[Christian IV]

Mass Effect, Jade Empire and KoTOR will be a lot of fun compared to the NW's. I gave up totally on NW2 after twice trying very hard to get the most awful camera controls ever to work for me. I had hoped to see it but just had to give it up. You will have much more fun with the Trinity in any order, and from all reports Dragon Age will top them all. Thanks IH for the great pics to whett our antcipation.

[geggis]

You tease me you fiends!

One day I will have time and she will be mine forever.

[larissa]

Meh, JE bummed me out, I think because the combat felt really impoverished and button-mashing to me playing it on a keyboard. Ghosts are too hard to kill, people too easy to kill. It wasn't strategic enough for me, and I got really tired of hearing myself shout "Spirit thief, spirit thief, dire flame, spirit thief, that's better!" My followers didn't do enough to help (except for Abbot Song, who ROCKED!!!) The story was fairly good, but I could see the plot twist coming from the first time the ah, blue otherworldly creature showed up, which is unlike me--I couldn't see the plot twist in KOTOR2 until it kicked me in my lazy behind. So . . . overall, not my favorite RPG. Still, it was better than solitaire.

Also, out of curiosity, what was there to spend money on? I had a ton and couldn't find anything to buy. I would have liked to have bought the Silk Fox's outfit.

[AndreaDraco83]

I used money to buy gems, techniques* (foremost) and new combat styles. As for combat, it was indeed more streamlinead than KotOR, for example (not to mention Neverwinter Nights), but I found it rewarding nonetheless. And story, characters and, particularly, atmosphere worked greatly for me.

*The most powerful ones, which you can buy from Zin Bu near the end of the game, cost more than fifty thousand golds each, but they worth every single coin

[larissa]

Yeah, the techniques looked awesome, and I bought some, but I could never figure out how to, uh, equip them.

[AndreaDraco83]

Ehm...

They are automatically equipped, in that they are techniques that your character permanently learns and that grant him permanent bonus (and/or malus to certain other attributes).

[larissa]

Originally Posted by AndreaDraco83

Ehm...

They are automatically equipped, in that they are techniques that your character permanently learns and that grant him permanent bonus (and/or malus to certain other attributes).

Um. Maybe the game is worth a replay. I wondered how my spirit scores were so high, but then, I'm not so hot at math. Thanks!

[UPtimist]

Originally Posted by larissa

My followers didn't do enough to help (except for Abbot Song, who ROCKED!!!) The story was fairly good, but I could see the plot twist coming from the first time the ah, blue otherworldly creature showed up, which is unlike me--I couldn't see the plot twist in KOTOR2 until it kicked me in my lazy behind. So . . . overall, not my favorite RPG. Still, it was better than solitaire.

On the followers I agree - for example Black Whirlwind was supposed to be able to kill something like a castle alone, and then he'd be beating at some peasant basically for ten minutes.

Now, while it wasn't completely unpredictable, I thought the story was one of the most original and, well, unpredictable that Bioware has done. KotOR I could maybe match it, but still even that was quite a lot more straightforward than JE. Most of the others are mainly the same story over again.

Now, the characters aren't so original unfortunately. Of course, I really liked them (except for Sky) but they were the same formula they use for pretty much every game. The fighter who only tells of old fights, the now-hermit, "philosophical" ex-fighter or something along the lines and so forth.

[AndreaDraco83]

Originally Posted by UPtimist

Now, the characters aren't so original unfortunately. Of course, I really liked them (except for Sky) but they were the same formula they use for pretty much every game. The fighter who only tells of old fights, the now-hermit, "philosophical" ex-fighter or something along the lines and so forth.

It's strange to disagree with you on a game, UPtimist, but I really, really liked the characters and particularly Sky, whose romance option was really tactfully depticted and surprisingly emotional. Zin Bu and Kang were hilarious and Hanpecked Hou was even better (and his wife, although unseen, was amazing too). The child, Wild Flower, was nice and her sub-quest interesting. I didn't like only Dawn Star, who was too whiny for my tastes.

