Bioware working on Jade Empire 2?

[mkreku]

Jade Empire SE was a disappointment. First part was OK, the middle was good.. but then it all just fell down to worthless. Last parts of the game was just so.. unfinished, unbalanced and boring. I can't understand how people can rate this so highly.

 

Will be interesting to see what Bioware will turn into now though. What kind of effect will EA have on the upcoming games?

[Musopticon?]

Badoom-Badoom Kaduch.

I so want a place named this now.

[Slowtrain]

What is the gameplay of Jade Empire like? For some reason, I have always thought of it as very Diablo-esque and so never even considered playing it. I don't own a console, I never really paid much attention to it, other than make some odd association with Diablo/Dungeon Siege-style gameplay.

[Volourn]

"unfinished, unbalanced and boring. I can't understand how people can rate this so highly."

 

Unbalanced, i agree with, because of acouple of abilities make it a cakewalk.

 

Boring, matter of opinion, but nah I disagree.

 

Unfinished, i disagree. It is finished. You may not like it; but it's most certainly not unfinished. Why do people tend to claim things unfinioshed simply because they're dissapointed/dislike it? It's silly. It smells of a cop out. If you don't it; you don't like it. Nothing really wrong with that.

 

 

"What is the gameplay of Jade Empire like? For some reason, I have always thought of it as very Diablo-esque and so never even considered playing it. I don't own a console, I never really paid much attention to it, other than make some odd association with Diablo/Dungeon Siege-style gameplay."

 

Nothing like that, at all. It's real time and while character stats do matter; player skill is really important which is logical since it is an (Action) RPG. You most cetrainly cna't watch the combat ala DS or else you'd be killed. And, it share little in common with Diablo combat. One of the best aspects (outside of certain mini games) of JE's combat is it isn't as combat intensive as other BIO games like the BG series, NWN series, or ME. It rarely spams unneccesary combat to be sure. Combat is fun; but isn't super deep though you cna't just click, click, click the attack button and expect to win. That's for sure.

Edited January 2, 2008 by Volourn

[Kaftan Barlast]

Jade Empire SE was a disappointment. First part was OK, the middle was good.. but then it all just fell down to worthless. Last parts of the game was just so.. unfinished, unbalanced and boring. I can't understand how people can rate this so highly.

 

And I cant understand how you can enjoy the Gothic games

[Volourn]

Gothic 3 was fun (until it became a chore of boredome). the first two ar ebig piles of overrated crap poo akin to ES (but a tad better)...

[Sand]

Everyone has varying tastes in games it seems as it should be. I liked JE and look forward to a sequel.

[Pop]

What is the gameplay of Jade Empire like? For some reason, I have always thought of it as very Diablo-esque and so never even considered playing it. I don't own a console, I never really paid much attention to it, other than make some odd association with Diablo/Dungeon Siege-style gameplay.

It's built off of rock-paper-scissors. You've got weak fast attacks that beat strong attacks, strong attacks that beat blocking, and blocking, which beats the weak fast attacks. In real-time, at first it's somewhat exciting and fresh, but after about an hour or two, you realize how incredibly simple it all is. You just spam weak attacks until they block, at which point you throw a strong attack. They add in "support styles", which are the same as normal attacks except instead of doing damage they debilitate the enemy, but the spamming element stays the same.

[Volourn]

L0L The word 'spamming' is a nice touch to make the combat seem worst/more simplt than it is ala FO's combat is simply shots to the head until the enemey dies. L0L

 

p.s. It may not have been your intent; but that's what I read when I see combat + spamming.

[Slowtrain]

What is the gameplay of Jade Empire like? For some reason, I have always thought of it as very Diablo-esque and so never even considered playing it. I don't own a console, I never really paid much attention to it, other than make some odd association with Diablo/Dungeon Siege-style gameplay.

It's built off of rock-paper-scissors. You've got weak fast attacks that beat strong attacks, strong attacks that beat blocking, and blocking, which beats the weak fast attacks. In real-time, at first it's somewhat exciting and fresh, but after about an hour or two, you realize how incredibly simple it all is. You just spam weak attacks until they block, at which point you throw a strong attack. They add in "support styles", which are the same as normal attacks except instead of doing damage they debilitate the enemy, but the spamming element stays the same.

 

 

Is there dialouge and stuff? If so is it like Diablo's "dialogue" or something closer to The Witcher or Fallout?

 

Beyond combat what else is there in the game?

[Tigranes]

To be fair, JE combat *is* spamming. I mean, you can debate that other games have the same type of spamming, which is fair enough, but the majority of combat in JE, especially since its pretty easy on normal difficulty, involves pressing the same button (or two) a lot then picking up the big glowing balls that fall from dead enemies.

