Hi DeathAtTheDoor,
I loved P:T mainly because I was not very familiar with the Planescape universe (or should I say "multiverse" <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" /> ). I was particularly attracted to the cosmology of all the factions in Sigil, their views regarding the purpose of existence. Yeah, the dialogues seemed melodramatic at times, some aspects of the plot were plagued by loopholes, but for those of us with the urge to travel and meet new people and explore different cultures, this game definitely took me on a virtual journey of sorts. I chuckled when I learned about the "Blood War" (really the only thing preventing the Batezzus and the Tannaris from invading the rest of the multiverse, if you think about it....), had fun romping with the Anarchists (how do you counter hegemony without any organizational order or hierarchy? I don't think even the Anarchists in Sigil knew the answer <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/tongue.gif" alt="" /> I must confess I had a constant urge to hand them a copy of one of Grampsci's works...).
I assume you have played P:T but did not find it as appealing as it did for me. I played Arcanum, but found the game immensely boring. I am guessing that my negative experience was in no small part influenced by the broken combat system (firearms seemed virtually useless...and suicidal to use if one had selected real-time combat....). But the plot just didn't interest me until near the end (the little cutscene with the villain--whose name I forget--explaining his motivation was instigating the destruction of the world, was definitely interesting). Neither did I find the setting itself (a world where magic is dying to incremental technlogical advancements, if I recall correctly) unique. Everytime I read about how much someone enjoyed Arcanum (and it is quite evidently a popular game with many rave reviews), I too am left wondering if I missed something or was just too harsh in my judgements. I've come to the conclusion that it's no big deal. People are individuals, not clones, so we won't always like the same RPGs just because we are RPG enthusiasts <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />
