Jade Empire was actually a pretty decent RPG. it certainly had interesting characters. Its not as good as the other Bioware titles, but i think its still worth the buy.
IShallRiseAgain on
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Der Waffle MousBlame this on the misfortune of your birth.New Yark, New Yark.Registered Userregular
Jade Empire was pretty fun. I'd say it was worth the money, but IGN's 9.9 review is a disgrace.
How did it get a 9.9? Some of the load times alone should have prevented it from getting above a 9.5. I also want to know how the reviewer can talk about how awesome the game is for six pages.
10 Presentation
A completely original universe, hard hitting combat, accessible controls, and the story in an RPG on Xbox.
9.5 Graphics
The level of activity during a battle is astounding. Environments are beautiful and the characters are real enough to fall in love with. Slight camera issues prevent it from being a perfect score.
10 Sound
The music is perfectly suited to the subject matter and the voices are expertly acted. A special appearance by John Cleese solidifies the 10.
10 Gameplay
One of the greatest action RPG's of all-time. Combat is easy to learn but immeasurably deep.
10 Lasting Appeal
A single game lasts at least 22 hours, and you will definitely play through more than once. The mini-games will make the hours fly by.
I like how the Presentation comments basically have nothing to do with the category. I actually laughed out loud at the "immeasurably deep" combat comment. You'd also think that camera issues would detract from gameplay, not graphics...
Zek on
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Magus`The fun has been DOUBLED!Registered Userregular
edited March 2007
Oh, and on a technical standpoint, the game is locked at 30 FPS. It's annoying.
Sir CarcassI have been shown the end of my worldRound Rock, TXRegistered Userregular
edited March 2007
Played through it on Xbox, currently playing it on PC.
I'll side with the rest saying it's not great, but still pretty good. I'd say it's probably worth the $40. I really don't care much about Chinese history or mythology, but it doesn't keep me from enjoying the game (like I thought it might). The story really is quite enjoyable.
It also has some modding potential. Special GameStop preorder transformation style? Added with a simple text file edit.
10 Presentation
A completely original universe, hard hitting combat, accessible controls, and the story in an RPG on Xbox.
9.5 Graphics
The level of activity during a battle is astounding. Environments are beautiful and the characters are real enough to fall in love with. Slight camera issues prevent it from being a perfect score.
10 Sound
The music is perfectly suited to the subject matter and the voices are expertly acted. A special appearance by John Cleese solidifies the 10.
10 Gameplay
One of the greatest action RPG's of all-time. Combat is easy to learn but immeasurably deep.
10 Lasting Appeal
A single game lasts at least 22 hours, and you will definitely play through more than once. The mini-games will make the hours fly by.
I like how the Presentation comments basically have nothing to do with the category. I actually laughed out loud at the "immeasurably deep" combat comment. You'd also think that camera issues would detract from gameplay, not graphics...
I used to work with the lead writer, so I followed the reviews for this game pretty closely...and let me tell you, I lost it when I saw this review.
Yes, I could (and have, on occasion) rant on about the general inaccuracy and questionable practices of IGN, but as Zek points out, this takes the cake.
The game is little more than a "Bioware's Greatest Hits," plot- and character-wise. The environment is generally different but not all that engaging, the quests are largely uninteresting, and while the dialogue is very well-written, the use of good/evil is woefully underutilized and feels like a dumbed-down KOTOR. What's more, the combat is deceptively one-dimensional.
Given the dearth of solid RPGs, Jade Empire looks passably good in comparison. However, to give it a 9.9 is so ridiculously off-base as to be criminal and cast all of the site's other works into question. In no universe can I possibly imagine how the game could earn that kind of score without some sort of external compensation.
FireWeasel on
AC:CL Wii -- 3824-2125-9336 City: Felinito Me: Nick
Jade Empire is simple, and that's okay. Just be prepared for it. You've got no armor to worry about, the only accessories you get are some jewels, and the combat relies more on you knowing what you're doing than what skills you've acquired.
It's an RPG-lite, which is a nice change of pace from epic Final Fantasy and KotOR-esque games.
Also, I had a really good time with the vertical shmup interludes (even if they were really easy).
My only complaint is that at one point the game feels half over. Only a couple hours later it's all the way over. To be fair though, I've never played a BioWare RPG that I felt had good pacing. The other recent example of this is KotOR. It's like they wanted you to quit before you got off of Taris.
