Customer Reviews

Jade Empire Special Edition (Rhino Demon Exclusive Content)

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Jade Empire: Special Edition is a lot of fun. The milieu is a fresh breath of air from the typical fantasy setting and the combat is certainly more dynamic. Instead of issuing commands and then waiting for the computer to resolve dice rolls behind the scenes, the combat is pure real-time martial arts. You jump your character in and out, dodge, roll, and have to actually connect when you strike. It brings out an urgency and involvement that is sometimes lacking in RPG combat.

The graphics may not be at the level of Oblivion, but they're crisp and pretty. Plus the game runs on a system that's not quite state-of-the art without issue. Apart from a few bugs (sometimes the camera angle gets stuck, easily fixed by a quick reload), Jade Empire runs smoothly.

The game has limited replay value, though. This is simply not as in-depth or large a game universe as Knights of the Old Republic or the Baldur's Gate series. You have a small starting town, which there is no point revisiting once you finish the introductory chapter. After that, there's a somewhat larger town (Tien's Landing) and then the Imperial City. Again, once you leave the town, you probably won't have any reason to ever go back. And the Imperial City is the same story: once you've wrapped up everything and head to the Imperial Palace, you won't be going back to the City.

That's a shame because the game feels so linear as a result. There's side quests in each urban location, but nothing that really makes you feel like you're forging your own destiny in another world. You won't be doing anything equivalent to rescuing Anise's castle in BG2 or acting as a hit man for the Genoharadan in KOTOR.

So my final verdict is that this is definitely a good game. But will I dust it off the shelf every few months, eager to give it another go (like I do with BG2, Kotor, and even Fallout 2)? That I can't be so sure about.

This is a stable game with excellent graphic and a very good story line. The controls are simple and easy to learn. Unfortunately it is a bit on the short side, it took me only 14 hours to finish the game my first time.

There are a number of subplots, but they don't take long to complete. The romantic subplots for male characters are good and varied, female characters have only two options.

While the story is a bit lacking for replay, the combat options are keeping my interest. I have just started my third game. My wife completed it once and is likely to play through it again soon.

Personal Rating
Graphics: A
Stability: A
Controls: A
Combat Options: A
Character Customization: C+
Story Depth: A-
Story Length: C
Replay Value: C+

Overall I give Jade Empire SE a solid B.

I honestly found the Rhino Demon exclusive combat style to be of little value. But it is a cool little bonus that is fun to play around with once or twice.

A truly fine RPG and a real treat for anybody who played and enjoyed KOTOR 1. Jade Empire has all the Bioware trademarks: Good graphics, a fine story, great dialog, romance, challenging combat (on high settings) and interesting characters/locations. Like KOTOR, it has two paths to follow (something like good and evil), plot twists and even the opportunity to completely change your alignment near the end. Some people feel it's "cartoonish", but I definitely don't agree. Rather I think it tries to impart a sense of another culture's mythology, and it succeeds beautifully in my opinion. Think Titan Quest if you want an example (or Star Wars for that matter). I did almost everything I could find in the game (main quest, mini-games, sidequests, etc.), and it took me about 30 hours to complete. There are a lot of cut scenes, but they can be easily skipped by pressing the ESC key. If dialog screens bother you, you shouldn't be playing this type of game in the first place. It's really a shame that it took so long for Bioware to port Jade Empire to the PC. It would have been much more popular if it came out a year ago. Even so, I count Jade Empire among my favorites to be replayed many times.

If any game had so many(great) elements it wouild be "Jade Empire". The fighting is very interactive, the dialouge is something to die for(though a bit depressing in backstories told by some of your characters), the graphics are eye-tear dropping gorgious. Bioware always knew what they were doing when writing games. And no one writes better dialogue than "Bioware", not even Origin.(defunct Ultima under-company distroyed by E.A and ethics of law). Why do the good ones keep getting canned by the louses!
You can choose between eight characters of varing extremes and mediums and magical attunements(calld Chi). Each has a gender varient of male or female, which gives you the best choices unlike Diablo(or it's MMROG clones) or most RPG's in general, in which are not nessesarily the class and gender you wish(biased). These choices are much more than just for personal astetics though, each specific charater is of a special ability gained by no other and some commentary and even direct dialogu is effected by not only which gender but what character you chose. The best part of this game is the direct intervention of the player in fighting(unlike any other RPG even KoToR which is stat reliant). Your stats are utilized quite well in sync with your input, meaning the use of your mouse/keys in synergy with the character's Chi, focus, body and skill. game charatcer's skill is very important despite your own playing skill as it affects speed, damage, and a big part of the chi involived in this. your pivitol counterpart(despite your chosen gender) is "Dawn Star"-I don't go into plot spoilers but this is a name that means something vital to the game's plot she will explain this later. You do not control her directly but she not only has great dialogu but exceptional magic and a special abilty not gained by your PC or any other. It is important to choose the right charaters for the right quests. Thier are many who will be availible but she, and the very alooof, Sacacious WU(voiced by Cam Clarke who does quite alot of central characters in animations on TV) are piviotal to your sucess. Speaking of the voice overs John Cleese(Monty Python's Flying Circus) is also in this as the only non-oriental character giving an outsider's perspective on "Jade Empire". If you have a short attention span or do not like much violence do not get this game, otherwise it is the most variable and enjoyable game out there since the dawn of video games(I ain't kiddn' folks!) as a required reading of Lord of the RIngs novels this is required playing!(thouhg I am not so overbearing as to tell another that, very "closed fist!") I do hope for a Jade II but I hope Bioware, not Obsidan proclaims the rite to make it. I am tired of this pattern with Obsidian taking over the sequals to these great RPG's!-very "closed fist"!

