[spoilers] Just finished my first playthrough ever
Reiborn
Member Posts: 156
As it happens I never played PS:T.
My first real RPG on a pc was actually Neverwinter Nights by Bioware where my first character was Durin Lord of Moria, a Paladin dwarf with 13 on all stats and using axe and shield. Pretty much had no idea what I was doing.
As the time passed I learned bit about how RPG works and on some of the titles. I actually never had full run of Baldur's Gate nor IWD series either.
So few years back I learned about PS:T and tried to play with some mods to make it playable on modern PCs. It froze on each spell I've cast... so many CTD and BSODs I had. I gave up around the clerk's ward.
I was thrilled to see PS:T got EE from Beamdog and I got it asap. I didn't knew what to expect and was diving in.
This game just... well. Let's put it this way:
I've recently finished my first playthrough of Mass Effect: Andromeda which I've pre-ordered as Mass Effect fan such as I would do.
between the two game ME:A was extremely meh, beside 1 or 2 characters most of them were non-memorable. The quests were MMO'ish and the main plot were pretty much mix of Iokath from SWTOR latest expansion and Pocahontas.
I had my fun playing of course but once I got past first 10 levels the game was stupidly easy and even on insanity I couldn't die.
otoh, torment... oh boy...
A game where getting killed means nothing until the very end where I learned that each time TNO dies someone on the multiverse will die instead of him - this point made me horrified with major "oh crap" moment.
Then each character from morte the talking skull, Dak'kon the Gith warrior, even the random nameless zombies... each one had some serious plot line behind them... each one had a story and revealed part of the plot.
Then the main story which is thread.. by a thread... by a thread... which together weaves a fabric of a story so epic... I just got left speechless. It was amazing to see all those tiny fragments of plot which are revealed to be made by YOURSELF in previous incarnations. Getting to the ending with 25 CHA\INT\WIS was pretty epic as well because it allowed me to see all the endings.
Then there was the gameplay itself, unlike other games this is actually the first RPG I played where combat was secondary and dialogs, puzzles and lore set the tone of the game. Even though combat was not the focuse there were many moments where I had to reload and try different tactics - > Ignus on the Fortress of Regrets was such moment. Torment made me learn not to "keep for later" or "sell for jinxies" my charms and scrolls and wands. I kept using consumables like a maniac all the time.
Then there are those moments where the game really shows its greatness in making SENSE. Such is when you learn your true name and get the "Mark of Torment", I giggled evilly when I learned I can spam unlimited amount of "Mark of Torment" which cause stupidly huge aoe damage. Then each high level spell with those sick cutscenes were glorious to watch. I remember first time I've witnessed how meteor strike is conjured and felt great.
Actually PS:T made me fall in love with mages and spellcasters in general as you start weak like a wet noodle and in the end you are God of destruction.
There was also the great part about the Journal. While modern games gives you vague mention of one liner quest shopping list and map marker where to go like you were handicapped person, in PS:T you get a short mention of quests and then you got entire tab of actual Journal.... what a refreshing experience! I actually used the journal so much and it was so helpful!
There were few parts which I found lacking though,
Mostly gear wise as I didn't found an armor for TNO the entire game. Most companions like Morte can't get more then one type of gear... at the end after I've spent loads of cash on spells and tatoos I got around 16k coppers left.
the last level (Fortress of Regrets) was pita... the part with the shadows on the first floor was horrible... mostly because I couldn't skip the cutscene on the black screen when I used the 4 devices.... it took me few tries to get the right order in which I can open the portal (as each device teleport you around).
Also in the mortuary when you start each szombie had different name and there were plenty of hidden quests and tasks in there but once I got out most random NPCs had the regular dialog of WhoYouARE\WhatYouDO\WhatIsAroundHere?
Overall to summaries this,
for a creation which was made in 1999 this is truly a masterpiece. I already contemplate on how my next runs will be and which companions I'll take. Also Beamdog did splendid job with the EE - I only had one crash and it was due to Windows 10 Shenanigans.... That is far more stable then most games I play this days.
PS:T gave me that nostalgic feeling I've had when I played RPGs for the first time, that sense of adventure.. It is amazing.
Now onward to the first BG series run I'll ever make.. got BG1 and 2 in EE version + SoD... I bet I'm into a treat.
If you didn't get PS:T EE get it now, it is superb!
