tl;dr: I feel that if I buy ONE game at full price, I'll value it more, and pressure myself to do the game justice, and play it more than once, and get the most out of it that I possibly can. Once I get sick of it, THEN I'll move onto something new. Please give me advise on what to buy.

Well here I am: the 101 reputation mark. I was wondering what to do to celebrate this. Originally it was going to be a deadliest warrior match between TinyE and Licurg, and have you, the GOGers vote on a winner. Then it changed to a simple giveaway of Star Wars games.

But, after some thought, I'm going to do something different: I'm going to buy something for myself. I've had some pretty good grades this semester, and am on the verge of going to law school, so half of this is a reward for that, but I've had an interesting thought:

I get ONE. ONE game, not a bundle, not stacking up on the deal of the week, ONE game.

While I have all but finished off my backlog (mostly), the reason it existed in the first place was my refusal to choose.

(I'm just giving the DnD bundle as an example).

"I can't decide which to get: Baldur's Gate, Icewind Dale, or Planescape. Well, all three are in a super discounted bundle. I'll just buy 10 games instead." While I enjoyed all the DnD games, and am currently enjoying those I am still playing, I only got to do a single playthrough of each game. I didn't get to slow down and enjoy the game to the maximum I could have. There are people out there who have played through Baldur's Gate hundreds of times, while playing nothing else. Heck, when I was a kid, I probably posted up like 300 hours playing Axis and Allies (a poor man's company of heroes), because I didn't have anything else, but I treasured that game more than any game I currently own. If I had never been introduced to all the digital delievery services, I'd still probably be playing that game. I should be pumped about the Witcher 3, but I'm not as much as I should be, as I know I'll get like 1 playthrough in for my $60 before pressuring myself to move on to the next thing.

TO SUMMARIZE: I feel that if I buy ONE game at full price, I'll value it more, and pressure myself to do the game justice, and play it more than once, and get the most out of it that I possibly can. Once I get sick of it, THEN I'll move onto something new.

So with that being said, I'm currently eyeing three games that I could buy:

The Witcher 3: Probably the most gameplay hours of the three (something like +100 hours). Disregard what I wrote above for just a second. I AM PUMPED FOR THIS GAME I enjoyed the crap out of the second one, so much so that I'm doing something I really haven't done for a game since like 2011: I'm replaying it to do different choices and see the different outcomes. I'm a bit hesitant to buy this though. I own a gaming laptop, and though I could flawlessly run the Witcher 2 on Ultra, I did a spec check on game-debate earlier and it's telling me that I can only run WItcher 3 on low. Also, given the sheer length of it, I'll probably get burned out of this the fastest.

Pillars of Eternity: This one (or Torment) I feel that I could get the most replay value out of. I loved playing through the DnD bundle, despite only getting to play each game one time a piece, and I think this would add onto that love. This is the only one out currently, and it's gotten rave reviews. They're already making an expansion pack.

Torment: Tides of Numenera: This is the one I was originally going to preorder. Being Planescape's spiritual successor, I believe it will have the best story out of all three (and that it saying something considering the other two options). At about 30ish hours of promised gameplay, it's the shortest of the three. At $30, it's also the cheapest. However, this doesn't come out until later this year, so I'd be sitting around until then (but potentially giving me time to repay stuff I already own).

So let me know what you guys think. Which should I buy, or should I just stick with what I have for replayability? Any pros and cons you think I should know. Any feedback is welcome

Since the first & third game has not been released yet, it's only natural to recommend PoE. It has positive reviews, it has the spirit of the Infinity Engine games and I guess you'll have much fun playing it. That been said, I believe W3 and ToN will be critical hits too and get positive reviews, but you must wait a little longer for them. (of course you can replay your Infinity Engine cRPGs while waiting).

Have you considered trying Divinity: Original Sin? If not, definitely you should! ;-)

Well... As Vythonaut said, this is not really a choice. Pillars of Eternity got hugely positive reception all across the board, so either wait unti the other two get released or just get that. All I can say is that I bought it full priced and so far got over 40 hours of stellar entertainment out of it - and that's just because I don't have time to play it more. The moment I finish the damn thing I'm instantly starting a new game with fully custom party. Should give me stuff to do for following few months.

Was actually considering adding that to the list. I was watching gameplay videos of it and I thought it looked sort of Diablo-ish, and like it's a really great game. I can't say no to it, but the above three were just the ones I was most pumped about, so it's between them. Thanks for the suggestion :)

Torment ftw!!!!!

After finishing the game, I get back to my suspended Wasteland 2 or start The Witcher 3... Too many games, too little time... I have Divinity:OS also in my backlog...

Nope. You'll just say "why did I do that?" and wish you bought it on sale instead. :P

If you want to do something nice for yourself, you can go adopt a pet from your local pound. Or maybe take the family out to a restaurant or movie. If you want to do something nice for a specific publisher then feel free to buy their game full price or off of their website.

I would go with Witcher 3, I'd be happy to play it even on low settings, but since you sound much more enthusiastic about the 90s D&D games than I am, I think Pillars of Eternity is the best choice for you. I'd be wary of Tides of Numenera until it comes out and we get some reviews. I think pre-ordering is a bad idea in general, and the term "spiritual succesor" gets thrown around a lot. It might well be a great game, but why risk buying it blind, when Pillars is out and, at least according to all the 90's D&D games fans, it's fantastic?

You should really splurge and get yourself an actual avatar.

Pillars of Eternity is a crime against game design (well, you can play it "for the story" but it's a toss-up if you will like it or not).

Torment is also a kickstarter-designed game and is very likely to be as much of a crime. The conceptual framework released during the kickstarter campaign was so offensively stupid that it made me retract my pledge.

Divinity: OS is substantially less bad. If you want a game which allows you to create your own character(s), buy it. It is however a prequel, which means nothing you do counts in the long run.

I predict The Witcher 3 will be the best of the lot, what with it being made by people who aren't beholden to idiots. Also, it being the final sequel, the writers aren't constrained story-wise. You should probably play TW2 beforehand to get the most out of it.

It's worth noting that the OP said he "enjoyed the crap" out of TW2. Well, now that you're about to finish your backlog, it's a great time to go back to them and do another playthrough.

I'll bite. What's the crime?

TOOORMEEEEENT!!! YYEEAAHH!!!!!
Yeah I wanna know too!
What's the catch with PoE?

It's designed in such a way that you'll forget to eat and drink while playing it, subsequently dying of dehydratation. Thus the 'crime' part.