Updates
Well, this week marked the one year anniversary of me doing Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. And despite the fact that I've accumulated a whole notebook of staple techniques, and my hip movement has improved a lot (vital when you have someone in your guard) I still have a long, long, long way to go... I'm nervous to compete in the June tournament.
Speaking of Martial Arts, I installed Jade Empire: Special Edition last night. The installation took a while (there are a zillion sound files to decompress) but the game runs sweet, even on my older CPU. I've enabled all the special effects, as well as 2x anti-aliasing and am running it at something like a 1260+ resolution. Running the game on high settings really improves the beauty of its distinct Oriental look, but it also shows up the flaws of the low-res occasional cut-scene that remains from the Xbox original version of the game.
Anyway, here's who I'm playing as - Monk Zeng!
There are 8 different characters to choose from, who you can customise in terms of their stats and name. I just went with a default, and played with my points allocation between Health, Chi and Force.
I'm not very far into the game at all, but my thoughts so far? It has a definite Knights of the Old Republic feel to it - you can even head off in 2 morality directions (Open Palm or Closed Fist). This said, things appear generally simplified.
You don't have a 'proper' inventory (you have a Quest Items section instead) but you actually don't need one. Your weapons sit alongside your numbered fighting styles, and when you interact with the game world you are presented with options in terms of which items you can use.
Combat is fun, though I'm still getting the hang of it. I particularly like the Leaping Tiger combat style, which has you sprouting Wolverine claws for devastating, acrobatic attacks.
In terms of storyline and character, Jade Empire is exceptionally strong, as you would expect from developer Bioware. By the sounds of it, there is a massive, diverse world for your character to explore outside the rural Two Rivers Training Academy where you start the game.
Anyway, I'm hoping to play some more Jade Empire tonight, although I don't know if I'll get around to it.
I shirked some of my other "priorities" last night to play, and I suppose I should make up that time tonight - working on my next GEAR column and the next 3 Girlz 'N' Games comic strips which I conceptualised over the long weekend. I'd really like to have another strip online for Monday.
Speaking of Martial Arts, I installed Jade Empire: Special Edition last night. The installation took a while (there are a zillion sound files to decompress) but the game runs sweet, even on my older CPU. I've enabled all the special effects, as well as 2x anti-aliasing and am running it at something like a 1260+ resolution. Running the game on high settings really improves the beauty of its distinct Oriental look, but it also shows up the flaws of the low-res occasional cut-scene that remains from the Xbox original version of the game.
Anyway, here's who I'm playing as - Monk Zeng!
There are 8 different characters to choose from, who you can customise in terms of their stats and name. I just went with a default, and played with my points allocation between Health, Chi and Force.
I'm not very far into the game at all, but my thoughts so far? It has a definite Knights of the Old Republic feel to it - you can even head off in 2 morality directions (Open Palm or Closed Fist). This said, things appear generally simplified.
You don't have a 'proper' inventory (you have a Quest Items section instead) but you actually don't need one. Your weapons sit alongside your numbered fighting styles, and when you interact with the game world you are presented with options in terms of which items you can use.
Combat is fun, though I'm still getting the hang of it. I particularly like the Leaping Tiger combat style, which has you sprouting Wolverine claws for devastating, acrobatic attacks.
In terms of storyline and character, Jade Empire is exceptionally strong, as you would expect from developer Bioware. By the sounds of it, there is a massive, diverse world for your character to explore outside the rural Two Rivers Training Academy where you start the game.
Anyway, I'm hoping to play some more Jade Empire tonight, although I don't know if I'll get around to it.
I shirked some of my other "priorities" last night to play, and I suppose I should make up that time tonight - working on my next GEAR column and the next 3 Girlz 'N' Games comic strips which I conceptualised over the long weekend. I'd really like to have another strip online for Monday.
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