Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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160 of 162 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Even better than whatever I write., September 2, 2002
First, you have to ask yourself: why is a game from a few years ago STILL getting 5-star reviews -- a bunch in just the past couple months?!? And second: how could a 2-D game (like the Baldur's Gate 1 and 2 series) possibly hold up against 3-D games like Neverwinter Nights? Well, it's because of gameplay. It's remarkable.You start out by waking up on a slab, in a cemetary. You have no memory, but you've got a lot of wordy tattoos all over your body, and a very talkative floating skull to fill you in. As you progress, you'll meet up with many other characters who can join your group (or not), including a strange living computer called a Modron, and a bizarre man engulfed in flames. But what really makes the game stand out is how open-ended it is. It's like Morrowind in that respect. You can do anything, go anywhere, fight or talk, do some quests and ignore others. Your character can find "masters" who will teach your character to fight, become a magician, or a thief. You can even switch back and forth. But even better than that is the dialogue, which is NOT forced or pre-programmed to lead you one way each time. The dialogues that each character speaks can take into account your experience, your intelligence, how attactive you are, where you are in the game, etc. One of the most amazing discoveries for me went like this. Playing the game the first time, I had a fairly average character who was very strong. Some of the dialogue with Ravel, about two-thirds into the game, was just stunning. The plot twists threw me for a loop. But then I played again with a wimpy but incredibly smart character. I was stunned to see my character pulling out plot details from the characters almost as soon as they joined the group. By the time I got to Ravel, I was a completely different character and had completely different conversations with her. And the end! It can change! It's pretty great ending(s) too, so I won't even mention what happens. If anything is a disappointment, it is that the opening cemetary is pretty dark -- work through it and get out as soon as you can. If you can find a save-game online that at least gets you down onto the first floor of the cemetary, maybe do that. Once you are in town, the game just blossoms into something incredible. My only sadness is that the game did well when it was launched, but not stellar. I'd like to thank their marketing department for the hideous box cover for probably killing quite a few sales. Because of this, I've lost hope for there ever being a sequel or even a game with a similar style. I'm very sad to see that, even after a few years, this game still has no rival.
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106 of 107 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Addictive and Very Creative, December 28, 1999
By A Customer
This has to be one of the most creative <a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/electronics/browse-electronics/-/229593/002-2818223-1369817">RPGs</a> I've ever played. The graphics and animations are impressive, stylized, and original. The plot is relatively non-linear and effectively rests in the hands of the player with multiple endings. The alignment and attributes of the player character affect game play. I played a character with high intelligence and wisdom, and I enjoyed outwitting people in the game. Although the game is VERY dialog driven, I felt there were enough graphics and action to make it feel relatively balanced and seamless. The NPCs are highly original and interact with the party to a much greater extent than in Baldur's Gate. Talking to your party members can be integral to being successful at a Succubus, who has given up her past; a sarcastic, floating skull who can taunt enemies with profanities; a wild and unpredictable Tiefling (part human/part lower plane) thief who seems to have a thing for you . . . Guest voices include Dan Castellanetta (Homer!), Sheena Easton, and Michael T. Weiss (The Pretender). The game is very dark and somber with appropriate music that really added to the mood, yet has very effective comic relief via. Morte the sarcastic skull. I was genuinely surprised by the plot and character development. I was always kept guessing. Your immortality allows for many creative developments. Dying becomes a method to be taken to a place you want to go. Limbs are taken off and reattached. A woman pays you for the privilege of killing you. The magic and magic items are phenomenal. Many items have almost a voodooesque feel to them (roach charm, blood charm, cranium rat charm), while some magic items can actually talk to you and try to seduce you to the ways of evil. Many magic items are appropriately alignment and class restricted. Spell effect animations effectively add a distinctive style to the already rich substance of the game. The animations on the higher level spells can sometimes involve amazing cut scenes! This game could best be called a Fallout 2 on acid with a twist of Baldur's Gate. One moment you're in Hell talking to a pile of skulls, the next you're trying to save a city about to be destroyed by a deranged angel. It's almost as though at least five writers with years of pent up creative frustration exploded into this game. The result is creatively brilliant. I also appreciate the replay value of this game. I just played as a lawful good mage, now I'm going to I'm expecting a totally different kind of game. The latest issue of Newsweek (Jan 1, 2000) declares that "in the century to come, the medium producing the most dynamic, vital and exciting new art will be . . . videogames. . . . Eventually, we'll have artists who realize that videogames are technologically advanced enough for real story telling. . . the closest I've seen to this aspiration. It breathes like a novel, astonishes with great visual art, and allows for more realistic role-playing than in most other games that have ever been on the market. It is definitely a ground-breaker in this genre.
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114 of 116 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Best, deepest, most meaningful game ever, March 13, 2000
Torment is the best computer game I have ever played. It feels wrong to call this 'just a game'. Computer games will become an important new art form in the coming century, and Torment gives us a delicious foretaste of what is to come.Moral choices abound. The game takes note of what you say and do, and rates your morality and alignment accordingly. The game itself changes depending on how you play it: each action and choice closes some doors and opens others. Consider a point in the dialog where you are offered these choices. (1) Vow: "Tell me and I will not harm you" -- (2) Bluff: "Tell me or I'll break your neck" -- (3) Threat: "Tell me or I'll break your neck" -- (4) "Please tell me". This illustrates the sort of choice that gives expression to your moral character. You feel like an actor in a play -- but one who can choose his own script. This brings you very close to your game character. When it was revealed that a past incarnation of my character had committed some evil, I personally felt heartbroken about it. This sort of immersion-into-character is not possible in a conventional novel. The story is compelling and meaningful. It is supported by excellent writing. Some of the key dramatic scenes are still going through my head two months after completing the game. It is an ongoing source of delight to discuss and discover new interpretations of the story and characters. The characters are deep and complex, and funny. You get the feeling more than in other games that they have their own agendas. Eventually some of their secrets are revealed and -- best of all -- you yourself, in the game, are the one who discovers those secrets.
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