Reviews (24) 
Ranks Up There with KOTOR
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
Wonderful!
I'm a female gamer and really enjoyed Jade Empire. The graphics were beautiful the plot compelling and the character models amazing. You play as an orphan raised in the school of your Mentor Master Li. You have everything,(except perhaps romance at least for now ;-0 ), but your life takes a downward turn when one of the students is kidnapped and your master asks you to rescue her.
At first I found the gameplay too hard. I'm not a big fan of fighting games preferring games similar to KOTOR. But eventually I got the hang of how to work the keypad.(I DO however wish there was a general attack button and I was not compelled to hit the "A" key constantly to force my character to swing her sword). I also enjoyed some of the NPCS. Dawnstar. Henpecked Hu. Sky.
Cons:
Some of the party members were rather useless...Such as the spirit 'merchant' who totally rips you off for silver, and the inventor, who stays at camp all the time.
I didn't care for the girl possessed by the Demon (sorry, she creeps me out. WAY too exorcist for me). =- )
Lack of ability to equip multiple henchmen.
GHOSTS. Way too many of them, and they are difficult for beginners to killI was bored.
Inability to customize your character's physical appearance.
Pros:
Fun romances
Snappy dialogue
Great story!
Wonderful Music
This game is rated M for mature. It has adult situations and violence.
If only ...
This game could have been so much. At first I thought this game was awesome, jumping around kicking peoples ass is do much fun. But later on, you realize how easy the game is. Sure, some people prefer to have fun rather than be chalenged, but that's what easy mode is for. Also, the game is way too short. I beat it in only 12 hours completing almost all of the side missions on hard.Which is a big dissapointment coming from bioware, considering I beat KOTOR in 20 hours on easy doing barely any of the side missions. The fighting isn't too good either. There aren't any special moves for any of the styles and it feels like you're just button mashing (even on hard). Don't get me wrong, the game is a blast, it's just not a challenge. It's way too short (there's only a few cities to go to) and the fighting can get repetitive. The story isn't bad but it's nothing special. You'll have a blast if you borrow of rent this game, but save your money for the KOTOR series.
The next great RPG from Bioware
As I type this, I finished Jade Empire only minutes ago...and I am quite pleased with what Bioware brought to the table yet again.Great games like this (and other gems like Knights of the Old Republic) are too far and few between, yet it only serves to highlight just how great a game can be... when made by the right people.
Although the lush graphics and fluid animations are certainly a high point of Jade Empire, it's really the fleshed out storyline that makes this game shine. Throughout the entire 17 hours and 16 minutes that it took me to finish Jade Empire, I felt I was very much a part of something "big".Each person you meet along the way has a part to play, and they feel much more than just supporting characters in a video game.
They bring their own hopes, fears, dreams, and even personal viewpoints... and are developed nicely. In essence, they not only help to move the story along its key points, but they feel like they are there for a specific purpose. Walking away from the game, I felt that all were crucial in my journey... something that is unusual in most games I play today (even my much beloved Knights of the Old Republic).Beyond the characters, the storyline itself was full of surprises, which fueled my desire to keep moving forward in the game. If you've played other games from Bioware, you'll know that things are not always as they appear.
Much like KOTOR, Jade Empire incorporates what we gamer's affectionately call the "morality system" into the game; though not as clear-cut this time around. Instead of choosing the path of "good" or "evil", players choose a demeanor based on the "Open palm" or "Closed fist" principles. Although some may view the closed fist as somewhat closer to evil than the open palm, it really just means that you are choosing a path based more on physical power, than inner strength, much like hard vs. soft styles in the martial arts world. What about the game play itself, you ask?
The game play mechanics were pretty neat, though I didn't find the normal difficulty setting all that challenging (for the most part anyway). The amount of styles you could purchase seemed unending, and choosing from each of them really wasn't that difficult. Mapping them to the respective d-pad was a cinch. My only regret was how little I used the strong attacks in the game, due to how open they left my character so open to counterattacks. Opposing characters could block your fast attacks, but getting past their shields was as simple as jumping over their heads and attacking again from behind.
