skill, and the Deva's fire weapon - you'll do 100+ pts of dam in under a second. Take a look at your heal rate with a 25 consitution and a tattoo of improved regen.. you'll heal 4 hps per second.) Still, the other characters are so interesting that you'll want to keep them around just to hear what they'll say or do next. The story and characters make the game.
Rating:
Summary: Crime and Punishment?
Review: Call it fate but I started playing this game at the same time I was reading Crime and Punishment for school. The similarities between the two are remarkable and both the game and book are pure classics. (pick up Crime and Punishment if you enjoyed this game) As someone before me wrote, this games philosophical ideas will have you thinking AFTER you've finished the game. And like another reviewer wrote, I was speechless and in awe after I completed the game too. The three writers on this game had degress in Writing, Psychology, and Philosphy. This games story is NOT a video game story, i.e, kill the evil bad guy and save the world.
Planescape Torment is a work of art and not picking it up for this price is a crime.
Rating: 
Summary: A Great Game With One Significant Flaw
Review: By now I'm guessing that you already know that you start the game as an immortal that has lost all of his memories. THIS IS NOT YOUR TYPICAL D&D game. It does indeed use the D&D rules, but due to the world it is in, it seems different from your typical sword/spell kind of game. The best weapon, and this I found hard to except, is a hammer. In all other games of this type swords end up being the best weapon. Anyway, that's not what is keeping me from giving this game five stars. It has great graphics, the fighting is fun, its not too easy, not too hard, the spells look amazing, and overall it is a great game if you liked Baldur's Gate. There is only one flaw, but it enough to keep me from giving it a perfect five. It's quite buggy when moving from one place to another, especially on the third CD. I had to copy the CD's onto my hard drive to get it to work for a while without crashing. There is one other reason, but it's more of a personal preference. In Baldur's Gate you fought a lot of other teams, and that was one of my favorite parts. In Planescape, it's only monsters and people, no balanced teams. If you can get past the bugs, and you liked Baldur's Gate, you should definately consider getting this game.
Rating:
Summary: You can call it literature
Review: Planescape: Torment is one of the deepest and thought-provoking games I have ever played. In that respect it resembles great literature -- it tackles the human condition and asks as its central question: "What can change the nature of a man?" As a game, PS:T straddles the boundary between Role-Playing and Adventure; unlike most RPG's, you do not create your own character but rather assume the role of The Nameless One. However, you have complete control over how "TNO" evolves, from his skills to his morality. This restriction allows the game to be so focused, but it can also be a turn-off for more free-wheeling gamers. Similarly, your choice of companions and the plotline are also bounded, which for me is also a strength but for others may be restrictive. The game displays incredibly deep writing and thought: all of the major characters, including yourself and your companions, are complex, deep /people/ with personalities, motives, and quirks. The way your companions interact with each other -- and with others -- can be delightfully entertaining. (In exchange for less control over your party, you gain this incredibly rich set of personalities). Your own character evolves with every decision you make; tell a lie and you become less Lawful; act selflessly and you become more Good. I would recommend this game not simply as one of the most entertaining titles you'll ever pick up, but also as a work of art, a glimpse at the intersection between gaming and literature.
Rating:
Summary: The best book you will EVER play... I feel STRONGER!
Review: there is little i can say about this game that all previous accolades have not touched upon. i just recently dug this gem out of my closet and installed it for the first time since 2000, and though i don't have a lot of free time to play it, the time spent is time well invested! even for 640x480 graphics, the detail is amazing (why was there never a hi-res patch?) and looks a lot better than other CRPGs of its time. this is one of few games that, in modern times, i can play and not even care if it's 3d accelerated. and for those who have problems with load times, etc., there is a way to copy the game files to your hard drive for faster access. look it up on the web. torment's story is a cut above any i have seen in a game. only tom hall's masterpiece "Anachronox" even comes close in terms of quality dialogue. you can get more experience from talking than fighting, many times, IF you know what to say. there were many times that i wish i had saved before talking to some random person, because of other dialog options i wanted to try. in order to play torment to its fullest, you'd literally have to save thousands of times, just to be able to say everything possible to everyone. but if you had the time, it'd be worth every second. you have characters who join your party who don't always get along, and sometimes of you say or do the wrong thing, they will turn against you! but Morte steals the show, of course. i think the defining moment the first time i ever played this game was the time i was standing around in the streets, and he literally wandered away on his own to go talk to a hooker! that's when i KNEW i was on to something special. not to mention the irony that a little floating skull is the best fighter in the whole game (just take note of how seldom you'll ever heal him. he's untouchable!) i could go on and on and on, but amazon only affords me 1000 words. the Nameless One is such a special character. you start out liking the fellow, because hey, he's the main guy, and he has no memory and i guess there are some pity points involved, but as you play deeper, you (and him as well) discover that in past lives he wasn't always the good guy. in fact, he was sometimes more evil than anyone else you meet in this game! but in a way, this game is his chance at pennance. it's like you (the player) walked in at the one reincarnation in which this guy is most determined to set ALL things right in his existence. even though the characters aren't aware of you guiding them, you still feel like you're down there in Sigil right alongside them. you CARE about this game. there are few higher honors a game can receive. and the ending is so powerful, you hate it deeply but know it's the way it had to be. tough but fair. and such is the deep meaning and philosophy of this game. i envision this game as a 10-episode movie series. it would be an epic to challenge even Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings in depth and scope. but unless i ever become insanely rich, i guess it won't happen. well, at least we have this game. i only wish i knew the Nameless One's true name. even when he discovers it, he does not speak it. i suppose it's better that way. by the time he does learn his name, it's the LEAST important thing on his agenda. during the adventure he learns who he is, and what he is and has been, and that truly defines him, not his name. and you can't but help wondering why his companions stick with him the way they do, considering he has wronged them all in previous lives. maybe their compassion goes far deeper than mine, for they know that though it is the same man, he does not remember what he has done to them. this game is deeper than the ocean, deeper than outer space. there may never be anything else like this. what can change the nature of a man? Planescape: Torment can, and will.
