[Norlak]

A lot of people I've discussed it with cried or were to the point of crying. Macho men and senstive types alike.

I've only ever been that sad with one other game: ME3. But really, the ending of PST just broke me down xD probably because I knew I was never going to play a game as good as that ever again.

So what was your reaction if you ever played it?

[Pangaea]

I was simply sat there staring at the screen, sad at the ending, and that the game was over. It had been an amazing journey, and now it was done.

The way it ended wasn't so surprising or sad to me, it was more that it was actually over. Will probably never again play a game with as great a story as Planescape. Haven't even played it a second time either, but will when the details are at least slightly forgotten. Wish we had that zapping device from Men in Black

[Kindo]

Silent awe. The ending was not something that felt like it came out of nowhere, how the journey ended. It made complete sense, and that without the writers giving me any sort of blatant exposition, either before or after the fact. There was no joy, no happiness, but peace. In knowing oneself, and in knowing that justice was being done, there was peace.

"Finally..."

Pangaea said:

Haven't even played it a second time either, but will when the details are at least slightly forgotten. Wish we had that zapping device from Men in Black ›››

While there's no escaping that the main story will be known to you, I can assure you that there is such an incredible amount of secrets and details to be found, and quests you probably didn't even know about, that multiple playthroughs will still satisfy you. The first time I finished the game, I immediately started another playthrough afterwards, and another, and another, and another... each time I found something new.

[Pangaea]

That may well be true, there's bound to be some stuff I didn't do the first time, but I did spent a crazy amount of time wandering around so don't think there will be a great deal. But I DO look forward to playing it again some day, though I think I'll postpone it a bit further. Still have that BG1 character I'd like to take into BG2.. which I still haven't played

[Bloth]

Questions, an infinity of questions sprang to mind: What is his name? Will Trias be set tasks to earn his redemption, will he be cast down from heaven to prove himself in the muck and mystery of Sigil? If Ignus's body is returned to Sigil along with all the companions, will it be thrown into the Dustmans crematorium and if so what happens. Will Morte find a suitable skeleton and settle down in the dead nations, wooing Stale Mary's daughters? Will Vhailor the Mercykiller return to Sigil, and dispense justice now he is once more AWOKEN? What are the plans of Many as One and what will happen to the buried village?

I could go on.

[Wichat]

So, after all that you of all have written, I asume that you recommend I (or any reader) play Planescape: Torment?

[Bloth]

Yes.

[Dearg Ruadhri]

Aww...now I have to try to find my Planescape: Torment CD and install it, because I can't actually remember the ending.

Aaaaand finally found it, along with Arcanum.

Haha, that intro is still awsome and the dialogues are hilarious, but unfortunately, I'm somewhy not able to install the official/community patches, oh well...

[Yakkuz]

The best CRPG ever played. EVER. Really touching.
In the end i simply remain silent, went sitting on the sofa and start contempling silently, in respect.

Fall-from-grace says:

"Time is not your enemy, forever is."

It was a story that needs to end. PS:T was not a simply entartaining media... it was FIRST a story, a story os some of the most living and real fictional characters in the gaming (and not only gaming) industry.

[Corylea]

Like Kindo's, my reaction was awe. I thought, "I have been in the presence of greatness, and I will never see its like again." I felt sort of sad that my game-playing experiences would necessarily all be downhill from here.

I thought the ending was perfect. I played a very good Nameless One, and I was a bit sad for that incarnation that HE had to pay for the sins of his past selves; that seemed a little unfair. But until someone took responsibility for what had happened, the whole miserable cycle would not end, and innocents would continue to be sacrificed. It had to end, and I was proud of my Nameless for doing what needed to be done.

And I didn't think the war would be the worst thing that ever happened to Nameless. I thought there might be a kind of fierce joy in finally KNOWING and in expiating those sins.

Amazing, wonderful, astonishingly fine game. Kindo is right -- the reaction was ... awe*.


*Not in the 21st-Century slang "that was awesome" sense; in the original sense.

[Norlak]

Blothulfur said:

Questions, an infinity of questions sprang to mind: What is his name? Will Trias be set tasks to earn his redemption, will he be cast down from heaven to prove himself in the muck and mystery of Sigil? If Ignus's body is returned to Sigil along with all the companions, will it be thrown into the Dustmans crematorium and if so what happens. Will Morte find a suitable skeleton and settle down in the dead nations, wooing Stale Mary's daughters? Will Vhailor the Mercykiller return to Sigil, and dispense justice now he is once more AWOKEN? What are the plans of Many as One and what will happen to the buried village?

