Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 6-10 of 36
 Ranks Right up there with KOTOR June 7, 2005
Mad Max (OK)
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
Well I beat this tonight after non-stop gameplay these last several days (I'd say about 20-30 hours of gameplay with side-quest completion). I must say I quite enjoyed it and recommend it to anyone who liked KOTOR. They are similar in a lot of aspects, but at the same time gives you a fresh new RPG with many new things to discover.
The side-quests are quite enjoyable and proved to be much more creative and thought out than the "help with this person's problem and then give them money to get back on their feet." The story was also very good and their is a twist similar to the one in KOTOR, but completely caught me off-guard. It really did pull the story together though.
I will give this a little review in the aspects of the game for those interested--
--GAMEPLAY--
Decent gameplay. I'd say the actual progression of character is very cool. As you play and become stronger you get more power to your weapons and styles of fighting. The voice acting is superb and throws you right back into the classic witty KOTOR dialogue we love so much. There is humor, action, and story. The only downfall is there really is no love story. The combat is a little repetetive after awhile but as your weapons are upgraded, the more your enemies are decapitated and spirt blood from their necks, giving the game a kind of Kill Bill aspect. Very cool for those who love the splatter of blood. The characters are also memorable and stick with you throughout the game, each with their own story and purpose in the game. The only hinderence in gameplay is that it sometimes would glitch on itself when you talked to someone and the words didn't come out and then it would freeze up. This probably happened 4 or 5 times throughout my gameplay. Although this could just be an effect of my Xbox getting older.
GAMAEPLAY: 9.0
--GRAPHICS--
Bioware really maxes out on the graphics this time around. I noticed a bunch of improvement in character movement especially, leaving behind the looped and annoying gestures of KOTOR characters. The characters can point you in directions, kneel down, stretch their necks, motion embarassment, hassle you by pointing... the list goes on and on. And the setting is absolutely spectacular. Each place has a completely different feel to it, from the Ancien Dirge Chinese temples to the grassy and welcoming environment of the Two Rivers Martial Arts School.
GRAPHICS: 9.5
--SOUND--
The sound is simply EXCELLENT! The colorful music score done by Jack Wall (JackWall.net) is awesome, always having that rich flavor of the eastern culture. A CD is in the possible works and I will be getting one if it is released. And the sound effects themselves were very well done. Bioware commented that there were over 2000 different sounds created in a recording studio to get all of the sounds perfect. They really outdid themselves on this. Next to KOTOR, this is the best video game score I have ever heard.
SOUND: 10
Overall I would strongly recommend this game to anyone who is thinking about getting it. It's definately worth the money.
Also there are 3 different endings to the game instead of the standard two. One ends on a light note, one ends on a dark note, and one ends on a more compromising but ultimately dark note (perhaps could be called a failing note). I could watch all 3 in one game too, because if you change your pivitol decisions near the end of the game, your alignment can do a 180 on the outcome (including the last few lines of dialgue with the enemy which gives you the third ending).
Anyway really loved the game and would give it a 9.5 overall.
_Max
Immediatly enchanting June 18, 2005
Leeann Garrett
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
Here's an example of how good this game is. I bought an xbobx for this game. Its just that worth it.
once the menu screen shows up on your screen, I promise, you will be immediatly anchanted. The music is so deep and overwhelming, sorrowful and yet noble. And the visuals, although choppy at very rare times, are heavenly.
When you start out, you will of course pick which character you want to use for your adventure. There are plenty to choose from, ranging from fast-fisted warriors to huge barbarians. This just begins one of the greates aspects of the game - character customization. True, it may seem simplistic at first, but through the game you can gain so many styles and techniques that for one moment your character will be beating the heck out of his opponents with brute force, and then seamlessly meld into movments as graceful yet deadly as Crane.
Magic aspect aside, the martial arts are fairly true-to-life. For example, if you are using a longsword, the stance has you holding it above your head (note that not all styles have you doing this, just the one in Jade Empire). Now, when fighting someone with a spear, you might want to switch to either hand-to-hand or a weapon with a longer range. This is because the way that you hold your sword, its takes an extra 1/10 of a second (which in martial arts is precious time). The enemies spear can take advantage of that, and then your dead.
