This isn't the game I was hoping for
User Rating: 7.5 | Jade Empire: Hisui no Teikoku XBOX
Jade Empire may have been a little more ambitious a game than Bioware was really ready to create. The combat engine isn't nearly as deep as I had hoped for, and the RPG elements don't really come together quite as well as they could have. The graphics in Jade Empire are good, but not nearly as good as many games that preceeded it. For example, one level is set at a relatively high elevation. While the buildings and other near objects are exceptionally well done, looking out into the distance all that's visible is a blue sky and the outline of the same set of mountains in every direction. Additionally, most people are used to their character's appearance changing based on armor/costume changes. There are no armor upgrades, and no different costumes available in the game, so you need to be sure you like the way your character looks when you initially select them. The sound in Jade Empire is one of the true highpoints of the game. The voice acting is above par, and the soundtrack is excellent. Sound effects are well done and go a long way to creating an emersive experience. One of the major problems with the game is that there's no real reason to learn any additional combat styles. Every martial style deals approximately the same amount of damage, no weapon style does much more damage than any other, and even the magic styles are strikingly similar. There's no elemental damage system in the game, so using ice magic against a flaming enemy deals no more damage than throwing a fireball at the same enemy. Perhaps the biggest selling point with Jade Empire is the ability to choose your own path. Much like Knights of the Old Republic, you have a choice between good or evil. In this case the paths are titled "the way of the open palm" or "the way of the closed path." Unlike other games with a similar dynamic, there is practically no difference between the storyline with the two paths. In fact, the ending movie (which lasts approximately a minute and a half) is almost the same with either path. This was probably the biggest disappointment in the game. Jade Empire is a good game and doesn't feel as "unfinished" as Fable did, but there are a few items in the game that don't seem to have any use what-so-ever. 
