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Strong Console RPG

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 2 / 3
Date: November 11, 2005
Author: Amazon User

Although I like action games, I'm definitely more of a fan of RPG's with lots of customization and a deep storyline. I also generally prefer PC games to console games. That said, I thoroughly enjoyed Jade Empire.

There's not as much customization as with many PC RPG's; you pick one of 7 characters (4 different types, 3 mostly the same but for gender) with some preset characteristics but then you pick fighting style and allot points to body (health, strength), spirit (magic, healing), and mind (focus, weapons).

Throughout the game you follow a basic storyline though the way you choose to finish the quests and subquests affects the outcome of the game to a point. The plot was rather predictable, though.

I thought that the mix of RPG and martial arts was fun, but you lose a lot of what you would have in a game that is purely one or the other.

I liked this game, but I don't think it's going to wind up in my list of all-time favorites.

... just not that good

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 1 / 2
Date: September 19, 2005
Author: Amazon User

Ill start of by saying that this game is not bad, it's just not that good either.

Pros:
The graphics are AMAZING

The characters are cool

...The fighting is descent...

Cons:
The Load Screens! It may not sound that bad but trust me they are terrible.

The story is not good regardless of what you may here. It was incredibly predictable, if you can't see the twist coming there is something wrong with you.

The game boasts three alternate endings depending on the actions you choose throughout the games but actually how you play the last 5 minutes determines the ending.

I like my boss battles to feel epic and when i beat them i want to feel like a accomplished something but in Jade Empire boss battles fight just like any other enemy (not much stronger either) and are very simple even the final boss

This game is short and in no way wroth the money

This game makes a good rent, beat it and view all the endings
in 2-3 days, but is just not good enough to buy. So much potential...:(

:0)

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 9 / 9
Date: June 19, 2006
Author: Amazon User

No complaints, But i could i have done without so much talking at times you wanted to just dive in and started fighting but overall good for me

Knights of the Old Republic: Kung Fu style

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 6 / 6
Date: May 14, 2005
Author: Amazon User

I've loved most of the Bioware games over the last several years. Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic, Neverwinter Nights, the Baldur's Gate series and all the spin offs based on that same engine by Black Isle. So while I hadn't really tracked the development or feature set of Jade Empire, and I haven't been playing many games at all the last year or so - I decided to pick it up.

So I got it home, tried it out, and got into the old pattern of a week-long, late-night playing spree until I reached the end.

It was good.

The characters and writing were pretty decent. The quests were pretty varied (although I got really sick of ghosts and spirits by the end). The dialog was funny at times. You had choices about whether to be good or evil throughout the game. It definitely had an Eastern flavor and philosophy throughout. There were some really original segments and nice cinematic sequences and some fairly well-done plot twists. But overall I'd say the story and characters were just decent - not as good as an average novel. Not quite as good as Knights of the Old Republic. And not innovative - still plagued by the same issues that have affected previous games in the genre (e.g. no real freedom to make choices to avoid big plot quests or go in your own direction, not much subtlety in the good/evil choices and rewards given for being either as good or as evil as possible, smashing barrels and boxes and urns around towns and houses to find loot without any consequences).

Where the game really shined was in combat. Your character is skilled in Kung Fu, and starts with 2 fighting "styles" that he or she can switch between at any time. Each style is relatively simple in it's own right. There's a basic attack. You can sequence 2 or 3 attacks in succession before needing to pause a second. You can block. You can "power attack" which takes a second to warm up and leaves you open to regular attack - but can break through an enemy's block. And there's an area attack that knocks foes down but doesn't really hurt them. And you can roll and flip around to evade enemies. That's it. So basic strategy is "rock, paper, scissors." Block beats regular attack - power attack beats block - regular attack beats power attack (during warm up).

So in the beginning of the game you get used to this strategy against one opponent or a few at a time. But before long you start learning new styles. There are new "martial" styles (different forms of kung fu), there are support styles which tend to hinder opponents and set them up for finishing combinations, there are magic styles that usually let you blast enemies at range, there are weapon styles, and there are transformation styles (which let you become a big baddie of some sort for a short while to kick some butt).

Each of these styles has the same categories of moves described above... but very different versions. E.g. with the dire flame magic style, the basic attack fires a small flaming projectile at your enemy, the power attack fires a large flaming projectile that immolates the enemy for a time and makes it impossible for him to attack back, and the area attack summons a dragon to breath flame in the area.

So the core mechanic of the game stays fresh throughout, since you're continually collecting new styles, trying them out, learning their strengths and weaknesses, and investing your limited pool of points into improving the ones you like best. Then at some point you start to really experiment with the "hamonic combinations" in which you have to use a support or magic style, get someone with the slow power attack, then quickly switch to a martial style and hit them with another power attack to finish them off and produce a power up. This can be fun, and it very efficient when fighting large groups of enemies at once.