Also, I had a really good time with the vertical shmup interludes (even if they were really easy).
Ugh, I hated those parts. After the first one, I opted to skip them all. The one you're required to play I felt really ruined the moment.
We need to get back to the village! Gao said something about death from the sky and our entire village might be burning and everyone might be dead!
But first, lets play this stupid game where we scroll around and shoot enemies that come at us in predictable patterns. Goodbye, any impact the destruction of our village might have had.
The other recent example of this is KotOR. It's like they wanted you to quit before you got off of Taris.
The funny and kind of sad thing about that is that they cut out quite a bit of Taris content so that it would be paced better. Imagine what it was like before it met the chopping block.
I really, really, really liked Jade Empire. The side scrollers. Rescuing side scrollers to complete
the heavenly furnace
. Learning new martial arts. Solving the problems of people you meet.
But perhaps its because I am an Exalted fan.
As they put it in Exalted Second Edition. 'This is about as close as it gets to having an Exalted video game.'
The whole place felt larger then life. Very fun. And very, very good music. Especially when the blue lady shows up. Damn that's nice music.
And I kind of loved every minute of Taris. I wish there was more.
Which is odd, because I felt that NWN, as cool as it was, dragged on a bit.
Maybe I just like Bioware when they focus on a smaller setting. Hmmm. Dunno.
Still gonna have to fucking get Mass Effect. That actually bought the 360 for me. Halo 3. Cool. Halo Wars. Cool. Hitman, Gun, New Jedi Game, Assasin's creed. All good stuff. Heck Alan Wake almost sold me. But then Bioware said.... "3 part series, sci-fi. RPG. Original intellectual property." And that was that.
If you continue with the shmup parts, you gain access to a subplot with some interesting info as well as some pretty good power up bonuses for your character. I disliked them, too, but there is a payoff.
I had a lot of fun with Jade Empire. Far from the best Bioware RPG, but a solid game with a good plot and characters, and excellent writing. The combat was pretty good too.
Also, 10-15 hours, what? Took me 30 for my first playthrough and just under 20 for my second
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HarrierThe Star Spangled ManRegistered Userregular
edited March 2007
I was kind of disappointed at how short it was. And, separately, how short it feels. You reach the Shocking Bioware Twist, and that should be the halfway point or at least the three-quarters point, but surprise! It's more like the eight-tenths point. I would have liked more of the game after the revelation.
Also, more environments please. I remember reading about the four regions of the Empire, and being excited to check them all out, because of course they wouldn't drop hints about those places if you didn't eventually get to visit them. Oh ho, think again! Goddamnit Bioware.
Still, in the end it's enjoyable for what it is. It also features some spectacular opportunities to dick with people. One evil deed leads to another, and suddenly you've got a whole sequence of events, each with its own special way for you to be a complete asshole. They were my favorite parts of the game.
Well, that and
Female PC and Silk Fox = lesbians!
Harrier on
I don't wanna kill anybody. I don't like bullies. I don't care where they're from.
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NocrenLt Futz, Back in ActionNorth CarolinaRegistered Userregular
You do know that with a bit of extensive dialog and guile (and are a male) you can
get both Dawn Star and Silk Fox as your romantic intrests and yes, there is a "threesome endning".
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JacobkoshGamble a stamp.I can show you how to be a real man!Moderatormod
edited March 2007
I thought Jade Empire was a very good game. Not great, not a revelation the way BG or KOTOR were, but solidly put-together and fun. The combat, for my money, could have stood to be more wild and arcadey rather than less; who looks at a fists-flying kung-fu fight and thinks, "man, this would make a great turn-based tactical battle where I balance stacks and stacks of statistics against one another to find the most efficient pattern to squeeze out a few extra damage per round". In this instance, I think MASH "A" TO WIN was probably the better choice.
Dug the settings, especially the more outre stuff like the Imperial Palace and the haunted inn. I loved loved loved the music, especially the theme.
My main problem with the game's story was that it just felt too much like an Asian skin for an otherwise generic Western RPG. When I compare the game to its obvious spiritual forebears, like kung fu movies or (especially) the book Bridge of Birds, I can't help but wonder if Bioware got cold feet halfway through the development cycle and decided to sacrifice some of the Chinese flavor on the altar of accessibility. I'm not a Sinophile by any stretch of the imagination but it felt a bit dodgy that even I could notice that they repeatedly favored using Western vocabulary and Western cultural references without even lip service paid to the ostensible setting.
