JADE EMPIRE REVIEW

The game is graphically stunning- lush and colourful environments with a distinctly Chinese feel to them: tall, angular hills covered in narrow, steep sided paths; mist shrouded forests and beautiful sunsets abound. Each character is well drawn and defined, with very distinct personalities. Even the player avatars have some degree of uniqueness about them- as opposed to the slightly generic feel of Bioware's previous triumph, KotOR. The most noticable aspect of the graphics, other than their detail, is the wealth of colour- the game is beautifully rendered in swathes of (appropriate) colour, rather than the common mix of drab browns, olive greens and grey.

Sound is equally good- music being a mix of Chinese music and some western classical sounds. The music fades in and out, changing tone effectively when needed- setting moods well. Character voices are very good, the acting all well above average for a video game. Much of the dialogue is convincing, and some of it very funny. The characters will pass remark on events occuring around them quite often and do appear to shift their viewpoint on the player character from time to time based on actions.

The biggest element- gameplay is just as good. The game is evidently modelled on the basic design of KotOR, even down to the handy hints that appear on loading screens. The interaction is identical, but far less linear- conversations do appear to occasionally change the flow of the game. If this has any impact on endings I have yet to see.

The action is intense and very cleverly executed- many Martial Forms exist in the game: physical, suport, magical, transformation and so on. Each Form manifests special abilities: from punching and kicking to swinging weapons, summoning monsters, throwing bolts of fire. This shows the research and dedication by Bioware- drawing on the old tales of thousands of Kung Fu styles, some very esoteric: the Magical Forms are extremely dramatic. It is quick, easy, and vital, to switch between styles in the real-time combat- resulting in great strategy and fast action at the same time. The combat elements of the game are easily worthy of most fighting games. Throwing together succesful combinations of styles produces not only visually stunning results but a great sense of satisfaction too- get it wrong and you can easily be defeated in seconds. Get it right and you can flatten the opposition with a huge amount of style.

Exploration is excellent- the environments are vast, fantastic to look at and full of hidden nooks and crannies that invite exploration to discover new Forms and items- even missions.

Added onto this excellent formula are a set of mini-games, effectively old-school 2D shooters. These can be skipped if the player wishes, but are good fun for a quick blast. Once unlocked they can be played at any time.

The plot of the game is detailed and reasonably imaginitive but it does share some of the mainstay elements of RPGs- your character has a shrouded background that not even he or she is fully aware of; at least one other character has similar elements and may be far more aware of what's going on than you are. These all work well to produce a grand, glorious Kung Fu soap opera.

A morality code exists in the game- like the LightDark elements of KotOR and the morality in Fable. This system focuses on philosophies of approach: does your character believe in strength and direct action, or in circular supportive solutions to problems? again this has some links into folklore (and even the hardsoft schools of martial arts). This system is more malleable than that of KotOR- having more in common with Fable. The emphasis makes some styles work better for your avatar than others. As a result there are often multiple solutions to the problems and encounters in the game, encouraging replay and exploration.

On the downsides- there are few. The game can become repetetive in feel after a while, again like KotOR, simply due to its nature: talk to this person, find that person and talk to them, they send you on a mission to find a widget, you need help to get the widget so you talk to someone else, they help you if you solve a problem for them- and so on. If this happens just turn off the game and go back to it in a day or two- repetition gone!

Overall Jade Empire is a game I simply do not have any regrets over buying- depth, intrigue, characters you can care about, exciting realtime combat and stunning looks and sound have resulted in a game that would be good no matter what its setting. Add in the fantastic background of Chinese myth, folklore, kung fu comics and movies and the result is a wonderful game. As ever with RPGs this is possibly not for those who aren't looking for a long-term game or want more combat than anything else- whilst there is an enormous amount of combat there is also a very large volume of conversation and problem-solving. However, if there is any RPG that could attract any gamer, not just the RPG hardcore, it's Jade Empire- a great balance of gaming styles produce an RPG that genuinely begins to live up to the epithet `Role Playing', not just number crunching. Fantastic and absolutely recomended!