I'm trying desperately to replenish my chi before my scantily-clad female character wades back into kung fu combat with a flaming horse demon. Of course, that's pretty much par for the course in Jade Empire, BioWare's latest role-playing epic in which the traditional fantasy trappings have been replaced with a mythical Chinese setting. But being a port of a two-year-old Xbox title, is this a case of glorious reincarnation or ageing master?
FIGHTING SPIRITS The first act introduces you to the controls and the story. Ghosts are inhabiting the world of the living and after your home-town is destroyed and your master taken by the Lotus Assassins, it's a non-stop action ride to set the world's problems straight. Expect a journey packed to the rafters with a fantastic supporting cast (see 'A Little Help From My Friends' right), and a wide variety of inventive foes, from arrogant fellow students to animal spirits and creepy ghosts.
Jade Empire is set in a massive and lush world, which borrows liberally from several Far Eastern influences. The game offers some of the most beautiful levels we've ever laid eyes on, with plenty of variation on offer too, from fungus-lit caves through haunted forests to (quite literally) small slices of heaven. Everything feels like BioWare have poured their hearts and souls into the game, from the inclusion of an entirely made-up language to the masses of scrolls, signs and conversations that fill in the back-story and work to create an accessible and hugely believable world.
Incidentally, the morality system seen in Knights Of The Old Republic makes a partial return here, though it's been toned down substantially, with less of the black-and-white moral decisions. They've also cut back on a few non-essential RPG staples, with slimmed-down character development and not an inventory in sight. However, don't fret because it all feels marvellously balanced and you'll soon forget that you ever needed those things in the first place.
MIND, BODY AND KICK-ASS MOVES As you may have realised, however, the core of the gameplay is action. Unlike KOTOR, Jade Empire offers real-time combat using different kung fu techniques and to their credit, BioWare have done a pretty good job of mapping the mass of controls to the PC. Once you've got past the first hurdle of getting your fingers accustomed to the multitude of controls, you'll soon discover that the system is relatively easy to pick up but a bit trickier to master.
Just bashing the light attack button may eventually win you your first few fights, but if you actually manage to get to grips with swapping styles, dodging, blocking and using the harmonic combos for maximum impact, combat becomes far more satisfying and you'll start to feel like a true kung fu master. The fluid animation of the characters really helps things along too, making you feel like you're right in the thick of the action. There are a few niggles though. The game always defaults back to the last style used in battle once a fight begins (even if you've changed this in between). Plus, despite the richly designed environments, low-res textures still abound.
However, with a great story, tons of missions, beautifully rich settings, satisfying fighting and brilliant characterisation, all swaddled in over 20 hours of play, Jade Empire has transcended its Xbox roots to reincarnate itself as a high-kicking, epic RPG for PC. The chi is strong with this one.
Suzy Wallace
// Overview
Verdict
Fists of fury
Uppers
Lush environments Fast-paced and taxing fighting Great support cast and excellent dialogue Masses of content
Downers
Fighting has some small niggles Still a two year-old Xbox conversion
A quick look at the screens shows the textures are as high rez as you could ask for (particularly the 10th and 11th pics), in a modern PC game. Although I don't see why they wouldn't include widescreen support since this was originally an Xbox game, although we've seen stranger things left out in various ports (like gamepad support). I wasn't too impressed with this game when I played it back on Xbox. It was WAY over-rated. IGN gave it a 9.9 IIRC. I'd personally give it a 6.5 or maybe 7.0.
The developers stated they wanted to make it more interesting than just picking the "good" or "bad" side. Basically, your character becomes aligned either to the way of "Open Palm" or "Closed Fist". They were intended to be different philosophies. Open Palm is compassionate and humble, Closed Fist is focused on strength and power. However, they really just boil down to good Vs evil anyway.
The only way to be Closed Fist is to be a complete asshole/sociopath. IE: an elderly lady will ask you to rescue her cat for her... you can choose either to help her out and refuse the reward (Open Palm), or skin the cat, sell the skin to a fur trader, and then punch the old lady in the face for good measure (Closed Fist). Obviously, that particular quest isn't actually in the game, but the ones in the game aren't too much better than that.
Jade Empire is also way more linear than previous Bioware games. You arrive at a town, get a bunch of sidequests from people who are all just standing around waiting for their hero to come along, do the one key quest to finish the chapter, and then move on to the next (pre-determined) town.
The Chinese-style plot and setting sounded really cool to me, but in the end it felt really cheesy. It seemed more like caricatures of Chinese culture like you would see in bad Kung Fu movies. I found the setting harder to get into than I expected it would be. Overall, Jade Empire isn't a TERRIBLE game, it's just IMO way overrated and not worth my time. Sorry.
I personally like the game,but I would maybe call it more a "hack 'n slash" than RPG..It's too linear,and the focus is too much on fighting.. This would be a GREAT game had it come out today and made for the PC..the fact that's a old Xbox title,is noticeable in controls,camera views and the debt of the game..
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Lush environments
in the face for good measure (Closed Fist). Obviously, that particular quest isn't actually in the game, but the ones in the game aren't too much better than that. 
