33 Antworten in diesem Thema

[scmadsen]

Is this game worth getting?

I've been thinking about getting it, but heard mixed reviews so far.

From what I understand, it plays kind of like Dragon Age and KOTOR, in that there is no wheel and no PC voice, is this right?

What is the combat and story like? Anything special?

How long is the game, if you listen to everything?

Does the game feel open, or is it a set path you have to follow?

[AshesandDust]

Been a long time since I played it. But from what I can remember...



Yeah no wheel, and the PC doesn't talk, unlike ME. The combat is basically martial arts style, kinda clunky by today's standards. Good story, I enjoyed it. But couldn't tell you much about it now. Has a morality mechanism, open-palm (good, sorta) and closed-fist (evil, sorta). I believe it was considerably shorter than Kotor. Somewhat open, like kotor.

[kappus117]

It's KOTOR taken place in ancient China imo.

[Loerwyn]

If you get it for PC, you'll want a controller.

From what I've played, it'll be much better with one.

[nikki191]

i loved the game. totally original setting great characters and the morality system isnt evil or good.



for example the path of the closed fist (renegade options) basically encourages people to stand on their own feet.

[Jonp382]

Don't get your hopes up for the combat. Otherwise though, a good game. Around 20-30 hours.

[Seagloom]

scmadsen wrote...

Is this game worth getting?

I've been thinking about getting it, but heard mixed reviews so far.

From what I understand, it plays kind of like Dragon Age and KOTOR, in that there is no wheel and no PC voice, is this right?

What is the combat and story like? Anything special?

How long is the game, if you listen to everything?

Does the game feel open, or is it a set path you have to follow?

- There is no dialogue wheel. Conversations are resolved in the same way as Dragon Age, right down to persuasion and intimidate checks. Except in Jade Empire persuade is referred to as charm instead.

- Combat is 100% real time and based around martial arts and weapon melee. The system is fairly simplistic. Basically there are different "styles". Each type of attack falls into one style. For instance, Thousand Cuts is a martial style that entails throwing very fast punches. Whereas White Demon is a slower style comprised primarily of kicks. You start off with two styles s of your choice and can learn others along the way. These are broken down into:

Support: Close range styles that stun or distract opponents. Most of these do no damage without going into Chi mode.

Martial: Straight up hand to hand melee.

Magic: These are long range techniques based around the elements. Two of them are mutually exclusive depending on your character's moral slant.

Weapons: Self explanatory. Swords, staves, axes fall under this category. It's also possible to get a gun.

Transformation: These allow you to take on the shape of various creatures.

It's entirely possible to go through the entire game switching between these as needed and tapping the attack button nonstop, making combat very bland. It's also possible to spice things up a bit and switch styles in mid attack to form long combos. That will make combat slightly more fun, but not much harder or complex. I do think many of the styles are visually pleasing though. You won't have enough points (earned when leveling) to master everything. Ultimately you need to pick and choose what styles your character focuses on.

- Leveling up is also simplistic. Every level you earn a few points to divy up between three primary character traits. Namely, Body, from which your health is derived. Magic, which determines how much chi pool. And Focus, which affects how long you can swing a weapon and "Focus". More on that later.

You are also awarded a few points to spend on styles of your choice. Which of the above three main stats you spend points on also determines how intimidating or charming your character is. A character that focuses on body and chi is very intimidating, but not as charming.

- Focus also determines how long you can, well, Focus. It's basically a game mechanic one can activate at will that slows down time for everyone except your character. Besides powering magic and transformation styles, chi lets you enter a powered-up mode where your attacks inflict more damage.

On the whole I found combat fun to watch, but it can get repetitive and once you figure out which stats and styles are best to focus on, very easy. (Unless you intentionally handicap yourself, which is doable. Do *not* learn Storm Dragon if you want any challenge whatsoever.)

- Jade Empire is short. It's entirely possible to finish the entire thing in around twenty hours unless you really stop to smell the roses.

- The game feels linear. It's never unclear what you're supposed to be doing and where you should be going. There is one point in the game when you get two options on how to approach a plot goal, but it's technically possible to complete them both. There is also some freedom in what order you can tackle certain areas. That said, you need to do them all eventually.

The game does have a good amount of side quests, however. A few of them are fairly involved. This where the heart of Jade Empire is in my opinion.

- Like KotOR, there is a definitive good and evil measured by a meter on your character sheet. Jade Empire tries to disguise it as Open Palm and Closed Fist, but really it's just good and evil. The philosophy behind these two approaches as explained early in the game falls apart very quickly, leaving you with two, maybe three opportunities in the entire game to truly act as OP or CF.

- As in all BioWare RPGs so far, you end up traveling with a diverse cast of characters. The downside is you can only bring along one of these at a time. It's a good cast though with a balance between the usual familiar archetypes. Some of the banter between your party when you return to "camp" is the best I've seen in a BioWare game to date. The upside is you can see a bunch of very diverse reactions depending on who you take on quests. The downside is being limited to one. With the exception of Hou, companions have two modes in combat. An active mode where they pitch in during battle, and a support mode where they stand aside and buff your character somehow. Their AI is horrid. With the exception of the two demons, you'll probably end up leaving most of them as support. This is part of the reason combat feels dull. You fight most of your battles alone.

