PCGamesN Top 15 PC RPGs

PCGamesN has published a list of what they consider the best, or at least among the best, PC RPGs of all times, and while I have to note that it seems to ignore anything that came before the late 90s, I have seen far worse lists.

The list includes (in no particular order): Anachronox, Arcanum, the Baldur’s Gate series, Dark Souls, Deus Ex, Fallout: New Vegas, the Mass Effect series, Mount & Blade: Warband, Planescape: Torment, Shadowrun Returns, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II, The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind, The Witcher 2, Torchlight II and Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines.

Given they call Planescape: Torment the best title in the list, I guess that’s what I’ll focus on with my excerpt:

1. Planescape: Torment

While this list is in no particular order, Planescape: Torment still deserves to be at the top. Black Isle Studios, the titans of Dungeons & Dragons CRPGs, turned convention on its head when they crafted this Planar adventure. There are no more typical fantasy races, morality is not defined, or is at least mutable, and every character attribute is tied to conversations and out of combat actions. It’s a game of philosophy and discovery rather than a monster slaying adventure.

(What can change the nature of a man?) is the question at the heart of Planescape: Torment. The Nameless One is an immortal amnesiac, living many lives, doing deeds terrible and great, changing the lives of those around him, often for the worst. Waking up on a mortuary slab, the mystery of his past propels the Nameless One through the Multiverse, one of the most bizarre settings of any RPG, where he deals with Gods, zealotic factions – like the Dustmen, a faction that believes life is a fleeting precursor to the ultimate existence: death – and mazes both mechanical and magical.

The ambition of Planescape: Torment would have been for naught were it not for the superb writing that accompanied it. Chris Avellone and Co penned a tale saturated with nuance and memorable characters that, even 14 years on, stands the test of time and has yet to be outdone.

It’s the only RPG where I can recall searching through the protagonist’s organs to find an important item, or where I allowed an NPC to kill me so that she could experience what it would be like to murder somebody. And all the while I wrestled with philosophical conundrums and questions of identity. If that all sounds a bit grisly and esoteric to you, then fret not, as the Nameless One is also accompanied by a floating, talking skull who is an unrepentant flirt, so it’s not all serious.

Buyer’s Guide: You can grab it on GOG.com, and it’s frequently on sale. It’s also worth using these mods and fixes.