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Astounding with some problems

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 45 / 47
Date: April 25, 2005
Author: Amazon User

From the people who brought us Knights of the Old Republic comes another genre-blending game with a fabulously twisting plot. If you own an Xbox, you should own this game. It is not only the best Action RPG on the Xbox but one of the best RPGs played in recent memory.

For those who have played KOTOR, this game will be instantly familiar. At the offset, you pick a character and are thrust into a world of moralities. Unlike KOTOR, the morality system is a little more complex for the most part. Instead of focusing on good and evil, your character has the choice of being endlessly helpful, understanding and tolerant of everyone (in other words believes in the power of the human spirit) or someone who reveres strength. As an example of this strength concept, there is a decision early on about a dam that is open and has caused problems for a town because the sailors are land locked. A wine merchant wants the dam to remain open so he can make a killing off of the sailors. If you follow the Way of the Open Palm you would probably close the dam so that the town can prosper in what is should be doing. If you follow the Way of the Closed Fist, on the other hand, would decide that if the town were strong they will survive this current hurdle and that it is only that, a hurdle. It gets a little more tricky than that and does open some areas for roleplaying your character and deciding what you would really do in that situation. Bioware is also wonderful at making you think about your decision as they give you new information just as soon as you make a decision that might change how you feel about the situation.

My only complaint with the system is that while they say that the two paths are different from looking at things as good and evil, there are still some instances where there is a "good" and an "evil" way of doing things. I might have rationalized why I would be doing something that way, yet I would get points from the side I didn't want because it was clearly delineated as "good and evil choice." So, that's a bit frustrating given that their system isn't supposed to be good and evil. But, overall the system works well and really makes you think.

I didn't really care for KOTOR because of the battle system and that is probably the reason I'm enjoying Jade Empire much more. The fighting system is simple yet deep. As you progress you will learn different martial arts style that you can map to the D-pad for quick and easy access. And you will be constantly changing your styles as the techniques to defeat enemies will constantly evolve. Some monsters are immune to certain attacks so you will have to experiment and find the best ways of devastating your foes.

On the simple side, the combat is really about rock, paper scissors. You have a quick attack and a time-consuming attack (and a knock back attack that really only helps when you are surrounded and need some space). When someone blocks you use your time consuming attack, otherwise you mostly use your quick attacks to offset their own long attacks. It's pretty simple and easy to used to. However, some battles can become a button masher either way you look at it. But it's still exhilarating and fast with many ways of deciding how you want to play. Do you want to focus on using weapons, martial arts, magic, transformations? A little of the above? It's all up to you.

The game is beautiful most of the time. The art style is impeccable and really helps create a full-flesh universe. Since it's based on oriental myth, it doesn't take place in the Orient as we know it but a mythical world that incorporates themes from oriental culture. Because of this, the desiginers are free to create whatever their imagination can make. And it's beautiful. There are some places that I stood for awhile and just looked because it was so surreally beautiful and soothing. It made me wish that sometimes our world wasn't so industrialized and that we could go back to what was a more simple beauty. It was that affecting. However, sometimes, the backgrounds look painted on. Some of the hills and areas that act as blockades for where you can't go aren't that well designed. Also my character's body type makes me laugh because his pecs are super large and his abs are indented in his body that I laugh whenever I see it.

The game moves impeccably fast as well. Your character runs and I mean runs through the areas. The framerate is great. But, like KOTOR before it, the game stutters sometimes when you are running and turning the camera. When the camera pans, the game flutters sometimes as it tries to take in everything that happens. In battles, the game hardly ever stutters. And the battles can end up having a good dozen or so enemies fighting you and your partner so they can get pretty hectic and the graphics engine does a great job keeping the motion moving.

Aurally, the game is a treat. You will find some cameo voice actors that are immediately familiar (look for John Cleese in a hysterical role). The music is well done and has a wonderful oriental bent to it (of course). Also, Bioware hired a real linguist to help create the fictional language used in the game. It is very familiar to oriental language but isn't real. It was created solely for this game. And that's amazing.

Unfortunately, my problem with the dialogue in the game is the same problem I had with KOTOR. It's great and all but all too often the plot developments and dialogue becomes a "talking head" type situation where anyone who has something important to say gets a close up of their face while their lips move and the dialogue is heard. This is unfortunate for me because I get impatient sometimes and will just read the subtitles and skip through most of their dialogue. It's never "dynamic" in cutscenes like in some RPGs I've played (hands down the best use of dialogue in an RPG goes to FFX that used dialogue to move the plot but it wasn't a novel dialogue, it was like movie dialogue). The dialogue in Jade Empire is sometimes like a novel. So, for those who aren't interested in talking heads delivering dialogue this might get annoying after a time. But the dialogue is genuinely well voiced and excellent.

