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might be the best rpg ever

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 8 / 9
Date: June 06, 2004
Author: Amazon User

planescape torment should come with a warning -
Play it and get ready to wait for years till another comparable game comes out.
honestly i've not found an rpg that was even close to this diablo 2 and beyond divinity were the best of the rest but not 75% as good as this.

Note: both those games are slashers and if you're more interested in levelling up and gore than story, immersiveness and beauty of gameplay - then go ahead and buy those.

back to planescape

#1 the story and immersiveness is beautiful.
a side effect of rpgs is going back to the world with the sense of 'where the heck did the last two weeks of my life go?'
and feeling a strange sense of regret.
well with Planescape - nah, there's no regret - none whatsoever.

#2 beautiful art work and graphics
the level of detail is painfully nad lovingly done. the sheer beauty hits at you.

#3 awesome gameplay and quests
there is an incredible amount of variety and a few amazing features
- change your character from thief to mage to warrior anytime
- really really well developed companions
- the brothel of slating intellectual lusts
- never die

this game is incredible - one of the things you must do before you die provided you're an rpg fan

Still puts most RPGs to shame

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 8 / 9
Date: February 09, 2005
Author: Amazon User

Planescape: Torment is a great RPG, in the truest sense of the genre. You play the Nameless One, a confused but apparently immortal (in the sense of if you die, you don't die for good) wanderer of the planes, whose very flesh tells the tale of his endless struggles. You are turned loose into a world that bears only a passing and vague resemblance to any other D&D or RPG realm you may have encountered, and that is filled with endless mysteries and characters. I've never played another game where you can spend an hour talking to the other NPCs in your party (let alone in the rest of the world), earning experience and knowledge for what you uncover about their lives, and never feel like you're bored. There are plenty of fights but no sense of tedious hack-and-slash, and it's difficult to emphasize just how convoluted and intricate both the plot and the game systems really are. As an example, at one point my Nameless character was festooned with power-granting tattoos, dual classed as a thief-mage, and clubbing his enemies with a severed limb from one of his own previous incarnations. I mean, come on!

This is not really an RPG you can 'power game' your way through, more to its credit. One of the most important statistics is Wisdom, tactics are more important than brute force, and the puzzles and side quests are to be savored, not accomplished as rapidly as possible.

Lastly, in response to some of the other reviews, I have to note a few things. First, there are plenty of ranged weapons, particularly crossbows for a character you can obtain about halfway through in an impressive "side" quest. Moreover, there are life indicators under the portrait for each NPC so it's easy to see when people are hurt. And finally, having played Baldur's Gate, Baldur's Gate II, Icewind Dale etc, the spell names, types, and effects in Planescape are totally awesome and in keeping with the surreal and twisted landscape. This is not a game to be missed.

If you wanted to debate whether gaming was an art, this is the game you'd refer to.

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 8 / 9
Date: January 15, 2007
Author: Amazon User

An excellent excellent game, great plot, great setting,and great characters. Its not for people who are looking for a diablo 2 clone or a game where combat is the only thing to do. If you want a good plot, great dialogue, and a captivating story then this is the game for you. A must buy for any RPG lover.

Outstanding game, outstanding value

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 9 / 11
Date: July 11, 2001
Author: Amazon User

.... For anyone who hasn't played this game and is looking for a good role-playing or adventure game, I can highly recommend this game. There is little I can say that previous reviewers have not already covered, but Planescape is an excellent example of what a role-playing game should be. Even though the graphics are no longer on the cutting edge, the game itself easily stands the test of time.

Planescape: Torment represents a fantastic creative achievement, with a strange and twisted land that has been painstakingly fleshed-out for gamers to explore. The game world features an astonishing number of areas to explore. It is also very flexible -- there are many ways to accomplish tasks, from using force to smooth talking to magic means. You can choose to be evil, cruel, or callous. Perhaps you'd rather be benevolent, helpful, even generous. Unlike most role-playing games, you don't have a fixed class and you do not choose your own alignment. Your actions determine your alignment over time, and you can change your class at will. The result is a very rare game that gives gamers a real opportunity to role play, one where characters react to you based on what you've done in the past. And the story itself is absolutely compelling and fascinating, a story so complicated that one playing will not be enough to reveal all its subtleties.

