Jade Empire
Score: 95% ESRB: Everyone Publisher: Microsoft Game Studios Developer: Bioware Media: DVD/1 Players: 1 Genre: RPG
Graphics & Sound: Considering Jade Empire is built on an enhanced version of the Knights of the Old Republic engine, comparisons between the two are unavoidable. The one area where Jade Empire really stands out when compared to KOTOR is the visuals. Going into the game, one of my biggest fears was the templated Asian-look found in most Kung-Fu movies. Thankfully, Jade Empire has its own style that feels both familiar and different. The entire look of the game is an amalgam of various Asian cultures, and offers some fantastic elements like flying machines. Compared to KOTOR, areas are much smaller, but boast much more variety. You still come across the random generic looking cave, but overall everything has its own feel. Characters also have their own unique look. There are fewer clones running around the game’s world, giving it a better sense of diversity. There’s something unsettling about seeing the same character five times in the same cantina. Characters also show a little more emotion while delivering their lines – adding to their personalities and influencing your actions towards them. A few times in the game I changed my mind based on the NPC’s obvious emotional responses to their problems. Even with the graphical improvements, it’s still clear that Jade Empire was built on the KOTOR engine since many of its flaws still show. The game still contends with some frame-rate issues and really long load times. Of the two problems, the load times are the most severe since they can really kill the game once the story begins to pick up. Sound is terrific. Music fits the game’s setting perfectly. The game’s strongest aspect is the voice acting. As with the character designs, Jade Empire presents a wide range of voices to help immerse you in the experience. Delivery goes hand-in-hand with the expressive animations, actually giving the characters some personality. Since the game takes place in an Asian culture, it’s a little disorienting to hear the voices delivered in American accents. It’s nothing to get worked up over though. After all, do you really want to sit through hours (and I mean hours – people in Jade Empire talk way too much sometimes) of faked Asian accents? Didn’t think so.
Gameplay: Jade Empire follows the same pattern as KOTOR. The story follows a general plot with the actual paths through it being determined by your moral choices. The paths of “light” and “dark” are still present in the forms of Open- and Closed-Hand styles. Regardless of which path you choose, the story is really good. It starts out slow and feels generic, but quickly picks up after the second or third chapter. One of the more noticeable improvements to the entire system is the more robust path towards evil. Though you could easily slip towards the dark side in KOTOR, the game seemed to angle you towards the light side. Evil wasn’t even all that evil – you were just a smart-ass with a violent streak. Jade Empire ups the ante by making evil truly feel evil in that puppy-kicking sort of way. Some of the choices you can make later on in the game are truly sadistic. Still, those who choose to follow the Way of the Open-Hand will still find lots of game to play. While in each area, you’re presented with one main goal that pushes the story forward. Optional side-quests are also available if you want to take them on. How much you get out of each side-quest is really up to you. Most of the time you earn experience; how much depends on how you tackle certain obstacles. Choosing to fight usually nets you a little more experience, but pacifists can still gain a healthy amount of experience through diplomacy. More tangible rewards, like money and items, are also based on your decisions. In any encounter you can choose to receive no rewards, or squeeze every last penny out of some hapless farmer. Length is one of Jade Empire’s real weaknesses. The main story can be finished in about 19-20 hours, which is short for an RPG. Choosing to take on side-quests extends gameplay. The number of options available also extends the replay value of the game. It’s possible to go through the game a few times and have a different experience with each play through.
Difficulty: Not only is Jade Empire short, it’s also easy. One of the primary reasons is the highly vaunted combat system. When you first start, combat feels very complex. Trying to go toe-to-toe on auto-pilot isn’t a good idea and is a one-way ticket to the “Game Over” screen. It’s not until you realize that enemies fall victim to the simplest of tactics that the game becomes remarkably easy. Nearly every enemy in the game can be defeated with the simplest of moves. If a frontal assault isn’t working, just jump behind your enemy and attack from behind. This doesn’t work on some of the bigger boss characters, but does work on nearly everyone else.
Game Mechanics: Jade Empire does away with many of the headache-inducing elements found in your average RPG. There’s no inventory or armor system to worry about – it’s really just your characters and a flexible abilities system. Even the usually bulky attributes system has been scaled down to three distinct and easy-to-understand attributes. Fewer elements means that you can delve deeper into what really makes Jade Empire tick – its combat system. The entire game essentially boils down into its combat system. The pseudo-turn-based system found in KOTOR has been replaced with a more innovative combat scheme. Attacks are real-time and play out similar to an action game. You have weak and strong attacks as well as the ability to block and jump out of the way. Battles happen quickly and without the awkward pause found in KOTOR. Styles form the backbone of the entire system. At the most general level, styles break down into five categories. Martial styles are the more traditional hand-to-hand arts, while Weapons styles arm you with swords, staves, and spears, and let you do a little more damage. Magic styles offer a ranged option, and Transformations let you take on the form of mythical beasts. Support styles do no damage, but instead inflict your enemies with all kinds of status ailments. This is one of the most difficult styles to use, but can also become one of the most dangerous in the hands of a skilled player. As you level up, your styles also grow. Once a style gains a new level, you have the ability to assign points to its attributes, allowing you to increase its power or quickness. Not only do you have the freedom to equip your character with styles that appeal to you, but you can also tailor the styles themselves to fit your tastes. This aspect really captures the spirit of the game and experience tailored to your particular desires. It may not be as open-ended as GTA, but your decisions still have an impact on how the game develops. All styles have their own strengths and weaknesses, requiring you to rely on more than just style if you want to get anywhere. Some are obviously more useful than others, but there’s no one dominant style. Styles are best used in concert with each other since many can enhance how well others work – sometimes even doing a little extra damage. Also, some enemies are immune to certain styles or can only be damaged by others. Mastering a variety of styles is a great way to ensure you don’t get stuck in a particular area. With Bioware’s history of genre-defining RPGs, Jade Empire has a hard legacy to live up to. There are still some rough patches, but overall Jade Empire is a fantastic RPG and is sure to be one of those games you keep coming back to numerous times.
-Starscream, GameVortex Communications AKA Ricky Tucker
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