Troika Games - Gone But Not Forgotten

RetrospectiveGaming looks back at Troika Games:

Troika Games (1998-2004) - Gone But Not Forgotten

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Troika was quite possible the greatest game studio ever, at lease from a cRPG standpoint they are. Arcanum, ToEE, VtM:B -- three masterpieces, albeit buggy masterpieces, yet still masterpieces that still resonate today. Hell, they are still being *patched* today almost 20 years later. What does that tell you ?

If you would take the combat for ToEE and add it to Arcanum you would have one of the best cRPG's of all time.

Great games that will never be forgotten, and will be replayed for many years to come. Others could only hope for such a legacy.

Loved these guys and their creations. If only "Troika" had been founded at the same time that the kickstarter-craze took off, then they might still be going strong.

Does TOEE hold up against Arcanum and VTMB? I was under the impression is was more of a dungeon crawl?

Originally Posted by TheSnarkyShaman
Does TOEE hold up against Arcanum and VTMB? I was under the impression is was more of a dungeon crawl?

They just chose the wrong module imo. Story is pretty forgettable and you don't really have any motivation to do anything.

Still the game was a huge achievement because it had the best combat system ever made.

I'll always remember how Atari / Infogrames had treated them - and in the end us Europeans, too.

Ahh, Troika. They made only three games, but they made three classics. When I started making video wallpapers of some of my favorite games, the troika of Troika was near the top of the list: Arcanum, Bloodlines and The ToEE.

A short career perhaps, Troika, but you were batting a thousand.

Loved Arcanum & ToEE!
Detested Bloodlines.

2/3 is by far better than most of the studios that followed.

Originally Posted by Capt. Huggy Face
Ahh, Troika. They made only three games, but they made three classics. When I started making video wallpapers of some of my favorite games, the troika of Troika was near the top of the list: Arcanum, Bloodlines and The ToEE.

A short career perhaps, Troika, but you were batting a thousand.

Well it could of been four games if the developer didn't shut down.

All this reminiscing reminds me of Black Isle Studio, and their last canceled RPG.

Originally Posted by Wisdom
Detested Bloodlines

Well if you just played the original bug ridden version then I agree. Nowadays thanks to a few dedicated modders in the last few years the game lives up to it's full potential.

Originally Posted by Darkheart
They just chose the wrong module imo. Story is pretty forgettable and you don't really have any motivation to do anything.

Still the game was a huge achievement because it had the best combat system ever made.

But that's the joy and brilliance of it. It's like a real D&D "adventure". You assemble a party in search of glory, riches and treasure, and you happen to hear something about a temple nearby you may be able to exploit and explore. It's very organic and adventure-y.

I wish more CRPGs had "stories" like that. I don't need to know every detail about Joe Companions' life in every party-based RPG. There is room for different interpretations.

And Troika RPGs are amazing. One of my favorite RPG developers ever. Probably the most creative, unique and complex RPGs ever made. Not only in setting but mechanics as well.

I keep hoping and praying that a few of the fellows from Troika will band up and organize a kickstarter, and show everyone how it's done. They'd likely get a ton of money and we'd all benefit, in the end.

Originally Posted by TheSnarkyShaman
Does TOEE hold up against Arcanum and VTMB? I was under the impression is was more of a dungeon crawl?

There are some role-playing elements in ToEE, at least in the first third. After that it's pretty much a combat grind. Even with the nice turn-based combat system, it gets old toward the end.

Originally Posted by Wisdom
Loved Arcanum & ToEE!
Detested Bloodlines.

Bloodlines is the best of the three by far.

Bloodlines > Arcanum > ToEE for me

Originally Posted by Carnifex
I keep hoping and praying that a few of the fellows from Troika will band up and organize a kickstarter, and show everyone how it's done. They'd likely get a ton of money and we'd all benefit, in the end.

Well, 2/3rds of the Troika founders (Cain and Boyarsky) are already making an unannounced game at Obsidian. No Kickstarter needed apparently. Doubt it will live up to Troika standards. But time will tell.

I tried Arcanum years ago, but didn't care for it. Not a steampunk fan though. Never tried those other games, but obviously they have a lot of fans among old school rpgers.

when I see posts about these guys hope grows that something new related has happened or is about to happen!

Originally Posted by TheSnarkyShaman
Does TOEE hold up against Arcanum and VTMB? I was under the impression is was more of a dungeon crawl?

Yeah, I certainly found it boring. It supposedly has a very good TB system, but that doesn't do anything for me unless there are interesting characters, locations, storylines and so on.

Loved Arcanum though. Mediocre combat, fantastic setting.

Originally Posted by JDR13
Bloodlines is the best of the three by far.

Bloodlines > Arcanum > ToEE for me

For me it is Bloodlines>>ToEE and I only played Arcanum for few hours before I decided I didn't like it.