I am not gonna write a detailed review of this game as I didn't play it as much as the BG games and PST. I played it just once and that was some time ago. And therefore I don't remember enough of it. So I will stick to telling what feeling this game left to me. I always felt like the IWD series was never on-par with the rest of the infinity engine goodness. Which does absolutely not mean that the IWD games are bad. This is just saying more about the exceptional quality of the other titles. Basically this can be described as BG (Baldur's Gate for those who wouldn't know yet) with more focus on combat and less focus on storytelling, questing, atmosphere, ambience etc. It's a good game, a very good game even. It just didn't give me that feeling of greatness, that feeling of playing an absolute epic game, like the others did. So I gave this game 4 stars, although 4.5 would be better maybe. I think gog should implement a score system which would allow a bit more accuracy to be shown bewteen scores. This game is probably better than other games I would also rank with a 4 (as 3 is just too low for some).
Planescape is one of those games that you either adore or absolutely don't care a bit about. There does not seem to be a middle way. Planescape was announced as a heavily story driven rpg, where the focus was clearly on the dialog and story and less on combat. This is exacly the reason why many people don't like the game at all; too much reading, not enough action. But for those who can realy appreaciate a story-heavy game this was a unique experience. I don't think there have been games made that can cope with the sheer size and greatness of planescape's plot. The story itself was also quite unique and very refreshing for it's time. Not the usual "An evil force threatens the entire world, you are the only hope" cliché. The good thing about the infinity engine games is that the graphics are all prerendered. And if played in an acceptable resolution, it is still very pleasant on the eye. It would have been something entirely different if the games were in 3d. The music is top level and perfectly captures the ambiance the game wants to create at any given moment. It is well above the standards of today. Same goes for the voice acting. There isn't that much in the game, but what is there is again way better the average today. Besides, scince not every line of text in the game is spoken, you don't get the repetitiveness you get in games like TES4: Oblivion, where a few voice actors did the voices of all the npc's in game. So I advise anyone who likes a good story in an rpg and doesn't mind reading alot with it, to try this game out and let yourself be amazed.
Fallout is a true masterpiece in every aspect possible. Total freedom, humor, lovely turnbased action, great character progression, immensely atmospheric, ... This is one of those very rare games that I can play again every year or even twice a year and never get bored of. The way you can handle or approach things in the game are so divers that you keep running into situations or play styles that you didn't experience before. This game, along with it's sequel Fallout 2, are in the top 5 of best pc games ever made, hands down! Hell, i'd even say top 3. There's only one gameseries that I can think of that is even better, and that's Baldur's gate 1+2. And Planescape Torment and The Elder scrolls 3: Morrowind also come close in my experience. Other than these, Fallout has absolutely no competition. With all the mediocre, mainstream multiplatform games being developed today, I think it is safe to say that games like these are no longer being developed. So get it while you can, and experience one of the biggest milestones in pc gaming history.
Too bad Baldur's gate 2 is not on gog yet. Because this is one of those rare occasions where the sequel is even better than the original. Which should not lower the credit for nr. 1. I actually consider both games as one package and to be simply the best rpg, even the best pc game ever made. This game is so darn good in all it's aspects, that it still makes the majority of rpg's made today look like childsplay, almost making a fool of them so to speak. No game has ever matched the pure epic scale of the BG series. No game has ever matched the deep thrilling story and atmosphere. No game has ever matched the deeply involving party system. No game has ever matched the combat system. And no game has ever matched the quality level of the voice acting and musical score. Even Bioware themselves don't seem to be able to best their own creation. If you compare their latest game, Dragonage, you can't help but conclude that it is a pretty good game, but still falls short on almost every aspect compared to the BG series. I encourage everyone who is even remotely interested in rpg's to try this. And to make it even more enjoyable you should download the widescreen mod, which can be used to make all infinity engine games run in widescreen mode.