I have to admit - at times I really felt like a bad-ass kung fu master during the game. Start with my "Flawless" staff style, then switch to "Spirit Thief" to suck up some of their spiritual energy, then flip over their back and use "Thousand Cuts" for some quick punches, then finally to "Stone Immortal" to encase my enemies in rock. The switching between styles is very fast and natural - and before too long I became very familiar with many of the styles, and I could recognize and name the styles that foes were using against me. This really brought scenes of kung fu movies to mind such as "Ha - you don't think you can beat me using "Leaping Tiger" style do you?" or "Ahh, Tempest style. You must be a master who follows the way of the closed fist - and I must take care to avoid your vortex area attacks."

And in the end - that's what makes a game memorable. The way it made you feel when you were playing it. This game made me feel like a Kung Fu master in a way that straight fighting games with never could.

-Mike Arcuri

Loved the Game But It's So Simple

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 4 / 4
Date: November 20, 2005
Author: Amazon User

I thought this was an overall great game. Great storyline, though a bit confusing and disappointing/sad in the end. The Only thing I really criticize was the fighting and the number of styles and how they are earned. The Buttons for fighting have been seen a million times. You press one or two buttons (mostly one) and thats how you defeat everyone. The other thing is that when they said you would learn transform skills by fighting many of a creatures, I assumed you'd be fighting more than one or two before the game activates it at a planned moment. I expected to be able to into a wilderness and find many many creatures that respawn and attack again. Also, there were too few weapon styles. You end up using only 1 or 2 kinds of weapons. My last criticism is the lack of things you could buy. More armor, more weapons, less gems. I know I've made the game sound terrible by now but truely, great storyline, excellent graphics and sound, average stats system, good variety of styles and ememies, etc. If you like RPG's, buy it, you'll like it.

Stunning RPG with few shortcomings.

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 2 / 2
Date: July 31, 2005
Author: Amazon User

Bioware has always made great RPGs across multiple gaming systems. This one is no exception. Many compare it to KOTOR, but I don't have the luxury of playing that game. Even without comparison, this is still a well-written, well-presented RPG with only a few small shortcomings.

The world is large and well-detailed, as are the characters presented within. There are multiple options for dialogue (standard replies and use of skills to influence decisions), and character interaction features several famous voiceovers. The main storyline is extensive, and the side-quests available expand gameplay even further.

Character creation and evolution is simple. There's three attributes; you can either start with a template character or custom-create one. Once you're levelling up within the game, you choose points in the three stats and your available fighting techniques learned through the game. A choice of a dozen followers earned through the game can enhance these attributes.

The story is very addicting. Subquests help flavor the storyline further, but aren't necessary to complete the main storyline, which contains its share of predictable and unpredictable plot turns. While there are two ways to play the game (good or evil, referred to as Open Palm or Closed Fist), there is little difference in the outcome and very little else affected by this choice.

The battle system is flashy and easy to understand. There are multiple difficulty levels, catering to play styles that are either story-intensive or battle-intensive. Techniques are learned that increase your range of abilities, and quick-change and combo systems provide for lots to master.

Overall, despite the few shortcomings, I blazed through this game quickly, unable to put it down. The story, graphics, and music all played to make this a great experience, and replayability is still high even after the game's complete.

Great game with some flaws

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 3 / 5
Date: January 06, 2007
Author: Amazon User

Jade Empire is an adventure Role Playing game in a complete fantasy world of magic, weaponry, and martial arts. You begin your journey as a young student of the martial arts after your village came under siege and your master was kidnapped by an unknown enemy. In your travels to locate your master, you discover that your homeland, The Jade Empire, has fallen into complete darkness and despair, incomparable to the idyllic environment of your village nestled away on the boarder. As you come to discover the mysteries of your heritage, and shed light on your darkened past, you find that you are destined for great things and that the very salvation of mankind depends upon you as the last Spirit Monk.

The best thing about this game is its story, and I tried not to give too much of it away, but the story is far from being the only great thing about this game. In addition to fighting and leveling up numerous martial and magic styles, there are about a hundred side quests you can undertake which will determine the characteristics of the protagonist. In short, you can pursue one of two philosophical ways of life: the way of the Open Palm or the Closed Fist. The way of the Open Palm is a belief system of harmony, and protecting the weak; while the Way of the Closed Fist is the worship of strength. A follower of the Way of The Open Palm will go out of his or her way to help people who are in difficult situations and don't know how to help themselves. This can range from helping an old lady see through the forgery of an Imperial Writ threatening to claim ownership of her teahouse, to saving someone being stormed by thugs. The Closed Fist follower will do just the opposite. Instead of bringing peace to peoples lives, a follower of the Closed Fist will bring chaos, but he or she will do so to see if this person is strong enough to not fall into complete ruin. If the person dies in the process, then that is good, for that person is weak and only the strong should survive and be worthy of anything. It is because of this that the Closed Fist scheme is often interpreted as evil, and is a far more dangerous path, for you will make twice the amount of enemies. Side quests all deal with people and their individual problems. You can either solve these problems for them or worsen them. To deal with them all is really the girth of the game, and most of them are in plain view and not easy to miss. So, it is not like you will need to search for them.

