Im kinda new 2 the whole review thing but i will try make this 1 the best i have done yet.
next i will talk about the gamplay which is Key to any RPG is the amount of depth provided in areas such as character creation and development, exploration, plot branching, and combat. Jade Empire is chock full of depth, right down to its mini-games. Six different characters are selectable from the get-go (a seventh is added for those that ordered the limited edition version), each with varying styles and attributes. Some characters are more proficient in magic or brute force, while others maintain a balance of the two. Limited customization of abilities and styles is available for those that like to tailor make their character. You are also free to rename your player character (PC), but in order to keep with the overall “feel” of the game, we decided to stick with the default ones.
The skills that ultimately shape your character are split amongst two core groups: primary and secondary abilities. Primary abilities have a direct correlation with secondary abilities, as well as conversation skills. Body influences the amount of health you have, Spirit affects Chi (magic power), and Mind will determine how much focus your character has. Chi strikes (toggle in/out by pressing the Black button) increase the power of any attack, but obviously absorb Chi in the process. Chi can also be used to heal, simply by pressing the White button. Focus is drained when using a weapon style or when entering “Focus Mode”, which slows your foes while you can continue attacks in real time. Combinations of certain primary abilities determine the success of conversation skills, such as charm, intuition, and intimidation. For example, boosting your Body and Spirit abilities will help in the ways of intimidation, while charm adheres to the combination of Mind and Body. This is a role-playing game so experience points (XP) are the life blood to leveling up your character. XP can be gained by completing quests, defeating enemies, by gaining information through conversations, or by acquiring various items spread throughout the empire. Scrollstands, for example, may be easy to overlook, but they often reward handsomely and are worth the time to find. Upon leveling up, a certain amount of ability points (usually 3 per level) and style points (amount varies), are awarded. Ability points are applied directly to Body, Spirit, or Mind and can help to either further strengthen your characters currently skills or help offset some weaknesses. Style points can be spent to upgrade any number of styles that you’ll learn throughout the game. Techniques will also permanently upgrade specific abilities, and can be acquired in a number of ways. Some techniques are unique to the philosophy that you choose to take.
Anyone familiar with BioWare’s previous Xbox RPG, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic (KotOR), understands that the moral decisions your character makes within the game changes the outcome tremendously. In KotOR the two paths of the light and dark were more cut and dry than the two philosophies found in Jade Empire. While the development team stresses that there is no discernable good or evil path in Jade, ultimately it feels as though The Way of the Open Palm and The Way of the Closed First are exactly that. The Way of the Open Palm focuses on helping people, while The Way of the Closed Fist believes that might equals right. Sure, both philosophies have their own pros and cons, but the related decisions liken themselves to the good versus evil discussion, even if the end result will ultimately benefit the empire.
The story does change substantially depending on your actions and can eventually lead to one of three different endings. Your methods also affect such things as side quests offered, techniques and styles learned, and available essence gems. Your character’s current standing in their chosen philosophy is shown on the Character Record screen via a meter similar to that found in KotOR. It’s nice that you are never locked into a specific philosophy and it can really be a challenge to attempt to follow one path entirely. Through my initial go-round, as a follower of The Way of the Open Palm, sometimes you are nearly forced to use brute force…but if you explore all avenues things may not be as they seem.
The combat engine is actually very intuitive and there are no complex combos to worry about. A simple attack is performed via the A button, which can be strung together for the simple two and three hit combo. The X button performs a power attack, but being it is slow to execute, foes can counter with quick hits. The block is safe from quick attacks, but can be broken by power attacks. See the whole rock, paper, scissors concept? Area attacks (A and X together) don’t do any damage, but they knock back multiple foes to buy you some additional time. The B button can also be used together with the left stick for evade maneuvers; something you’ll need to become proficient at. The game uses an auto-targeting system, but you can easily cycle targets via the left and right triggers. Pulling both triggers simultaneously will activate “free target mode”, which is good for quickly getting out of a jam. Although you can combat foes while in free target mode, it is extremely difficult to do so.