You start off in your martial arts school. When I saw this, i couldn't believe how beautiful it was. It was so peacful and enchanting. Even subtle details were payed attention to, such as the students going through REAL forms and excersises from Tai-Chi Chuan and the Lohan system.
The names are great. Furious Ming. Wu the Lotus Blossom. Gao the Greater (and lesser). Segacious Zu. I mean c'mon - thats just classic.
And perhaps most importantly - the story. Thats right people, there IS something MORE important than graphics (although Jade Empire's are phenomanal). This is an RPG after all. At first, it seems pretty formulated. I was a little dissapointed. But, don't lose heart. Very soon some amazingly creative and origional writing comes into play. The story is great.
Sadly, there is one thing that I just really do not like about this game at all. For starters, there is the Airship transportation. Its just a remake of Space invaders with a Chinese twist. Very big letdown there.
Secondly, all of the close-ups can get tiresome. I mean, with envoirnments so beautiful, I want to see more than just some warriors face, no matter how cool he/she looks.
But, despite these factors, I still give this game a 5 out of 5. And here is why.
Bad things about the game - 2
Good things about the game - 100+
Bottom line; If you have an XBOX, then there is no excuse not to have Jade Empire.
Welcome to the world of Jade September 19, 2005
Michael Corona (New York City)
4 out of 5 found this review helpful
Jade Empire - Circa 2005
GOOD:
- Good/Tight controls
- Nicely balanced gameplay (some might think it's to easy just go to the difficulty setting and crank up the difficulty)
- Lots of different and interesting fighting styles to earn and choose from
- An original story with some twists and turns for you to discover (by talking to people). The story also has multiple endings (either good or bad outcome)
- Variety of different locals to travel to (all done in nice detail)
- Action RPG with lots of story (told through character dialogue) and real-time action
BAD:
- Not a traditional RPG or a traditional beat-em-up (like Final Fight), so it might upset people looking for more of either
- Slightly liner gameplay
- Dialogue trees might be to long for some that want more of an action game
- Some complain of long loading times, but Star Wars: Knights of the old Republic and fable had loading times just as long
IF IT FITS YOUR TASTE:
- Has mythical/medieval Chinese theme
- Action RPG with real time fighting (like in Fable), no turn based fighting (like in final Fantasy X) and no "partial" turn based fighting (like in Star Wars: Knights of the old Republic)
- Light RPG elements, think of this as an RPG for people who like RPG's but hate tracking statistics and complex weapon/armor upgrading. Great for people who like action/adventure games (like Onimusha) but want a lot more story
- Lot's of story and dialogue if you ever played Star Wars: Knights of the old Republic one or two you'll know what I mean.
GAME ITS MOST ASSOCATED TOO:
- Fable
- Star Wars: Knights of the old Republic
ADDITIONAL NOTES:
- The special version has a bonus disc with a new playable character, weapon and a making of the game video (made by G4's show Icons)
- After you beat the game and during the credits, you get some really funny dialogue from the game's main story characters
 Loved the Game But It's So Simple November 20, 2005
Cody (Noneofyourbusiness, KY)
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
I thought this was an overall great game. Great storyline, though a bit confusing and disappointing/sad in the end. The Only thing I really criticize was the fighting and the number of styles and how they are earned. The Buttons for fighting have been seen a million times. You press one or two buttons (mostly one) and thats how you defeat everyone. The other thing is that when they said you would learn transform skills by fighting many of a creatures, I assumed you'd be fighting more than one or two before the game activates it at a planned moment. I expected to be able to into a wilderness and find many many creatures that respawn and attack again. Also, there were too few weapon styles. You end up using only 1 or 2 kinds of weapons. My last criticism is the lack of things you could buy. More armor, more weapons, less gems. I know I've made the game sound terrible by now but truely, great storyline, excellent graphics and sound, average stats system, good variety of styles and ememies, etc. If you like RPG's, buy it, you'll like it.
Truly a spectular pleasure January 6, 2006
Mel Bear (California)
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
I brought this game for my sister for Christmas. I called her on her day off from work and was told - "Can't talk now, I am playing." I was surprised by her reaction. She doesn't normally sit down and play a game and then finish it so quickly. So when she brought it over for me to play, I was looking forward to it. Needless to say, I was not let down. I spent all my free time immersed in a wonderful story that had me in a trance. The beauty, the story, the adventure. I highly recommend this game for all, it was a truly spectular pleasure to play.
|
