Review 1UP takes a look at Jade Empire: Special Edition

[Llyranor]

I'm about 5hrs into the game now. The story hasn't really picked up. At all. Combat was fun, but at this point there hasn't really been anything new yet. It's been pretty much the same for the past few hours. I don't know what to say.

 

[Krafter]

LOL @ IGN's 9.9 'review.'

My favourite part s the follow-up where another guy says the game is underrated at 9.9! Now that's awesome, even for IGN.

Amazing how the reviews are worse now. The game should still be good, right? Planescape still is. Fallout still is. Odd.

 

[Volourn]

Yeha, but those aren't two year old ports. btw, Only the scores have been lowered; most of the sites are saying the same things as they said before. 'Combat not so good' (bullshit), and role-playing is THA awesome' (true; but not FO awesome).

 

[Krafter]

If the reviews are the same, and the scores have been lowered, is it safe to assume that the initial scores are inflated? Or perhaps they are being more harsh now that's on the un-cool PC? Dumb either way, IMHO.

You are right about the port bit though, Volourn. I wonder how it would have gone if they were released at the same time?

This is all just speculation on my part - I haven't actually played the game at all. Now that it's out for PC, I'll get it at some point.

 

[Crazy Tuvok]

Volourn - What did you like about the combat? Honestly it was some of the dullest fighting I have ever encountered. This is not a function of it being RT or on a console; again GoW is both on a console and RT and frantic but it has tactics and depth that are utterly lacking in JE.


As for the RPG elements being any good - I guess it is a matter of taste. I found it completely unengaging. Given that Bio went with an original IP I thought maybe they would forgo the same plot mechanics/character motivations/sidekicks they have been milking since damn near forever. I was wrong.

Krafter - I don't know what kind of games you like, but unless you are a "hafta know for myself" kind of guy *and* you get it cheap - don't waste your dough or your time.

 

[Volourn]

"is it safe to assume that the initial scores are inflated?"

I don't think 'inflated'; but like everyone knows most anyone (even those at the Codex) tend to rate things higher when it's 'new'. Heck, Morrowind was considered a 'top game of 2002' on the Codex and now it's basically trashed to no end. In fact, at one time, the Codex saw MW as better than NWN; but that hasn't seemed to hold up over time. Scores, in a way, are always overflated when something new comes out. It doesn't even have to be a game.


"I wonder how it would have gone if they were released at the same time?"

The PC reviews would probably be about the same. Maybe a few points lower because of all the 'competition' on the PC. L0L


"Volourn - What did you like about the combat?"

It's fun. I like the dodging, blocking, and various styles to the combat. I like the fact that not all enemies cna be beaten in the same way. My biggest gripe is that enemies aren't as aggresive as they could be so when you are facing a half dozen or so foes only about 2 of them are actually involved. That's likely JE's biggest weakness combat wise. The flow is smooth compared to most games. Can't really comapre it to GOW since I have not played it; but from what i've seen and play JE is better than mista ction games, imo though I haven't played the so called 'best' action game NG.


"Given that Bio went with an original IP I thought maybe they would forgo the same plot mechanics/character motivations/sidekicks they have been milking since damn near forever. I was wrong."

Of course youw ere wrong. And, stupid. Did you really think BIo would get away from what makes their games popular and successful? Those 'sidekicks' are what tends to make BIO games BIO games. BIO really cna't afford to go in another completely new direction. If you soemthing different (which is overrated); BIO games aren't for you.

I'd rather have more of the same if it's quality gaming. If you don't like BIO's style. *shrug*

'Tis life.

 

[Krafter]

Krafter - I don't know what kind of games you like, but unless you are a "hafta know for myself" kind of guy *and* you get it cheap - don't waste your dough or your time.

I like all sorts of games, really. My favourites are obviously RPGs and games with some meat on them. I was planning on getting ths cheap - PC games are easily found for under $20 brand new if you have some patience.

Being that I am an RPG guy, and have liked Bioware games in the past, there's no real reason not to try and play it myself, IMHO. I'm not going to like this like I liked Baldurs Gate, but it's not like there is a huge list of PC RPGs out there, so I'm not that picky.

A question - I enjoyed the Onimusha games for some hack n slash bloody goodness. Does Jade Empire work like that, combat-wise?

 

[Elwro]

My biggest gripe is that enemies aren't as aggresive as they could be so when you are facing a half dozen or so foes only about 2 of them are actually involved. That's likely JE's biggest weakness combat wise.

Whoa, it's the same in Gothic 3 - you can charge a group of opponents knowing that most of the time the rest will patiently wait until you finish the current guy. And even with that, it's a good game :D

 

[Crazy Tuvok]

Voluorn - Yeah I get what you like about the combat it is just that in JE it is implemented so fucking poorly. Someone trot that dead horse out so that I might beat upon it one more time, but what you are describing as enjoyable in the JE combat system is done to fucking perfection in GoW. Or Devil May Cry. Fair enough tho, if one has not played these or similar games hard to know what is being missed. I guess exposure to a lousy implementation of something is better than none at all <sarcasticon>.

Your other point about Bio's past success w/same formula - I guess they still sell loads of games (I have no idea but they are still in business) but I no longer buy their stuff and this is one of the reasons. After playing the same fucking plot in game after game with the same motivations and template joinable NPCs etc...I for one I done with them. No question I enjoyed it for a while, but after several games with more of the same that is as much as I can take. I suppose it still fun for some people but not for me.

