Purkake Posted September 14, 2009 Posted September 14, 2009 Anyone thinking that Torment is more than a footnote in gaming is fooling themselves. Depends on what sort of history you're writing. If its the corporate history it wouldn't even be mentioned. If you're talking actual innovation its part of the unavoidable infinity engine period of wRPG. Matt Barton on gamasutra did a great piece on it, as he's an RPG nut. It's nice to see some people write about it and other old games. Rock Paper Shotgun did a cool piece on SS2's SHODAN a while back. I'm sure there's something about PST somewhere there as well. Same for The Brainy Gamer. I'm not saying that Torment should be forgotten, but as things are going very few people will have played it.
RPGmasterBoo Posted September 14, 2009 Posted September 14, 2009 I believe the final sales figures were 400000. Add half as many pirates and thats about 600000. Its not The Sims, but its not bad. Imperium Thought for the Day: Even a man who has nothing can still offer his life
Sargallath Abraxium Posted September 14, 2009 Posted September 14, 2009 Anyone thinking that Torment is more than a footnote in gaming is fooling themselves. Depends on what sort of history you're writing. If its the corporate history it wouldn't even be mentioned. If you're talking actual innovation its part of the unavoidable infinity engine period of wRPG. Matt Barton on gamasutra did a great piece on it, as he's an RPG nut. It's nice to see some people write about it and other old games. Rock Paper Shotgun did a cool piece on SS2's SHODAN a while back. I'm sure there's something about PST somewhere there as well. Same for The Brainy Gamer. I'm not saying that Torment should be forgotten, but as things are going very few people will have played it. ...When Raging Bull first come out at theatres, it done very poorly an' was panned by critics; 'twas only o'er time that she done well an' critics come 'round ta seein' it was gonna be a classic...reminiscent, eh... ...WHO LUVS YA, BABY!!... A long, long time ago, but I can still remember, How the Trolling used to make me smile. And I knew if I had my chance, I could egg on a few Trolls to "dance", And maybe we'd be happy for a while. But then Krackhead left and so did Klown; Volo and Turnip were banned, Mystake got run out o' town. Bad news on the Front Page, BIOweenia said goodbye in a heated rage. I can't remember if I cried When I heard that TORN was recently fried, But sadness touched me deep inside, The day...Black Isle died. For tarna, Visc, an' the rest o' the ol' Islanders that fell along the way
Purkake Posted September 14, 2009 Posted September 14, 2009 (edited) How many of those actually played the game, let alone finished it? Also, not everyone who played it enjoyed it or thought that it was the best thing since sliced bread. @Jesus: Still not talking about critics here. Also watching a movie from the 1920s is still pretty much the same as watching one from this year, even if they were a bit slower back then. Just getting Torment to run these days isn't all that easy. Edited September 14, 2009 by Purkake
entrerix Posted September 14, 2009 Posted September 14, 2009 because torment is generally well respected by game critics, it will continue to make those top game lists that most publications create now and then. as such, hardcore gamers of the younger generation WILL seek it out to play it. and as games become more accepted by society and we start seeing history of gaming classes in colleges (just like film 101 classes of today - where people might watch a "raging bull" type film) more and more people will eventually be exposed to torment. it will not be totally forgotten, but it may become as niche as movies like "persona" or "rashomon". most people dont even know what they are, but you ask a film critic and they can talk to you for hours about it. torment will eventually be like that. hell, black isle studios could one day be seen as influential to rpgs as kurosawa was to film you never know! Killing is kind of like playin' a basketball game. I am there. and the other player is there. and it's just the two of us. and I put the other player's body in my van. and I am the winner. - Nice Pete.
Pidesco Posted September 14, 2009 Posted September 14, 2009 I remember seeing a lot of returned Torment copies in stores here in Portugal. I think a lot of people actually didn't like it. "My hovercraft is full of eels!" - Hungarian touristI am Dan Quayle of the Romans.I want to tattoo a map of the Netherlands on my nether lands.Heja Sverige!!Everyone should cuffawkle more.The wrench is your friend.
entrerix Posted September 14, 2009 Posted September 14, 2009 a lot of people hate raging bull. my girlfriend included, yet she loves taxi driver. in the areas of art and entertainment everyone has an opinion and even great classics can be disliked by some people. Killing is kind of like playin' a basketball game. I am there. and the other player is there. and it's just the two of us. and I put the other player's body in my van. and I am the winner. - Nice Pete.
