Just finished this and it really is as good as people say, if not better. Maybe it's just a novel in game form but it's a damn good novel.
>>12898576>novel in game form, but it's a jrpg:|>novel in game form, but it's a crpg:O
>>12898579I've played JRPGs with good writing but nothing comparable to Torment. But then I wonder how much of that is a result of translation/localization difficulties. Suikoden II has a great story and is one of my favourite games, but the moment to moment dialogue isn't stunning prose or anything. But I have no idea how much better it might be if I could read the original Japanese.VN fans will probably list a slew of beautifully written stories but even if you consider them "games" they're clearly far less gamey than something like Torment. If the combat were a little better I think it would be a GOTY all years contender. As it is, the combat is pretty unremarkable but not nearly bad enough to ruin the game, it was just a slight annoyance.
>>12898579no jarpig """"story"""" comes even close to western crpg ones of the late 90s/early 2000s
>Critically acclaimed game is actually le goodWhat a surprise
>>12898612IMO a lot of older games, especially slightly unaccessable PC titles, tend to get this inflated reputation over time where they're considered canonically great even by people who haven't played them. That's not to say they're bad, just that their quality may be overstated a bit. For example I played System Shock 2 recently, it's a really good game, but it has a lot of issues and I expect that many people only know it as "that classic game that inspired Bioshock" without having actually played it. I thought there was a strong possibly Torment was in the same boat, good but couldn't live up to its reputation. Nope, it's really that good.
>>12898609>church is.....le bad, okay?>what if the bad guys who look like demons or orcs are actually just misunderstood good guys, and the humans are the bigots all along? really makes you think.......>"what's the matter, afraid of a strong, nord woman?"yeah, crpgs have amazing stories
>>12898625>church is.....le bad, okay?>what if the bad guys who look like demons or orcs are actually just misunderstood good guys, and the humans are the bigots all along? really makes you think.......these are actually jrpg tropes
>>12898576As a game, it's complete and utter ass to play. >B-B-BUT MUH STORY!Unironically, go read a book. Seriously, I mean that as a good thing. Books are good. Bad gameplay isn't.
>>12898640I was thinking of Ultima 5 and 7 when I wrote those. JRPGs didn't have edgy shit like that until a decade after westerners.
>dungeons and dragons is real literature, dad!
PST has a lot of D&D bullshit that's pretty insufferable today. But man it felt like a masterpiece when it was first released.
>>12898664Supposedly David Cook took inspiration from the books Oku no Hosomichi by Matsuo Basho and Dictionary of the Khazars by Milorad Pavic when developing the Planescape setting, though that doesn't necessarily mean anything
>>12898579Now both sides can be happy
>>12898576It's not just a novel in game form, it has party member recruitment, builds, secret equipment, optional combats and grinding, all the satisfying progression that an rpg should have. Yeah it's shallower than Baldurs Gate and other hardcore crpgs, but it's the same thing, better imo on account of the narrative, and anyone who's ever enjoyed a jrpg should love the gameplay.
>>12899010Is it actually fun to play though?Would anyone like this game if not for its story?
>>12899194No it's not. That's why I dropped it after like 3 hours
>>12899194Really weird to see people imply a game is just its systems instead of the sum of its parts.
>>12899953I'm all for looking at a game holistically.I just disagree with the sentiment of "It's got playable characters, it's got equipment, it's got grinding for level ups! What more could any JRPG fan want?"Well, ideally speaking, I would want the gameplay to be fun.
I've yet to hear anyone explain excatly how Torment was worse gameplay than your average RPG. I've been waiting 2 decades now.The only thing I ever hear is "It isn't as good as [literaly the best RPG ever made]." Ok. It has better gameplay than games that don't ever get criticized for that, such as Fallout.
>>12898609The entire dev and writing team of Torment, who adored FF7 to the point of it being mentioned in the credits of the game, would probably not agree with you.
>>12901130They adored for different reason than you might think. And this adoration ended up consuming a huge part of the budged on retarded spell animations instead on new locations.
>>12898643>As a game, it's complete and utter ass to play. The combat is the worst the infinity engine ever was.But, at least until you leave Sigil and get on the "running out of budget, speedrun to the end" tracks, the freedom of choice for what you do and why is unmatched.It's a good game, but the genre of game is "What Alignment Are You? Simulator."
80% is reading but the combat and finding new equipment are nice. It's Baldur's Gate lite.
>>12898643reading is part of the game, retard. it's an rpg, immersion is a quantifiable part of the experience just as any system. as a fantasy game it is also a literary tool .
>>12898643you are so stupid anon, go back to /v/
>>12901242Sigil is introduced as a city of portals in which any door could lead anywhere in the multiverse... and then you only get to go through like two of these portals ever, don't you? I was disappointed with my lack of freedom right from the start because of that, the one time I played through this game. Why would they shoot themselves in the foot like that? What is the point of beginning a video game in some kind of multiverse hub and rubbing the player's face in the fact that there is infinite opportunity for fascinating exploration available, if you only have the budget for just a few settings.
>>12899194I played maybe two or three hours total in two attempts over a decade. I couldn't get into it. I found it a pain to play, and honestly it looks weird. I don't know why, but the way the UI and the text looks just repulsed me.There are full playthroughs on YT. You can watch an old style let's play, and it's a much more pleasant experience than playing it yourself.
>>12899194No, it isn’t. Not unless you already have an affinity for those 90s era D&D games.
>>12903687>>12901861Reading is part of the experience, but if it's the only good thing going for it, why not call it out as a mediocre game with a great story?
>>12898576This is one of those games where you should just play on easy and not even bother trying the higher difficulty settings.
>>12898576The plane travel part which was supposed to be the highlight of the game was pretty bad. You could feel it was rushed.The final part and conclusion however was great
>>12903984>I can’t play a game that others manage easily.>text and interfaces make me sick!>just watch a video….>of a text heavy gameOf all the failures here you are the greatest.