 

I thought the basic mechanic was a decent idea and had promise, but it let itself down by being a bit *too* simple; not only do you require no targeting, the entire game you are stuck with the same paper-scissors-rock principle and just gain a few transformations and whatnot to make a difference. If the combat gameplay had had a couple of twists to it and was a bit harder, I think it might well have been quite enjoyable.

[Kaftan Barlast]

When it comes to Beat Em Up's the official expression is "button mashing", and apparently it's hard to counter-design. The latest game like that I played was Heavenly Sword and even though its brand new, button mashing is an excellent strategy unless you play on the hardest difficulty. JE's combat wasnt much compared to one-on-one games like Tekken, but it must have taken a humongous effort to make the old NWN engine do all that. Hopefully, JE2's combat will be more advanced and varied.

 

Still, I didnt mind the fighting in JE. If you only think about wining as fast as possible, you can just whore stuff like Golem Form, but its much more fun to play with the opponent using a mixture of martial styles.

 

 

What is the gameplay of Jade Empire like? For some reason, I have always thought of it as very Diablo-esque and so never even considered playing it. I don't own a console, I never really paid much attention to it, other than make some odd association with Diablo/Dungeon Siege-style gameplay.

It's built off of rock-paper-scissors. You've got weak fast attacks that beat strong attacks, strong attacks that beat blocking, and blocking, which beats the weak fast attacks. In real-time, at first it's somewhat exciting and fresh, but after about an hour or two, you realize how incredibly simple it all is. You just spam weak attacks until they block, at which point you throw a strong attack. They add in "support styles", which are the same as normal attacks except instead of doing damage they debilitate the enemy, but the spamming element stays the same.

 

Is there dialouge and stuff? If so is it like Diablo's "dialogue" or something closer to The Witcher or Fallout?

 

Beyond combat what else is there in the game?

 

 

have you never played a BioWare game or have you've been sleeping under a rock since 2005? JE is essentially Kotor in a Pseudo-chinese setting, and it contains everything a normal BW game does; romance, quests, etc. It's like youre asking if Crysis has guns.

Edited January 3, 2008 by Kaftan Barlast

[mkreku]

Unfinished, i disagree. It is finished. You may not like it; but it's most certainly not unfinished. Why do people tend to claim things unfinioshed simply because they're dissapointed/dislike it? It's silly. It smells of a cop out. If you don't it; you don't like it. Nothing really wrong with that.

I don't care what you choose to call it, but my point still stands: the latter parts of Jade Empire lacks dialogue, story and narrative (compared to the first part of the game). It's just jumpy combat scenario after jumpy combat scenario until you reach the end boss and kill it in three hits with the Jade golem.

 

The combat is just a matter of pressing jump a lot and hitting two other buttons (hit fast or hit hard). If there's a shield, hit hard, otherwise hit fast. Something like that. I forget. Very forgettable, repetitive and tactic-less. There's also no inventory and no paper-doll to dress up, just a weapon (that you never have to change) and some crystals.

 

The entire game is also very American in its style: very polished and "flawless" but cookie-cutter and without surprises and/or anything out of the ordinary.

[~Di]

What is the gameplay of Jade Empire like? For some reason, I have always thought of it as very Diablo-esque and so never even considered playing it. I don't own a console, I never really paid much attention to it, other than make some odd association with Diablo/Dungeon Siege-style gameplay.

 

I had always thought it was a simple fight game... kind of like "arena wars" or something. Fair enough, there's a lot of fighting... martial arts (choose a style!), weapon (sword or staff), and even magic if you like it (fire or ice). I found the fighting actually fun as I learned to roll away, block, do backflips, etc. You don't have an inventory as such, so you don't run around looking for armor or spiffy weapons or pawnable stuff, so it's not particularly Diabloest at all. It is quite linear, though, and the reason is because it tells a very deep and (for me) engrossing story. I hadn't expected that, nor had I expected the plot twist that made me spit coffee on my keyboard!

 

You also take on a motley crew of companions (you can only take one at a time, but can switch on the fly) with interesting backstories and personalities.

 

All in all, I thought it great fun. The combat was more fun for me than combat usually is (although the flying mini-games made me nuts!), the companions were a hoot, and the story really sucked me in, since for me a great story is the key to a really enjoyable RPG. Obviously, not everyone liked JE... but I did.

