One of The Loguidice's favorite words is "mis-remembering," and that is definitely the case with this game for me, Rob. I could have sworn that it was you who recommended this game to *me*, and yet clearly I got it wrong. I guess someone else must have turned me on to this game, because I wasn't enthused at all when I first heard about it (unlike you, the fighting stuff didn't appeal to me until I had tried it). Now I'm wondering just who it was that DID recommend it so strongly; whoever it was sold the game very well.
One thing that MaximumRD's recent video made clear is that we're a VERY diverse group here at AA. I almost soiled my chainmail when I heard him say that he hates turn-based crpgs. What??? I thought that games like Pool of Radiance, Phantasie, Bard's Tale, and so on were one thing that united us. On the other hand, I've never enjoyed "survival horror" games like Resident Evil in the least. I like campy horror movies like Evil Dead and so on, but genuinely "scary" games turn me off. I'm anxious enough as it is without some game intentionally trying to scare me. I still don't know how I managed to make it through Doom 3. It was hell!
That said, I do enjoy survival very much (mostly in book form), but not so much the scary part of it. Fallout and Fallout 3 are about as "scary" as I want to go in a survival game. If it comes down to stuff jumping out at me and blood and gore everywhere, I get too nervous and have to turn it off. I'm not a chicken; I *can* endure it if I really set out to do it, but it's just not fun or addictive for me. Much like in real life; I can stand up to bullies or buttheads when I absolutely have to, but I definitely don't enjoy it and seldom lose my temper unless it's really a remarkable situation. I guess I'm just not an aggressive person!
Anyway, all of this is just an extended way of saying that when I heard about Jade Empire I was more worried and pessimistic than excited. Of course, Bioware is such a great company that they can pull something like this off without a hitch. I'd love to know what an actual fan of fighting games would think about the game. Would they like it, or feel that it was too easy or simplistic? In any case, I hope to hear more from folks regarding this game.
P.S. I was very pleased with the special effect at the end. I planned that as a surprise (guess it worked!!), but hadn't ever tried anything like that before. In the course of doing it, though, I learned a lot about Vegas that I didn't know before, and feel that I opened up some new doors. Hopefully, I'll find ways to exploit my hard-earned knowledge in future episodes.
One of The Loguidice's favorite words is "mis-remembering," and that is definitely the case with this game for me, Rob. I could have sworn that it was you who recommended this game to *me*, and yet clearly I got it wrong. I guess someone else must have turned me on to this game, because I wasn't enthused at all when I first heard about it (unlike you, the fighting stuff didn't appeal to me until I had tried it). Now I'm wondering just who it was that DID recommend it so strongly; whoever it was sold the game very well.
One thing that MaximumRD's recent video made clear is that we're a VERY diverse group here at AA. I almost soiled my chainmail when I heard him say that he hates turn-based crpgs. What??? I thought that games like Pool of Radiance, Phantasie, Bard's Tale, and so on were one thing that united us. On the other hand, I've never enjoyed "survival horror" games like Resident Evil in the least. I like campy horror movies like Evil Dead and so on, but genuinely "scary" games turn me off. I'm anxious enough as it is without some game intentionally trying to scare me. I still don't know how I managed to make it through Doom 3. It was hell!
That said, I do enjoy survival very much (mostly in book form), but not so much the scary part of it. Fallout and Fallout 3 are about as "scary" as I want to go in a survival game. If it comes down to stuff jumping out at me and blood and gore everywhere, I get too nervous and have to turn it off. I'm not a chicken; I *can* endure it if I really set out to do it, but it's just not fun or addictive for me. Much like in real life; I can stand up to bullies or buttheads when I absolutely have to, but I definitely don't enjoy it and seldom lose my temper unless it's really a remarkable situation. I guess I'm just not an aggressive person!
Anyway, all of this is just an extended way of saying that when I heard about Jade Empire I was more worried and pessimistic than excited. Of course, Bioware is such a great company that they can pull something like this off without a hitch. I'd love to know what an actual fan of fighting games would think about the game. Would they like it, or feel that it was too easy or simplistic? In any case, I hope to hear more from folks regarding this game.
P.S. I was very pleased with the special effect at the end. I planned that as a surprise (guess it worked!!), but hadn't ever tried anything like that before. In the course of doing it, though, I learned a lot about Vegas that I didn't know before, and feel that I opened up some new doors. Hopefully, I'll find ways to exploit my hard-earned knowledge in future episodes.
Matt Barton, Managing Editor
Location: St. Cloud, Minnesota, USA
Email: matt@armchairarcade.com