This game is slightly overrated, but it's still my favorite of the year, so far.
User Rating: 9.5 | Jade Empire: Hisui no Teikoku XBOX
Jade Empire is, in my opinion, Bioware's best game since Baldur's Gate II: Throne of Bhaal. Knights of the Old Republic was great but had a lot of issues. First of all, the combat. Most people either seem to think it is very deep, or not deep at all. Personally, I don't think there is much to the combat system, but it's very fun. You should play it on the highest difficulty setting, because the other two are pathetically easy. Even the highest difficulty isn't that hard, except for a few fights (which are VERY tough, especially The Ravager). The graphics are beautiful, but there are a few technical issues. Nothing big. The music and voice acting are great. In my opinion, what makes this game so great is how you get immersed, an especially big accomplishment consifering how it is quite short. The story is excellent (better than KOTOR) and the companions are interesting. The good and evil dynamics from KOTOR are replaced by two different philosophies which aren't quite as black and white (while you can play the path of the Closed Fist as straight up evil, it's more concerned with a "survival of the fittest" approach to life). Bioware did a great job building the world. I suggest you buy this game if you are a fan in any of Bioware's past work or RPG's in general. Or really, just if you think the game seems interesting.
