Kimberly:
I haven't watched TESOP yet but it's on my list once I find it fully subbed. Lol. Nirvana on Fire was pretty awesome. It was so intriguing and captivating watching the mystery unfold and how things turn out to be. It was so good that I refuse to watch NOF2 because I feel like it's betraying NOF drama and the cast.
Tribes and Empires has an excellent cast, great special effects (compare to many xinxia Chinese dramas), but sadly it does have a large hole in the plot. Unfortunately the screenwriter has wasted the potential of this drama, just because of the weak plot. While Nirvana in Fire has a hole in the effects, but fortunately those effects appeared few times, so I can get through them. Nirvana's cinematography is superb, the cast is experienced and except for few little mistakes, the plot is still awesome (and so touching in the last episodes). Yes, like Kimberly said, I can't watch Nirvana in Fire 2, not because it's bad, but I feel like I betray the story and the characters in Nirvana in Fire 1. So, in my opinion, Nirvana in Fire is better (I still give praises for Huang Xuan).
I love Nirvana in Fire so much (it's my top 1 favorite drama), and it's excellent to me, but it isn't the best drama. Some are better, for example The Advisors Alliance, Red Sorghum,... in my opinion.