I could go on. ›››

You are right there, but just being so engaged within the story made all those oblivious. It's truly the only RPG where I felt *really* connected to the main character. Other than DA:O. But I can't compare TNO to the Warden...that would be blasphemy xD

[Corylea]

Wichat said:

So, after all that you of all have written, I asume that you recommend I (or any reader) play Planescape: Torment? ›››

It depends on who you are and what you like. If you're of a philosophical turn of mind, if you like thinking about moral questions, if people interest you and creativity delights you, then P:T is for you. On the other hand, if you're more of an action-oriented person who thinks contemplation is dull, then P:T is not your game.

I think the game can best be enjoyed by mature people. This isn't about age; the game can be enjoyed by exceptional teenagers and especially thoughtful 20-something folks. And there will be people over 40 who don't get it. I mention maturity, though, so that anyone who tried the game a dozen years ago and didn't like it will consider trying it again. Even if you weren't the sort of person who would appreciate P:T in 1999, you might have become that person with the passage of time.

Planescape: Torment is widely believed to have the best story ever written for a video game. The game has a lot of interesting and creative locations, and some interesting and engaging characters. It has a lot of fresh and creative dialogue. If story is a big deal to you, then you must play this game. On the other hand, if reading through a lot of dialogue annoys you (there are people like that, though I don't really understand them), then P:T is not for you.

Planescape: Torment also has a very clunky combat system and some clumsy and non-intuitive controls. And you get the best dialogue, the best choices, and the broadest understanding of the story if you have a high Wisdom score and to a lesser extent a high Intelligence score. If you follow the guidelines that many walkthrough creators use and give your character starting stats of STR 9, DEX 9, CON 9, INT 17, WIS 18, CHR 13, then not only will the combat system be clunky, but also, you'll suck at fighting during the early part of the game. Some people can't get past the combat to enjoy the amazing rest of the game. (I feel sorry for them.)

You start the game in one location, escape that location to a different location, then later in the game, a lot more locations open up to you. That second location in the game, where you spend a lot of the early part of the game, is a fairly standard RPG city. It's only after you get access to other locations, later in the game, that the really breath-taking creativity in locations emerges.

I enjoyed all of the game, but I thought the second half was more fun than the first half, and I thought the endgame was the best part of all. This is a game that rewards patience, exploration, and attention to detail. If Diablo 2 was your favorite game ever, then you might not enjoy what P:T has to offer. If you loved TW1 and have also enjoyed slower, old-school games like Baldur's Gate, then P:T is a special treat.

If I hadn't already given my heart to TW1, I might say that Planescape: Torment was the best game ever made. As it is, I put it at a very strong #2. But it's not for everybody, sadly enough. It might be a better world if everyone in it were so constituted as to appreciate Planescape: Torment.

[secondchildren]

My reaction was.... that I will never play a game like PT, and I will never ever feel the same affection, or the infinite questions it arises, and will never ever play anything more genial, keen, intruiging, original. Never.

Yes, that "awe" really suits.

@Wichat
I can't describe PT better than Corylea and Blothulfur did. Just play it, you won't be disappointed.

[Pangaea]

Corylea said:

I thought the ending was perfect. I played a very good Nameless One, and I was a bit sad for that incarnation that HE had to pay for the sins of his past selves; that seemed a little unfair. But until someone took responsibility for what had happened, the whole miserable cycle would not end, and innocents would continue to be sacrificed. It had to end, and I was proud of my Nameless for doing what needed to be done.

Excellent posts by Corylea, it's a wonderful game. If you aren't averse to reading and thinking during gaming experiences, I can virtually guarantee you will like it. People need some maturity to appreciate it, but I think most users on this site qualifies there

In a topic named like this there are obvious *spoilers*, so I won't hoot that horn more than this friendly mention.

Like Corylea I played with a good character (the system for determining that is very good btw, and fairly dynamic) and felt a bit sad at the ending. But I also think it was perfect in a sense. It would feel a bit odd to do all these good deeds, that going through the game really is, with an evil character. An evil character wouldn't really see the ending as a learning experience or punishment either, so for me it made good sense even if it felt a bit unfair as well.