Cheers Beamdog *raise a glass*
My first real RPG on a pc was actually Neverwinter Nights by Bioware where my first character was Durin Lord of Moria, a Paladin dwarf with 13 on all stats and using axe and shield. Pretty much had no idea what I was doing.
As the time passed I learned bit about how RPG works and on some of the titles. I actually never had full run of Baldur's Gate nor IWD series either.
So few years back I learned about PS:T and tried to play with some mods to make it playable on modern PCs. It froze on each spell I've cast... so many CTD and BSODs I had. I gave up around the clerk's ward.
I was thrilled to see PS:T got EE from Beamdog and I got it asap. I didn't knew what to expect and was diving in.
This game just... well. Let's put it this way:
I've recently finished my first playthrough of Mass Effect: Andromeda which I've pre-ordered as Mass Effect fan such as I would do.
between the two game ME:A was extremely meh, beside 1 or 2 characters most of them were non-memorable. The quests were MMO'ish and the main plot were pretty much mix of Iokath from SWTOR latest expansion and Pocahontas.
I had my fun playing of course but once I got past first 10 levels the game was stupidly easy and even on insanity I couldn't die.
otoh, torment... oh boy...
A game where getting killed means nothing until the very end where I learned that each time TNO dies someone on the multiverse will die instead of him - this point made me horrified with major "oh crap" moment.
Then each character from morte the talking skull, Dak'kon the Gith warrior, even the random nameless zombies... each one had some serious plot line behind them... each one had a story and revealed part of the plot.
Then the main story which is thread.. by a thread... by a thread... which together weaves a fabric of a story so epic... I just got left speechless. It was amazing to see all those tiny fragments of plot which are revealed to be made by YOURSELF in previous incarnations. Getting to the ending with 25 CHA\INT\WIS was pretty epic as well because it allowed me to see all the endings.
Then there was the gameplay itself, unlike other games this is actually the first RPG I played where combat was secondary and dialogs, puzzles and lore set the tone of the game. Even though combat was not the focuse there were many moments where I had to reload and try different tactics - > Ignus on the Fortress of Regrets was such moment. Torment made me learn not to "keep for later" or "sell for jinxies" my charms and scrolls and wands. I kept using consumables like a maniac all the time.
Then there are those moments where the game really shows its greatness in making SENSE. Such is when you learn your true name and get the "Mark of Torment", I giggled evilly when I learned I can spam unlimited amount of "Mark of Torment" which cause stupidly huge aoe damage. Then each high level spell with those sick cutscenes were glorious to watch. I remember first time I've witnessed how meteor strike is conjured and felt great.
Actually PS:T made me fall in love with mages and spellcasters in general as you start weak like a wet noodle and in the end you are God of destruction.
There was also the great part about the Journal. While modern games gives you vague mention of one liner quest shopping list and map marker where to go like you were handicapped person, in PS:T you get a short mention of quests and then you got entire tab of actual Journal.... what a refreshing experience! I actually used the journal so much and it was so helpful!
There were few parts which I found lacking though,
Mostly gear wise as I didn't found an armor for TNO the entire game. Most companions like Morte can't get more then one type of gear... at the end after I've spent loads of cash on spells and tatoos I got around 16k coppers left.
the last level (Fortress of Regrets) was pita... the part with the shadows on the first floor was horrible... mostly because I couldn't skip the cutscene on the black screen when I used the 4 devices.... it took me few tries to get the right order in which I can open the portal (as each device teleport you around).
Also in the mortuary when you start each szombie had different name and there were plenty of hidden quests and tasks in there but once I got out most random NPCs had the regular dialog of WhoYouARE\WhatYouDO\WhatIsAroundHere?
Overall to summaries this,
for a creation which was made in 1999 this is truly a masterpiece. I already contemplate on how my next runs will be and which companions I'll take. Also Beamdog did splendid job with the EE - I only had one crash and it was due to Windows 10 Shenanigans.... That is far more stable then most games I play this days.
PS:T gave me that nostalgic feeling I've had when I played RPGs for the first time, that sense of adventure.. It is amazing.
Now onward to the first BG series run I'll ever make.. got BG1 and 2 in EE version + SoD... I bet I'm into a treat.
If you didn't get PS:T EE get it now, it is superb!
Cheers Beamdog *raise a glass*
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Comments
That was sure quick...