I think one thing that isn't focused enough upon in reviews of JADE EMPIRE is that it clearly has been designed for introductory RPG players. After the massive triumph of Knights of the Old Republic, BIOWARE obviously thought that they would embark on a new mission with their brilliant take on party RPG's by preaching to the unconverted.

This resulted in the decision to hand the sequel of KOTOR over to another development company and in the creation of the 'beginners RPG' JADE EMPIRE.

So what does Bioware RPG-lite look like?

Well, emphasis is on stunning graphics, story as usual and a fighting style that is somewhat familiar to First Person Shooter players. In other words, real time battle with a variety of fighting styles. The game is also not a Sandbox (open world) structure but much more linear than previous Bioware properties. The goal here seems to be to attract FPS fans and start to acquaint them with the rich story and complexity of the classic Bioware RPG.

For existing BIOWARE fans, this, naturally involves a step backwards - there's no inventory for example and customization of battle styles, weapons and amour is minimal. However, no Bioware game before this has ever looked so lovely, nor has the fighting been so quick and high impact. Story is superb as usual and the fantasy-Asian setting is rich and feels authentic.

So this game succeeds on both levels. It's playable by RPG veterans and probably even better suited to newcomers to see if they have a taste for story, customization and still need some high octane battle thrown in.

It's always been considered a minor game for BIOWARE but I would suggest that this has more to do with it's LITE status than the actually quality of the game which is top notch.

Please note that I'm playing the new MAC download version of this game not available on AMAZON but more comparable to the PC Special Edition. On the MAC it looks and plays great (it's a Cider port).

This game is quite simply brilliant. It covers all of its bases equally: strong story, good characters, beautiful and varied scenery and a fantastic user interface.
In most RPGs you add points and your character does the rest, but in Jade Empire the player actually has control over their avatar in combat. It's a rare case where your skill can make up for gaps in your character's talent choices, and it makes for some truly awesome and rewarding combat.
There is a rich variety of choices, but in your path as a benign (open palm) or malignant (closed fist) character, and in the number of options for how to play. Every character can use magic, weapons, hand-to-hand, transformation, and "support" styles interchangeably. And even better, Bioware crafted a simple, intuitive system to make switching between them smooth and easy.

The world is also a brilliant change of pace. In a genre completely flooded by western-style worlds, this one takes you to an Eastern world that carefully builds on Eastern culture and mythology without being a parody.
It's also worth mentioning that large parts of the game have a fantastic tongue-in-cheek sense of humor, and there's even a cameo by John Cleese that is almost worth playing the entire game by itself

My one and only complaint is that the NPCs (companions you can have in-game) were not terribly engaging, and while they did have their own individual motivations and stories, it rarely mattered, and you can go through the entire game without really talking to them at all. That said, here and there there were some absolutely brilliant moments with NPCs, and some of them definitely come up in the story more actively and much more often.

I've played this game a few years back on the Xbox, and I was having a sudden urge to play it again, so I bought it for the PC.

Graphics: 8/10

First thing I noticed was that the graphics were kicked up a notch from the original Xbox version. The environments were detailed, leaves fell from trees, the atmosphere it created was very immersing. The locations in the game are also pretty breathtaking. The only thing I had quirks about were the people, who looked rather plain.

Sound: 9/10

The sound effects are top-notch, and the voice acting is mostly spot on, as would be expected from a Bioware game.

Gameplay: 9/10

Fighting is fun, and you have a nice freedom of movement and ability to string together some good combinations by switching between fighting styles on the fly. There are some minor problems with the fighting system, as it seems to be lacking polish, but nothing too distracting.

Story: 10/10

The story, as always with Bioware, is completely amazing. Many twists and turns, plot twists, unexpected detours, interesting characters, etc.

Overall: 9/10

This is a great game, and definitely a must play. Although the people can be a little bland in the graphics department, they still look pretty nice, and the rest of the game is pretty amazing.

This game came highly recommended. I can see why. I can also assume that it wasn't the PC version of the game.

Good side: Epic martial arts action. Nicely developed storyline. Easy controls. Lush graphics (though a little dated).

Bad side: No hopes at all for a patch. Every so often the camera would get stuck with your nose in the ground with no hope of getting it back out except through either leaving the area or reloading the game. Was unable to progress past 2nd chapter because of scripting errors. http://jade.bioware.com/forums/viewforum.html?forum=102 for all the information. No chance for a patch.

I noticed on other reviews the complaints of too many cut scenes. I did not find the cut scenes bothersome at all. Its the story line. If you like first-person shooters this game is not for you. If you like real Role-playing games, this game is great. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Very beautiful game world, interesting character abilities and combat, decent little quests and storyline, and even some arcade-like fun. This was a blast.