"The best RPG of all time? I think so"

Intro Everyone has heard of Baldur's Gate. An awesome game, but certainly with it's flaws. Also, it's very typical PCish gameplay frustrates many a console gamer. Yet no sane person could deny that the engine it runs on is pure gold, a beauteous work of art. So what would happen if Black Isle Studios, publisher of Baldur's Gate, were to take the Baldur's Gate engine, and make a game that would, heaven forbid, surpass it?

Gameplay I'll cut right to the good stuff. Those familiar with Baldur's Gate will feel right at home, though there are some changes. The most immediate is a completely revamped interface. Taking away the frame of commands, Planescape features a panel on the bottom of the screen showing the barebones commands. Items such as attack, items, spells, and more are hidden in a ring one can bring up at any time. While certainly with it's advantages, namely a larger view field, the Baldur's Gate system is personally more preferable to me. The class system in this game is also rather innovative. The main character can switch between the classes of Fighter, Mage, and Thief by talking to certain NPCs. The playable characters are all very unique in their equipment and special abilities. For example, the main character may use almost all weapons, where as most NPCs have specific weapons only they can use. Morte, the first character to join you, must use teeth. Armor is handled uniquely also. Helmets and shields don't exist, along with other standard equipment. Armor is always character specific. The main character and Morte cannot use any armor at all! The main character will have to use special rings and other magical items to help him out, but for the most part he'll be fine. Morte has a godly amount of AC and magic resistance, so he'll be fine usually too. Special abilities are a fun diversion as well. Characters will learn special abilities through special events that sometimes are not always part of the main quest. At the beginning, Morte will have a special ability called Litany of Curses, which will increase in power as he learns new insults. These are just brief examples of the gameplay here. I could go on forever, but I just want you to realize that this game is NOT standard fare. 10/10

Story
Incredible. I'll make everything as vague as possible. You are known only as The Nameless One. You wake up in the mortuary of the city of Sigil with no memory. Everything is a mystery except for some cryptic clues written on your back. A talking skull named Morte is right next to you. Together you escape. The characters in this game are downright awesome. Without giving anything away, I'll just say if you don't love one of the characters here, there is definitely something wrong with you. The world of Planescape is also unique. Sigil's nickname is ''The City of Doors''. Why? Simply because there are portals leading to other planes EVERYWHERE! You'll experience just a few of these planes in the course of this game, but you will NOT go away feeling unsatisfied. 10/10

Audio/Video

The voice acting in this game is incredible. They snagged some very talented people to bring these characters to life, and it shows. The music in this game is above-average, but nothing really memorable. Nonetheless, a few songs will bring out some indescribable emotion, that only music can create. Graphically this game is satisfactory. The characters are well defined, and the areas are often detailed, yet there is nothing truly remarkable here. One piece that stands out is you diary. As you progress through the game, PCs and NPCs will be added here with bios and a few beautiful CG pictures. 8/10

Replayability
Probably the games biggest weakness, though not much of one. The game is disturbingly short for a game related to Baldur's Gate. But we all know quality will beat quantity any day. Even if you only play through once you'll have your moneys worth. As far as replay goes however, it's a double edged sword. The ability to change your alignment, the multiple endings, the numerous awesome NPCs, and the INCREDIBLE amount of dialogue options can appear deceiving. While certainly adding to the replay, these very things can bring it down. The variations are often times subtle. Chances are you'll pick the NPCs you like the first time, so those others just don't appeal to you. The multiple endings are all VERY similar. So sadly, this game is generally a two timer at most. But that should be enough. 2/10

In the end, I love this game, so despite its faults, I'm gonna give it a 10 cause I'm completely biased. Hey, a reviews an opinion right? Anyways, I highly recommend this game to ANYONE. There is something there for you. You should be able to find it pretty cheap these days too. Have fun!

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 03/21/01, Updated 03/21/01