But that said, the characters and the story were executed well enough, and presented with enough gusto, that I'd be lying if I said I was ever less than hooked the whole way through. A lot of the flaws, such as they were, were only really noticeable on the replay.
And probably the most important thing, for me, anyway, was that the game delivered what I wanted from it: it felt like I was SMITING EVIL and RIGHTING ANCIENT WRONGS, in contrast to something like Rogue Galaxy, which while a technically lovely game with "deeper" mechanics keeps me playing more by dint of my own OCD tendencies than through any virtues of plot, characterization, or theme.
I still recomend picking up jade even if its only for the support of bioware. They took a risk when it game to jade and if it wasn't for jade we would never get mass effect. After all Jade was the first time bioware didn't have a licence to lean on both gameplay and story wise. Its not the best, but damn its good
A good game. I finished it at 15-18 hours. The control is PERFECT, simple, easy, intuitive.
But it's too short for one, and also not very challenging. I give it 7-8 out of ten.
The dark/light choices failed utterly however. In this game, the 'dark' side was supposed to be "tough" love, "I did it to make you stronger" kinda thing. But when you have 2 options of a)You may go b)DIE!, it's just hard to swallow.
I also hates the character designs. They tried too hard for the Asian looks. Developers... you don't have to try that hard. You can claim Bastilla Shan is Japanese, and no one's gonna care, now Jade Empire is littered with Lucy Liu.
I also hates the character designs. They tried too hard for the Asian looks. Developers... you don't have to try that hard. You can claim Bastilla Shan is Japanese, and no one's gonna care, now Jade Empire is littered with Lucy Liu.
...
A game set in China is bad because everyone looks Chinese?
I also hates the character designs. They tried too hard for the Asian looks. Developers... you don't have to try that hard. You can claim Bastilla Shan is Japanese, and no one's gonna care, now Jade Empire is littered with Lucy Liu.
...
A game set in China is bad because everyone looks Chinese?
It isn't set in China. It is set in China-light like most DnD games are set in Europe-light. Sometimes going to great lengths to make a game look Asian just makes the characters look like stereotypes.
I also hates the character designs. They tried too hard for the Asian looks. Developers... you don't have to try that hard. You can claim Bastilla Shan is Japanese, and no one's gonna care, now Jade Empire is littered with Lucy Liu.
...
A game set in China is bad because everyone looks Chinese?
It isn't set in China. It is set in China-light like most DnD games are set in Europe-light. Sometimes going to great lengths to make a game look Asian just makes the characters look like stereotypes.
Yes, okay, it's not set in real-life ancient China. That's pretty obvious to anyone playing the game.
But it's not completely detached from China. You think the mythology in the game was entirely pulled out of Bioware's nether regions? They mention some vague Great Wall from time to time just because it sounds cool to say? The Horselord invaders from the north aren't the Mongolian hordes?
No, it's not the real China, but were the game supposed to be taking place in China-light and featured caucasians running about purporting to be Chinese-light, I'd be just as annoyed as if everyone milled around muttering "Oh, I so solly, I so solly, you wan some flie lice?"
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Der Waffle MousBlame this on the misfortune of your birth.New Yark, New Yark.Registered Userregular
edited March 2007
That's interesting, a professor at the University of Alberta basically created a language just for this game.
And I quite like the take on chinese mythology. I mean, there's the Huli Jing, the Jiaolong, and the celestial bureaucracy.
I also hates the character designs. They tried too hard for the Asian looks. Developers... you don't have to try that hard. You can claim Bastilla Shan is Japanese, and no one's gonna care, now Jade Empire is littered with Lucy Liu.
...
A game set in China is bad because everyone looks Chinese?
It isn't set in China. It is set in China-light like most DnD games are set in Europe-light. Sometimes going to great lengths to make a game look Asian just makes the characters look like stereotypes.
Yes, okay, it's not set in real-life ancient China. That's pretty obvious to anyone playing the game.
But it's not completely detached from China. You think the mythology in the game was entirely pulled out of Bioware's nether regions? They mention some vague Great Wall from time to time just because it sounds cool to say? The Horselord invaders from the north aren't the Mongolian hordes?