[UPtimist]

Well, I'm actually sort of split. I still don't like Sky, and I think that when playing with a female character the relationship was quite forced even (even things that I said thinking they would be negative tended to turn out as positive towards the relationship (which was frustrating as I really didn't like Sky)). I really disliked the whole 'slick-talking, good-looking, sad-story (although it didn't seem to matter to him much) ladies-man who's always got that smirk on his face, and as I said, you can barely escape from in regards to the romance while still keeping him with you' (I'm not sure if the characters in JE would actually, leave, I never play that way, but that's part of the problem). And what Bioware game (I'm sure there are exceptions, but you get the point) doesn't have the hunky romance-subquest guy? For once I'd like to see a romance-subquest guy who isn't the Cosmo-perfect man (Mass Effect had the crewmember whose name I forget, but that biotic-guy). (sure, you can get to reading all kinds of psychological reasons why I don't like the character, but I'm still standing on at least that he's very uninteresting as a character and a personality, but then nowadays that seems to be what appeals - just look at younger actors now)

All the other characters, as I said, I really liked (I mean, Sky was OK I guess, but compared to the others felt even worse), but the originality wasn't all-around. As I said, there was the Black Whirlwind, which is the Bioware-standard-fighter (though when you went through the arena, luckily there was more depth and story to the character than just the old fighting stories). A fun character, but on the surface as unoriginal as they go. Like Wrex in Mass Effect. Only Wrex is a hundred times more boring and doesn't actually have any kind of story, just a background info.

Sagacious Zu, the usual midway, (in an exaggeration) pseudo-deep and pseudo-philosophical mystery-man. Like Kreia in KotOR II, only in that case it isn't so much an exaggeration. And not a man... (I still liked Zu, even if he was perhaps the second least interesting character).

But then like you said, even though the kid thing per-se isn't original, I thought the way it was handled here was indeed so. The more "humor-oriented" characters were fun and the stories weren't totally bulk (even if the Kang thing is quite common-ish in fiction generally). And usually the characters even if they weren't so much a totally new kind of character, had enough in them to make them interesting and gripping, actual personalities.

Also, I on the other hand quite liked Dawn Star... Perhaps a bit whiny, but not everyone should be a... (not the right word here, but perhaps the context fixes it) "strong personality". And she had very much a story of her own, and I liked the way she first of all was an old friend (so it wasn't all a bunch of strangers just deciding to go and fight evil), and still had her say sometimes. And I liked the strong feeling of affection and loyality between them, and this time it made sense too (unlike with the new characters (in all games like this), who just appear and in a couple of days you're already dating or at least BFF ).

I hope I made sense, I see I went a little parenthesis-crazy once again

[larissa]

Originally Posted by UPtimist

And what Bioware game (I'm sure there are exceptions, but you get the point) doesn't have the hunky romance-subquest guy?

Well, KOTOR2 had that hot studly guy, but he was

Spoiler:

some kind of traitor if I recall correctly

, and your other choice was Atton. *sporfle* But yeah. I felt like the romance with Sky was just like the one with Carth in KOTOR, except less fun.

I actually liked Black Whirlwind. I thought his stories were funny. I thought the Henpecked Hou guy was a caricature, and same for Kang, but I thought all the other followers were really quite interesting. Yes, the demon especially, but Zu and Silk Fox, since they have their own agendas. (Good point about Zu being a proto-Kreia, though). Oh, but I agree that Dawn Star was just a stress case. Nice point though that you at least have a reason to have a bond with her. I just wished there were dialogue options with her besides "there there" and "shut up". (Hm. "Have you thought about talking to a monk about this?")

The Emperor and his followers are quite interesting, which was nice. Lots of villains (or just antagonists, depending on your viewpoint) are dull or have no motivation besides world domination. In many RPGs, the villains are just evil incarnate, and Death's Blossom is supposed to be that too, until you learn more. I thought the backstory there was quite well-done.

[UPtimist]

Originally Posted by larissa

I actually liked Black Whirlwind.

Who doesn't? (in case I didn't make myself clear: I really liked him too, one of my favorites, even if not so original. But like I also said, he gets more story and depth with the last stages of the Arena, so in the end he's not as unoriginal as would seem at first (unlike Wrex though))

Originally Posted by larissa

Well, KOTOR2 had that hot studly guy, but he was

Spoiler:

some kind of traitor if I recall correctly

, and your other choice was Atton. *sporfle* But yeah. I felt like the romance with Sky was just like the one with Carth in KOTOR, except less fun.