My only other complaint is the load times. While not as annoying constant as Fable where each and every small zone no matter how small had to be loaded for a good 5-10+ seconds, it still is a pain when you have to go through zones for a quest. For instance, in the beginning of the game you have to go through the town to the school (a load screen) to get a quest, go back to town (load screen) to talk to someone, then back to the school (load screen). And it's unfortunate because the actual quest takes maybe a minute, but a good 20 seconds of the time is spent in load screens. That's a uncharacteristic load time though as generally the areas are big and don't usually require many loads. Although another incident where it is very noticeable is in an arena combat situation where before and after each arena battle it has to load for a good 5-10 seconds. The kicker is, some of the arena battles are over in about a minute or much much less and yet you have to deal with two load screens comprising a good 10-20 seconds. So, in some areas it can be annoying and definitely pulls you out of the game when you should be pulled further in. And, it becomes especially annoying considering that games like Halo 2 are seamless after the original load.

Overall, though, this game is gold. It's perfectly plotted and paced and has Bioware's trademark in excellence stamped all over it. It ranks as one of my favorite games this year so far along with God of War and Psychonauts. I would definitely recommend buying this game. There are some problems that I have noted but you know regardless of the problems, this is an excellent game with an excellent story. And, at 22+ hours, this adventure is worth taking.

**NOTE: You should definitely pick up the Limited Edition of it if you can still find it. For the initial run they are all Limited Edition and after they are gone, you will only be able to get this, the standard game. The Limited edition has a new character and weapon style and a making of as well as some other fun things. Same price, so definitely check out the limited edition over this version if you want the game.

An Asian Odyssey

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 6 / 6
Date: April 19, 2005
Author: Amazon User

After creating the 2003 game of the year, what would you expect from Bioware? Well it's not what I saw coming, passing up the chance to make the sequel to KOTOR they decided to finally make a game that they've imagined for nearly a decade, an RPG in an ancient-China like land with plenty of kung-fu elements.

Jade Empire is not your standard RPG, it's far from it, but with it's improvements on the genre it very well may become the standard. The first noticeable difference in the gameplay is the innovative fighting style allowing you to fight in real time, but it's a change for the better. It's truly new feel is based around the d-pad, setting a different fighting style to each direction so that while in battle it is simple to change between them. This allows for many moves with various twists making it easier to navigate attacks. Bioware was correct in saying that for the player to be a kung-fu master they must feel like one as well, this is what the system of fighting does over a turn-based so common to RPGs.

I will not ruin the story, but it leads for action-packed sequences that will have you on the edge of your seat. You will easily find your self immersed in the story of this world. If you have played "Knight's of the Old Republic" you will know that Bioware's storytelling is top-notch and they only improve with Jade Empire's plot. The scenes have been pondered and perfected, the mythology is in-depth and brings an incredible realism to the world, and the architecture and newly-developed language are the icing on the cake.

On your quest there is plenty of customization available, mini quests to go upon, and lands to explore, all the while your choices having consequences leading you down the path of The Open Palm or The Closed Fist. You also constantly upgrade your character with the experience you gain over time, mastering different ways of fighting.

I have not enjoyed a game this much in a long while, and even if your are not a fan of the RPG genre this game can draw you in. It is an almost certain for RPG of the Year and a definite contender for Game of the Year.

Bioware's attention to detail, the over 320 minor characters have full voice-overs, and superb gameplay earn Jade Empire
A Bliss of 9

The Best RPG Of All Time!!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 5 / 22
Date: April 09, 2005
Author: Amazon User

Jade Empire is going to be one of the best RPG's of all time. The graphics are phenominal with mindblowing visuals. The sound is great and the game contains more than 300 voice overs. The fighting system is all new. It looks great and runs very fluently. The story of Jade Empire is based on Chinese myths. An evil ruler wants to take over all the nations and "you" have to stop him. This game is somewhat just like Fable, with all that upgrading your player. You upgrade your character by killing beasts and enemies. You also use magic and you change into beasts that make you kill them faster. So overall you should get this game and if you don't...WELL...TO BAD!!