No, it's not the real China, but were the game supposed to be taking place in China-light and featured caucasians running about purporting to be Chinese-light, I'd be just as annoyed as if everyone milled around muttering "Oh, I so solly, I so solly, you wan some flie lice?"
No, I'm fine with Asians running around in Jade Empire. But you don't need a Fu-Manchu to show that a game is set in Asia. You can use Zhang Ziyi, Gong Li, or Ken Watanabe. Instead, most model looks very stereotypes.
No, I'm fine with Asians running around in Jade Empire. But you don't need a Fu-Manchu to show that a game is set in Asia. You can use Zhang Ziyi, Gong Li, or Ken Watanabe. Instead, most model looks very stereotypes.
No, I'm fine with Asians running around in Jade Empire. But you don't need a Fu-Manchu to show that a game is set in Asia. You can use Zhang Ziyi, Gong Li, or Ken Watanabe. Instead, most model looks very stereotypes.
... Ken Watanabe?
The Donger from 16 candles.
How the fuck do I know that?
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Der Waffle MousBlame this on the misfortune of your birth.New Yark, New Yark.Registered Userregular
No, I'm fine with Asians running around in Jade Empire. But you don't need a Fu-Manchu to show that a game is set in Asia. You can use Zhang Ziyi, Gong Li, or Ken Watanabe. Instead, most model looks very stereotypes.
... Ken Watanabe?
The Donger from 16 candles.
How the fuck do I know that?
That's gedde watanabe.
And I'm more referring to the idea that he's complaining about chinese stereotypes.
And then suggests a japanese guy.
It's Memoirs of a Geisha all over again!
Edit: Ironically! he's playing Cao Cao in a film about the Battle of the Red Cliffs.
Edit no.2: John Woo is directing, why do I suddenly want to see this so very badly?
I think you guys are reading a little too much into it. If it's fun and if it tells a good story, I really don't care how Chinese some Chinese people look like. Also, I love paragraphs with, like, more than one sentence in them.
Instead of things like this.
It sucks.
It really drives me crazy.
-_-.
Dashui on
Xbox Live, PSN & Origin: Vacorsis 3DS: 2638-0037-166
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Der Waffle MousBlame this on the misfortune of your birth.New Yark, New Yark.Registered Userregular
I think you guys are reading a little too much into it. If it's fun and if it tells a good story, I really don't care how Chinese some Chinese people look like. Also, I love paragraphs with, like, more than one sentence in them.
You like creating more effort for yourself? Or is it the fact that you're just trying to make your post look bigger so that people notice it? So, er, how about that Jade Empire? I think I'll grab it later today off Steam and give it a try since I missed the Xbox version.
Dashui on
Xbox Live, PSN & Origin: Vacorsis 3DS: 2638-0037-166
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HarrierThe Star Spangled ManRegistered Userregular
You do know that with a bit of extensive dialog and guile (and are a male) you can
get both Dawn Star and Silk Fox as your romantic intrests and yes, there is a "threesome endning".
Oh, I know. I just don't want to play it through again.
I've already played it twice, both times as a girl. The first time, I thought Dawn Star was your potential lesbian lover, and I tried to work the femojo on her. Of course, she doesn't swing that way, so instead my character fell in love with Sky, and man, fuck that.
Second time I got it right and seduced Silk Fox, on the added fun of going the Way of the Closed Fist. It was all in all a superior playthrough.
Harrier on
I don't wanna kill anybody. I don't like bullies. I don't care where they're from.
I was complimenting on good combat and complaining about Light/side dark side with 2 run-on sentences about bad character design. Until someone decided I have a grudge against Asian characters in a game or something, which I replied with one sentence.
EDIT: OK, 3 sentences
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Der Waffle MousBlame this on the misfortune of your birth.New Yark, New Yark.Registered Userregular
edited March 2007
Really, Dashui?
The only reason I'm doing it is simple.
It's because you are singling out my post.
Declaring your intense distaste of the style.
Which I only ever use when I'm trying to be concise.
But I do not have to be right now.
Because you seem to be rather irritated by it.
Anyway, the whole arguement is pretty moot. The game is based really, really heavily off chinese folklore. More than <insert D&D setting> is based off an early 20th century author's amalgamation of Celtic, Germanic, and Skandanavian mythology. The Dr. Fu Manchu look of a qing-era bureaucrat is a rather well established part of chinese popular folklore.