 

Edit: just saw your last post. Yep, lots of dialogue, lots of choices on whether to be good (Open Palm), not-so-good (Closed Fist), treat your companions kindly or not, romances if you want, the usual fun stuff. Bright and colorful, fun Chinese-style music, an Easter Egg place where you can earn more of your "skills". No real blood and guts all over the monitor, but a fun romp all the same. (That's not to say there weren't some gut-wrenching scenes and personal loss in the story; there was plenty of emotional impact)

Edited January 3, 2008 by ~Di

[Slowtrain]

When it comes to Beat Em Up's the official expression is "button mashing", and apparently it's hard to counter-design. The latest game like that I played was Heavenly Sword and even though its brand new, button mashing is an excellent strategy unless you play on the hardest difficulty. JE's combat wasnt much compared to one-on-one games like Tekken, but it must have taken a humongous effort to make the old NWN engine do all that. Hopefully, JE2's combat will be more advanced and varied.

 

Still, I didnt mind the fighting in JE. If you only think about wining as fast as possible, you can just whore stuff like Golem Form, but its much more fun to play with the opponent using a mixture of martial styles.

 

 

What is the gameplay of Jade Empire like? For some reason, I have always thought of it as very Diablo-esque and so never even considered playing it. I don't own a console, I never really paid much attention to it, other than make some odd association with Diablo/Dungeon Siege-style gameplay.

It's built off of rock-paper-scissors. You've got weak fast attacks that beat strong attacks, strong attacks that beat blocking, and blocking, which beats the weak fast attacks. In real-time, at first it's somewhat exciting and fresh, but after about an hour or two, you realize how incredibly simple it all is. You just spam weak attacks until they block, at which point you throw a strong attack. They add in "support styles", which are the same as normal attacks except instead of doing damage they debilitate the enemy, but the spamming element stays the same.

 

Is there dialouge and stuff? If so is it like Diablo's "dialogue" or something closer to The Witcher or Fallout?

 

Beyond combat what else is there in the game?

 

 

have you never played a BioWare game or have you've been sleeping under a rock since 2005? JE is essentially Kotor in a Pseudo-chinese setting, and it contains everything a normal BW game does; romance, quests, etc. It's like youre asking if Crysis has guns.

 

Have you ever slept under a rock? No? Well, then mock not what ye donst understand, knave. As long as the rock isn't too heavy, it's rather nice.

 

 

And no, I haven't plaed a bioware game since BG2, which was well prior to 2005. So up yours baby!

[Tigranes]

I get what you mean Kaftan, but even when I didn't try to beat the opponent as fast as possible, and just fooled around using different styles, I didn't feel that they made a whole lot of difference. I am sure this is one area they will look to expand on in JE2, though.

 

CrashGirl, the core gameplay is still like KOTOR (except for the combat); there's dialogue, there's wandering around, taking quests, and all that.

[Slowtrain]

What is the gameplay of Jade Empire like? For some reason, I have always thought of it as very Diablo-esque and so never even considered playing it. I don't own a console, I never really paid much attention to it, other than make some odd association with Diablo/Dungeon Siege-style gameplay.

 

I had always thought it was a simple fight game... kind of like "arena wars" or something. Fair enough, there's a lot of fighting... martial arts (choose a style!), weapon (sword or staff), and even magic if you like it (fire or ice). I found the fighting actually fun as I learned to roll away, block, do backflips, etc. You don't have an inventory as such, so you don't run around looking for armor or spiffy weapons or pawnable stuff, so it's not particularly Diabloest at all. It is quite linear, though, and the reason is because it tells a very deep and (for me) engrossing story. I hadn't expected that, nor had I expected the plot twist that made me spit coffee on my keyboard!

 

You also take on a motley crew of companions (you can only take one at a time, but can switch on the fly) with interesting backstories and personalities.

 

All in all, I thought it great fun. The combat was more fun for me than combat usually is (although the flying mini-games made me nuts!), the companions were a hoot, and the story really sucked me in, since for me a great story is the key to a really enjoyable RPG. Obviously, not everyone liked JE... but I did.

 

Edit: just saw your last post. Yep, lots of dialogue, lots of choices on whether to be good (Open Palm), not-so-good (Closed Fist), treat your companions kindly or not, romances if you want, the usual fun stuff. Bright and colorful, fun Chinese-style music, an Easter Egg place where you can earn more of your "skills". No real blood and guts all over the monitor, but a fun romp all the same. (That's not to say there weren't some gut-wrenching scenes and personal loss in the story; there was plenty of emotional impact)

 

Hi Di!

 

Thanks for the great post. I appreciate the info. I may give it a spin when I am done with The Witcher.

 

Have you played The Witcher yet, Di?

[~Di]

Hi Di!

 

Thanks for the great post. I appreciate the info. I may give it a spin when I am done with The Witcher.

 

Have you played The Witcher yet, Di?