Bioware does it again!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 4 / 12
Date: April 08, 2005
Author: Amazon User

I have played this game for a good couple hours (6+) in it's full form, not demo, and I have to say that this game is amazing! Great story, fun fighting styles and easy to get the hang of. Beautiful graphics as well! I am looking forward to getting my hands on a copy to play beyond where I got before.

I would suggest you buy this game.

A Great RPG Adventure.Some Hints Added.

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 5 / 5
Date: May 07, 2005
Author: Amazon User

Jade Empire is a third person RPG has an immersive storyline and lots of interesting sidequests .If you take the time to read all the diologue from as many charachters as you can find and also do as many or all the sidequests ,its about a 15-20 hour game. I finished the game in about 4 days. But you could easily stretch out the game into 3 weeks or more. There's about 5 different types of fighting styles that your player can use and upgrade that are grouped into different catagories. There's Martial Style which is a unarmed fighting.There's Weapon style with swords ,axes,spears,etc. There's Magic syle.There's Support style ,example, slow enemy or paralize. And finally there's Transformation style. Also Most Ghosts or Spirit enemies are immune to swords,spears,axes or weapon styles.Demons are immune to support styles and some martial styles. You realy have to experiment to see which enemies are immune to particular styles. The fighting system is very easy ,its free form you can lock on and switch targets by pressing left or right trigger ,or free target by pressing both triggers at same time. You can perform whats called harmonic combos by starting with certain styles & ending with another style.The charachters target ring will turn yellow when you have started one. Although its possible never having to use a harmonic combo .I beat the game never doing one.I loved the White Demon Martial style its good for taking out ghosts spirits,I wasnt a big fan of Legendary strike it didnt seem as strong for some reason and I had it maxed out.There's tons of choices to make as far as fighting styles go in this game.You get to upgrade your fighter as you progress in the game. The choices you make you will either choose Open Palm (good) or Closed Fist (evil). To get Closed fist points you do have make evil type choices.Sometimes they will try to trick you into thinking that it isnt evil or a bad choice.The dam for example by destroying the dam controls you continue the towns suffering and make it a continued haven for drunk sailors and harlots,thats what the merchant wants ,he sells wine. But by fixing the dam you heal a town thats already been suffering for awhile already,by renewing there shipping abilities and access to food(fish).But first do all sidequests and xtras before fixing or breaking the dam, you'll greatly need to.You have alot of different power up abilities,that you can obtain by reading scrolls or searching containers for them,or buy the upgrades from different merchants,or you get certain fighting styles by either doing open palmed(good) or closed fist(evil) choice from certain teachers. Its not too hard of a game with the right fighting styles you can be deadly.The fighting system is pretty smooth free form ,you can sidestep,jump over the enemy hit em in the back , & block most attacks,pretty much free form do anything thers's no real restrictions.After defeating certain demons you then can Transform into there image & there fighting style and kill your enemies. The Jade Golem or Red Minister are very powerful transformation styles ,but you dont get either until later in the game,definatly save some upgrade points for one of those styles.The graphics are pretty good in this game nice details and they get better as you go.I think there are three different endings ,I saw 2 of them just remember to save before the important decisions & battles.Before you start the game you can choose what character you wanna be either Strong Style,Magic Style,Fast Style, or Balanced style. You gain followers as you progress in the game that can either fight with you or be a support where they wont fight ,but they will replenish your Health,Chi,& Focus while you are in battle. You can have only one charachter with at a time,but you can switch them out at any time.Some negatives about this game are the load times while doing quests,especialy in the Imperial City there are lots of load screens when you go to different parts of the city it can get a little annoying.Also when you talk to anybody the talking animation isnt that great or interesting ,like other reviewers stated I also found myself quickly reading the text & not looking at the 'talking heads'. But for the most part definatly one of the better RPG'S out.If you like KOTOR part 1 , Morrowind or Fable.Definatly try this game out. Here's some good strong powerful style choices for an Open palmed(good) player. Martial style: (White Dragon) Weapon style: (Crimson Tears) Magic style: (Stone Immortal stronger with open palm player) Transformation style: (Red Minister almost unbeatable or Jade Golem very very powerful and looks great) Support Style: (Paralyzing Palm or Spirit Thief).These are just some of my favs styles,some people will be better or worse with different styles because there gameplay style might be different than mine. To get the Crimson Tears (advanced dual sabers) Talk to KHANA in the Imperial City Arena ,after you talk to everybody in the arena,you must tell her of the plans they want (you) to poison her,but tell her you will not poison her and you will fight her Honorably in the Imperial Arena,she then will train you in the advanced version of the dual sabers called Crimson Tears after you defeat her in the Imperial Arena Bronze Division.Its a deadly dual sword that is very powerful maxed out. Also save as many weapon upgrades as you can because you get a limited amount you can only max about 4 total. Concentrate on upgrading White Demon & Crimson Tears, & Either Red Minister or Jade Golem . Those will help in the tougher boss battles.The Support styles arent even needed ,there helpful but not neccessary. To defeat the Emperor switch to a different style then he's using.Example if he's using a weapon ,say a sword,then you switch to unarmed (Martial style).etc. Because he's immune to whatever style he is equipped with and he will quickly change his attack to match your style, he will then be immune,so you change your style attack again. Good Luck.

