Jade feels very similar to past Bioware games. That can be a good or bad thing depending on how you look at it.
As a fan of Bioware I virtually played all their games. I’ve never really been disappointed by any of their offerings, until recently. Things have started to become a tad shaky with recent Bioware games. Never Winter Nights 2 was a disappointment and in many ways so was Jade Empire. The most evident thing about Jade Empire is that it feels too much like “Knights of the Old Republic”. From the moment I started to play the game a sense of deja-vu overwhelmed me. I got that eerie sense that I had done this all before, for the only thing that has changed is the game’s time period and the setting.
The presentation, from how the characters are introduced to the way conversations play out are all very similar to that of the KOTOR games. If you are new to Bioware games, this won’t affect the player at all. The epic story line is mysterious but at times just seemed too conventional as well as predictable. The story line does explore many different aspects of human emotions ranging from life, love, hope and betrayal. Just like both KOTOR games you have a few choices. You can follow the “light” path, the “dark” path or you can stay in the neutral “Grey” area. The dialogue choices give you many options to explore. This gives added replay value, but if you’re like me and “have done it all before” it just seems like a chore playing through again.
Jade Empire’s beautiful orchestral track keeps up the high standard set by previous Bioware games. I loved the mystical feel and the obvious Asian influence. I’m tempted to go to the Bioware Store and purchase the Jade Empire Original Soundtrack. The voice acting and script is top notch, featuring actors from KOTOR. The sound effects are also of a high standard that help bring the story to life. The graphics are beautiful and it looks sensational on my wide screen flat panel at its native resolution of 1680x1050. I could not really tell the game had been an Xbox port. So I applaud Bioware for at least doing this right. The art design is superb. Taking many influences from ancient Asian cultures, the game’s world comes alive with its fantastic art direction.
I somewhat enjoyed the game play and combat system. Through out the game you learn many different martial art styles from kung-fu to melee sword fighting. Even though the game provides excellent Mouse + Keyboard controls, I opted to use my Xbox360 game pad for PC. Using the Xbox360 game pad there is no need to configure it. Because the game controls were originally intended for a console, so using the game pad seems more natural then using the keyboard. The combat system is truly simple and easy to pick up. Before you know it you’ll be a true martial arts master. While this sounds delightful, the combat system is where Jade Empire is truly lacking.
While you do have the option of using different techniques throughout the game, you really only need to depend on 1 or maybe 2 different styles. I would have really liked to have seen these different martial arts styles play a bigger role. Every battle was just the same “Wash and repeat” tactic. I just jump over the enemy attack, jump + attack, jump + attack until they’re defeated. It becomes ridiculously easy while utilizing Jade’s “Bullet Time” feature called “Focus”.
Jade Empire is a truly great idea for a game. The only problem is that I’ve already played it … twice. Jade deserved better then being just another KOTOR, it deserves it’s own, fresh game play mechanics and combat system. I do hope there is another Jade game to come. I don’t hope that it’s just another Bioware game with a different coat of paint.