Last Exile

Lately I've been playing a lot of Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic 2: the Sith Lords.

And this is who I have for the Exile:

Granted this game may be a product of it's time but I find it odd that the players has to choose their player from a selection of pre-made faces. Taking into account the extraordinary range of customization options that proliferate in gaming today, it thus becomes hard for the player to come up with something unique - and not something that many other people would've done already.
Okay sure, Jade Empire did the same thing with pre-made characters but considering the setting of that game, you'd want a character that fits right in - something that will, naturally, go against the nature of customization - not to mention the tendency to challenge the rules that gamers tend to do.

That being said, this may not be the first Exile of colour in the history of the Sith lords but it;s one I've chosen. Why? I felt it was something different. Yes this may all seem contradictory so let me explain: One common complaint I've heard about Star Wars, or at least the original trilogy, is it's short on female characters and black characters - indeed, one gets the feeling that Rey and Finn in the Force Awakens was an attempt to address this. 

So why not have a black Jedi? Why not have a person of color heading a group of misfits and cruise around in the Ebon Hawk, having adventures in the galaxy? Why not have a Jedi of colour who has significance that it makes the Jedi Council worried?
Why not have a person of color being the one in charge?

I mean, Star Trek (DS9) did it....

That was the year it was: 2014

And so we reach the end of another year. So what can I say about 2014?

For me 2014 is defined by Elder Scrolls Online. It's the game I spent the most time on this year - although one could argue that the monthly subscription may have had something to do with it. I never thought I would return to MMORPGurs following my falling out with WoW and whilst ESO has never quite generated the same enthusiasm I had for WoW, it is still a lot fun to play and a great way to get together with some friends and have a bash.

Elsewhere, I did knock off more games off my Hall of Shame. And two of which I am particularly proud of beating: Jade Empire and Planescape Torment. Which goes to show that, in my book, RPGs still rule the roost. Also of note is that Jade Empire was a console game, thus proving that I haven't abandoned that field completely.

And speaking of consoles, the eighth generation has yet to make it's move. Nothing has reared it's head to pique my interest and pull me away from my PC. And considering that my PC is based largely around Steam and heavily modified PC games, that's a very tall order. Still, this generation has only begun and it would be interesting to see what happens next....

And with that, this is the end of Game Tumour for 2014. Okay so I may not have had much to talk about this year but I have no intention of abandoning this blog yet.
So thank you to everyone who has visited this blog over the past twelve months - and I look forward to speaking to you all again in 2015.

Jaded? Me? Never!

Another game has been cast down from my Hall of Shame. Goodbye…..Jade Empire!

It’s no secret that I love me some Bioware RPGs. Yes they all tend to be formulaic but they are compelling enough to see all the way through. And yet Jade Empire frequently comes across as being the lesser known middle child when compared to the likes of Baldur’s Gate, Star Wars KOTOR, Mass Effect and Dragon Age.
When playing this game I did get that impression but not in the way that one would expect. No, I found it the most difficult of Bioware RPGs. Remember how I mentioned previously that the advancements in the fighting styles are fixed and can’t be changed? Meaning that if you pick the wrong one, you’re stuck? Well that, in that sense, makes Jade Empire an unforgiving game: If you can’t progress then you have no choice but to start all over again – As I did.  That being said, I found the only way to success is to a) decide beforehand what styles you’ll use throughout the game, b) invest solely in those styles and c) most crucially of all, not spending all the style advancement points all at once. It prove successful but there were times when one particular style, the Jade Golem, maxed out turned to be a game-breaking one. Indeed, I found a maxed-out jade Golem, along with the focus sight, made the final battle so easy and so short it wasn’t funny.
I’ve never had this kind of problem with Bioware games since. Why even Jade Empire’s predecessor, Star Wars KOTOR, was more lenient. In fact, one common complaint I’ve heard against Jade Empire is that it is a short RPG – but considering the unforgivable nature of the game, perhaps it being short is merciful.

Still, I really enjoyed this game. It is indeed refreshing to pay an RPG set in somewhere that doesn’t resemble medieval Britain and to have the battles based around martial arts. I love the art direction, with the design of the game and a story with a plot twist I honestly didn’t see coming.

So yeah, Jade Empire is a winner in my book. Mind you, considering EA's love for brand recognition, it's kinda odd that a follow-up to Jade Empire has yet to be seen - but then again, perhaps it is best left that way

Knocked Back Down

Jade Empire update:

Alas my triumph over finally beating the Ravager was short-lived. Several fights later and one chapter later, I was trounced in a fight where not only was I knocked down but was completely trampled over.
Yep, it seems that I, once again, had invested all my skill points into the wrong fighting style.

Geez, this game is unforgiving eh? If you don't have enough points in the right fighting style you're completely fucked! And you can't go back and change it either! Nope, you have to go right back to an earlier point in the game and do it. All. Over. AGAIN!

To be honest though, once I completed the Arena guests, the fights that came afterwards (ie the Lotus Assassins Fortress quest) came across as being a breeze in comparison - a sure sign as ever that if I, the player, am growing complacent, then the rug is mere minutes from being pulled under me.
Still I've played Jade Empire enough that giving up now would come across as being a sign of weakness. I will beat you yet, you smug game....

