Shut up and Play the Game

I've been traversing through Planescape Torment in recent weeks and, whilst I haven't got far, the game itself is proving to be engaging. It's making me pay attention to the dialogue and my journal - where I've previously skipped over in other games - so that must account for something.

But somehow I can see a problem: The writing may be top-notch but the combat is kinda dull. It is more or less like thwacking people over the head than actual life-threatening combat. If anything, the lame combat somehow makes the many kills The Nameless One racked up seem difficult to swallow.
Now that I think of it, the combat seems more like an afterthought, behind the massive effort gone into the writing. I heard that it is possible to talk your way out of certain situations and, true or not, it suggests that maybe the combat wasn't the intent of the game.

But strangely, a decade plus on, Planescape Torment is still a highly regarded game, beloved by fans and critics and still acknowledged as one of the finest games ever made. This makes an interesting point considering the many games that have been condemned for having too much story and not enough game. Metal Gear Solid 4 and Final Fantasy 13 have both copped it for trying to tell a story whilst involving the player as little as possible. And yet we praise games that do the same thing: To the Moon requires the player to do little more then push the protagonists forward in the narrative and yet it's hailed as having an emotional effect on the player. Indeed, you could make the same argument for Planescape in that for the eternal search of finding more and more about the Nameless One and recovering his memories, all the player is doing is pushing him from one revelation to another.

So how much can a story-strong/gameplay-weak get away with it? Such games have had a rancid reputation throughout gaming history (Sega CD anyone?) so how can a game like To the Moon can do the same thing and still be highly regarded? I guess it all comes down to the story: it must be compelling and and must require at least some involvement with the player. Because, unlike a book or a movie, the medium of gaming is unique in that requires participation from the audience. So it would seem a story-strong/gameplay-weak game can succeed if the story was engaging enough and the involvement from the player is clearly defined.

But to have uninspiring combat in an RPG is problematic. Granted it is nearly a prerequisite for modern RPGs to have a damn good story but how many RPGs have managed to achieve that balance between engaging story and engaging gameplay? Mass Effect? Jade Empire?

Still this is but the first few steps into the world of Planescape Torment. i have yet to leave Sigil so whether or not things will get better has yet to be seen....