Another great thing is the game's numerous locales. There is the village where you begin. Tien's Landing, a town suffering from the opening of their Water Dam and a swarm of troublesome pirates. A pirate's camp on a deserted island. A haunted Forest. The Imperial City. The Lotus Assassin fortress beneath a huge Necropolis. You venture into the spirit world among other strange places. All superbly displayed on your TV screen in excellent Xbox graphics. Side objectives in addition to your main quest can be found in each location, which makes this game very engrossing, and very long. Only game that may be longer than this would be something like Final Fantasy.

Now that I am done praising this game, it is now time to mention its quirks. This game is obviously inspired by Chinese myth (inspired, not taken directly) and it is made to look like China, with upturned eaves on houses and pagodas in the mountains. HOWEVER, they all speak in English and have American accents. This annoyed me to no end. They couldn't at least find some Asian voice actor with an accent? I would have preferred reading subtitles and listening to real Chinese than what I got.
The people you meet throughout the empire are the same characters again and again, just with different voices and wearing different clothes. This was so cheap.

When people speak in Tho Fan, a fictional language of the prosperous East in the game, they use the same words (or sounds) perpetually, when they are supposedly using different words which you see in the subtitles below.

Among these nagging problems this game has, are the huge historical and religious inaccuracies. Although there is a wheel of Life belief in China, it is not governed by a Water Dragon. The Chinese Dragon is simply an elemental creature, often residing in the sea. They are not even considered Gods. Another huge blunder was the game's depiction of the Imperial City, which I am left with no choice but to assume that this is supposed to be the Forbidden City of China, which, during an emperor's reign, they would never allow common folk to tread its stone roads (that is, if they wanted to keep their heads). But in the game the city has a poor quarter, a common folk district, and a rich district, which borrows from the social strata of medieval monarchy of the west.

But what dose it matter? The gaming experience is great and I enjoyed it.

Great game, but WAY too short.

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 1 / 2
Date: April 21, 2005
Author: Amazon User

Bioware has once again shown their stuff in making Jade Empire. I was torn in how to rate it exactly, the game itself is really fun, using aspects for its battle system from Knights, only making it real time. Different strategies come into play, and each style has its pros and cons. Graphics are solid and beautiful. You see wind blowing grass and clothes. Detail is solid, and animations are smooth and clean. I have yet to see in problems with lag or clipping issues. Controls are easy to use, and customizable. So it won't be hard to suit them to your needs.
The major problem though, is that the game seems to end quickly. Even with doing all the side quests and spending time just leveling up. It takes only 15-20 hours to beat if you just skim through most of it. Another issue I had is that the camera would sometimes zoom in when I moved by walls during battle and in town movement. This can be annoying in battle, because you can't see and have no idea where things are. The sounds are decent, with music and full voiceovers for all characters. Though the music gets repetitive, and though this is me nitpicking, some of the character voices just get irritating.
Besides that though, this is a great game for the Xbox, and a must have for any RPG fan. If you don't mind it being short, then there is lot to be found in Jade Empire.

Worth the price of admission

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 1 / 1
Date: April 24, 2005
Author: Amazon User

Jade Empire is from the people of Bioware, who gave us such wonderful games as Star Wars KOTOR and Baldurs Gate II. These guys know how to tell a story.

That being said, this is not a traditional rpg...think of it as an action rpg. There is virtually no inventory, and you do not upgrade your follower characters. You do get to customize your character, and I will say that with the sheer amount of fighting styles on top of the good/evil/neutral paths, it has replay value.

The fights are fast and fun, but the main reason to play the game is the story. Bioware creates a world that is just plain cool to travel through. You walk through the cities and talk to everyone just to find out more. I would stop and admire views, the graphics are wonderful. As with KOTOR, you just get pulled along by the story and you can't wait to see where it takes you.

Better than Fable, but not KOTOR

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 0 / 0
Date: August 12, 2005
Author: Amazon User

I just finished this game and recommend it for RPG fans & those who enjoyed KOTOR (didn't we all?). I think the game's best attribute is the graphics and the unique ghost & demon designs. Like Fable, it does start off slow (plot development/training, etc.), but once your main character begins his/her quest, the game really takes off. While in-combat controls are occasionally problematic and the dialogue is a bit over-done (can't we just choose the good or bad path & be done with it?), the graphics and the not-knowing-what-the-next-level-will-bring kept me interested. Imagine KOTOR's gameplay in the context of Asian mythology--Very satisfying!

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