This game is not as well-known as Black Isle's more popular Baldur's Gate and Icewind Dale series, but it may actually be the best of the bunch. It should easily run on all but the very slowest computers. I can go on and on about how good this game is... how good the voice acting is, making the characters seem even more life-like... how original the game world is... but you should find out for yourself. If you're a fan of role-playing games, you should not miss Planescape: Torment.

I agree, this really should be considered literature!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 6 / 6
Date: August 30, 2001
Author: Amazon User

Planescape: Torment is one of the great CRPGs of our time...it's gameplay draws you in to a world of extremely real characters, with their own desires, ambitions, goals, and reactions (much like Shakespeare's works, famous for their depth). The game is solved through clever thinking and paying attention to the story, rather than the typical hack, chop, and slash of other RPGS...(Coughing fit that sounds suspiciously like laughing) How can we call most other RPGs (I.e. Diablo II) RPGs after we have witnessed this?
There is still plenty of combat (not to mention beautiful graphical animations) for those that still cling to the old "RPGs". But the focus of this game is the immersive story, playing it is like reading a good book. What is most enjoyable about this game is not getting better and better weapons and stronger and stronger spells (I beat the game using non-magical weapons) but that the point of this game is the advancement of a non-linear story that envelops you. This game should be taught in high school English classes, it would add a lot of fun to the mix! =D
In short, if you are one of those quirky, weird players (like me) who enjoys a game that drags you into the storyline and imprisons your attention in a flexible cage of iron plot, this is a game for you...and contrary to what a lot of people say, it does NOT take a game guide to beat the game, just enough neurons to bang together.

absolutely splendid

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 6 / 6
Date: February 18, 2002
Author: Amazon User

I originally bought this game as something to distract me while I waited for Throne of Bhaal to come out; never have I made a more wise purchase. Planescape: Torment is a remarkable game, with a wast array of sidequests, and where everything and everyone is somehow connected. The plot is somewhat mature, but the 3rd person perspective makes is much less graphic than games like Quake or Doom. The NPCs are very entertaining, and offer a vast array of skills and dialogue (I like the fact that the PC can initiate dialogue themselves). I like that the character's actions defined his alignment, not vice verse. I didn't like the limitations put on the main character's appearance and sex(as a female, I like to play w/ female PCs), but I didn't mind that much. I also liked that the area-affect spells didn't damage party members (as they do in the BG series). However, the first part of the game was quite confusing, and I had a tough time navigating through all the sections of the slums, and remembering where everything was (the programmers did include a handy map-marking feature which helps though). I also wish that there had been some expansion of some aspects in the game (such as the mysterious "Lady of Pain"), but far be it from me to complain. Since it doesn't appear that Amazon has this game in stock at the moment, I suggest that you drive to the nearest software storm and buy this game!!

TOTALLY AMAZING GAME!!!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 6 / 6
Date: January 08, 2005
Author: Amazon User

Planescape: Torment has to be one of the BEST computer RPG games of all time! It has everything one looks for in such a game; from an incredible setting, to a highly original plot, to excellent multiple roleplaying options, to outstanding graphics, to extraordinary accuracy in relation to Dungeons & Dragons, and much, much more!
There is something here for everyone as the variety of challenges is large indeed, including battles, puzzle solving, and dialogue among others.

The game is set in Sigil-the City of Doors- primarily, as well as various other locations within the Planescape multiverse, as it deals with the nameless hero and his efforts to find out more about himself after realizing that he has lost both his memory and his mortality.
The story as a whole is excellent! The plot is so incredibly well written and presented that the gamer feels that they have been transported to another plane of existence and are actually present among the characters, seeing what they see, feeling what they feel, sensing what they sense. Moreover, the game does a great job of presenting the distinct cultures and civilizations of the inhabitants of Planescape; Sigil, the Outlands, Baator etc. This has, without a doubt, been achieved as a result of a great deal of research that has gone into learning and understanding the numerous and often complex characteristics of the Planescape multiverse.