I don't even remember that guy... Hmm...

I actually liked Black Whirlwind. I thought his stories were funny. I thought the Henpecked Hou guy was a caricature, and same for Kang, but I thought all the other followers were really quite interesting.

Yeah, the problem with Bioware's humor-characters are that they mainly are just caricatures. They're at best very funny and great personalities even, but they don't get any proper role in the story aside from fighting with you.

Nice point though that you at least have a reason to have a bond with her. I just wished there were dialogue options with her besides "there there" and "shut up". (Hm. "Have you thought about talking to a monk about this?")

Ah, that's very true. This can sometimes be an issue with Bioware.

In many RPGs, the villains are just evil incarnate, and Death's Blossom is supposed to be that too, until you learn more. I thought the backstory there was quite well-done.

Death's Hand?

And yeah, I agree with the background-story.

You know what's really great in JE? It has numerous (well, I can think of two right now) parts where you get to play with someone else, which not only brings change, but also very grand storytelling. And it can be quite artistic (or something) too,

Spoiler:

like as Death's hand when you can fight with "yourself" (DH against DH) to save him

[AndreaDraco83]

I agree that Death's Hand is a great character, and the Imperial Family was generally good too.

As for Sky, I romanced him as a male character and the whole relationship proceeded more slowly and believably, first building up a solid friendship and only then evolving in a romance. Even then, his shyness and initial hesitation were incredibly depicted, making the final momentum really epic and emotional. Plus, he was really good looking

It's true that maybe the humorous characters tend a bit to be caricatures, but Henpecked Hou was more fleshed out than Khang and his story, while certainly intented to be light-hearted, even managed to be quite thought-provoking.

[larissa]

Death Blossom. Yeah, that.

The guy in KOTOR2 was forgettable, since he didn't have a name--the Disciple.

Yes, you are right that Black Whirlwind is much more interesting at the Arena--I usually wouldn't play that kind of story line, but my character was more warrior-like than my characters usually are, so I did, and that was fun.

I agree with you about the parts in BioWare games when you get to play as someone else (rather than as your character). I think it's an interesting change in perspective. Plus it sort of shakes you out of your playing complacency (I am UBER!)

I think I need to replay as a mean male.

[tabacco]

Anyone notice that Gao the Lesser (the first boss) is voiced by Nathan Fillion?

[Maquisard]

That guy's really good at playing unlikable. I loved him as the douche in Doc Horrible.

[booB]

Originally Posted by tabacco

Anyone notice that Gao the Lesser (the first boss) is voiced by Nathan Fillion?

/me gets Jade Empire immediately. LOL

[UPtimist]

Originally Posted by Intrepid Homoludens

It's very possible. Bioware had stated that its team loved JE and would be very happy to work on a sequel.

Not sure if it's worth posting, but I'll do so anyways In an article about Bioware (it's history) in the largest gaming magazine in Finland (Pelit) they said that the company stated in 2007 that a sequel will not be made. Of course opinions change and it was just a side-notion so I'm not sure how valid that was, but it's still a bummer. And it probably was very true.

I don't think it's such a good move though, with their recent experience from the MEs (and other games too, of course), they could really do something special with Jade Empire 2. They probably would have the guts to improve the fighting system still, and the graphics and story depths could go into completely new depths. And of course they could sell it far better than before.

And, in my opinion most importantly, they would have a chance to go more artistic than before while still having the sales (and the playability - by artistic I don't mean that everything has to be weird or movie-like (ME and DA and such have been very much Games, without much artistic quality - sure, there's pretty graphics, but no real... "depth" in them - JE could be so much more, it's their first, and by far the most original world they've made and the connections to the East and their philosophies could give so much)).

[D.C.]

I would love to see another Jade Empire as well, except with a little more choice like Dragon Age or Mass Effect. As good as the first game was, I thought it was too linear compared to other BioWare games and you couldn't really choose what you wanted to do next. The world was pretty damn incredible, though. I'd like to have a whole lot more interaction with the party members.