Have rarely been so well connected to a game character at TNO. Without saying too much there is an abrupt change in game dynamics towards the end, and I had my heart in my throat during a certain location. It was as if *I* was in danger.

Just a small encouragement to new players. The game starts out a bit slow and 'unusual', but once you exit the first area and get to explore the plane(s), the game truly grows on you. I can only wish to experience something like this again, but know it isn't to be. It was an unlikely game back in its day, and in today's gaming environment it is an impossibility.

[Advent]

It was a weird feeling... I remember just sitting in the sofa not really doing, thinking or feeling anything. I reckon it took about an hour for me to collect myself, and after that followed even more time on the couch just pondering uoon TNOs journey. When that was done, I tried out different endings and then I went out on forums reading and posting in threads like this.
I guess I wasn't really normal back to normal until after a few days seeing as I had some dreams.

It was kind of the same feeling I had after I'd finished watching the Wire and Dragon Ball when I was younger.
Joy, sadness, feeling lost and feeling purpose. As I said; it was weird this feeling of 'Damn...'

[Corylea]

Pangaea said:

If you aren't averse to reading and thinking during gaming experiences, I can virtually guarantee you will like it. People need some maturity to appreciate it, but I think most users on this site qualifies there

Unfortunately, not everyone who likes The Witcher likes P:T. One example:

slimgrin said:

-I tried Torment for about 10 minutes and bailed. I care too much about gameplay. ›››

Pangaea said:

I can only wish to experience something like this again, but know it isn't to be. It was an unlikely game back in its day, and in today's gaming environment it is an impossibility. ›››

I think we're unlikely to see a game like this from a major developer. If we aren't fussy about graphics, though, one of the indie developers might surprise us one day.

Advent said:

It was a weird feeling... I remember just sitting in the sofa not really doing, thinking or feeling anything. I reckon it took about an hour for me to collect myself ›››

A friend of mine who's a musician says that the best response to a performance isn't instant applause. Instead, it's a stunned silence, followed by applause after an interval. I think P:T is like that -- there's a period of being too stunned to applaud, which is the mark of a truly great experience.

[.Volsung.]

PS:T is intellectually and emotionally stimulating, but I don't see why I should cry when I could see all these things coming. There is nothing sad about the ending in my opinion. It is retribution, and above all, breaking the circle of endless, painful torment... maybe with more torment in the blood war. But still, death is liberation, and that is what my TNO craves for.

As Blothulfur pointed out, the ending raises even more questions. The "problem" with this game is that is has such strong characterization, that you can't help but wonder what happens to your acquaintances, and what will be the final outcome of all the damage (and perhaps some good) TNO has done over the course of many years.

Not from the ending, but I really liked the part when you talk to Drusilla after waking Ignus and

She embraces him, only to be killed by Ignus' scorching flames.

[Bloth]

Question to the knowing, is Annah one of Ravel's daughters? The reason I ask is because of her strange physical reaction to the Nameless One, her being drawn to the pregnant alley where the suspicious young tiefling would normally never dare tread, and Ravel's uncharacteristic mercy towards her when she questions your companions in the black barbed maze.

[slimgrin]

I tried it for 20 minutes and bailed because of the gameplay. Sorry guys. When I'm older and wiser maybe.

[.Volsung.]

slimgrin said:

I tried it for 20 minutes and bailed because of the gameplay. Sorry guys. When I'm older and wiser maybe. ›››

Yes, I suppose it is not for everybody. I just don't think it has to do with being wise, or old, or even mature. Some people just don't like sitting in front of their computers to read; they probably want to kill something. If they want a thought provoking story, they can read a good book (although taste for killing and literature don't usually go hand in hand )

I grew up playing graphical adventures, so maybe that means that I am that particular kind of person who enjoys reading, discovering and solving puzzles just as much as (tactical) combat. The thing with computer RPG's, and particularly PS:T, is that the focus is in the characters and events, and not on action scenes.

No need to excuse yourself. You just don't like it, nothing wrong with that. I could tell since my Baldur's Gate days when I was still a teenager that RPG's are not for everybody and other kids were playing different kinds of games. No problem. At least there are games like The Witcher nowadays that are liked by RPG and non RPG fans.