Truly a spectular pleasure

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 4 / 4
Date: January 06, 2006
Author: Amazon User

I brought this game for my sister for Christmas. I called her on her day off from work and was told - "Can't talk now, I am playing." I was surprised by her reaction. She doesn't normally sit down and play a game and then finish it so quickly. So when she brought it over for me to play, I was looking forward to it. Needless to say, I was not let down. I spent all my free time immersed in a wonderful story that had me in a trance. The beauty, the story, the adventure. I highly recommend this game for all, it was a truly spectular pleasure to play.

Perfect

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 3 / 14
Date: April 08, 2005
Author: Amazon User

This game is exellent in every way, the lush graphics and scenery, the choice talking, and the fighting style, this lives up to Knights Of The Old Republic 1&2 by far! Way to go Bioware!

Ranks Right up there with KOTOR

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 4 / 4
Date: June 07, 2005
Author: Amazon User

Well I beat this tonight after non-stop gameplay these last several days (I'd say about 20-30 hours of gameplay with side-quest completion). I must say I quite enjoyed it and recommend it to anyone who liked KOTOR. They are similar in a lot of aspects, but at the same time gives you a fresh new RPG with many new things to discover.

The side-quests are quite enjoyable and proved to be much more creative and thought out than the "help with this person's problem and then give them money to get back on their feet." The story was also very good and their is a twist similar to the one in KOTOR, but completely caught me off-guard. It really did pull the story together though.

I will give this a little review in the aspects of the game for those interested--

--GAMEPLAY--
Decent gameplay. I'd say the actual progression of character is very cool. As you play and become stronger you get more power to your weapons and styles of fighting. The voice acting is superb and throws you right back into the classic witty KOTOR dialogue we love so much. There is humor, action, and story. The only downfall is there really is no love story. The combat is a little repetetive after awhile but as your weapons are upgraded, the more your enemies are decapitated and spirt blood from their necks, giving the game a kind of Kill Bill aspect. Very cool for those who love the splatter of blood. The characters are also memorable and stick with you throughout the game, each with their own story and purpose in the game. The only hinderence in gameplay is that it sometimes would glitch on itself when you talked to someone and the words didn't come out and then it would freeze up. This probably happened 4 or 5 times throughout my gameplay. Although this could just be an effect of my Xbox getting older.

GAMAEPLAY: 9.0

--GRAPHICS--
Bioware really maxes out on the graphics this time around. I noticed a bunch of improvement in character movement especially, leaving behind the looped and annoying gestures of KOTOR characters. The characters can point you in directions, kneel down, stretch their necks, motion embarassment, hassle you by pointing... the list goes on and on. And the setting is absolutely spectacular. Each place has a completely different feel to it, from the Ancien Dirge Chinese temples to the grassy and welcoming environment of the Two Rivers Martial Arts School.

GRAPHICS: 9.5

--SOUND--
The sound is simply EXCELLENT! The colorful music score done by Jack Wall (JackWall.net) is awesome, always having that rich flavor of the eastern culture. A CD is in the possible works and I will be getting one if it is released. And the sound effects themselves were very well done. Bioware commented that there were over 2000 different sounds created in a recording studio to get all of the sounds perfect. They really outdid themselves on this. Next to KOTOR, this is the best video game score I have ever heard.

SOUND: 10

Overall I would strongly recommend this game to anyone who is thinking about getting it. It's definately worth the money.