- Jade Empire has atmosphere in spades. Graphically, it isn't going to compare to Mass Effect. The game is colorful and flavourful though, with lots of personality. There are many interesting NPCs from your crew to bit players in the story. Your party doesn't have as much to say as the group from Dragon Age, but I found them better developed than the first Mass Effect's squadmates. The music is also to die for. Okay, maybe not, but it's by far the best music I've heard in a BioWare game to date.

- Jade Empire is very worthy picking up at the prices you can find it at now. I recommend the PC version, however. It has sharper graphics and added content lacking from its Xbox counterpart. Jade Empire might seem rough around the edges compared to more modern games, and it's combat is less than perfect, but I can't recommend it enough.

[Uilleand]

JAde Empire is a beautiful game. I just get lost in the scenery sometimes....



And, no matter what, totally worth it just for Sir Roderick von Poncebottom.

*snerk*

[Gaddmeister]

scmadsen wrote...

Is this game worth getting?

I've been thinking about getting it, but heard mixed reviews so far.

From what I understand, it plays kind of like Dragon Age and KOTOR, in that there is no wheel and no PC voice, is this right?

What is the combat and story like? Anything special?

How long is the game, if you listen to everything?

Does the game feel open, or is it a set path you have to follow?

I played JE for the first (and so far only) time last October. I played on the Xbox (360), since a friend of mine had tried to play it on pc and was furious with the controls (I saw the controls were mentioned earlier in this thread as well).

I liked the story, the music, the voice acting and the artistic design, but it felt like the game had aged a bit graphics wise. But then again, I played an original xbox game. I bet the pc version has way better graphics. The areas you travel are very small and extremely linear. I guess most Bioware games are linear, but I felt it more in this game than in other Bioware games for some reason. I think the length was ok (25 hours for me). Combat was incredibly one-dimentional and boring however. If they ever release a sequel they better change that. Also, the old jibberish language they used was very annoying, since characters just used the same few lines over and over. You could often hear one character say the exact same lines as another one. That made characters' emotions feel completely wrong many times and it kind of broke immersion for me.

Out of the six Bioware games I have played this is easily number six. I'd rate it 7/10.

Bearbeitet von Gaddmeister, 30 März 2010 - 02:48 .

[adriano_c]

Played it when it first came out, was mildly disappointed, and I think I gave it away or some such. Not Bioware's best effort.

[Maria Caliban]

X-Box controls are superior to the PC. Yes, it's a good RPG, similar in quality to KotOR, but the combat is a very simplified martial arts fighting game.

[Arbiter Libera]

Maria Caliban wrote...

X-Box controls are superior to the PC.

What was that? You implying I can't connect my Chillstream gamepad to PC and get the exact same experience as if I was playing on the 360?

[AshedMan]

I own the game but I cannot remember ever beating it. I think I must have started it and something new came out and took my attention away. Should I reinstall and play through it?

[Jalem001]

I played it two years back and enjoyed it. Not Biowares best by any means, but still fun I thought.

[Gaddmeister]

AshedMan wrote...

I own the game but I cannot remember ever beating it. I think I must have started it and something new came out and took my attention away. Should I reinstall and play through it?

If you already own it and don't have anything better to do then sure, why not? It's a pretty good game.

[Onyx Jaguar]

It was a fine game, very well made but for some reason didn't grab me and I don't have strong feelings for it. Loved the setting though.

[Saberdark]

This is one of my favorite games of all time. It is very short for a Bioware game (first run took about 20 hours, subsequent runs ran about the same since I like to watch all the scenes again), but the game is very focused with few times you don't know what your goal is. That is to say that while it is short, the focus on the story is strong and never stops. I personally found the combat quite fun and the characters are very memorable. This game has quite a few of my favorite Bioware characters in it. If you can, I would get the PC version as it is the improved version. However, it has some bugginess running on slower computers so you might have to fiddle with the settings even if you get a good framerate. Anything that can run Dragon Age decently well will suffice though.

EDIT: What I mean to say is that the story feels complete. I can't think of any way it would be longer without taking away the focus and drive it has.

Bearbeitet von Saberdark, 30 März 2010 - 03:48 .

[scmadsen]

Thanks for all the replies everyone.

[Rive Caedo]

I picked this up on Steam for $3.75 late last year. I've been saving it for a rainy day --- but Bioware keeps coming out with NEW games

[nikki191]

i just watched kungfu panda again and i have a hankering for jade empire again

[Dudebag]

OnlyShallow89 wrote...

If you get it for PC, you'll want a controller.
From what I've played, it'll be much better with one.

I totally agree with this, QFT.

[AshedMan]

I fired up my copy. I am so bad at the combat. A group of pirates wipe me out!

[Crixt]

I've been wondering about this too. Thanks for the info.

[scmadsen]

I went ahead and got it and have been playing it, I'm liking it so far.