Amentep Posted September 14, 2009 Posted September 14, 2009 @Jesus: Still not talking about critics here. Also watching a movie from the 1920s is still pretty much the same as watching one from this year, even if they were a bit slower back then. Just getting Torment to run these days isn't all that easy. I'm having a lot of trouble watching London After Midnight (1927) - maybe you can help? On a bit more serious note, its unlikely that watching a movie from the 1920s (provided it still exists) is like watching one from this year because in the 1920s there wasn't a home video market; watching what films from that period that have been translated into another media (DVD/Bluray) isn't that different from those Namco/Sega/whatever collections being made for another media system. I cannot - yet I must. How do you calculate that? At what point on the graph do "must" and "cannot" meet? Yet I must - but I cannot! ~ Ro-Man
Purkake Posted September 14, 2009 Posted September 14, 2009 The movie is still just the picture and sound, if it's well recorded and remastered the only difference should be the environment you watch it in.
Amentep Posted September 14, 2009 Posted September 14, 2009 The movie is still just the picture and sound, if it's well recorded and remastered the only difference should be the environment you watch it in. There's a huge difference between trying to play 80-something year old film stock and a dvd. Not unlike there's a huge difference between trying to play a late 1980s PC game and a new PC game. Trying to play the original (as opposed to a remastered/reprogrammed) is going to be vexing (and in the case of 80-year old nitrate film, flammable). I cannot - yet I must. How do you calculate that? At what point on the graph do "must" and "cannot" meet? Yet I must - but I cannot! ~ Ro-Man
Kaftan Barlast Posted September 14, 2009 Posted September 14, 2009 Planescape Torment has to be one of the most overrated games of all time. It does have a story that is quite unique in games, and there is alot of fun things to discover, but I didnt enjoy it that much. IMO, the combat was really tedious and the enviroments were not varied enough to be interesting. Youd leave the gloomy slums in the city, only to find yourself in a gloomy slum in some other dimension. And thats from a guy who absolutely loves green/brown desaturated broken down dirty post-apocalypse ala gow. DISCLAIMER: Do not take what I write seriously unless it is clearly and in no uncertain terms, declared by me to be meant in a serious and non-humoristic manner. If there is no clear indication, asume the post is written in jest. This notification is meant very seriously and its purpouse is to avoid misunderstandings and the consequences thereof. Furthermore; I can not be held accountable for anything I write on these forums since the idea of taking serious responsability for my unserious actions, is an oxymoron in itself. Important: as the following sentence contains many naughty words I warn you not to read it under any circumstances; botty, knickers, wee, erogenous zone, psychiatrist, clitoris, stockings, bosom, poetry reading, dentist, fellatio and the department of agriculture. "I suppose outright stupidity and complete lack of taste could also be considered points of view. "
Darth InSidious Posted September 14, 2009 Posted September 14, 2009 (edited) It is true that the combat is pretty awful. The game starts painfully slowly, as well. Edited September 14, 2009 by Darth InSidious This particularly rapid, unintelligible patter isn't generally heard, and if it is, it doesn't matter.
Kaftan Barlast Posted September 14, 2009 Posted September 14, 2009 I wasnt trying to flame, seriously. I respect the team who made it immensly for what they tried to do and what they actually accomplished, but I did not enjoy the game that much. I only finished it because I heard the ending was supposed to be really clever. Some of the areas, like the desert place, I just rushed through as fast as I could because I wanted to see what was going to happen in the end DISCLAIMER: Do not take what I write seriously unless it is clearly and in no uncertain terms, declared by me to be meant in a serious and non-humoristic manner. If there is no clear indication, asume the post is written in jest. This notification is meant very seriously and its purpouse is to avoid misunderstandings and the consequences thereof. Furthermore; I can not be held accountable for anything I write on these forums since the idea of taking serious responsability for my unserious actions, is an oxymoron in itself. Important: as the following sentence contains many naughty words I warn you not to read it under any circumstances; botty, knickers, wee, erogenous zone, psychiatrist, clitoris, stockings, bosom, poetry reading, dentist, fellatio and the department of agriculture. "I suppose outright stupidity and complete lack of taste could also be considered points of view. "
Purkake Posted September 14, 2009 Posted September 14, 2009 I didn't mean anything negative. It's much better to get differing opinions instead of a circle-jerk. I don't have any problem with someone not liking PST.
