Jade Empire

"In my opinion this surpasses KotOR by a mile!"

When we first heard that Bioware was working on completely new product and not a sequel to KotOR, we were sort of scared. We weren't totally afraid, simply because Bioware, in terms of ratings, has yet to make a disaster of a game. When we learned this would be a martial arts epic, based on the Chinese mythology, is what got me interested. Could Bioware pull this off? Could it hold a candle to KotOR? I can honestly say yes, this is what Bioware fans have been waiting for!!

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PROS:

First of all, all of this is completely new! The combat system is thankfully in realtime, so basically it's fast paced and exagerrated, just like a martial arts film. Bodies fly everywhere, attacks that could sink a ship only hurt an enemy a little bit, etc. Yes, no more taking turns hurting your oppenent, you can attack as much as you want, but that also means your enemies can hurt you twice as fast too. The combat is also streamlined to a basic 'rock-paper-scissors' format. So basically you get 3 techniques in the battlefield: Power Attack, block, and attack. Power attacks break blocks. Blocks stop attacks. Attacks interrupt blocks. Honestly, just knowing this information will be the key to success in Jade Empire's combat system.

To aid you in the combat system are several styles: Martial: The melee combat styles. Magic: Whats to say here, you can cast effects like petrification and immolation(this style will drain your Chi). Weapon: Use weapons instead of your fists(this will drain your Focus). Transformation: Turn into several creatures from the game(Costs a chunk of Chi, but lasts for awhile). Support: Enhances your other attacks. All in all, there are several styles to choose from, and along with several characters, you can build any kind of character you want. Another neat feature is that the main styles you choose are quick mapped to the d-pad. There are enough choices to last a long time here for Jade Empire to remain in your xbox for awhile.

The atmosphere in this game is amazing, everything just screams chinese. The art style, as well. The characters are well done, and the enemies are imaginitive and sport some nice detail. Bioware went as far as to even make their own language for this game as well as a long, thought out history. Honestly, this is all authentic, nothing feels out place in this world. Everything is in game, except for a select few cutscenes, but the graphic engine is pretty. Bioware has crafted a wonderful world and I can't wait to see what they plan to do with the sequel.

Also included in this game is a psuedo good/evil alignment system. It's not full blown like Bioware's other rpgs, but it get the job done. Basically you have two ways: The way of the closed fist(good side) or the way of the open palm(bad). This system, like KotOR, lets you make moral choices and also decides which of the game's endings you'll get. Some quests aren't given until you decide which path you're going down, so choose wisely. Also, some quests are strictly one sided.

I would also like to thank Bioware for making everything streamlined. I hate it when I play most rpgs because I spend a lot of the time in menus checking stats or leveling up. Bioware has remedied this by only making three stats: Body(ability to withstand damage and acquire more hitpoints), Spirit and Focus. Eguipping items is streamlined to gems, which give stat bonuses primarily. It's nice that I get to focus on the gameplay, rather than shifting though menus all the time.

As in past rpgs, you get party members, or in this game, followers. Each of them are different combat wise(some rely on magic, others are summoned only during combat, etc.). As a nice bonus they each have their own side stories, but sadly they don't lead to extra missions, which would've greatly expanded the length of the game.

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CONS:

Combat can get repetitive, as you only have two attack buttons, and to be quite honest, you actually don't need to use your special tyles a lot, as the enemies are dumber than a door knob. It can be remedied by upping the combat difficulty, but this only gives them greater damage output, rather then smarts.

This game is short, though it has it's perks, but it's still too short. You'll breeze through this game in 10-12 hours flat the first time. Shorter if you don't explore fully. Some more places to visit would've helped, but whatever is in here gets the job done, just a shame its not longer. Sadly, the quest system still supports the whole 'from point a-to point b' motif which further hampers the experience by the long loading times between each area.

The graphics looks nice, but the game still has tons of loading screens. This is made even more painfully obvious when you enter the combat arena. Before each fight there is a long waiting time, so if you lose be prepared to wait again. Although it's not as bad as KotOR, it's still plenty annoying. For shame Bioware!

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Note: The limited edition is nothing all that special. It comes with an extra character, Monk Zeng, who plays just like everyone else. Along with him is his own personal weapon, Monk Spade. The package is rounded off with a 'Making of Jade Empire' and 3 demos: Forza Motorsport, Conker Live and Reloaded, and MechAssault 2.

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Rundown:
+ Streamlined system all around
+ Better combat system than KotOR
+ Several styles
+ Perfect atmosphere
- Easy game
- A little short
- Evil loading screens are back
? Is there going to be a sequel?

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To buy or to rent:

A straight up buy! Sure this game has its problems, but what else it has going for it, more than makes up for them.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 01/29/07