Jade Empire now due April 14

Two weeks ago, EB Games' online store revealed that BioWare and Microsoft were planning a limited edition of their upcoming Xbox title, Jade Empire. It also listed the kung fu and fantasy-flavored role-playing game with a new ship date of April 26, nearly a month behind its previously announced March 29 release.

Now it appears EB Games was only half right. Today, Microsoft gave Jade Empire a concrete release date. Both the regular and limited editions of the game will ship on April 14 in North America, with "worldwide distribution occurring shortly thereafter," revealed Microsoft. The Xbox-exclusive game will retail for $49.95 and has not yet been rated by the ESRB.

Much like BioWare's award-winning Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, Jade Empire is a role-playing game that puts players in the shoes of heroes that wield fantastic powers. However, instead of KOTOR's sci-fi setting, Jade Empire takes place in a mythical China full of wizards, monsters, and magic-wielding martial artists. To read details on the game's combat system, characters, worlds, and gameplay, check out GameSpot's previous coverage.