Gateway to the Ravage Frontier

I've been playing Jade Empire a lot lately. Largely because I hit a brick wall that prompted me to abandon my game and start all over from scratch. It's not the first time such a thing has happened when playing a Bioware game but in this case I abandoned nearly 20 hours of game time.

But all in the name of defeating the Ravager? Totally worth it

The British Empire

Recently I made a return to Jade Empire. And it's still a great game :D

One thing though: I had a look at the cast list and noted, much to my surprise, that John Cleese is credited as a voice actor. I was indeed perplexed by this: How, and where, can you fit the unmistakable voice of John Cleese into an Asian themed game?

Original video located here. Accessed 14th July 2014

Oh but of course...

All for the Empire

I've recently made a return to playing Jade Empire.
I'm doing pretty well so far in that I have made it to Chapter Three in the narrative and I've collected a fair number of the NPCs. I've also maxed out the Dire Flame style and have my eye set on maxing out the Stone Immortal style (I could max out Tempest and Ice Shard as well but I have yet to receive them. Also there is wisdom in maxing out Martial and Weapon styles).

Funny thing is I'm finding that with a maxed out Dire Flame some fights are coming across as mind-boggling easy. One such situation is the Black Leopard school quest chain. Using the Dire Flame, I had little trouble in defeating the students that challenged me - so much so, I began to wonder how they managed to last for so long and whether there was wisdom in allowing Smiling Hawk to take over. Or is that kind of the point?

Still, Jade Empire is lots of fun and it's great to have an RPG based on kung-fu and having a setting ripped from the Romance of the Three Kingdoms. It's also pleasing to have an RPG that actually works with an Xbox controller. Needless to say it will be interesting to see what happens next in this game...

Jaded

Being a loyal devotee of GoG I naturally took advantage of their recent Fall Autumn sale. I didn't buy much as I've more or less got all the games I wnat from GoG but what i did buy was something previously encountered, Blood, and a familiar face, Jade Empire.
Why bother buying Jade Empire a second time? Well, it was cheap (about a handful of dollars) and it was special edition.
However this purchase could well be the final nail in the coffin of  my love affair with Xbox. The Xbone has yet to prove anything else beyond a whole lot of disappointments, several games I've obtained for my 360 have recently turned up on my PC and I'm being fed up with going through the same old security BS when I try to access my 360 (I tell you being asked the same security measures over and over again is enough to turn anyone away).
So the 360 is currently gathering dust - alongside my PS2 and my Wii. Oh sure there are still some games I would gladly play but as a major concern? The Xbox 360's time has indeed passed.

In fact. the way I'm seeing it, the eighth console generation is looking kinda dull at the moment. Needless to say, my attention/devotion is up for grabs and Nintendo, Microsoft and Sony had better pull out something major to ensnare it....

Shut up and Play the Game

I've been traversing through Planescape Torment in recent weeks and, whilst I haven't got far, the game itself is proving to be engaging. It's making me pay attention to the dialogue and my journal - where I've previously skipped over in other games - so that must account for something.

But somehow I can see a problem: The writing may be top-notch but the combat is kinda dull. It is more or less like thwacking people over the head than actual life-threatening combat. If anything, the lame combat somehow makes the many kills The Nameless One racked up seem difficult to swallow.
Now that I think of it, the combat seems more like an afterthought, behind the massive effort gone into the writing. I heard that it is possible to talk your way out of certain situations and, true or not, it suggests that maybe the combat wasn't the intent of the game.

But strangely, a decade plus on, Planescape Torment is still a highly regarded game, beloved by fans and critics and still acknowledged as one of the finest games ever made. This makes an interesting point considering the many games that have been condemned for having too much story and not enough game. Metal Gear Solid 4 and Final Fantasy 13 have both copped it for trying to tell a story whilst involving the player as little as possible. And yet we praise games that do the same thing: To the Moon requires the player to do little more then push the protagonists forward in the narrative and yet it's hailed as having an emotional effect on the player. Indeed, you could make the same argument for Planescape in that for the eternal search of finding more and more about the Nameless One and recovering his memories, all the player is doing is pushing him from one revelation to another.

So how much can a story-strong/gameplay-weak get away with it? Such games have had a rancid reputation throughout gaming history (Sega CD anyone?) so how can a game like To the Moon can do the same thing and still be highly regarded? I guess it all comes down to the story: it must be compelling and and must require at least some involvement with the player. Because, unlike a book or a movie, the medium of gaming is unique in that requires participation from the audience. So it would seem a story-strong/gameplay-weak game can succeed if the story was engaging enough and the involvement from the player is clearly defined.

But to have uninspiring combat in an RPG is problematic. Granted it is nearly a prerequisite for modern RPGs to have a damn good story but how many RPGs have managed to achieve that balance between engaging story and engaging gameplay? Mass Effect? Jade Empire?

Still this is but the first few steps into the world of Planescape Torment. i have yet to leave Sigil so whether or not things will get better has yet to be seen....