 

No, I haven't. In fact, I've been a bit ambivalent about whether or not to try it. Reviews are rather mixed, and I've heard that it's definitely a "guy" game, since women in the game world are only there to insult or have sex with. That would annoy me. Also, I've heard there were performance issues. Some say that it really requires 2 gig of RAM (I only have 1 gig), has horrendous loading times, impossible frame rates, etc. You have any problems like that?

 

Oh, FYI if you do try JE... "Leaping Tiger", baby! The best martial arts style by far!

Edited January 3, 2008 by ~Di

[Slowtrain]

Hi Di!

 

Thanks for the great post. I appreciate the info. I may give it a spin when I am done with The Witcher.

 

Have you played The Witcher yet, Di?

 

No, I haven't. In fact, I've been a bit ambivalent about whether or not to try it. Reviews are rather mixed, and I've heard that it's definitely a "guy" game, since women in the game world are only there to insult or have sex with. That would annoy me. Also, I've heard there were performance issues. Some say that it really requires 2 gig of RAM (I only have 1 gig), has horrendous loading times, impossible frame rates, etc. You have any problems like that?

 

 

Yes, its most definitely a guy game in that sense. No question. Although not in the same league as Bloodlines. But it doesn't really get in the way of the game since most of that guy stuff is sorta off to the side as little mini-quests with no payoff except sex with somebody (not even token XP) so you can pretty much take it or leave it. Sometimes you get the option as sex for payment instead of money, but money is so scarce that it is really is a no-brainer to always take the cash. And Geralt, the player character, absolutely doesn't have to be played like a **** if you don't want to. A lot of the dialouge interaction is fairly thoughtful. I consider it all several cuts above what I am used to seeing in crpgs as far as story and dialogue goes for the most part.

 

 

Performance would be something to consider certainly. I do have 2 gigs of RAM and a pretty high spec system and run the game at 1280*1024 with everything maxed except AA which is off. I definitely drop some frames in some of the big areas with a lot of NPCS ropaming around. However, it runs better for me than exterior Oblivion does at 1024*768 with not all options maxed. The last patch helped a great deal with loading times and seemed to smooth out some issues. The game itself is fairly bug-free for me.

 

Given the scarcity of PC crpgs on the market I would definitely recommend giving it a try if you feel like you can risk $50 on the chance that it might not run very well on your system.

[Hurlshort]

The Witcher will run terribly on 1 gig or Ram. I had 1.5 gigs and ended up using its performance to justify an entirely new rig.

[Slowtrain]

Buy more RAM, Di! It's cheap as dirt compared to what it once cost.

[Pop]

I get what you mean Kaftan, but even when I didn't try to beat the opponent as fast as possible, and just fooled around using different styles, I didn't feel that they made a whole lot of difference. I am sure this is one area they will look to expand on in JE2, though.

 

CrashGirl, the core gameplay is still like KOTOR (except for the combat); there's dialogue, there's wandering around, taking quests, and all that.

That's one of the big problems I had with JE, besides the fact that the game was horribly unbalanced (max out the Toad Demon and spam jumping strong attacks and you're set to beat the game unhindered) was the fact that there just wasn't a lot of variety. It was as bad (no, worse) than Oblivion, especially with the characters. Try as you might, all the different "character types" ended up exactly the same not too far into the game. It's the main reason I didn't care to play through it again upon completion.

[Gromnir]

je were not Gromnir's cup o' kool-aid... never finished. didn't like combat, and other than henpecked hou, the cast o' characters did not appeal to us.

 

...

 

je were set in world based on quasi-chinese mythology game, plus some other assorted asian influences. kewl. sounds neato and different. sadly, the setting were too much and not enough. the kill bill flicks managed to combine camp and martial arts and some serious moments o' cinematic drama. seemed like je were trying to do something similar. were so cliche chinese martial arts as to be campy... but usually it felt as if it were taking self serious... and the serious and dramatic je moments just fell kinda flat.

 

didn't like shallow JE rules set, and the action-rpg combat elements were too twitchy... and while we liked ME 'nuff to endure such stuff, we didn't manage to overcome those shortcomings in JE.

 

but you know what? unlike with movies, sequels in games is usually superior to the original... 'least for Gromnir. is not always mechwarrior 1 v. mechwarrior 2 extreme, but sequels usually improve multiple flaws o' the original offering.

 

if je2 were to improve on je as much as bio improved on bg with bg2.... well then, we would probably become as big a je fan as is vol... without his borderline autism.

 

HA! Good Fun!

[theslug]

i like u gromnir (:

[Pop]

Truth be told, I too wouldn't mind seeing a sequel. It'd have to be a pretty major overhaul in most all elements of the game, though.