We can call them separate entities. Torment is not known for its gameplay but story and dialogue mainly. On the other hand, ARPGs are all about gameplay. I am also sucker for good stories but AP doesn't shine even there, which is strange considering MCA involvement.
I'm including the entire narrative as "story", not just the "terrorists and government conspiracy" basic plot outline. I thoroughly enjoyed the story and, on a second playthrough, was quite surprised by the changes and some of the twists I'd missed; the branching complexity is virtually unmatched and I appreciate that.
For an open-ended sandbox RPG, Morrowind presented a beautiful n strange world right off the bat. Combat wasn't good, but questing and exploration was immensely fun. The point of bringing Morrowind on the discussion table was mainly to illustrate how it enticed me to play further right after I stepped out of Sellus Gravius' office. I wasn't required to trudge for some some more hours to see how the game magically becomes 'good' later on.
I'm not out to put down Morrowind (I can understand the attraction) but my point is I
did trudge for hours, until it finally became tolerable when I'd cast enough fireballs against a hill to ameliorate the combat, so I could focus more on the exploration. Getting away from that, the first dungeon in BG2 is snore-inducing, the first dungeon in Div Div is likewise ridiculous and PS:T was slow until I met Pharod. Yet, I loved them in the end.
All that said, I can respect your position - I've certainly given games away that might have gotten better "later".
By the way, since you aren't a fanboy, I am interested to know your views on combat n stealth mechanics of AP.
I found the combat serviceable; it's clearly well short of the best standard - but none of the those games offer the branching that AP does. In spite of the flaws, the skill progressions work fairly well and my favoured combination - stealth + pistol - was reasonably satisfying. Bear in mind, I'm not much of an action gamer, so perhaps my standards aren't the same.
Stealth just isn't light based - it's hiding behind an object to block the line of sight. It's a simple model but once you get over the fact that it isn't a sophisticated light/shadow simulation system, it works fine. The magic invisibility skills are less creative than I would have liked, but again, they provide a reasonable RPG progression.
For me, this combination was more varied and interesting than the more polished but repetitive snipe-from-cover-wackamole using dull weapons of ME2.