Bioware working on Jade Empire 2?

[Spider]

I would say that JE's combat is pretty much to Ninja Gaiden as what Fallout's combat is to Jagged Alliance. Similar mechanics at a superficial glance, but one is extremely simple and somewhat poorly executed while the other is quite complex with many nuances.

 

(or something like that. having not actually played Ninja Gaiden I could be completely off with the comparison, but substitute with Tekken and it works decently)

 

This not to say JE's combat is necessarily bad. I actually thought it was rather fun. Simple and not exactly varied, but kinda fun. Most fights were on fairly easy (although there were a few that had reloading a lot). In fact, I'd even say the combat is the best part of the game.

 

The writing on the other hand is pretty bland. When it comes to the companions that are thrown on you it's even downright awful. I don't remember the last time I played a cRPG where I wanted my companions to just shut the frak up so I could get back to the fighting. I did in JE. Uninteresting, overwritten and just simply boring.

 

The rest of the dialogue in the game was decent enough, but not particularly exciting. Not offensive either, just mediocre.

 

But the combat was kinda fun (and is what got me to actually finish the game).

[Tigranes]

Indeed Pop/Grom, I think JE2 would improve on JE; I hope it's in areas I personally found wanting. I will give JE2 a go once it comes out, probably by borrowing a 360 for a week or so. Got to do that with ME sometime, too.

 

Spider: I've played Ninja Gaiden... I guess you could make that comparison. But there's a huge huge gulf inbetween them, sort of like between Pong and FIFA Soccer 2008.

 

I hardly remember any interesting or good things about JE dialogue. The only parts that I found worth mentioning afterwards were a couple of Henpecked Hou's quips, and the European explorer you get to talk to.

[Spider]

Spider: I've played Ninja Gaiden... I guess you could make that comparison. But there's a huge huge gulf inbetween them, sort of like between Pong and FIFA Soccer 2008.

 

Sounds about right then.

[Volourn]

I cna't believe people think JE's writing and dialogue are worse than other BIO games. It's leagues above eitehr BG game espicially BG1. It's superior to NWN, and KOTOR as well. No doubt about it.

[Sand]

Making a game that has better writing than the NWN1's OC doesn't take too much.

[Xard]

I cna't believe people think JE's writing and dialogue are worse than other BIO games. It's leagues above eitehr BG game espicially BG1. It's superior to NWN, and KOTOR as well. No doubt about it.

 

NWN1's and BG1's writing is absolutely horrible. I hate BG1.

 

But better than Kotor?

 

Nah, no way.

[Volourn]

Nah. It's writing, while not the best, is underrated.

[Tale]

I refuse to believe that Jade Empire's writing was better than Baldur's Gate II's. If simply for the scenario writing, alone.

[Darth Drabek]

I refuse to believe that Jade Empire's writing was better than Baldur's Gate II's. If simply for the scenario writing, alone.

 

Apologies to the writers (and delusional Volo), but JE's writing wasn't even close to BG2. Ditto for the voice acting.

 

Look, I liked Jade Empire. I liked it enough to play through it twice, which a lot of people here haven't done. I thought the art direction and animations were fantastic, and I thought the combat was fun, if a little unbalanced. I really enjoyed the main plot, especially the sections in the Lotus Academy and Dirge. In fact, thought the main story arc was written well. It's the party members I have a problem with.

 

The supporting cast just seemed incredibly weak. Spider is dead on -- it's rare that The Protagonist sets off on an epic quest with such a bland set of companions. How is it that in BG2 deciding which five NPCs you wanted to take with you was like pulling teeth, and in JE I had a hard time picking one groupie to stroll around Bio's beautiful world with me?

 

Even the romance interests were boring. Seriously, BG2 had three romances that were much more compelling than any of the ones in Jade. Yes, even Aerie.

 

(I have heard rumors that you can have an ahem, "mano-a-mano" relationship with Sky, Jade Empire's dashing rogue. I haven't personally tried this, so I can't comment on the quality of this alleged "romance.")

 

Dawn Star showed more personality in the credits than she did the entire game. Sagacious Zu? That was a character with potential, but the finished product completely underwhelmed me. I got the "dangerous loner with a mysterious past" when I was hoping for so much more. I did enjoy the little girl/two demons dynamic of the Wild Flower NPC. The Black Whirlwind was over-the-top comic relief, the Princess was shallow, and the rest were forgettable.

 

All that may sound harsh, but Jade is still one of my favorite games on the Xbox, and I'll be purchasing the sequel when it's done. Another reason to be glad I bought a 360.

[Tigranes]

Volo, if it helps, I wasn't comparing it to prev. BIO games: that opens a whole new can of worms. I just thought JE's writing was decidedly colourless and unmemorable.

 

Got to mention though, that I liked the looks of Jade Empire. They had about five thousand times too much bloom, and took a bit too much from Supercolourful Disney World of China, but still.

 

Heh, I can just imagine. Black Whirlwind and Henchpeck Hou + JE graphics + Disney storyline would fit in so well.

[Kaftan Barlast]

I liked JE alot more than Baldur's Gate 2, especially when you got to try and find a husband for the local triad she-boss

 

 

 

...and to have John Cleese do voice acting in a game?! Beyond awesome.

[Tale]

Baldur's Gate had Megatron!

[Pop]

You have messed up priorities and odd taste.

[Humodour]

I cna't believe people think JE's writing and dialogue are worse than other BIO games. It's leagues above eitehr BG game espicially BG1. It's superior to NWN, and KOTOR as well. No doubt about it.

 

NWN1's and BG1's writing is absolutely horrible. I hate BG1.

 

But better than Kotor?

 

Nah, no way.

 

BG1 was brilliant. It was everything it purported to be and didn't pretentiously try to be anything more, unlike BG2 and NWN1,

 

But yeah KOTOR1 rocked.

[Kaftan Barlast]

Baldur's Gate had Megatron!

 

 

REALLI??!!

 

 

 

 

 

...Baldur's Gate 1 was just a boring hack n slasher

[Volourn]

"The Black Whirlwind was over-the-top comic relief"

 

L0L Minsc L0L

 

 

"But better than Kotor?

 

Nah, no way."

 

Better. Easily. KOTOR is easily BIO's most overrated game. By far. JE, and NWN are tied for BIO's most underraqted games.

 

The cool thing is that NWN has it's revenge for by being BIO's most *successful* game.

 

 

R00fles!

[Tale]

Baldur's Gate had Megatron!

 

 

REALLI??!!

 

 

 

 

 

...Baldur's Gate 1 was just a boring hack n slasher

Xzar was voiced by Frank Welker.

Edited January 4, 2008 by Tale

[Blodhemn]

The lack of diversity in JE's combat system is offset by the number of styles you can choose from, or so they thought. Someone else nailed it earlier with the paper, rock, scissors analogy. The thing that bothered me most though is the whole locking on to a target and pretty much being forced to attack in straight lines which reduces you to jumping over your enemy and attacking from behind and performing the same 2 moves over and over. I'm sick of this half assed, real-time/rpg/action hybrid gaming trying to appease to fans of every genre. The combat could've been cool but at the end of the day it's just a whole heaping of blandness. I don't know why it's so hard to implement a great combat system into these type games. Why not hire someone whose past involves nothing but fighting/action oriented games to have control over that aspect of the game?

[jaguars4ever]

Baldur's Gate had Megatron!

 

 

REALLI??!!

 

 

 

 

 

...Baldur's Gate 1 was just a boring hack n slasher

Xzar was voiced by Frank Welker.

WHAaaaat?

 

 

You've failed me yet again Star...montaron.