Like how the knights of Arthurian Legend wear full plate armor (despite it not being in use till well into the renaissance), or how Greek soldiers have a certain look.
Posts
How did it get a 9.9? Some of the load times alone should have prevented it from getting above a 9.5. I also want to know how the reviewer can talk about how awesome the game is for six pages.
oh yes, those were glorious.
Yeah, but this one takes the cake:
I like how the Presentation comments basically have nothing to do with the category. I actually laughed out loud at the "immeasurably deep" combat comment. You'd also think that camera issues would detract from gameplay, not graphics...
Steam Profile | Signature art by Alexandra 'Lexxy' Douglass
I'll side with the rest saying it's not great, but still pretty good. I'd say it's probably worth the $40. I really don't care much about Chinese history or mythology, but it doesn't keep me from enjoying the game (like I thought it might). The story really is quite enjoyable.
It also has some modding potential. Special GameStop preorder transformation style? Added with a simple text file edit.
I used to work with the lead writer, so I followed the reviews for this game pretty closely...and let me tell you, I lost it when I saw this review.
Yes, I could (and have, on occasion) rant on about the general inaccuracy and questionable practices of IGN, but as Zek points out, this takes the cake.
The game is little more than a "Bioware's Greatest Hits," plot- and character-wise. The environment is generally different but not all that engaging, the quests are largely uninteresting, and while the dialogue is very well-written, the use of good/evil is woefully underutilized and feels like a dumbed-down KOTOR. What's more, the combat is deceptively one-dimensional.
Given the dearth of solid RPGs, Jade Empire looks passably good in comparison. However, to give it a 9.9 is so ridiculously off-base as to be criminal and cast all of the site's other works into question. In no universe can I possibly imagine how the game could earn that kind of score without some sort of external compensation.
It's an RPG-lite, which is a nice change of pace from epic Final Fantasy and KotOR-esque games.
Also, I had a really good time with the vertical shmup interludes (even if they were really easy).
My only complaint is that at one point the game feels half over. Only a couple hours later it's all the way over. To be fair though, I've never played a BioWare RPG that I felt had good pacing. The other recent example of this is KotOR. It's like they wanted you to quit before you got off of Taris.
But first, lets play this stupid game where we scroll around and shoot enemies that come at us in predictable patterns. Goodbye, any impact the destruction of our village might have had.
But perhaps its because I am an Exalted fan.
As they put it in Exalted Second Edition. 'This is about as close as it gets to having an Exalted video game.'
The whole place felt larger then life. Very fun. And very, very good music. Especially when the blue lady shows up. Damn that's nice music.
And I kind of loved every minute of Taris. I wish there was more.
Which is odd, because I felt that NWN, as cool as it was, dragged on a bit.
Maybe I just like Bioware when they focus on a smaller setting. Hmmm. Dunno.
Still gonna have to fucking get Mass Effect. That actually bought the 360 for me. Halo 3. Cool. Halo Wars. Cool. Hitman, Gun, New Jedi Game, Assasin's creed. All good stuff. Heck Alan Wake almost sold me. But then Bioware said.... "3 part series, sci-fi. RPG. Original intellectual property." And that was that.
I Love Bioware.
then again, a lot of people would see my 8 and think way less of the game than I meant them too.
then again I'd rate most games 4 or 5 and probably not sell many copies/get many visitors.
Also, 10-15 hours, what? Took me 30 for my first playthrough and just under 20 for my second
Also, more environments please. I remember reading about the four regions of the Empire, and being excited to check them all out, because of course they wouldn't drop hints about those places if you didn't eventually get to visit them. Oh ho, think again! Goddamnit Bioware.
Still, in the end it's enjoyable for what it is. It also features some spectacular opportunities to dick with people. One evil deed leads to another, and suddenly you've got a whole sequence of events, each with its own special way for you to be a complete asshole. They were my favorite parts of the game.
Well, that and
You do know that with a bit of extensive dialog and guile (and are a male) you can
Dug the settings, especially the more outre stuff like the Imperial Palace and the haunted inn. I loved loved loved the music, especially the theme.
