Jade Empire: Special Edition Updated Impressions - New Graphics, New Features

Canadian studio BioWare first made a name for itself with PC role-playing games that let you create parties of stout warriors and wizards to battle with evil goblins and dragons. Since then, it has expanded its horizons beyond the PC, and last year, the studio released the martial-arts-themed Jade Empire, its second game for the Xbox console. This was a new project that went off in an entirely different direction than BioWare's traditional games, where heated battles were usually decided by role-playing hack-and-slash systems. Instead, Jade Empire was an action RPG that let you roam the countryside as a fledgling martial artist, using various combination attacks and different fighting styles to pummel bandits, warlords, and even otherworldly demons. The game is now headed for the PC as Jade Empire: Special Edition, and we got an up-close look.

BioWare project director Diarmid Clarke suggested that the new version of the game will add "three layers of development." These layers include technical upgrades that take advantage of modern PCs, additional game content, and expanded gameplay in such areas as smarter enemies and more-balanced combat. As we saw, Jade Empire will definitely take advantage of the greater technical power of modern PCs to offer better lighting, much better particle effects for smoke and fire, higher-resolution graphics up to 1600x1200, and more-detailed textures (Clarke noted that more than 300 of the original game's textures have been redone). The PC version will also offer better loading times for most PCs, which will be especially helpful in such areas as the game's arena, where you are pitted against successive opponents that have to be loaded each time. You'll also be able to control the game by using a traditional mouse-and-keyboard setup and by using hotkeys to quickly switch to the game's many different fighting styles, which offer varying degrees of offense, defense, speed, and power.

The extra content in the PC version will include a new weapon (a new type of sword) and a new playable character, Monk Zeng (who was available only in the Xbox limited-edition version of the game). It'll also offer two new fighting styles: the sumo-wrestling-inspired iron palm, which uses heavy palm strikes, and the swift viper style, which lets your character deliver rapid sequences of punches that somehow poison your foes. Viper style is a sinister fighting style that your character will learn only if he or she follows the "closed fist" fighting philosophy, the game's equivalent of "evil" and counterpart to the "good" philosophy of "open palm." And in keeping with Jade Empire's themes of mysticism and supernatural summoning, the PC version of the game will also include a new high-level power--transforming briefly into the squat, ugly, but extremely powerful "rhino demon" form. This new form will join the other shapes into which your character can change from the Xbox version, which all remain intact.

The PC version's gameplay enhancements will include smarter enemies that offer more of a challenge. Clarke said, "Enemies will dodge and take cover more often," and the designer suggested that thanks to the PC's increased processing power, the game will be able to throw more enemies at you onscreen at any given time. This new challenge will be best represented in the new "jade master" difficulty level, which will appear only in the PC version. Jade master difficulty will be much tougher than any of the game's other modes and exists partially for players who want to make the most of their highest level abilities. Clarke explained that the jade master mode will let you import characters you've used to complete the game before, so you'll be able to run through the game with a much stronger character in much tougher conditions.

Otherwise, Jade Empire's campaign, characters, and story will all make the jump to the PC intact. Like in the Xbox version of the game, you'll be able to enlist a small party of adventurers to join you, choosing a limited number from a character selection screen, similar to BioWare's previous role-playing game, Knights of the Old Republic. You can expect to meet many colorful characters, including the forthright female martial artist, Dawn Star; the gruff Black Whirlwind, whose only goal in life is to fight stuff; and the reluctant hero, Henpecked Ho, who fears bodily harm in battle but is most afraid of his own wife.

Jade Empire: Special Edition is shaping up to be a great-looking conversion of the Xbox game that will offer the kind of role-playing, story, and memorable characters you'd expect from a BioWare RPG, along with unique action gameplay you don't normally find on the PC. The game is scheduled to ship in January.