Kaftan Barlast Posted September 14, 2009 Posted September 14, 2009 I was just saying that Im not trolling this time. I sort of need to do that since Im only ever serious about once a year :D DISCLAIMER: Do not take what I write seriously unless it is clearly and in no uncertain terms, declared by me to be meant in a serious and non-humoristic manner. If there is no clear indication, asume the post is written in jest. This notification is meant very seriously and its purpouse is to avoid misunderstandings and the consequences thereof. Furthermore; I can not be held accountable for anything I write on these forums since the idea of taking serious responsability for my unserious actions, is an oxymoron in itself. Important: as the following sentence contains many naughty words I warn you not to read it under any circumstances; botty, knickers, wee, erogenous zone, psychiatrist, clitoris, stockings, bosom, poetry reading, dentist, fellatio and the department of agriculture. "I suppose outright stupidity and complete lack of taste could also be considered points of view. "
Tigranes Posted September 14, 2009 Posted September 14, 2009 The terrible box art that would put anybody off, the ponderous beginning that is fascinating in retrospective after you learn more but is rather flat the first time round (especially when you're shuffling around in your zombie costume), the subpar combat and the content cuts in the latter half of the game that made them linear battle-fests are all valid criticisms. It was just good enough to easily overlook it all. Let's Play: Icewind Dale Ironman (Complete) Let's Play: Icewind Dale II Ironman (Complete) Let's Play: Divinity II (Complete) Let's Play: Baldur's Gate Trilogy Ironman - BG1 (Complete) Let's Play: Baldur's Gate Trilogy Ironman - BG2 (In Progress)
Qwerty the Sir Posted September 14, 2009 Posted September 14, 2009 (edited) Incidentally I seem to remember seeing a novelization of it in Barnes and Noble those same ten years ago. What was up with that? Yeah, I skimmed through that when it came out. The Nameless One was named "Thane"... :S The game, however was simply one of my favorites. I actually didn't like the entire premise of being amnesiac and immortal and trying to find your identity but the way the game handled the arching storyline with the reincarnations was quite the save. The level of detail in the story was amazing and the atmosphere and setting was very cool. Not to mention you had by far the best companions and other characters ever! :D Edited September 14, 2009 by Qwerty the Sir
Tagaziel Posted September 14, 2009 Posted September 14, 2009 I never get why people complain about combat in PS:T as if it was the main part of the game... the main part is STORY (written in capital letters) and characters... And building a shrine to Chris Avellone in real life. I feel safer with MCA watching me do... stuff. HMIC for: [ The Wasteland Wiki ] [ Pillars of Eternity Wiki ] [ Tyranny Wiki ]
Purkake Posted September 15, 2009 Posted September 15, 2009 You still had to deal with the combat part in at least some capacity. It's like having annoying minigames every 10 minutes or so.
Amentep Posted September 15, 2009 Posted September 15, 2009 I dunno, combat never seemed to be difficult enough to be annoying. For the most part it was pretty quick and easy, I thought. Mind you I can stomach even the suckiest of combat models in RPGs for a good story. I cannot - yet I must. How do you calculate that? At what point on the graph do "must" and "cannot" meet? Yet I must - but I cannot! ~ Ro-Man
Tigranes Posted September 15, 2009 Posted September 15, 2009 I never get why people complain about combat in PS:T as if it was the main part of the game... the main part is STORY (written in capital letters) and characters... Combat was not the main part, and it was pretty tolerable, doing its best not to annoy you while you get on with the meat of the game. Nevertheless, the point that combat was subpar and could have been much more enjoyable with a bit more challenge, bit more variety and a lot better balancing is a valid one. I'd say it was quite similar to KOTOR1/2's combat in the end, actually. It's easy, it doesn't stick out and you forget about it in the end. Let's Play: Icewind Dale Ironman (Complete) Let's Play: Icewind Dale II Ironman (Complete) Let's Play: Divinity II (Complete) Let's Play: Baldur's Gate Trilogy Ironman - BG1 (Complete) Let's Play: Baldur's Gate Trilogy Ironman - BG2 (In Progress)
Slowtrain Posted September 15, 2009 Posted September 15, 2009 I didn't particularly like PS:T (and I was one of the few who actually bought the game when it was ogriginally released) but I respect the game for what it does and what it tried to do. Still on my list of enjoyable crpgs it rates pretty low. Actually it doesn't even rate at all. I think PS:T would have been far better served by cutting the combat and the leveling and the huge number of stupid fetch quests and by just concentrating on being an adventure game with a story and puzzles. Notice how I can belittle your beliefs without calling you names. It's a useful skill to have particularly where you aren't allowed to call people names. It's a mistake to get too drawn in/worked up. I mean it's not life or death, it's just two guys posting their thoughts on a message board. If it were personal or face to face all the usual restraints would be in place, and we would never have reached this place in the first place. Try to remember that.
HoonDing Posted September 15, 2009 Posted September 15, 2009 I didn't mean anything negative. It's much better to get differing opinions instead of a circle-jerk. I don't have any problem with someone not liking PST. How about this (hilarious) review of PS:T: Link The ending of the words is ALMSIVI.
Purkake Posted September 15, 2009 Posted September 15, 2009 I didn't mean anything negative. It's much better to get differing opinions instead of a circle-jerk. I don't have any problem with someone not liking PST. How about this (hilarious) review of PS:T: Link At least he played it and was passionate enough to write a way too long review, which is more than you can say about most gamers these days.
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