What was the general reaction to PS:T when it was released?

[Texas Red]

Im wondering how did the gamers recieve PS:T. Where the forums asploding as they are with NWN 2? Did the game actually deliver what was promised? Where there many threads dedicated to complaining?

etc.

And how active were the forums of PS:T in the days of yore? Compare it with something.

 

[kingcomrade]

I remember skipping over the promotional video that came with some game I bought several times.

 

[obediah]

The most common reaction by far was a slight grimace at the ugly box art and then back to scanning the other games on the shelves.

 

[Volourn]

Gamers simply didn't care. The only ones who likely bought it all to give it a chance were likely either IE/BG1 who wnated another IE game or the uktra BIS fanboys (which were rather small in number relatively speaking).

 

[covr]

In Poland most of respected game magazines were delighted about PS:T. To this day most of them say that PS:T is one of the best games ever.

 

[Monolith]

I didn't have internet then and had to rely on game mags. I read PC Action back in those days, a German mag which was decent enough then, but is total bullshit today. Anyway, they had a review there, giving the game a 70-80% score I think. Could be above 80%, but I'm not sure. It was an interesting read, and I was a BG fanboy, but I thought the story was too cliche-ridden - amnesia and all . Well, in retrospect, the reviewer totally forgot to mention that the story was actually fucking fantastic. I didn't buy it then. Thanks to the review the game wasn't appealing enough.

 

[Nicolai]

Saw the awesome box. Bought it. Played it. Loved it.

 

[TalesfromtheCrypt]

PC Action fucking owns. Theyre as incompetent as the other bunch of Game Magazines, but at least they dont pretend to be "profesional journalist" and make a hell lot of fun out of what they do.

They interviews are hilarious. Example in an interview with Chris Taylor about Supreme Commander: "Your ideas and visions are enourmous, but how big is the "little chris"? " "30 centimeters".

As for PS:T: I read a few tests back then, but I didn't really care. I had a friend borrowing it to me, but I didn't get out of the mortuary.
Years later I bought it, played it loved it.

 

[Jasede]

PC Action >> your foreign shitty mags.

It's just as sloppily researched and the reviews blow, but at least it's funny. Damn funny.

 

[TalesfromtheCrypt]

PC Action >> your foreign shitty mags.

It's just as sloppily researched and the reviews blow, but at least it's funny. Damn funny.

Two idiots, one thought :wink:

 

[JarlFrank]

Pc Action totally owns. I just like the way how they make jokes. It's so.... Codex-like.

 

[TalesfromtheCrypt]

Pc Action totally owns. I just like the way how they make jokes. It's so.... Codex-like.

Yeah, to bad they dont have the critical and cynical attitude towards new games like the codex.

They are as mindless hype bitches as the others, but as I said before: If I can get a funny incompetent magazine, and a "we are serious journalists" incompetent magazine, I take the former.

 

[Monolith]

I prefer none. And they aren't funny. Just desperately trying. Remind me too much of all those l0lz Counter Strike Clan fags. L0lz, I asked him about the length of his dick! Oh well, to each his own...

 

[denizsi]

I used to buy native gaming mags at the time and all the preview articles were full of excitement and anticipation towards it, and for the right reasons, like the amount of text to read.

 

[RGE]

I had previously bought the AD&D Planescape box at half price, because it sported the Diablo font and seemed to be exotic enough to be interesting. So when PS:T came out I at least knew what to expect of the setting, and it didn't disappoint me. I loathe the IE though, and never managed to finish either BG, or even IWD. So I got PS:T despite all that, and despite the ugly box cover, and despite the game forcing me to play a guy who looked like an oafish caveman. I got it because of the setting, and the setting is why I liked it. All that philosphical mumbo didn't stick, because I'm shallow. I'm also not much of a gamer, so I guess my opinion doesn't really matter.

 

[Antagonist]

Well, my experience is similar to Nicolai's. I actually bought Torment when it was first released, but up until then I've actually never heard of it before. I was standing in a software store and was looking for nothing in particular when the box cover caught my eye (in a positive way) as it looked so utterly out of place among the more generic boxes. So I took it into my hands, saw the great artwork in the screenshots and decided to buy this one immediatly (to my luck it was the english version). Watching the incredibly atmospheric introduction sequence promised a great experience and the mortuary delivered. After half an hour I was in complete love with the game, especially the setting and the characters (there are not many games which have unique and interesting zombies). The first playthrough is something I still remember as one of my best gaming experiences ever.

 

[Voss]

Most of the interest in it came from D&D players who were familiar with Planescape (many of whom were disappointed, since it made such limited use of the planescape setting) and some carry over from the IE games.

 

[Chinese Jetpilot]

I bypassed it once I saw the godawful box. My opinion was reinforced by the preview trailer included within one of the Baldur's Gate games. Once I saw some goofy characters walking around (especially the one in Jasede's avatar), I quickly skipped it and never gave it a second thought until I read the buzz on RPGAY sites.

 

[Lumpy]

Box and character animations? Right...
What was so bad about its box anyway? That there wasn't a knight in shiny armor?

 

[Jasede]

It looked fucking ugly. Don't deny it. Actually, the "artwork" wasn't that bad, but people just don't buy boxes with a zombie staring at them with things in his hair. That's people for you.

 

[Antagonist]

That's the sole reason I bought it in the first place :shock:

 

[Jasede]

I said people, not Antagonist.

 

[Chinese Jetpilot]

Box and character animations? Right...
What was so bad about its box anyway? That there wasn't a knight in shiny armor?

For fuck's sake, it was a blue guy with dreadlocks. At least I would have had a general idea of what the game was about if it had a knight in shiny armor on the cover.

And I wasn't really referring to character animations (thought it may have sounded that way), but the characters themselves. If you didn't know anything about the game, some of them look downright goofy.

 

[Kotario]

The lovely Planescape: Torment cover, for reference.

 

[Nedrah]

Actually I'd be pretty likely to at least have a look at it with that cover, if I saw it standing at the shelves now. Of course I might be slightly biased.