Jade Empire - April 27, 2005

The Daily Cardinal
By Jason Ducat

BioWare has never shied away from success. For a long time they have developed the best role-playing games on the market, including the "Baldur's Gate" and "Neverwinter Nights" series along with 2003's smash hit "Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic." With a pedigree like that, their most recent game, "Jade Empire," was sure to be a hit.

For the most part everything is spot-on. "Jade Empire" has stayed true to its rich RPG heritage while forging brave new paths. The classic story arc has new, refreshing twists. This is almost entirely due to the protagonist not being some large-eyed orphan in a post-apocalyptic future where a money-hungry corporation runs everything, such as just about every "Final Fantasy" game.

Instead, the game focuses on a youthful man under the tutelage of an old master in ancient East Asia. The story does an excellent job exploring Asian mythology and legend, making exploration that much more enjoyable. "Jade Empire's" unique storyline sets it apart from many games.

Perhaps the biggest departure from standard RPG fare is the combat system. BioWare decided to scrap the turn-based system this time in favor of a real-time fighting structure. RPGs historically focus more on storytelling and less on twitch gameplay, allowing gamers an experience based more on brainpower than dexterity.

The switch to a live-action fighting system is smooth and easy to grasp. Those gamers out there who fear their reaction time may be too slow to fully appreciate the dynamics of combat need not worry, and shooter fans finally have a bridge to ease them into the complex realm of RPGs.

The combat and combo systems are as deep as the player wants, and satisfying to master. Even watching another person play the game is like watching a classic kung-fu film come together before your eyes, complete with fantastic creatures, dazzling special effects, and physics that keep the entire game enjoyable but not so ridiculous that it cannot be taken seriously.

The game is so fun to play, in fact, that it is disheartening to discover just how short it is. By the time "Jade Empire's" spell has fully taken command of you, the game ends. Some games suck you in and feel short because of how involved you are while playing them, but "Jade Empire" literally drops the ball when it comes to length. Side quests extend the play if you should choose to participate, and messing around with good or evil alignment and fighting styles encourages multiple play-throughs, but it is a shame of the utmost severity considering how good the game is while it lasts.

Despite its length, "Jade Empire" shines in almost every other aspect. The voice acting is top-notch and the visuals are breathtaking, almost surreal at times. There are some frame rate and loading time issues but not so much to distract from the overall quality of the game.

These relatively small setbacks do not take away from "Jade Empire's" must-play qualities. Its simple, yet challenging gameplay is amazing for RPG players and can even pull in gamers from other genres.