Of course if you played the game on hard, this was much easier said than done. Bottom line though, you don't want to go anywhere near the easy difficulty, or the game might be a "pushover" for most of you. Difficulty settings aside, I greatly enjoyed the combat engine and the many fighting styles I could choose "on the fly".Besides being a boatload of fun, they enable you to personalize your martial style to your liking.
As I expected, the voice work and music was quite good. Though based on an obvious fictitious Asian world, the sounds (and sights of course) of Jade Empire are believable in every respect. It is obvious that much work was put into using the music to help convey feeling throughout the game, and shows. Overall, I think Jade Empire is fantastic, and I applaud this and the other great games Bioware has made for the Xbox.
The only real complaint SOME may have is with the length of the game itself. While I completed it in around 17 hours, I didn't do most of the side quests. Had I done so, I can imagine the game lasting somewhat longer. Of course you could play it through again using the opposite style of what you chose the first time, and squeeze even more game play out of Jade Empire. Bottom line? I don't think my time is really a good gage of Jade Empire's true length. Nonetheless, I loved every minute of the game, and I think most of you will as well.Though not perfect, Jade Empire is quite the game.
"gAmE bOi"
The 2nd best RPG!!!!
Jade Empire is an excellent game, period.It's not perfect, but what game is?Well, KOTOR came pretty close to perfect...so due to it's similarities and since many people played that game (either loving it or hating it) I think it is a good reference point for Jade Empire.
STORY -As usual with Bioware, the game is driven strongly by a great story and very interesting characters.From a young girl possessed by two different demons and a mysterious and feisty woman in black, to a huge axe wielding mercenary who only wants to drink and fight.The plot is filled with myth, magic, spirits,demons and a share of comedy.It has elements of classic kung fu movies which you will immediately recognize.The only downside to the story is that it's not that surprising.I think the plot twist KOTOR had will be very hard to beat...and Jade Empire has it's share of surprises, but nothing you can't see coming.I won't reveal the plot twist, but I think the impact of KOTOR's plot twist was that it involved the player's character directly, while Jade Empire's twist centers around an NPC.This is not necesseraly bad, since it serves the plot perfectly and ties up the story nicely...but the impact is not as strong.Regardless, Jade Empire's story and characters are by far it's strongest points.
GAMEPLAY - A lot of people complained about KOTOR's turn based system, so did I when I started the game.To fix that, Jade Empire's combat system is real time. This was done no doubt to try and get more people to play the game, not only RPG fans, and since it is a kung fu game it makes sense.The combat system is essentially a rock-scissor-paper game.The downside....it's too simple!Action gamers will not get as excited with the fighting system due to it's simplicity and RPG fans will miss the strategy behind the turn based system.Add the fact that the standard difficulty level is not too tough and you end up with a pretty easy game to beat.There's no real leveling-up, all this does is increase your health, chi and focus bars more, and improve your styles, which by the way you can get along with just two of them really.I beat the game with the first weapon style I got and the first martial style.The inventory is also trimmed down a lot to gems.While in KOTOR you had to customize your inventory for different fights or situations, adding to the strategy, here you can get along just fine with whatever it is you're carrying.In summary, the gameplay seems to be "RPG-Light" to try and get more people to play it, but it may be just a bit too simple.The moral aspect of it has no influence either.While in KOTOR being dark side or light side had meant different quests, different powers, etc. in Jade Empire it has really no influence during the game, probably just for the ending.Does the gameplay make the game less enjoyable...not really, but it is I think it's weakest point.
GRAPHICS AND SOUND - No complaints here.Graphics are awesome, the music great, and the voice over is good as well.The loading times are still long though.
OVERALL -As said at the beginning, the game is great...although I personally enjoyed KOTOR more.This one is also shorter which is a shame because it is good enough to make you want to keep playing it.Story, characters, graphics and sound are great while gameplay is good, but a bit trimmed down.That's why I think it's the second best RPG...KOTOR still being the best.
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What have I done?!
They still have the nerve to charge $50???
Not even close comparing to the original!