I enjoyed it. It's not one of my all-time favorites and the story isn't all that great, but apart from that it's a very good module (of which there are tons over at the NWVault, but this one ranks quite highly among them, should be somewhere in the top 100, I think). It's quite famous because it was meant to be a Premium module before Atari (?) cancelled it and the devs eventually released it for free. It also introduced an overland map to NWN, like those in Infinity Engine games. It's definitely worth playing.

Btw, did you notice the module recommendation thread in the NWN forum? If you're looking for a good series that allows you to start at level 1 and then go all the way up to almost lvl 40 (if I'm not mistaken), check out the Aielund saga. It's extremely popular in the NWN community and a good alternative to the official campaign (probably also a lot longer).

Yeah, I was in a rather melodramatic mood yesterday, when I wrote that. ;) I do maintain the "text vs graphics" statement though, but I probably should have worded it differently. Graphics are very often the better medium for things that _can_ be visualized. However, there are lots of things that can't (thoughts being one of them), and shunning away from text basically robs you of one powerful method of artistic expression. If you look at today's AAA titles, then you can't help noticing that this method of artistic expression has been lost to contemporary game design, and (imho) not for the better.

great tips thanks, I'll check these recommendations, and yeah I'd like a great module to start from level 1. I'll def check the Aielund. I can't believe how huge is this game. I think this is the best game I have ever played.

Think I agree with the main sentiment there. New games usually have a lot of focus on fancy grahpics and nice explosions and various other effects, while less focus (or none) is put into thoughts and such things that can be relayed via text. There must be action action action all the time, while the more subtle variations, that we see in books all the time, are lost to the medium now.

Coming back to the topic, that is the main strength of Planescape Torment. It's much more text based than other games, and it has an incredibly good story that is well-delivered via the text-focused gameplay. We therefore connect to the characters much more than in other games, certainly others I've played, and the brilliant story helps to drag us further into the game.

This kind of design probably won't work unless there is a rock solid story underneath it, but it's wonderful game and is heralded as perhaps the best RPG for good reason. It's actually possible to roleplay pretty good in it, which isn't the case for most, if not all, modern RPGs.

The game also differentiates itself from others in that it has some deeper meaning, that you are likely to ponder while playing the game and at its end. It's borderline philosophical. Simply an excellent game. It's not for everybody, perhaps particularly in today's gaming world with so much focus no action at all costs, but once you put in a few hours and start to get dragged in, you will reap the rewards.

If Torment was released today, the player would probably have to sit through hours and hours of cutscenes and listening to voice-overs instead of reading at their own time and speed. ;)

Anyway, I think you're right that it's not just the text but the quality of it that counts, and the fact that this RPG takes actual role-playing more seriously, with choices that define who you are and not just what you get as a reward. In other CRPGs there's often a lot of text, too, but it doesn't add up to much. While I'm tired about hearing the same old stories from farmer or citizen Bob, there were no such characters and dialogues in Torment, because the setting is new and unfamiliar and everyone you talk to reveals something interesting about it, no matter what trivial things they speak about from their perspective - it's alll new and strange to you and you have to make heads or tails of it and connect the dots.

just went ahead with your suggestion and bought NWN 2. Wow man.... these two games will be all the games I'll need. NWN 2 looks really sweet at the highest settings. In my opinion, these games have it all. I love the dialogues, the smart ass replies, the personality of some characters.....last night I was messing around with Hordes of the Underdark just for a couple of fights as I like the atmosphere of that module, and my whole party was dying.
Dekkin, that curious elf or whatever it is, when things started to go bad, started singing 'No-no-no nooooooo......no-no-no-noooooo! ' , same theme as Beethoveen's 5th Symphony. Ah! Loved that! These games kick major ass and have loads of personality in them.

I know that I am not saying anything new as most of you know these games inside out, but I had no idea they were that good. I am truly 120 per cent satisfied with them, and that hasn't happened in years.