1. Planescape: Torment
Yes, I know.
Never going to happen. I get it. But, I have to say it. I'm not going to waste my time or yours explaining what Planescape: Torment is/was. Suffice it to say, it's on every list of the best PC games ever made for a reason. And, it's in this list for the same reason, Planescape: Torment took the fantasy RPG genre and shut it down. Black Isle Studios took every single element of fantasy RPG gameplay and story that we take for granted and threw it the hell out. Why? Because, it was good sport? Because some men just want to watch the (fictional) world burn? No, because they just wanted to make something that actually had "fantasy" in it, instead of something that had the label "fantasy" but was really just a rip off of the Lord of the Rings world. The game was unique in every single fashion imaginable, and created a format from which RPGs still build their core mechanics, characters, and stories. The universe created by the game defied everything we know about time, space, and logic by rewriting all of the rules in a new language. OK, I'm done. You want to see it, just buy it at
Good Old Games, and play it for yourself. There isn't any point trying to describe it.
How The Sequel Could Work...
That's a hard question. The story of Ps:T was built around a single character and his search for self understanding. In many ways, the world in which the game takes place was designed to fit the player character, not the other way around. So, how can you rebuild it? Well, do exactly that. Ps:T takes place in a world that is supposed to not be restricted by the same rules of reality as ours. It's a place that is ever changing. Since time and space aren't a factor, the developers could all but rebuild the world in whatever way they saw fit, leaving only hints of the past, as echoes for players of the original game. One thing that would be an absolutely must for changes, though is a switch to isometric views. Torment came out in a time when 2d worlds were seen from a top-down point of view that allowed designers to build worlds in sprites. It gave the player a sense of the world, but removed them at the same time. a newer version of the game, utilizing newer technologies could use an first person perspective to truly immerse us in the "world" of Planescape.