Planescape: Torment was, is and, probably, will always be a very special kind of RPG. Some might argue, that it's just a brilliantly made story RPG that took the best qualities of cRPGs and jRPGs before it. It certainly is, but even today, more than ten years after it's release, it still has one important thing, that differentiates it from all other RPGs. It's a TALKING RPG. It is the only RPG out there where you get most experience (as in both xp and experience with the game) simply by having high non-fighting stats and knowing what you should say. The only D&D RPG where Wisdom and Charisma are the most important stats... But forget this technical stuff i just said. What you really need to know is what you get with this game with simple words, right? So, you get one of the greatest stories in videogames set in one of the most intriguing worlds in videogames, starring one of the most memorable characters and their voice actors in videogames. And no, i did not overuse the "best ever in videogames" line here. I underused it. Mind you, the game is definitely not perfect, and you sure have to *endure* and forgive some little things that look archaic. But Planescape: Torment was, is and will be golden standard of story-driven games. So... shake a leg!
Baldur's Gate was a revelation. It changed the way cRPG were played. And it still is great. So why not a perfect score? Well... When i first played Baldur's Gate a year before BG2 was released, i was blown away. The visuals, the music, the atmosphere. Active pause was a welcome change for me, since i didn't really like the usual turn-based system. I really liked the story, and as the years went and more RPGs came, i liked it even more. It had a non-"standard epic" feel to it. No "save the universe", no forced "chosen one" concept throughout the game up until the very end when the revelations come. It felt simple, more down-to-earth, yet "epic" in the best sense of it. And the characters... Is there a gamer on Earth who never heard someone quoting Minsc? If you ever play the game, you will be forever stuck with "heya! it's me, Imoen" in your head. Yes, it was sometimes annoying, but in the end, it was a part of a character. A character you loved or hated, but never forgot. So... you ask me again "why not perfect? you sound like you love the game". I sure do love it. But there is BG2. It's not "better" in the sense of story, or the characters, or music. No, it's simply different in these points. But in terms of visuals, in terms of interface it's much, much, much better. So in the end, i went with 4 simply because it's not as "fun" to use as the sequel or newer games. But is it worse? Hell no. For and RPG fan it still is a must. Especially, if the GoG version will be compatible with fan made mods, which allow you to play the original inside BG2 updated engine. So buy it, play it and don't forget to eat and sleep.
This very game in the middle of, let's call it, "McPherson trilogy" was the only game that got almost everything right. Post Mortem felt too slow and lacked atmosphere. Still Life 2 felt like a totally different game with "still life" name and characters simply slapped on it (though not a bad game, actually). But Still Life was on the right track to perfection. Right atmosphere, mixing grim reality and slightly supernatural themes. Right use of characters, their development and voice acting. Right use of music by Tom Salta (HAWX, Cold Fear and simple yet interesting works). Almost right pacing. And a really intriguing story. For a lot of people, Microids adventure needs Benoit Sokal. This game doesn't. While it may not be one of the best or innovative adventures ever, it certainly one of my personal favorites.
You're Serious Sam. You have Serious Weapons. To do some Serious Damage. And kick some Serious Butt. There you have it - the whole story and point of the game. Seriously. Sure, it becomes repetitive. And sometimes annoying. And you'll hate Marsh Hoppers. And you'll wish it had a simple "melee hit" l4d-like button. And it will be less interesting to play the game alone or without a co-op infinite respawn. Maybe, maybe. Oh, and you may definitely think, that you'd better buy an HD version for slightly more. But HD version is: a) more hardware demanding b) more "brownish" and less colorful c) needs Steam which is as awesome as it is sometimes bad. Oh, and while *slightly* more expensive, it's still *more* expensive. So, the best choice in my opinion? Buy both versions -_-
When i first bought Gobliiins pack because of my childhood memories of the games, i was afraid, i will be disappointed. After all, many years, filled with adventure games, have passed. What if Goblins games were not as fun and funny as i remembered them to be. The fact, that newer Goblins 4 game was a bit of a letdown didn't help either. But i was wrong. Well, partially wrong, anyway. Gobliiins does use an archaic and stupid "lives" system, and it doesn't help, that you rarely know if your actions will "hurt" goblins or not. The fact, that the game didn't have saves and instead used passwords, also makes the experience a bit annoying. Still, it's a very funny game that looks good even today. Now, the main game you should be interested in, is Gobliins 2. It got saves, lost "lives", got multi-screen levels and became even more fun and funny. And while you might be tempted to try the "talking" CD version, i advise you to play the floppy version. The "goblinish" language makes the game even funnier than it is on itself. Goblins quest 3 is also a good game. It's also best played in the floppy version variant and is also funny. But the problem with it is, that it's "puzzles" are more annoying, it's animations, while funny, are too long, so if you do something wrong, you'll spend several seconds just looking and the character doing something "funny". In the end, despite trying to be a better game than the first two, it's much less fun to play than the second game. But every game in the pack is worth trying, and even if it wasn't like that, Gobliins 2 would be worth it alone. No go and hit yourself in the head with a sausage, if you didn't buy the pack already.
