Any RPG fanatic will definetly be at home with Jade Empire, but everyone else should give it a rental, at best.
User Rating: 8.2 | Jade Empire: Hisui no Teikoku XBOX
From a company that brought you great games such as Baulder's Gate II and KOTOR, than you would expect Jade Empire to be just as great, right? Well, kind of. Although it has a great storyline in a unique setting, the suprisingly easy and sometimes repetitive combat will probably appeal mostly to RPG fans rather than your average "I like all kinds of genres" type of gamer. The gameplay is actually a nice change of pace. For instance, instead of just standing there like in most RPG's, it goes with the "Sudeki" formula and allows you to move around the environment as you please while you're fighting your foes. But the only problem with the combat, is that it's just too easy, on the default setting at least. You'll easily breeze through enemies, and barely take little damage(with the exception of bosses). The side quests though, are really the only thing that will bring you back to the game after you've finished it. On another issue, there's the interaction portion of the game. It works exceptionally well with the storyline and will deeply immerse you even further into the game. It's almost quite similar to KOTOR, but it's still pretty well done, all-in-all. The graphics may not be the best looking in an RPG, but it really looks beautiful in most parts of the game. The landscape is absolutley stunning to look at, and the character designs, in combat an in interaction form, look really, REALLY outstanding. The usage of light bloom also makes the game look even more beautiful then ever. The sound is the highlight of the game. The music is simply perfect for the settings around you, and should be a great finalist for the Best Original Music award. The voice acting also is a tremendous and successful effort as well. Overall, if your an RPG fanatic, and are looking for a good RPG with a great storyline, then obviously, Jade Empire is your game. But if your just looking for a great action- adventure game, then this is probably suitible for a rental.