Harmonic combos are essentially finishing moves that are executed with a combination of styles and proper timing. The results are usually a bloody, satisfying mess, but after the allure wore off, we ended up sticking to standard attacks. Quick and power attacks, when upgraded properly, are very effective against most enemies and thus there is very little need to use Chi strikes and Harmonic combos regularly. Chi heal, however, becomes a life saver, especially when fighting multiple Horse Demons
Even though you’ll meet up with countless number of characters throughout your adventures, only a select few will choose to assist your efforts. Some followers play a more integral role than others, but each serve a needed purpose. You are only able to have one follower at a given time and most will provide backing in a fight, while others (like Kang and Zin Bu) have very specific uses. Followers also provide support styles that can assist you indirectly in battle. Dawn Star, for example, can use her support style to recover your Chi. Unlike KotOR, you can swap out a follower at any time through the menu screen. This is of utmost importance due to each follower having specific abilities that may be a benefit or a detriment to the current conflict. Surprisingly, we did spend a lot more time changing followers than changing fighting styles.
you also collect Essence gems which provide another method to upgrade your various skills and abilities, but can only be used through slots of the Dragon Amulet. The amulet acts as a conduit to the power of the gems, but the number of slots is limited. Gems can upgrade such abilities as Body, Mind, and Spirit, conversation skills, or even your ability to detect traps. Some gems are only accessible to followers of a particular philosophy. Being that these gems can be swapped out on the fly, it is important to learn their characteristics and what benefits/weaknesses they provide. When facing a boss for example, you might want to use a gem that boosts your Spirit so that your Chi will be stronger. This will allow more effective use of a powerful Transformation style. Essence gems can be acquired through quests and combat just like other items, and can also be purchased or sold. The selling of gems didn’t appear to garner much silver, so we ended up with a surplus at the end of the game. The more powerful gems are definitely worth the price of acquisition, so seek them out.
my overall impressions are that Jade Empire succeeds on so many levels it is difficult to outline them all. By adding a real-time action element, the game does open up its appeal to a much larger audience. The combat system isn’t as deep as it initially seems and button mashing ends up being a very effective tactic. The nice thing is that those looking to use a bit more strategy in their fighting styles will find plenty to keep them busy. Plus, the difficulty level can be changed at your discretion. On the default level, Jade Empire is not all that difficult and we only bit it about 3 times during our 25+ hour adventure.
Most role-playing fans will be satisfied with the amount of customization and exploration to be found, although the lack of a deep economy system is a slight downer. Silver can be used to purchase weapons and other items, but it isn’t used to the same extent as other high profile RPGs. It works well, but it is simplified. Yes, the game can be completed in 12 hours or so if you are just focusing on the main story quests, but expect more like 20-25 hours if you really want to get the most of out it.
The flying mini-games are somewhat of an odd bonus, but since we love old arcade shooters like 1942, it’s a welcome addition. Being that you can choose to skip them (on most occasions) those that would rather focus on the main story can pass over them easily.
The story is absolutely astounding and is by far the best of any RPG seen on the Xbox, and possibly across any console. Primary and secondary characters are interesting in their own way and the ability to control followers (at certain times) is a nice surprise. The menu interface is very KotOR-like, which is a blessing. The HUD is easy to understand and there is never a sense of clutter. You do have the ability to save at any time (except during combat), and we highly recommend you do so.
As with most great RPGs, the sad thing is that it ultimately has to end, but we see sequel in our crystal ball. Would a Jade Empire sequel work with some type of MMORPG element in it? We don’t know, but we’d sure like to find out.
The graphics and i will Make no mistake, of Jade Empire are stunning. That being said, graphic ho’s will find tick-tacky areas to complain about. There is a decent amount of aliasing for an Xbox game and some models and textures are less than stellar. These are very minor qualms when looking at the grand scale of the game’s beauty. For one, the environments are simply gorgeous. Not only are they massive in size, but there is so much attention to detail that you’ll end up “zoning out” during much of the adventure; blades of grass sway in the breeze and particle effects provide subtle touches that raise the “wow” factor. The use of lighting and shadows is arguably the best looking aspect of the game. The eerie details found in Necropolis and its tombs are enough to keep you up at night.
Character models do have a good amount of detail to them, especially for the primary characters. Close investigation of creatures like cannibals reveal some blocky edges and unsightly texturing. These are most noticeable doing in-game cut-scenes. The CGI cut-scenes are terrific and really add to the cinematic flair of the game. Mo-capped animations are top-notch and extremely fluid, even amongst the more outlandish fighting styles.
The framerate can stutter quite a bit, especially when changing between styles, but it is something easily overlooked when taking in the entire game. The camera, for the most part, is not a hindrance, but it can become somewhat “locked-in” during close quarter combat. Load times are much less than that of KotOR, but there are still quite a few. This is an RPG after all.
But at the end of the day Despite all the hype of prior Xbox RPGs, Jade Empire is the real deal. The key ingredient is its mesmerizing story that complements the outstanding overall art direction. Even the action-oriented gamer should find plenty to like with the game’s real-time combat system, but will it be enough to draw in the mainstream gamer? Hardcore RPG fans will love the branching plot lines and customizations, but may hunger for some added depth. BioWare strived to make Jade Empire their best game yet. Mission accomplished