"Bioware passed up on KotOR2... for this?"

I have been patiently awaiting this game ever since the announcement that Bioware was skipping out on KotOR2 to make it. Hell, I figured if they are avoiding the creation of the sequel to the 2003 Game of the Year, then Jade Empire must be something special. Well, I figured incorrectly. Don't get me wrong, this is a fun experience. But if you are looking for a lengthy RPG, or even an RPG at all, then this game is not for you. So then you look on it as an action game, and it still isn't anywhere near the perfect game that one particular gaming site would have you believe it is. So, genres aside, I attempted to be open minded playing my way through this game. And less then 22 hours later, here is what I think.

The story of JE is quite disappointing, especially considering the amazing story that Bioware came up with in 2003. Jade's is cliche and lame. By the time I was in the second chapter, I could foresee the main plot twist. There wasn't any point of time where I really felt the urge to continue playing because I needed to see what happened next. There weren't anywhere near enough open towns for this to be called a role playing game. I was highly disappointed when I realized that at a certain point, I couldn't go back to the older places and do some side quests. As for the side quests themselves, especially in Tien's Landing, they are awesome. Sadly, they are far more original and captivating then the main storyline.

The gameplay is quite a mixed bag of bright spots and horrible mistakes. The heart of this and nearly every game is the combat. And the combat is just how the gameplay is overall: a mixed bag. The thing I enjoyed about the combat was that you can just change styles using the D-pad. Map your 4 favorite styles, and switch on the fly for some really fun in-combat strategy. But that was brought down by the lack of need for a strategy. The combat is incredibly basic and easy. A light attack and a heavy attack. There is a 'bullet time' like feature, but you will never need it. Enemies are very stupid, and your character is built like a God. You'll never be in any trouble in a fight because you can just jump directly over an enemy and be behind them. They're all so weak that all you have to do is jump in back of them and mash the A button for 2 seconds. The larger fights don't even present any sort of challenge. Just use the same strategy of jumping behind them and attacking. So obviously, the combat is very monotonous, boring, and lame.

The menus are all well assembled. You'll never have any screens or maps in your way. You can enlarge the mini map, and remove it completely. You will always have the info you seek, but without distractions. The pause menus are very efficient and streamlined, but we've all seen them before. The menus are exactly like KotOR's. I found myself feeling deja-vu quite often, because every thing besides the combat is like a watered down KotOR. Dialogue, cutscenes, environments, voice acting, the whole bit. And especially the morality system. It screams watered down KotOR. Watered down because there is only simple choices, no diversity. That lack of diversity was also seen in character development. This is the main reason why I say JE is not an RPG. It has little/no character development. Another reason why I say it is not an RPG is the fact hat there is no item management to be seen. Hell, there are no items. Some gems for an amulet, 1 weapon upgrade, and that's it. No new clothes, no potions, nada. What a mistake. But all that being said, there are good parts. The dialogue with NPCs is excellent. I found it to be very engaging and time consuming, which is good. The moral choices in dialogue weren't original, but they were pretty fun. I also found a certain little girl party member to be quite cool, and a first.

The looks of this game are quite nice. Beautiful environments and characters. They move realistically outside of combat. The lack of different animations is the only harp I'll make on the graphics. In combat, you only have 4-5 simple punches, kicks, or slashes. There is no excuse for that these days. But the areas are well conceived. Tien's Landing is an especially nice environment, well done Bioware.

The sound is the best part of this game. Fully voice acted. Great, non-overwhelming music which is well composed. This is what you can expect in every Bioware game it seems. I have no complaints about the sound.

So as I look over my review for Jade Empire, I see that it is pretty much a bash review. I did enjoy Jade Empire, but it was very lacking for the reasons that I listed. The sad thing is that there isn't one strong point that I could go on and on about. The thing that saves this game are several little things along the way through the main quest. Like the sidequests and the dialogue. The thing that kills me is that Bioware would pass on making the sequel to the best game I've ever played just for this.

With my final thought, I'll offer some recommendations. If you're looking for a role playing game, KotOR is just like this game except that it is longer and the story is much better. If you seek an action game, Ninja Gaiden is this game's daddy. If you spent your days playing those games and then play Jade Empire looking for a similar experience, you'll only find dissapointment. Approach Jade Empire with an open mind. Still feels very lacking, but you'll be able to make it all the way through.

Reviewer's Score: 5/10, Originally Posted: 04/19/05, Updated 04/27/05