Krafter - The Onimusha series is orders of magnitude more fun, complex and combat-interesting than JE. Don't let JE's setting fool you the two have nothing in common. Onimusha is way more fun and more faithfull to the source material. JE is a subpar RPG and a subpar action game.

 

[Krafter]

JE is a subpar RPG and a subpar action game.

This is pretty much my problem with these action RPG games. There are a TON of action games around. The ADD kiddies aren't interested in role-playing, they want God of War or what have you. I would just as soon Bioware keep closer to the RPG side of things. If the game is a good RPG, I frankly could care less about the combat, I'll enjoy the game regardless.

Please tell me it's not anything like BG:DA. Ugh.

 

[Drakron]

But that is the problem.

BioWare could done a action game but because they are hailed as "creators of RPGs" they made a "RPG".

JE is simply poor ... its neither a action game or a RPG, as a hybrid it does worst that many action RPGs in terms of combat.

 

[Volourn]

" but I no longer buy their stuff"

O RLY? You bought - or rented it) (preusmably since you played it)JE which was their last game. .


"JE is simply poor ... its neither a action game or a RPG, as a hybrid it does worst that many action RPGs in terms of combat."

Bullshit. It's an Action RPG. It's Action is good (unless youa re a whiner, a moron, or you've played, I guess, a game like NG or whatever.). And, it's role-playing aspect is better than 99% of full fledge RPGs including ALL previous BIO RPGs.

Game over.


"Please tell me it's not anything like BG:DA. Ugh."

Not even close. BGDA is an action game. It's only rpgness comes from character customization for combat. JE's quests pretty much all have multiple solutions, it has multiple endings, it has greta writing, and a solid - if not too original - story. It's characters are better than the majority of games with npcs as well.

Comap;ring BDA, and JE is silly. And, btw, I liked BGDA for what it was - an action game.

 

[OccupatedVoid]

JE's inventory management is 100x times better than KOTOR's.

Well, how can anything thing be worse than KOTOR's inventory management.

 

[Volourn]

Yet, people claim that JE not having an inventory like KOTOR is a negative thing. L0L Ask them; not me. :D

 

[Krafter]

"Please tell me it's not anything like BG:DA. Ugh."

Not even close. BGDA is an action game. It's only rpgness comes from character customization for combat. JE's quests pretty much all have multiple solutions, it has multiple endings, it has greta writing, and a solid - if not too original - story. It's characters are better than the majority of games with npcs as well.

Comap;ring BDA, and JE is silly. And, btw, I liked BGDA for what it was - an action game.

Cool. I honestly didn't know, Volly. It's just that I loathed BG:DA and couldn't even finish it, which is pretty bad for me. Both JE and BG:DA were billed as 'action-RPG', which makes me a little wary. And you are right - BG:DA has no RPGness to speak of outside of picking your level ups. It's about as much as an RPG as Gauntlet.

It seems to me that JE is closer to Gothic (which I loved) than BG:DA, which works for me.

 

[Volourn]

"It's about as much as an RPG as Gauntlet."

Yup. Except it has more stats. I always thoight of that type of action game as nothing but a modern Gauntlet. And, you cna tell, because the popint of the areas is to throw lots of monsters at you.

G3, and BL (though I disliked BL's combat while G3's combat is ok) are the games that JE is most comaprable to when thinking Action RPGs; not BGDA and its ilk.

 

[Krafter]

G3, and BL (though I disliked BL's combat while G3's combat is ok) are the games that JE is most comaprable to when thinking Action RPGs; not BGDA and its ilk.

Presuming BL is Bloodlines (I'm partial to VtM:BL myself :wink: ) then that's fine with me.

 

[neuromantik]

I picked it up today.. and it's actually a very fun game. Typical Bioware game, an RPG on rails, but still fun. Graphics are definitely nice... the Codex's favourite "Bloom" effect in full glory. The combat works fine for me... dunno why the complaints about it... it's not supposed to be Tekken. Voices are decent enough... though they drip cheese. It's less of a story of ancient China than a story about western teenagers concepts of ancient China.

Sound is fluid...

All in all, it's fun... just not that deep.

 

[Pegultagol]

I feel like it is Neverwinter Nights: Monks Gone Wild!

I think I will download it off Steam.

 

[Veracity]

I get what you like about the combat it is just that in JE it is implemented so fucking poorly. Someone trot that dead horse out so that I might beat upon it one more time, but what you are describing as enjoyable in the JE combat system is done to fucking perfection in GoW.

I think Volourn's right on this, ignoring any questions of taste - action-RPG combat mechanics feel crude and simplistic compared to those of a decent action game because they're supposed to, not because the implementation falls short of its intended goal.

Personally, this is why I think the entire action-RPG concept is misbegotten, and wish it would just die. Even reasonably well-executed hybrid systems feel like an uncomfortable compromise, characterized by jarring 'challenges' you can't possibly overcome with any reasonable performance at the oversimplified action mechanic, and min-maxing opportunities that reduce the theoretically engaging combat to an irritating 'press attack repeatedly to proceed' formality.

There seems to be demand for these hybrid systems, though, so they're presumably not going to peter out any time soon.