Yes, here we go again.
This is not the thread to dispute which if any of the Holy Trinity here at RPG Codex isn't so holy in your opinion. It is established and carved-in-granite fact that Fallout, Planescape: Torment and Arcanum: Of Steamworks and Magicka Obscura are the three greatest computer roleplaying games of all time, at least as established by years -- no, decades -- of hard-fought and bloody conflict within these halls. Do not mock or defy that which has already been set forth before you.
Let us, rather, try to choose one of the three as rising above the others in your personal pantheon.
For, me, it's always been Fallout. Fallout was released first of the three, and it captured my imagination like no other game before it. I remember its bugs, I remember its quirkiness -- and its brown-ness -- but I remember it with fond admiration nevertheless.
Planescape: Torment certainly made an impression on me, but, like many of us here, it didn't de-throne Fallout despite its utter brilliance in design and execution. In fact, I've never completed PS:T to this day. Maybe, someday, I will.
Then there was Arcanum. This game was an absolute mess. It was so full of bugs on release that I recall abandoning it, hoping for patches to make its full playthrough a less painful venture. Oh, but what an incredibly imaginative and unique RPG it was.
I've recently started a fresh run of Arcanum. Using Drog's patch and knowing a little more what to expect out of the game this time, it's quickly forcing me to re-evaluate its position out of the top three in my mind. Fallout's place at the top might be in jeopardy, that's how impressive Arcanum's writing, dialog, reactivity, amazing openness, and general look and feel are.
Convince us why your choice of top dog belongs. What makes one of these three incredible games superior to the others in your view?
This is not the thread to dispute which if any of the Holy Trinity here at RPG Codex isn't so holy in your opinion. It is established and carved-in-granite fact that Fallout, Planescape: Torment and Arcanum: Of Steamworks and Magicka Obscura are the three greatest computer roleplaying games of all time, at least as established by years -- no, decades -- of hard-fought and bloody conflict within these halls. Do not mock or defy that which has already been set forth before you.
Let us, rather, try to choose one of the three as rising above the others in your personal pantheon.
For, me, it's always been Fallout. Fallout was released first of the three, and it captured my imagination like no other game before it. I remember its bugs, I remember its quirkiness -- and its brown-ness -- but I remember it with fond admiration nevertheless.
Planescape: Torment certainly made an impression on me, but, like many of us here, it didn't de-throne Fallout despite its utter brilliance in design and execution. In fact, I've never completed PS:T to this day. Maybe, someday, I will.
Then there was Arcanum. This game was an absolute mess. It was so full of bugs on release that I recall abandoning it, hoping for patches to make its full playthrough a less painful venture. Oh, but what an incredibly imaginative and unique RPG it was.
I've recently started a fresh run of Arcanum. Using Drog's patch and knowing a little more what to expect out of the game this time, it's quickly forcing me to re-evaluate its position out of the top three in my mind. Fallout's place at the top might be in jeopardy, that's how impressive Arcanum's writing, dialog, reactivity, amazing openness, and general look and feel are.
Convince us why your choice of top dog belongs. What makes one of these three incredible games superior to the others in your view?