Jade Empire

Post by **weemadando** » 2008-07-13 04:50pm

So, I've gone back to my old Xbox (in between running through RE4 and playing Boom Blox while my 360 is being repaired) and have been playing Jade Empire

I've played about 7 hours of this over the weekend (from the start again, as I was only about 2 hours in originally). I'd forgotten how interesting the world was, but the combat is still just a touch clunky.

I'm still at Tien's Landing and am playing a fairly martial character - is there anything in particular I should look out for? Does anyone want to reminisce?

The Grim Squeaker · Post by **The Grim Squeaker** » 2008-07-14 01:38am

I quite enjoyed the game (On the PC), although despite fun innovations and style, it lacked a cartain...Pizazz and "Finis" for lack of a better word.

The ending is epic and has one good unexpected twist, and the duels are fun, but it still felt a bit...generic somehow, despite the twists on the formula. A few more things like Roderick and the musket, would have been fun, increasing the length of the penultimate siege was greatly needed (It ended much too soon and needed more changeable elements), and there was too little text/interaction with the party members. (And it moved too slowly).
It pretty much set in stone all of my complaints against post Black Isle Bioware, from a tiny party to B/W moral "dilemas" (Tyrant or Buddha moral paths. Yeah, big difference from Good/Evil

) and less sppech options.
At least it wasn't as dumbed down as Mass Effect, despite having a combat system that was almost as fun as that game's

Hawkwings · Post by **Hawkwings** » 2008-07-15 07:22pm

That ghost monk companion was incredibly awesome. Just set him to support and carve your way through the enemy!

Darth Ruinus · Post by **Darth Ruinus** » 2008-07-15 07:35pm

Try to get the rock magic (its like the fire or ice magic, but it allows you to stun or confuse people, and deals more damage) and try to get Mirabbelle the musket.

You know, the best kick I got from that game is the Englishman who shows up. He kills that one guy with one shot from Mirabelle, and it suddenly made me realize that the "English" people in that game could totally take over the Jade Empire if they wanted to.

Oh yeah, also if you get full Dark Side points you can kill the dogs in that one Imperial City.

EDIT: Also, what attack style do you use?

Vendetta · Post by **Vendetta** » 2008-07-15 07:48pm

Darth Ruinus wrote: You know, the best kick I got from that game is the Englishman who shows up.

The best kick I got was when they got John Cleese to do his voice.

Even beat having Nathan Fillion as a slimy git at the start (Gao the Lesser)

DesertFly · Post by **DesertFly** » 2008-07-16 08:32pm

I've been playing it off and on for the last couple of months, and while I do enjoy it, I have the same complaints that others have about some of the elements:

1. The combat system just doesn't work very well. Sure, it's nice that they tried something different than the usual real-time RPG combat, but it just wasn't implemented well. They could have taken some tips from just about any other modern 3D platformer.

2. The moral choices are a joke. Either you're a complete saint who makes Mother Theresa look like a chump, and small children and puppies flock around you all the time, or you're a complete dick who has all the subtlety of a schoolyard bully, and would set those children on fire while kicking the puppies. The same thing was true in KotoR, but it seems like it's just worse here.

3. What's up with the tiny parties? I have all these cool characters who could help me out in myriad ways, with interesting takes on the different situations we get into, and I can only choose one? The engine obviously doesn't have problems with having multiple characters on screen, so why limit me so much? And if it's because have multiple effects stacked would be too powerful, increase the difficulty! With spirit thief and the easy access heal spell, I'm basically unstoppable, at least at the stage of the game I'm in now. Harder enemies that took more strategy to beat would be great.

Also, if the "big twist" at the end isn't that The Emperor/Main Bad Guy/Master Li is my father, I'll eat my hat.

Post by **Mr Bean** » 2008-07-16 08:43pm

Spoilers for a three year old game

DesertFly wrote:
Also, if the "big twist" at the end isn't that The Emperor/Main Bad Guy/Master Li is my father, I'll eat my hat.

