Jade Empire is a game with an original storyline, and many great twists and turns within the plot!
User Rating: 9.4 | Jade Empire: Hisui no Teikoku XBOX
Jade Empire is an amazing open ended RPG that is incredibly fun to play! The gameplay is well created with many main story quests to complete plus side quest which extend the game immensely. One thing that makes Jade Empire very unique is the amount of difference the conversations between characters can make. For example due to convos you may end up in a fight with the person and make an enemy or persuade him/her to help you. Following the Way of the Closed Fist or Open Palm also can change what happens in the game. One problem though is while Jade's gameplay starts strong and lasts long towards the beginning to mid point, the second have of the game is rather short. Another problem is the fighting. When Jade Empire was first announced it showed many different combos you could use when fighting, but in the final product the only moves you can make are A) using your same normal attack,or B) Use your powerful attack to break shields or bring extra damage. One thing that does help the excitement of fighting though is the 30 different fighting styles, and the involvement of focus, jumps, and dodges. The game does include one mini-game flyer where the objective is to make to the end of the map shooting other flyers and using special upgrades. The graphics in Jade Empire are incredible. During fighting scenes the graphics stay detailed which adds to the excitement of the fight. The lip-sinking and expressions of characters are also well created. A main glitch within the in the game is the frame rate is uneven so many times the game will skip a beat. A way Jade Empire could definitely be better though is if the scenery was more interactive. The climax of this is when fighting, you can break objects and when walking through tall grass, for example, the grass will move different directions. The Sound in Jade Empire is probably its best feature. It fits the game very well and gives the realistic affect. You can hear each specific instrument used in the music too. While the sound maybe its best feature there isn't much to say about it. Its just GOOD! Jade Empire has a lot of value because of the many different ways you can complete a task. Due to this it's hard for the game to ever be the same. Depending on which character you are can also set up specific romance plots or none at all. Each character also specializes in different abilities so the appearance of you character isn't the only thing different. Deciding whether to follow the Way of the Closed Fist or Open Palm adds to the abilities of your gaming experience. There are also alternate endings to the game depending some of your decisions throughout the game. The reason the value isn't perfect though is due to the same MAIN plot for each of the characters. Overall Jade Empire is an incredible game that is definitely worth your money and time. It has the makings for the "Best Game Ever" ,but fell a bit short. If you like the original storyline, the open ended gameplay, and RPG's with incredible graphics and sound, then this is definitely the game for you!
