Preview:
Torn
The development team behind Planescape: Torment is getting ready to release the title Torn in the third quarter of this year. (It’s not polite to visibly disbelieve statements like this. Best to just grin and nod.) And while I have some reservations about this game, I’m looking forward to it.
Seeing the demo, I was unimpressed with the graphics. Right behind me was Neverwinter Nights with its beautiful 3D engine and Torn’s 3D looked pale in comparison. Textures and tiles were bland. Character animation was static. Some of the monster’s looked interesting but not spectacular. On the plus side, character interaction will all take place in real time as pop-up dialogue has been eliminated. As I assume the game is still under construction, I hope that it will look better upon release.
What excites me is that this is the team that made Planescape: Torment and from talking to one of the developers, Torn could have one of the most interesting storylines to come down the pike. Torn takes place in a fantasy world … well … torn be between two opposing factions represented both by gods and political factions. You are the chosen one (surprise!) and where Planescape’s action was psychological, exploring the interior ramifications of various choices, Torn has a more secular edge. You’ll have to navigate murky local politics in a noir-ish landscape of double crosses and suspicion.
For character creations, you’ll use a refined version of the S.P.E.C.I.A.L. system made popular by Fallout 1 and 2. Personally, I love this method of character creation as it is amazing flexible and provides an unmatched degree of customization. Now having it in a fantasy landscape (also see my preview on Arcanus) should be fun.
I ended up spending almost an hour with one of the developers, but still walked away not entirely sure what to expect from this game. There didn’t appear to be much eye-candy, but the RPG element is supposed to be deep, the storyline complex and innovative, and every quest will have multiple means of completion. I just didn’t get to see any of that. However, Planescape thrilled me like few games have and therefore I trust this team not to let me down. I don’t have a definite lock on what Torn will be, but my hopes are very, very high. I expect it to be a dark horse this year in Black Isle’s continuing bid for dominance of the RPG market.
Matt