Why was there doubt to begin with?
Well, between NWN and KotOR and Jade Empire and Mass Effect and the console ports of the game and the Lord of the Rings clone trailer we saw a while back, yes, there definitely was. I'm still definitely not expecting another Baldur's Gate II (for one thing, Bioware has said that they'll never make another game that long again), but if we're lucky, Neverwinter Nights 2 and its expansions will have some real competition... :)
KotOR was awesome, Jade Empire was fun at times with some great enviroments, and Mass Effects was ZOMG awesome. So...not seeing your point here.
KotOR was okay but disappointing and had simplistic combat, Jade Empire and Mass Effect are basically action-RPGs. Bioware hasn't made a serious strategic RPG since BGII:ToB. I'm pleasantly surprised to hear that this one sounds like it will indeed be one... I was definitely skeptical for all the reasons I listed before. :)
I picked up Jade Empire the other day for $2 [special edition PC version] and I started playing through it for the first time in about 3 or 4 years. Some parts are better than I remember [enviroments, character interaction, and, to some extent, the story], and something aren't as good as I remember [combat, which is poopy, and AI partners, which are useless]. Overall, a solid game.
Never have played that game... if I found the PC version for $2, though, I'd get it for sure. I do want to try it. But I don't think I've seen the PC version for less than $20, and I don't have an Xbox to play that one on (I have seen a cheaper copy or two of that version). Oh well... whenever I do find a cheap copy, I'll get it.
Amazon saves the day once again. You can pick up Jade Empire: Special Edition for about $5.
Yeah, that trailer was pretty bad. But what I've seen of the actual gameplay looks good.
When the trailers are all horrible and completely wrong for what this game should be, I think being pessimistic about the game is the most reasonable thing... I know they might be trying to drag in people who otherwise wouldn't play the game, but still. Angering your hardcore fans, as Bioware has again and again now (and with this project, recently) really isn't that great an idea, I think... and this kind of thing definitely makes the hardcore fans angry, those who haven't given up on Bioware entirely that is. I partially have, but the Baldur's Gate games were just so great that I can't entirely do it...
The system requirements are out...
http://ve3d.ign.com/articles/news/48356/...s-Revealed
Quote: Windows XP Minimum Specifications:
OS: Windows XP with SP3
CPU: Intel Core 2 (or equivalent) running at 1.4Ghz or greater / AMD X2 (or equivalent) running at 1.8Ghz or greater
RAM: 1GB or more
Video: ATI Radeon X850 128MB or greater / NVIDIA GeForce 6600 GT 128MB or greater
DVD ROM (Physical copy)
20 GB HD space
Windows Vista Minimum Specifications:
OS: Windows Vista with SP1
CPU: Intel Core 2 (or equivalent) running at 1.6Ghz or greater / AMD X2 (or equivalent) running at 2.2GHZ or greater
RAM: 1.5 GB or more
Video: ATI Radeon X1550 256MB or greater / NVIDIA GeForce 7600 GT 256MB or greater
DVD ROM (Physical copy)
20 GB HD space
Recommended Specifications:
CPU: Intel Core 2 Quad 2.4Ghz Processor or equivalent
RAM: 4 GB (Vista) or 2 GB (XP)
Video: ATI 3850 512 MB or greater / NVIDIA 8800GTS 512 MB or greater
DVD ROM (Physical copy)
20 GB HD space
The hard drive requirements will triple if you download and purchase through EA's Digital Downloader service. A Steam release is not yet confirmed.
Only 60GB for the download version? That's not bad, I'll get three!
That's a pretty big install size, even for the disc version.
Yeah, definitely. I mean, I have the space, but still, ridiculous installs are annoying. Just manage loading it from the disc better... :(