Let me tell you, NOTHING, I say NOTHING, compares to the endless hours of gaming enjoyment that I have experienced playing Torment!
Strongly recommended to both Fantasy as well as Planescape enthusiasts along with the Baldur's Gate series.
Trust me, you will not regret it!
In conclusion, together with Planescape: Torment, Torment: the novel, is also recommended! It is BASED on the computer game, therefore it only touches on a limited amount of material presented in the game, but it too is lots of fun!

Great story, good game

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 9 / 12
Date: May 27, 2005
Author: Amazon User

This is a good game, but a few warnings:

1) The story is great but I built it up in my head a little too much after reading the reviews. It is well-written, and written with the end in mind. Unlike most games which are kind of written as they go, things will make MORE sense as the game goes on until everything does at the end. Minor complaint: There were a few things that were either continuity issues, or just explained poorly IMO. Mainly to do with what order things were done by past incarnations and when they lived. Major complaint: Without giving away too much, suffice to say that there are a few characters you meet in the first half of the game who have much more information about you than they let on initially, and EVEN after you become aware of this you will NOT get dialog choices to follow this line of questioning much further. People who would know what you did, where you went, why you did it, and you can't ask. That's just dumb and really took me out of the game, I set it aside for a few days and almost didn't finish it. I would have much preferred it if meeting such people was a difficult side-quest with a big payoff in terms of story, instead of just being there but you can't use them.

2) The game is LINEAR, it's really more of an interactive novel than anything. Your main form of interaction with the game is choosing dialogue. While the dialogue choices are generally diverse and this is a fun part of the game, it didn't make seem to make much impact on the game. Your choices affect your alignment, but as far as I could tell your alignment makes a superficial effect on the game at best, and NO difference in the ending. So it's not that big a deal. Also I suspect most people will end up being "neutral good" (and I think the game encourages that alignment), so what's the big deal. Compare this to a game like Fallout, where decisions you make are constantly affecting the ending in subtle ways and how people respond to you later in the game.

The other thing to consider is that your main quest in the game is figure out how to die. It can be hard to get into character when your goal is so weird. Personally I was far more interested in figure out WHO I was in my first life and WHY I was immortal and made the choices I did. You can't really pursue this goal by itself however. Without giving away spoilers, suffice to say by the end of the game, this is all covered at a high level, but not near what I was looking for. For me the whole payoff of the game was the story, so I was hoping for a little more meat than that and some concrete examples would have made the ending easier to accept.

3) Other than the story, the game is pretty bland. I HATED Baldur's Gate and the D&D combat system, which is basically just 1) attack 2) use healing potion/spell 3) use your best spells 4) repeat. 1000 battles later, it's not fun anymore, just a nuisance. Torment uses the same battle system but more like maybe 300-400 battles, so not as bad, but still not fun. Spell effects are cool but freeze the game and take FOREVER which can be frustrating if you're playing as a mage and are playing the same battle over after dying a few times.

Overall I really enjoyed the game, but more for the story it told than the game itself. Playing the game will get you into the character and make the story more meaningful, but will also be frustrating since your actions are so limited. Overall my complaints were over implementation, this was a darn good game that could have been one of the best ever.

Definately the best RPG of 1999

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 7 / 8
Date: January 31, 2000
Author: Amazon User

If you liked Fallout 1 or 2, you are definately going to love this game. The plot is excellent and the character interaction with its great dialogue is more than you could want in this great RPG. On top of that, the music is awesome and the graphics are very well done and stylistic. This is one game that you have to have if you consider yourself a true RPG gamer.

You MUST play this game!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 7 / 8
Date: August 22, 2000
Author: Amazon User

What a game! I've just seen the end-game sequences today, and that means my personal Torment has just started. Since I've already played Fallout 2, how will I ever find another game this good?

Heavily scarred and tattooed, your character, the Nameless One, awakes on a mortuary slab and the first sound you hear is the smart mouthed floating skull, Morte, the first of your companions on of your journey. Morte is a floating repository of knowledge, which is just as well since it turns out you've died, come back to life and lost your memory ... again. When Morte translates the tattoos on your back, you get the first clues about the cycle of life and death you've become trapped in. In your search as an amnesiac immortal to find out what's been happening to you and who is behind it all, you get to explore and meet many of the strange denizens of the Planes, performing quests in return for knowledge. Some of those who know the most about your past consent to join you - it would be great if the party size could accommodate all of them.

