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="" />
Well, I loved the setting in Planescape, it's what I really liked in that game, but 2 things I just hate in computer games:
- Dungeon Crawling
- Undead.
I was tired to see skeletons and zombies in every possible RPG. Hell, even games like Return to Castle Wolfenstein have the undead and have a lots of dungeons. Those 2 factors can ruin the game for me. DD is action, so I can forgive it to that game, still I can't stand the first dungeon, I would've liked to rush trough but if I don't level up, I will miserably fail.
Your point about Arcanum is exaclty what I have against Planescape Torment [Except for the firearms, yeah, the firearms in Arcanum were ridiculously under-powered, somebody made a mod which improuves damage for them. Still I finished the game with a plasma rifle which was pretty powerful]. I found P:T incredibly borring, and the setting was used several times before. But indeed, people are different and if everyone were alike, there would've been no progress at all. I agree with your post <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/alien.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wave.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/biggrin.gif" alt="" />