Also there are 3 different endings to the game instead of the standard two. One ends on a light note, one ends on a dark note, and one ends on a more compromising but ultimately dark note (perhaps could be called a failing note). I could watch all 3 in one game too, because if you change your pivitol decisions near the end of the game, your alignment can do a 180 on the outcome (including the last few lines of dialgue with the enemy which gives you the third ending).

Anyway really loved the game and would give it a 9.5 overall.

_Max

Immediatly enchanting

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 4 / 4
Date: June 18, 2005
Author: Amazon User

Here's an example of how good this game is. I bought an xbobx for this game. Its just that worth it.

once the menu screen shows up on your screen, I promise, you will be immediatly anchanted. The music is so deep and overwhelming, sorrowful and yet noble. And the visuals, although choppy at very rare times, are heavenly.

When you start out, you will of course pick which character you want to use for your adventure. There are plenty to choose from, ranging from fast-fisted warriors to huge barbarians. This just begins one of the greates aspects of the game - character customization. True, it may seem simplistic at first, but through the game you can gain so many styles and techniques that for one moment your character will be beating the heck out of his opponents with brute force, and then seamlessly meld into movments as graceful yet deadly as Crane.

Magic aspect aside, the martial arts are fairly true-to-life. For example, if you are using a longsword, the stance has you holding it above your head (note that not all styles have you doing this, just the one in Jade Empire). Now, when fighting someone with a spear, you might want to switch to either hand-to-hand or a weapon with a longer range. This is because the way that you hold your sword, its takes an extra 1/10 of a second (which in martial arts is precious time). The enemies spear can take advantage of that, and then your dead.

You start off in your martial arts school. When I saw this, i couldn't believe how beautiful it was. It was so peacful and enchanting. Even subtle details were payed attention to, such as the students going through REAL forms and excersises from Tai-Chi Chuan and the Lohan system.

The names are great. Furious Ming. Wu the Lotus Blossom. Gao the Greater (and lesser). Segacious Zu. I mean c'mon - thats just classic.

And perhaps most importantly - the story. Thats right people, there IS something MORE important than graphics (although Jade Empire's are phenomanal). This is an RPG after all. At first, it seems pretty formulated. I was a little dissapointed. But, don't lose heart. Very soon some amazingly creative and origional writing comes into play. The story is great.

Sadly, there is one thing that I just really do not like about this game at all. For starters, there is the Airship transportation. Its just a remake of Space invaders with a Chinese twist. Very big letdown there.

Secondly, all of the close-ups can get tiresome. I mean, with envoirnments so beautiful, I want to see more than just some warriors face, no matter how cool he/she looks.

But, despite these factors, I still give this game a 5 out of 5. And here is why.

Bad things about the game - 2
Good things about the game - 100+

Bottom line; If you have an XBOX, then there is no excuse not to have Jade Empire.

Welcome to the world of Jade

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 4 / 5
Date: September 19, 2005
Author: Amazon User

Jade Empire - Circa 2005

GOOD:
- Good/Tight controls
- Nicely balanced gameplay (some might think it's to easy just go to the difficulty setting and crank up the difficulty)
- Lots of different and interesting fighting styles to earn and choose from
- An original story with some twists and turns for you to discover (by talking to people). The story also has multiple endings (either good or bad outcome)
- Variety of different locals to travel to (all done in nice detail)
- Action RPG with lots of story (told through character dialogue) and real-time action

BAD:
- Not a traditional RPG or a traditional beat-em-up (like Final Fight), so it might upset people looking for more of either
- Slightly liner gameplay
- Dialogue trees might be to long for some that want more of an action game
- Some complain of long loading times, but Star Wars: Knights of the old Republic and fable had loading times just as long

IF IT FITS YOUR TASTE:
- Has mythical/medieval Chinese theme
- Action RPG with real time fighting (like in Fable), no turn based fighting (like in final Fantasy X) and no "partial" turn based fighting (like in Star Wars: Knights of the old Republic)
- Light RPG elements, think of this as an RPG for people who like RPG's but hate tracking statistics and complex weapon/armor upgrading. Great for people who like action/adventure games (like Onimusha) but want a lot more story
- Lot's of story and dialogue if you ever played Star Wars: Knights of the old Republic one or two you'll know what I mean.

GAME ITS MOST ASSOCATED TOO:
- Fable
- Star Wars: Knights of the old Republic

ADDITIONAL NOTES:
- The special version has a bonus disc with a new playable character, weapon and a making of the game video (made by G4's show Icons)
- After you beat the game and during the credits, you get some really funny dialogue from the game's main story characters

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