What are your thoughts on Jade Empire?
- Thread starter TWEWYFan
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It's got a really great setting and soundtrack and is packed to the brim with good ideas, unfortunately it doesn't quite "reach" its lofty goals. Still, I'd recommend playing it, it's a Bioware game through and through.
Very good game for its time. The gaming mechanics are probably a little outdated by todays standards, but the story in it should be more than enough to compel you to complete it. Id recommend it easily.
A bunker won't help you when I am firing reaper lasers at you!!Rariow said:
OP: Meh. I got bored and didn't pick it back up, which has never happened to me with a Bioware game before. I even finished Dragon Age 2, so yeah.
Overall, it's a fantastic game with unfortunately glaring flaws. It's kind of like looking at an otherwise beautiful stained glass window that happens to have a massive crack down the middle.
1. Don't let anyone spoil it for you
2. PICK THE MIDDLE FIGHTING STYLE. I picked the fast one because I figured it'd be more fun/easier to stun lock people and dash in get a couple of hits in and get out. What they don't tell you is the faster fighting style has insanely shorter reach and is actually really hard. Made me give up on my run
2. PICK THE MIDDLE FIGHTING STYLE. I picked the fast one because I figured it'd be more fun/easier to stun lock people and dash in get a couple of hits in and get out. What they don't tell you is the faster fighting style has insanely shorter reach and is actually really hard. Made me give up on my run
Jade Empire is actually my favorite Bioware game to date. It was a nice self contained story with a good plot and great characters. The fighting mechanics are a bit easy once you get the hang of it but I really liked them. Given how low the price is for it now I would definitely recommend giving it a look.
The combat and the styles are probably the only real issue I ever had with Jade Empire. I mean, at first the combat was really hectic and engaging, but once I figured out how to I just ended up using the forward evasion to flip over enemies repeatedly, often directly on top of them to stun them and then strike them while their back was still turned and then flip over them again until all the enemies died every battle, it got boring after awhile. I also found that the fist (for the ghosts) and weapon (for everything else) styles were really effective on just about everything while the others were much more situational, so I ended up not having much reason to use anything else. There weren't anywhere near enough counters to these strategies in the game, and the very few that existed were rarely used by the enemy A.I. anyway.Windcaler said:
I just picked up the Special Edition last night, and it seems alright so far -- at least in the gameplay department. Technically, it's a mess. Wonky widescreen support, no "free look" option for gamepads, the configuration tool won't open, and there's some kind of weird FPS glitch that's causing some serious hitching during character and camera movement.
Seeing as how the Special Edition is a relatively recent release, you'd think the publisher would have added support for modern OS's like Vista and 7, but the damn game needs to be in compatibility mode just to start up. Glad I didn't pay full price for it.
I should have saved my cash and got Mass Effect 3 for a few bucks more.
Seeing as how the Special Edition is a relatively recent release, you'd think the publisher would have added support for modern OS's like Vista and 7, but the damn game needs to be in compatibility mode just to start up. Glad I didn't pay full price for it.
I should have saved my cash and got Mass Effect 3 for a few bucks more.
I like Jade Empire more than a lot of Bioware's more recent rpgs. It has an interesting (if repetitive) combat system, an interesting setting instead of the usual faux european medieval game with orcs and dragons etc, and some interesting characters and quests.
It's not perfect however, the second half of the game is increadibly rushed-feeling. As soon as you finish the city hub, the game seems to be in a rush to finish.
The inclusion of some features seems haphazardly implemented or just plain baffling in their inclusion at all. The Side scrolling shooter aspects with the airship seem especially strange. For another, you can break chairs and tables etc for pieces of furnature to beat your enemies (or hams), but this only appears in a handful of areas. (two, I think). The game has almost no customization (choose from a few premade characters, no hair/face options), no armor or weapon customization to speak of. party members (maximum of one at a time)can either enter combat mode or support mode, but are completely useless in combat mode. The closed fist/open palm mechanic at first seems like an interesting break from the usual good/evil scale, but in practice is almost completely a standard good/evil scale. (in one sidequest where you can get one item required for either the closed fist or open palm fighting style, choosing the most close-fist related dialogue options nets you the open palm fighting style component)
A great game, IMO, but it definatley has its fair share of problems, mostly mechanics-wise, but also suffring from poor-implementation of open-palm/closed-fist and a noticably rushed second half.
It's not perfect however, the second half of the game is increadibly rushed-feeling. As soon as you finish the city hub, the game seems to be in a rush to finish.
The inclusion of some features seems haphazardly implemented or just plain baffling in their inclusion at all. The Side scrolling shooter aspects with the airship seem especially strange. For another, you can break chairs and tables etc for pieces of furnature to beat your enemies (or hams), but this only appears in a handful of areas. (two, I think). The game has almost no customization (choose from a few premade characters, no hair/face options), no armor or weapon customization to speak of. party members (maximum of one at a time)can either enter combat mode or support mode, but are completely useless in combat mode. The closed fist/open palm mechanic at first seems like an interesting break from the usual good/evil scale, but in practice is almost completely a standard good/evil scale. (in one sidequest where you can get one item required for either the closed fist or open palm fighting style, choosing the most close-fist related dialogue options nets you the open palm fighting style component)
A great game, IMO, but it definatley has its fair share of problems, mostly mechanics-wise, but also suffring from poor-implementation of open-palm/closed-fist and a noticably rushed second half.
Probably the #1 game I regret not finishing. So many times I've picked it back up and started over in order to push through and finish, but I keep just getting bored or something. Without a doubt, I'll try again this summer.
I reinstalled Jade Empire two days ago and Uninstalled it just an hour ago.
The game is not good. It isn't bad; parts of it were actually enjoyable. However, as an entire product it is a mess.
Previous posters have mentioned how the story does not grip you. It doesn't. There is barely a story to grip with and you can probably figure out all of the twists within the first few hours. Also, The characters are all one-note and rarely have any significant reactions to events happening around them. They mostly exist to make up for your characters lack of a voice and are fairly useless in combat as well.
As for the combat itself, it is functional but hardly engaging. The controls are not as responsive as they could be for an action game but the camera compounds the problems by getting stuck behind scenery or suddenly changing the orientation of your movements.
The game is flat and in desperate need of refinement, telltale signs of a rushed product with scant amounts of imagination lent to its construction. I can only recommend it to die-hard Bioware fans (you poor sods) who have their own reasons to enjoy it.
Like I said before, there are better projects elsewhere. Now, i'm legitimately sure.
The game is not good. It isn't bad; parts of it were actually enjoyable. However, as an entire product it is a mess.
Previous posters have mentioned how the story does not grip you. It doesn't. There is barely a story to grip with and you can probably figure out all of the twists within the first few hours. Also, The characters are all one-note and rarely have any significant reactions to events happening around them. They mostly exist to make up for your characters lack of a voice and are fairly useless in combat as well.
As for the combat itself, it is functional but hardly engaging. The controls are not as responsive as they could be for an action game but the camera compounds the problems by getting stuck behind scenery or suddenly changing the orientation of your movements.
The game is flat and in desperate need of refinement, telltale signs of a rushed product with scant amounts of imagination lent to its construction. I can only recommend it to die-hard Bioware fans (you poor sods) who have their own reasons to enjoy it.
Like I said before, there are better projects elsewhere. Now, i'm legitimately sure.
Great game, I loved the Asian Mythos they had going, and I am praying that we get a decent sequel for this gem of a game.