Almost as quickly as you realise this ain't Kansas, it becomes obvious Planescape: Torment is not your average hack'n'slash RPG. In fact, too much bloodshed will find you "mazed" (I had to restart!) by the Lady of Pain who watches over Sigil, the "City of Doors", the Plane which houses the Mortuary, and which contains portals to many other Planes if you have the right keys. Most confrontations are best sorted out by words, and this may be a problem with some players, as you have to wade through a HUUUUGE amount of text and dialogue to resolve these encounters in a peaceful fashion. In fact, I've recently read that Feargus Urquhart of Black Isle Studios said the incredible amount of dialogue that needed to be written almost killed the guys working on it, and sometimes I thought the bizarre and esoteric nature of some of it was going to cause my brain to self combust, but it all added to the rich texture and complexity of the game. It's a good idea to save often, because it's easy to accidentally offend someone while tip-toeing through the diplomatic minefield and suddenly find yourself in a fight to the death with someone who shouldn't be killed.

You start the game either as a Fighter, Mage or Thief, but can change professions during the game, as you need. However, it's important to specialise sooner or later, as there are only so many experience points to go around. Unlike other AD&D games, you don't get to decide your character's alignment during character generation - this changes according to your actions throughout your travels. And when you level, you get points with which you can increase attributes, such as Strength and Wisdom, so you can start out as a pretty mediocre Mage, and end up a mental giant, if that is your path. Like all AD&D games, Planescape: Torment is full of items and artefacts, often only usable by certain professions, which can temporarily change statistics. As usual, you need these things most in the beginning, when you can least afford them.

Set in the bizarre, surrealistic world of the Planes, designing Planescape: Torment must have been an experience. How many times have we played games supposedly set in an alternate reality, but where the buildings look eerily similar to ours? The external architecture of Planescape: Torment's buildings, many of which served no apparent purpose, looks like something Gaudi could have designed had he been on crack! The interiors, however, are usually disappointingly familiar. Some of the spells, and there are many, are worth learning and casting just to see the effects! Members of your party have their own little idiosyncrasies (Annah's tail-flicking, Morte's eye-rolling, and Dak'kon constantly sipping from his flask) and like to chat or argue among themselves - which can be disconcerting just when you're about to wade into battle!

Although Planescape: Torment uses the same engine as Baldur's Gate, the "camera" is closer to the ground, thus making the characters and their immediate environment quite detailed. However, this makes everything very close, so ranged weapons are useless and by the time some spells are cast, the foes are beating the @$#%^ out of you (some can't be negotiated with!), or with some of the area spells, you get hurt as much as the enemy. You have to learn very quickly what works. The music score, although sometimes tedious after many hours, contains some great themes - Deionarra's theme in particular is so hauntingly beautiful it was worth visiting her just to hear it. The voice cast, containing some reasonably well known actors, is largely wasted since, except for a few introductory phrases, most dialogue is text. However, among others, you will hear Michael T. Weiss (The Pretender), Mitch Pileggi (X Files), Dan Castellanetta (Simpsons), John DeLance ("Q" in Star Trek: TNG) and who knew this is what Sheena Easton has been getting up to lately.

I must admit that when I first read about Planescape: Torment and read the box, I thought it would be too "dark" and bizarre for me. Then I thought these other people awarding 5 stars can't all be wrong, so thank goodness I changed my mind. Even so, it was several hours before I "got it". Apparently, due to the reason stated above, while not ruling out the possibility, the guys at Black Isle are in no particular hurry to get started on a sequel. I hope they recover soon and get started, because I'm already waiting.

In its latest issue, my favourite gaming magazine here in Australia listed Planescape: Torment as the second best game ever, beaten only by Deus Ex. For me, even though it's like comparing apples and oranges, it's a dead heat for first place - Fallout 2 and Planescape: Torment (but then, I haven't played Deus Ex!)

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