Jade Empire : Games : Web Wombat

Where would we be without BioWare? Probably right here, hunched in front of our PCs, absorbing the low levels of sweet, sweet radiation emanating from our monitors.

But that's beside the point.

The point is that BioWare is arguably one of the top three RPG outfits of the gaming world, rivalling the likes of Blizzard after having built blockbuster games like Knights of the Old Republic, Baldur's Gate and Neverwinter Nights.

Profitable developers like BioWare can often lose talented programmers and this, in turn, leads to games with promise running out of puff early on.

BioWare seems to have stemmed the exodus for almost its entire existence in the cut-throat world of game creation, and the result is that its products have been of a uniform high quality, and very playable.

Jade Empire is yet another top-notch effort; a lightly salted action-RPG, combining spades of combat, spell casting and general flesh rending with an intriguing storyline to good effect.

If you're a fan of contemporary Asian kung-fu 'art-house' movies such Hero, The House of Flying Daggers and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, you won't need too much prodding to check out Jade Empire, a seminal martial arts adventure RPG for the Xbox that mimics elements seen in some of these flicks.

Like the aforementioned movies, it's set in an age-old Eastern realm full of intrigue, romance and heaps of hard core real-time violence, plus a subtle mix of magic, or Chi as it's known in the Jade Empire universe.

Set in an alternate reality similar in social structure to ancient China, a place where myths are commonplace and where legends play mah-jong, you take control of a youthful student of a martial arts guru in a provincial region of the Jade Empire.

After getting used to the controls - wandering around the school, pulverising your fellow students - your teacher fends off an attack by reprehensible bandits, led by a strange demon dude. These demons, who are naturally evil, are becoming a widespread problem in the Jade Empire.

Why is this? And why do they seem so interested in your master? And why the hell is that unfunny jade monkey headline still there?

These questions will be answered as you progress through the game, which is pretty big in scope, but very linear in execution. Less like an RPG, and more like an adventure game with progressive character stats, the game is nonetheless quite enjoyable, and the story is very involving too. We are talking about BioWare after all.

There are two key things to be aware of in Jade Empire - Focus and Chi. Focus allows you to slow down time, which is very useful in combat when you want to deliver a rapid volley of judo-jabs to your foe's nutsack, or alternatively just prance around while your foes slowly respond to your peculiar antics.

This monk is not only angry and armed with
a bizarre-looking shovel, he's also drunk

Wu stabs this elephant demon repeatedly
in the family jewels - and he ain't happy

Chi, meanwhile, is akin to mana; it's the high octane spirit fuel needed to cast spells, and can also be used at any time to replenish your health. With Chi and Focus you can do a lot of mental destruction, but this is a martial arts game after all, so the combat is poured on strong like a strong, umm, pour. Thingy.

Getting used to the combat control scheme is pretty easy - the A button is a quick attack, the X button a powerful (but slower) attack and when combined they form an area attack of sorts that isn't so much about dealing out damage than clearing the immediate area of baddies.

As well as various combination attacks, such as A+A+A, there's also the block button (B) and the Focus button (Y). Pretty simple really, and it makes getting into the thick of the game a hassle-free affair.

As well as being able to put your fist in the face of those who oppose your extreme left-wing views of world peace, harmony and supreme tranquillity for all living sentient and non-sentient beings, you can also enlist the help of another, umm, helper.

They are governed by basic 'back-off' or 'get in there' routines in combat and are quite useful when you're faced with large numbers of attackers, as they help shift attention away from your character.

The gameplay in general is very good. It's an alluring game - thanks to the levelling up, gaining of stats, martial arts styles and spells - as you have a vested interest in the character, and the ease of use, and rapid fire combat techniques ensure a fast-pace in combat.

One of things that make this game compelling to play are the gorgeous graphics. The game has been lovingly crafted to evoke the feel of an ancient Chinese empire, and it works brilliantly.

From the architecture of the buildings that inhabit the gameworld, to the environmental objects, such as trees, hills, grass and water, Jade Empire is a feast for the eyes, whether just strolling around cheerfully, or venting your frustrations on hapless baddies.

The combat graphics are just as impressive too, not to mention the special effects. The level of motion capture is astonishingly realistic, and this helps provide combat with very fluid dynamics - flowing from one combo to the next is very rewarding, not to mention beautiful to look at.

The musical score also manages to envelop the player even more into this long forgotten realm of mysticism, as do the ambient sound effects. Voice acting? It comes across as weirdly firm, as if the director was a slightly agro colonel and the voice actors were his butt sniffing flunkies.

If there were any criticisms to be levelled at Jade Empire, they would revolve around the story. It's a very good story, but too linear for my liking. RPGs are better when there's a degree of variation to the story, when things branch out at regular intervals, which help increase replay value. That said, I don't remember ever thinking "this sux," and there is a mild good/evil fork in the road, so take those comments with a pinch of sulphur.

Also, the combat can become repetitive. The further you delve into the game, the more AI exploits you'll come to know and abuse. But in its defence there is a very flowing, acrobatic sense to the combat that few statistic-based games have managed to provide in the past.

The presentation of this game is outstanding - the plot is well thought out, the pacing is spot on, keeping interest levels high, and the audio-visual aspect helps draw you deep within the fantastic world of the Jade Empire.

The gameplay too is a lot of fun, but hard core RPG fans looking for something a little more complex may want to stick to their PC offerings. Jade Empire is a high quality production that lovers of ancient Eastern cultures will really dig, as it combines a happy mix of combat, spell casting and storytelling, and one can only wonder at what the sequel being developed for Xbox 360 will entail.

Game: Jade Empire
System: Xbox
Players: 1
Online: No
Developer: BioWare
Distributor: Microsoft

Rating: 85%

(Ratings Key/Explanation)

Jade Empire is on the shelves now.

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