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::PUBLISHER::
Microsoft
::DEVELOPER::
Bioware
::GENRE::
Role-Playing
::RELEASE DATE::
04/12/05
::PLAYERS::
1
::LIVE::
None
::COST::
$29.99
::FEATURES::
480P, In-Game Dolby Digital
Good: Engulfing story, well presented
Bad: It is a bit to easy, and far to short
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1 reviews
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Jade Empire
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We finally review Bioware’s latest, Jade Empire. While the title is put together well, if you were expecting a totally big step-up from Bioware's last game, you are in for a surprise.
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When you think of role-playing games usually two names come to most gamer’s minds—Square-Enix if we are talking Japanese RPG titles, and Bioware if we are talking American RPGs. Ever since Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic was released on Xbox and later on PC in 2003, winning dozens of awards and praise, the bar was set for Bioware for their next game. Jade Empire marks a first in many respects for Bioware. Not only is it the first title they created completely by themselves without any sort of pre-existing franchise’s name, it is also their first title built specifically with Xbox in mind. Jade Empire will definitely keep any role-playing gamer’s attention, and its simplified, almost seamless interface will get the attention of many causal gamers as well. However, Jade Empire is similar to another Xbox-only RPG Fable in the respect that it could go for a good while if you really wanted to, or you could get through the title in a weekend or two.
If you played Knights of the Old Republic, Jade Empire shouldn’t be to terribly hard for you to grasp. While the combat system is actually a bit different from that of “KOTOR”, the menus are fairly similar. One thing that Jade Empire pretty much lacks that most RPG titles have is some sort of item system. You don’t actually really buy any non power-up or weapon items throughout your journey negating any sort of item management. Instead there are gems that grant your certain abilities and stat points, weapons that you can buy, and power-ups that you pick up along your journey that are automatically used to strengthen your character. This definitely helps non-RPG gamers to get the hang of the title a lot quicker, but if you already have a good idea of what is going on you can beat the game in twenty hours or less—good or evil.
"If you played Knights of the Old Republic, Jade Empire shouldn’t be to terribly hard for you to grasp."
Speaking of good and evil, similar to “KOTOR”, depending on what actions you take and how you solve a situation put before you, you gain evil or good points. The game calls the good side as “way of the open palm” and bad as “way of the closed palm”. This affects you in many different ways; specifically it is a little easier to beat the game as evil and you gain different abilities depending on which one you lean towards. You can tell if you are getting evil or good depending on a meter in your menu screen and the background behind your character. As you become more evil, there is a lot of destruction and fire in your character’s background; good, you get a lighter more tranquil look in your background.
Risking sounding like I am going off in a rant, when you start Jade Empire you will have extremely high hopes and visions in your heads of going from a Kung-Fu student to a insanely powerful master—by the time you think it will happen the game is over and you are left with a bitter-sweet taste in your mouth. You will go through the entire game wondering when you’re going to get some challenging puzzles or opponents but they never come. Still, the game proves to be a well polished adventure despite you will keep telling yourself it could be better, you can’t stop playing it. In that aspect, you can tell this is a Bioware RPG as it is undeniably addictive.
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