Rating:
Summary: The best computer game ever.
Review: This is the best computer game ever made. I don't think I need to say too much more about it. If you have a computer and use it to play games, you should really get this.
Rating:
Summary: Addictive and Very Creative
Review: This has to be one of the most creative RPGs I've ever played. The graphics and animations are impressive, stylized, and original. The plot is relatively non-linear and effectively rests in the hands of the player with multiple endings. The alignment and attributes of the player character affect game play. I played a character with high intelligence and wisdom, and I enjoyed outwitting people in the game. Although the game is VERY dialog driven, I felt there were enough graphics and action to make it feel relatively balanced and seamless. The NPCs are highly original and interact with the party to a much greater extent than in Baldur's Gate. Talking to your party members can be integral to being successful at a Succubus, who has given up her past; a sarcastic, floating skull who can taunt enemies with profanities; a wild and unpredictable Tiefling (part human/part lower plane) thief who seems to have a thing for you . . . Guest voices include Dan Castellanetta (Homer!), Sheena Easton, and Michael T. Weiss (The Pretender). The game is very dark and somber with appropriate music that really added to the mood, yet has very effective comic relief via. Morte the sarcastic skull. I was genuinely surprised by the plot and character development. I was always kept guessing. Your immortality allows for many creative developments. Dying becomes a method to be taken to a place you want to go. Limbs are taken off and reattached. A woman pays you for the privilege of killing you. The magic and magic items are phenomenal. Many items have almost a voodooesque feel to them (roach charm, blood charm, cranium rat charm), while some magic items can actually talk to you and try to seduce you to the ways of evil. Many magic items are appropriately alignment and class restricted. Spell effect animations effectively add a distinctive style to the already rich substance of the game. The animations on the higher level spells can sometimes involve amazing cut scenes! This game could best be called a Fallout 2 on acid with a twist of Baldur's Gate. One moment you're in Hell talking to a pile of skulls, the next you're trying to save a city about to be destroyed by a deranged angel. It's almost as though at least five writers with years of pent up creative frustration exploded into this game. The result is creatively brilliant. I also appreciate the replay value of this game. I just played as a lawful good mage, now I'm going to I'm expecting a totally different kind of game. The latest issue of Newsweek (Jan 1, 2000) declares that "in the century to come, the medium producing the most dynamic, vital and exciting new art will be . . . videogames. . . . Eventually, we'll have artists who realize that videogames are technologically advanced enough for real story telling. . . the closest I've seen to this aspiration. It breathes like a novel, astonishes with great visual art, and allows for more realistic role-playing than in most other games that have ever been on the market. It is definitely a ground-breaker in this genre.
Rating:
Summary: if you don't like it, your brain is riggored with mortis
Review: best game since sliced bread. Better than Ultima 7 or even 5. Great grafix to boot. The character developement is similar to 2nd ed except for wheapon prof and wisdom attribute's big debute for main PC. The game deals with your lost memories and finding your way through dimensional gateways(aka Ultima, Dr. Who: Warrior's Gate, SG1 ect.) If you don't know everything thier is to know about the "rules" then it's a lot more fun. the compainions are -holes I would've preferred the "Kirk, Spock, Bones" comradery in SOME of the characters as was present in Ultima 7(Shamino, Iolo, Dupre, & Mr. A), but the skull guy is fun and your Undead so SoB compainions is appropriate I guess. Don't let sum D&D nerd tell you how to play, discover it yourself. It also runs flawlessly on XP which is a huge + for a game of this age(1999 I think) patch to 1.1.
Rating:
Summary: Absolute RPG Perfection
Review: If youre a DnD or RPG fan you owe it to yourself to play this game. This games story and plot rivals some of the best books ive read to date. Its story is truly amazing and the way it all comes together in its sad and tragic character is brilliant. This is as close to rpg perfection as you can get, period. However, it does have a few short comings... but its low price negates that. 1. Poor battle sequences. 99% of the enemies just rush you and the battle music just gets on your nerves. However, the spell effects rival any game on the market and are a joy to watch. 2. 640 resolution is tops. This game looks wonderful for that resolution but one can only wish it was even 800 or higher. 3. This is more of a warning then a short coming but this game is VERY WORDY. 95% of the game is spent in its beautifully written dialogue. If youre not one to read and just want to hack and slash then this game isnt for you.
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