"3 great but underappreciated PC RPG's" Topic

Compiled a review of 3 games that are among my favorites, games that got great reviews and a hardcore fanbase but never seemed to become the economical smash hit equal to games like the Baldur's Gate series.

The games are "Arcanum: Of Steamworks and Magick obscura", "Planescape Tormen" and "Vampire the Masquerade: Bloodlines".

Each game is a fresh take on the classic RPG where you beat the living hell out of orcs and goblins in order to retrieve the lost boots of some drunken villager.

Arcanum does keep the traditional fantasy races but throws them into a Victorian industrialist setting where steampunk meets high fantasy in a world where technology is on the rise and chivalrous knights and mages are on the decline.

Bloodlines is an RPG game set in present day LA and Santa Monica where you play a vampire in a world where secret vampire societies coexist with humans by abiding to their own code of honor and rules while various vampire clans struggle for power both within the organized vampire society of the Camarilla, with the anarchistic vampires and with the savage outcasts of the Sabbat.

Planescape Torment is perhaps the strangest of them all, as the game setting is completely alien as it takes place in a weird place where the dead, spirits, demons and weirdo creatures roam. You play as the Nameless One, a guy with no memory but with a rich backstory as you try to figure out who you are and why you cannot die. This game is perhaps the most mature game. Not in terms of sex and nudity, but in regard to theme and writing. Imo a much more intelligent story than your run off the mill dungeon hack and slash adventure to save the kingdom and crown yourself king.

So check out the full review of each title on my blog to learn some more about these games: link

Planescape: Torment is a work of art.
The graphics are sadly far from todays expectations, but the story and ideas are superb.
Dying isn't a drag, no need to reload a saved game just because of that.

A version fixed to work on modern computers is available here, on license, for $9.99 USD.
link

Yep, linked to GoG.com at my blog as well. Superb site for bringing back old games to life on modern computers :-)

I bought Arcanum based on this thread. Thanks Anatoli.

Nice to hear Cincinnatus, I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. I bought Arcanum back a couple of years ago for something like 50SEK in a hobby store (found it in a outlet bin). It was one of those old fashion huge cardboard boxes, and the came game with a small map and a really thick manual that contained all sorts of useful information on races, skills, spells, etc.

I miss the old days when you got stuff like that without having to buy some "special edition".

played Arcanum and Planescape. Planescape was better – the story was excellent, and the game lacked numerous bugs Arcanum had…but anyway, both games were nice and I'm whiping away a tear of nostalgia ;)

I have Arcanum. I never bothered to play it past the first map after the balloon crashes.

I found Arcanum to be a little less than it first appeared. Most of the the problems to solve came down to 3 possible solutions:

- Talk the person into giving you the key/item (if your persuasion skill wasn't high enough this wasn't an option)

- Pick their pocket to get the key/item (if your pickpocket skills weren't high enough this wasn't an option)

- Kill them (often with little provocation) to loot the key/item

Maybe I was missing something but after banging my head against the wall for a while I looked up the cheat info on line and that's pretty much what they suggested.

Cincinnatus, how far into the game are you?

The first stretch from the crash site to the main city is a few hours long and even once you get into the city there is tons of clues to follow up before you really kick off the main quest.

The things you mention are universal for all RPG games.

I got into the first city. Did all the stuff I could there (bank, mine, etc). Made the mistake of talking to the mayor or whatever he was and then when I tried to leave over the bridge, I was stuck by the guy with the ogres. Could not talk my way around him because I talked to the mayor, could not beat him because he was too tough. I figured I must have been missing something so when I looked up the cheat sheet stuff they said convince him, kill him, or pick his pocket. I finally moved the difficulty setting down to easy and after a few tries I killed him and took the key.

Then I got to the big city where the makers of the ring were. The first guy I talked to in the store wouldn't help me. The cheat sheet says to convince him, kill him, or pick his pocket.

So I go to the next city that they sent me to. I find the priestess that wants me to retrieve her stolen idol. I know who did it but when I go talk to him, he just brushes me off. The idol is obviously in the locked room. I have no other option. I can't convince him, I can't kill him, and I can't get the key from him by picking his pocket. There's no option to tell anyone else about him so again I was stuck.

It was an incredibly interesting game framework. I really liked everything about it EXCEPT the actual gameplay. I realize it's possible I missed some options but I couldn't find any online help that said there were anything to do other than the 3 options I mentioned.