Update One Hundred and Seventy-Seven: 26 May 2018

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Hi guys. It’s me again. (Edit: Yes, it’s another bug again) Namely: I’m giving up on another ye olde game again. This time I’m doing it in a timely manner and without whinging so, you know, that’s different! Jade Empire hit me right in the gut with nostalgia. Remember 2000’s-era 20 or 30 second long developer intros? The little sharp jingle and the guy saying “2K!” reached in and punched my brainstem and suddenly I was 14 years old about to fire up BioShock again. The way the menu was set up, even, the comforting polycount of the characters, their movements. I could even detect the first pass of what would eventually become very well-worn BioWare conversation animations. Hell, I was super impressed with the facial diversity of all the different kinds of characters, from the main NPCs to the villagers who get one line and then die - everybody looked different, more than BioWare had even in later games, I think.

Eventually, though, that nostalgia burned off like morning mist against a high noon sun. I kept getting hung up on signs of age that were less endearing - the clunky, goofy battle system, the strange coding of the lines so each sentence of dialogue ran into each other without pause (or the voice actors were given really odd direction). I played through the first chapter and liked it fine, but when I found myself in Tian’s Landing with all these things to do, I realized I had zero motivation to do it. Playing Jade Empire made me just wish I were playing another RPG - Tales of Berseria or Final Fantasy 12 or something. So, back on the shelf it goes.

Another shoutout to my pal Brian, who gave this game to me - at least I play the games HE got ME, BRIAN. I gave that motherfucker Umineko a FULL YEAR before I got it for myself and he played it for ten minutes. JERK. (But thanks!)

Next up: This game was a spontaneous gift from a steam friend of mine, Saraphel. Thank you, Saraphel!!

See you soon!