- Publisher: 2K Games
- Release Date: Feb 26, 2007
- Also On: iPhone/iPad, Xbox 360
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Pelit (Finland)Offers excellent drama in fresh, new settings. Hopefully, the unwashed masses will come to understand its greatness. [Mar 2007]
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It has style, depth, drama, and action all compact into one lengthy RPG.
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Computer Games MagazineFew games in the genre tell a story this well, and fewer still combine that intriguing tale with such absolutely superb game mechanics. [Apr 2007, p.66]
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With a great story, tons of missions, beautifully rich settings, satisfying fighting and brilliant characterisation, all swaddled in over 20 hours of play, Jade Empire has transcended its Xbox roots to reincarnate itself as a high-kicking, epic RPG for PC. The chi is strong with this one.
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PC FormatTranslates remarkably well to keyboard control. [Apr 2007, p.72]
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Like the PC version of "Knights of the Old Republic" before it, Jade Empire is a remarkable RPG that, apart from better graphics and load times, really has little to separate it from the Xbox version from two years ago.
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PC Gamer UKElegant and refreshing. [Apr 2007, p.76]
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Fast-paced as it may be, the fighting in Empire is not exactly cerebral.
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But now, two years after its initial release, it’s only a good game with a phenomenal atmosphere but one which ultimately shows its age.
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PC GamerThe storyline is meaty but short by "Baldur's Gate" standards at around 30 hours, and although this iteration of Jade Empire gets the Special Edition moniker, it contains no new story content. [Apr 2007, p.48]
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I’m willing to let the outstanding plot carry the somewhat lesser though still enjoyable combat engine and the thinness of the RPG elements of Jade Empire.
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It's a worthy Bioware RPG and oozes with an awesome storyline and memorable party members, but if you played it before on the Xbox there's really no reason to replay it.
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The storyline and characters are as rich as they ever were, but advances in both action games and RPG design can't help but make the game feel a bit old-fashioned and highlight flaws in the combat and ethics system.
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Jade Empire: Special Edition still has strong replay value, with different characters to choose from and different paths to take in terms of alignment.
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The game looks dated on the PC, but it offers people a different kind of adventure, one not centered on first person shooting or real time strategy.
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The combat, while repetitive, is easily approachable and manageable with the extras added to the PC version. The narrative is excellent, with enough plot points and well-veiled twists to make it a beautiful thing to watch.
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Jade Empire is non-linear in the most magnificently linear way, and well worth it for those who missed it first time around.
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It is arguable that no game that is directly comparable to Jade Empire in the past two years has been better than it, and that in all probability none will be until "Mass Effect" is released later this year.
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So if you haven’t visited the Jade Empire before this could well be worth the price, but there isn’t enough extras to warrant it if you have already played the Xbox version.
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The long-awaited PC version of Jade Empire retains the great story and setting of the Xbox original, but the streamlined combat and core design haven't aged quite as gracefully.
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The controls are fairly decent and simple, but the camera is just terrible. It gets stuck behind objects, above them, pointing at awkward angles, and sometimes an area will load and the camera will begin pointing at the floor. Directly at the floor.
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A good, dependable RPG from the masters of the genre that would benefit enormously from some fresh ideas.
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Enhanced visuals, two new fighting styles, and minor combat changes simply aren’t enough to prompt a second purchase. For a first buy, however, it’s worth every penny.
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An Average game, with a capital A. it has lots of things that are nice about it and some that are not great. In places it plays ok, in others not. It seems entirely right that the game has been set in ancient mythical China as the concept of Ying and Yang appears to be in full flow here.
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Adequate, but nothing incredible.
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Compelling narrative and crippled combat make Jade Empire a case of form over function -- and depending on what you want from a single-player RPG, that might be totally OK. It's short (in the 20-hour neighborhood for first-timers) and sweet; just don't let the premise trick you into expecting gameplay that isn't altogether there.
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Not only are there better looking, more advanced games on the shelves now, there are also simply better games out there; this genre hasn't stood still since Jade Empire came out.
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In the end, you can't help but feel that Jade Empire lost its focus in the design phase. No one element really works, no one element really stands out.
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It's not perfect, but it's a great action game with a unique setting and cast. PC gamers looking for a game that doesn't require an upgrade or a rebuild should definitely check it out while they're waiting for their DX10 video cards to arrive.
Awards & Rankings
User score distribution:
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Positive: 210 out of 294
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Mixed: 66 out of 294
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Negative: 18 out of 294
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Mar 11, 2011
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May 23, 2011
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Dec 8, 2013