No, but he is Dawn Star's father, your just what you look like, the last living Spirit Monk.

However I agree the end evil choice is not not evil, it's stupid evil. KOTOR it was be good and take down your old apprentice or... be evil and rule the fucking galaxy mwhwhsaha!(Oh and kill your old apprentice for challenging you)

Meanwhile the Jade Empire evil choice is either "restore the balance" or "destroy the fucking world". It makes no sense, you damn well know if you chose evil the world is going to die as the Spirits get out of hand and start massacring the living on a large scale. There is no two ways about it the only people to pick evil are hardcore nihilists, and stupid ones at that.

Vendetta · Post by **Vendetta** » 2008-07-16 08:49pm

DesertFly wrote: 2. The moral choices are a joke. Either you're a complete saint who makes Mother Theresa look like a chump, and small children and puppies flock around you all the time, or you're a complete dick who has all the subtlety of a schoolyard bully, and would set those children on fire while kicking the puppies. The same thing was true in KotoR, but it seems like it's just worse here.

Actually, I find it less egregious in Jade Empire because the pettiness all the "dark side" choices in KOTOR is highlighted by all the real grand scale evil that every other bad guy in Star Wars gets up to, whereas the Path of the Closed Fist was defined in such a way that one of the valid things for it to produce is a petty bullying git. It would have been more interesting if there were more chances to encourage others to take action for themself (there's one questline that has this kind of outcome where you can force a girl who was captured to be sold into slavery to kill the slaver herself, rather than doing it for her, more of that would have made Closed Fist much more interesting)

Vendetta · Post by **Vendetta** » 2008-07-16 09:25pm

Mr Bean wrote: Meanwhile the Jade Empire evil choice is either "restore the balance" or "destroy the fucking world". It makes no sense, you damn well know if you chose evil the world is going to die as the Spirits get out of hand and start massacring the living on a large scale. There is no two ways about it the only people to pick evil are hardcore nihilists, and stupid ones at that.

Well no. If you choose the evil ending you take over the empire and use the powers of the Water Dragon to stomp the spirit world, live, and rule forever.

The Grim Squeaker · Post by **The Grim Squeaker** » 2008-07-17 04:48pm

Vendetta wrote:
Mr Bean wrote: Meanwhile the Jade Empire evil choice is either "restore the balance" or "destroy the fucking world". It makes no sense, you damn well know if you chose evil the world is going to die as the Spirits get out of hand and start massacring the living on a large scale. There is no two ways about it the only people to pick evil are hardcore nihilists, and stupid ones at that.
Well no. If you choose the evil ending you take over the empire and use the powers of the Water Dragon to stomp the spirit world, live, and rule forever.

There's also the "Third choice" ending of allowing the Final BBEG establish his empire.
Child: "But what happened to the hero?"
"Giant Golem stares at child"
Tutor: "Er, and that child is today's lesson - do not question too closely"

Did anyone manage to corrupt any of the female leads or to get any fun out of the romances?

Darth Ruinus · Post by **Darth Ruinus** » 2008-07-17 06:03pm

DEATH wrote:Did anyone manage to corrupt any of the female leads or to get any fun out of the romances?

I corrupted Dawn Star and the other one, the princess.

Losonti Tokash · Post by **Losonti Tokash** » 2008-07-17 08:17pm

Well it's always possible to get that threesome with Dawn Star and Silk Fox.

The Grim Squeaker · Post by **The Grim Squeaker** » 2008-07-18 06:50am

Losonti Tokash wrote:Well it's always possible to get that threesome with Dawn Star and Silk Fox.

....
Whart was I doing WRONG with the dialogues!

Vendetta · Post by **Vendetta** » 2008-07-18 07:45am

DEATH wrote:
Losonti Tokash wrote:Well it's always possible to get that threesome with Dawn Star and Silk Fox.
....
Whart was I doing WRONG with the dialogues!

It's quite a fiddly outcome to achieve (and only available to a male PC. Female PCs have to settle for just Silk Fox)