My main problem with the game's story was that it just felt too much like an Asian skin for an otherwise generic Western RPG. When I compare the game to its obvious spiritual forebears, like kung fu movies or (especially) the book Bridge of Birds, I can't help but wonder if Bioware got cold feet halfway through the development cycle and decided to sacrifice some of the Chinese flavor on the altar of accessibility. I'm not a Sinophile by any stretch of the imagination but it felt a bit dodgy that even I could notice that they repeatedly favored using Western vocabulary and Western cultural references without even lip service paid to the ostensible setting.
But that said, the characters and the story were executed well enough, and presented with enough gusto, that I'd be lying if I said I was ever less than hooked the whole way through. A lot of the flaws, such as they were, were only really noticeable on the replay.
And probably the most important thing, for me, anyway, was that the game delivered what I wanted from it: it felt like I was SMITING EVIL and RIGHTING ANCIENT WRONGS, in contrast to something like Rogue Galaxy, which while a technically lovely game with "deeper" mechanics keeps me playing more by dint of my own OCD tendencies than through any virtues of plot, characterization, or theme.
But it's too short for one, and also not very challenging. I give it 7-8 out of ten.
The dark/light choices failed utterly however. In this game, the 'dark' side was supposed to be "tough" love, "I did it to make you stronger" kinda thing. But when you have 2 options of a)You may go b)DIE!, it's just hard to swallow.
I also hates the character designs. They tried too hard for the Asian looks. Developers... you don't have to try that hard. You can claim Bastilla Shan is Japanese, and no one's gonna care, now Jade Empire is littered with Lucy Liu.
...
A game set in China is bad because everyone looks Chinese?
It isn't set in China. It is set in China-light like most DnD games are set in Europe-light. Sometimes going to great lengths to make a game look Asian just makes the characters look like stereotypes.
Yes, okay, it's not set in real-life ancient China. That's pretty obvious to anyone playing the game.
But it's not completely detached from China. You think the mythology in the game was entirely pulled out of Bioware's nether regions? They mention some vague Great Wall from time to time just because it sounds cool to say? The Horselord invaders from the north aren't the Mongolian hordes?
No, it's not the real China, but were the game supposed to be taking place in China-light and featured caucasians running about purporting to be Chinese-light, I'd be just as annoyed as if everyone milled around muttering "Oh, I so solly, I so solly, you wan some flie lice?"
And I quite like the take on chinese mythology. I mean, there's the Huli Jing, the Jiaolong, and the celestial bureaucracy.
No, I'm fine with Asians running around in Jade Empire. But you don't need a Fu-Manchu to show that a game is set in Asia. You can use Zhang Ziyi, Gong Li, or Ken Watanabe. Instead, most model looks very stereotypes.
How innapropriate.
How the fuck do I know that?
And I'm more referring to the idea that he's complaining about chinese stereotypes.
And then suggests a japanese guy.
It's Memoirs of a Geisha all over again!
Edit: Ironically! he's playing Cao Cao in a film about the Battle of the Red Cliffs.
Edit no.2: John Woo is directing, why do I suddenly want to see this so very badly?
Instead of things like this.
It sucks.
It really drives me crazy.
-_-.
Too bad.
I like typing like this.
So I'll continue doing it.
So how 'bout that lustful lao?
Oh, I know. I just don't want to play it through again.
I've already played it twice, both times as a girl. The first time, I thought Dawn Star was your potential lesbian lover, and I tried to work the femojo on her. Of course, she doesn't swing that way, so instead my character fell in love with Sky, and man, fuck that.
Second time I got it right and seduced Silk Fox, on the added fun of going the Way of the Closed Fist. It was all in all a superior playthrough.
And it's pretty darn good, Dashui.
Actually, I'm complaining about Asian stereotypes. I should know, I'm Asian, and half Chinese.
But I don't go around whining about vague stereotypes in a pretty inoffensive game.
EDIT: OK, 3 sentences
The only reason I'm doing it is simple.
It's because you are singling out my post.
Declaring your intense distaste of the style.
Which I only ever use when I'm trying to be concise.
But I do not have to be right now.
Because you seem to be rather irritated by it.
Anyway, the whole arguement is pretty moot. The game is based really, really heavily off chinese folklore. More than <insert D&D setting> is based off an early 20th century author's amalgamation of Celtic, Germanic, and Skandanavian mythology. The Dr. Fu Manchu look of a qing-era bureaucrat is a rather well established part of chinese popular folklore.
Like how the knights of Arthurian Legend wear full plate armor (despite it not being in use till well into the renaissance), or how Greek soldiers have a certain look.