Jade Empire

 Xbox
User Score
8.5

Generally favorable reviews- based on 144 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 114 out of 144
  2. Mixed: 18 out of 144
  3. Negative: 12 out of 144
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  1. Devilborn
    Jun 8, 2005
    6
    Visually it did not push xbox to any graphical amazement. the sound in the game is also flat and undesirible to hear. but the most crucial fault of bioware was in combat to say that real time combat is better than turn based combat is resounding no no no . the real problem of real time combat is combat itself it has a pattern of evade and attack and thats about it, you can defeat enemiesVisually it did not push xbox to any graphical amazement. the sound in the game is also flat and undesirible to hear. but the most crucial fault of bioware was in combat to say that real time combat is better than turn based combat is resounding no no no . the real problem of real time combat is combat itself it has a pattern of evade and attack and thats about it, you can defeat enemies using those strategies alone u can also use the demon on the latter part of the game , the demon i use was a froglike demon and later the golem statues and theres barely a difference i found out while using demons just attacked using these demons until your chi is depleted(uprade everything on stats for longer state of specific demons) it doesnt really use a big strategies to defeat the game itself why? because the game is too easy, defeating level bosses like master li was so easy playing the master difficulty. just evade and attack like i said before. thats the biggest problems of real time combat games like sudeki or fable although fable is alot better than jade empire and sudeki in mile because it really has a good combat and upgrading stats is easy to understand and also good mini games(but defeating level bosses doesnt seperate itself from average enemies in the game like i said evade and attack and youll defeat the enemies, tell me is that a better rpg than turn based rpg i would have to answer that in no, based on overall satisfaction in combat and the difficulty of the game). let me tell you about jade empires mini games flying plane with power ups which is ridiculously a bad idea by the dumbest person, who would think that it would be fun or challenging enough to not be bored with the irrelevance of this stupid mini games. another complaint about the game is the out of place monkeys all throughout the game that bothered me so much that i have to say the graphics, sound, combat, mini game, monkeys that is so out of place in the game with no redeeming feature. save yourself of the trouble of commiting suicide while playing and finishing this dumb stupid game.(fable is better game 9-5 ratio vs. dumb jade empire, and sudeki combined)… Expand
  2. Ditto
    Apr 18, 2005
    5
    If I had never heard of this game, just found it in a store and decided to buy it, I would gice this game a 8. Unfortunetly I gave it a 5 because it doesn't live up to the hype. A good game, it's no Zelda but it is one of the best on the X-box. I reccomend buying it, but don't expect one of the best games ever made. The battle system is awesome.
  3. KevinF
    Sep 1, 2005
    7
    Jade Empire, despite being excellent in its visual style and ambience, is still a flawed game. The combat system is a button bashing mess which only become more irritating as the game progresses. The story is average and unremarkable and its shortness, particularly the abrupt ending is a majore disappointment. The game places us in a beautiful world but fails to develop on that world and Jade Empire, despite being excellent in its visual style and ambience, is still a flawed game. The combat system is a button bashing mess which only become more irritating as the game progresses. The story is average and unremarkable and its shortness, particularly the abrupt ending is a majore disappointment. The game places us in a beautiful world but fails to develop on that world and while still a good game, it feels like a missed opportunity.… Expand
  4. JacobR.
    Jan 16, 2008
    5
    Boring. Too much talk. Story is a letdown and too complicated for its own good. Limited moves. Fails to keep my attention and isn't worth investing either money or time. If you've recieved this game for free, still use it as a coaster or sell it to your nearest gamestop.
  5. PSYCHOPOMPUS
    May 21, 2005
    6
    Boring, endless loading times, crappy storyline and inferior combatsystem. So this games is very overhyped.
  6. WilliamB.
    May 23, 2005
    5
    About 20 hours of game play if you do evberything. About 10 if you don't. Even on the hardest difficlty it's not hard at all. Settings are nice but the storyline is highly -predictable. Graphics are pretty good. Dialogue is sluggish. Very little character development.Handles smoothly but camera problems abound, don't get stuck in a corrner. Not much really distinguishes theAbout 20 hours of game play if you do evberything. About 10 if you don't. Even on the hardest difficlty it's not hard at all. Settings are nice but the storyline is highly -predictable. Graphics are pretty good. Dialogue is sluggish. Very little character development.Handles smoothly but camera problems abound, don't get stuck in a corrner. Not much really distinguishes the combat types, basically either damage or some orm of stun. No strategy or thinking involved. If you wonder why the high rating, you can ask the same question about dungeon siege or halo. Quite simply, microsoft butters up reviewers with all sorts of perks and exclusive hands on, ect. Great pr for mediocre games. Nothing inventive, big budgets for graphics though. Get the D&D action rpgs if that is what you are after. Heck I found myself wishing I was playing diablo 3.… Expand
  7. MikeK.
    Oct 29, 2005
    5
    This has to be one of the most overrated games that I can think of. Boring storyline (unless you are a hardcore RPG fan aka nerd) and repetitive gameplay. I wish that game critics would get off the BioWare bandwagon already. KOTOR was a solid game, easily the best RPG on Xbox next to Fable, but c'mon some of these reviews makes me wonder who their working for.
  8. Swordsman
    Apr 16, 2005
    7
    I really wanted to love this game. I wanted something to do what Fable should've done, and it kinda does in that the fighting feels better. But having said that, I can't get over the fact that the world once gain feels a little too small, or a little to linear and enclosed. I'm not saying I want Morrowind here, but why can't I climb over that rock to get up to the I really wanted to love this game. I wanted something to do what Fable should've done, and it kinda does in that the fighting feels better. But having said that, I can't get over the fact that the world once gain feels a little too small, or a little to linear and enclosed. I'm not saying I want Morrowind here, but why can't I climb over that rock to get up to the house on the other side of said rock instead of having to walk all the way around the house? This is minor, so it's not a gamebreaker, just a point that developers need to take into mind in the future. My major complaint is the animations and collision. All that has been talked about for months was the fighting styles and animations, so why do they feel unfinished? It's bad enough that the camera can't be fully manipulated like in every other 3rd person game, making me not able to get up close to my character when he does his moves. But it's worse when the animations are lacking MANY frames of needed animation when doing these cool moves. The collision when fighting is subpar, as is the lock-n. How many games have to do this wrong before someone fixes it? It's like playing the old Spikeout games and going right past your enemy when you start a combo, only to leave yourself turned around backwards for them to attack. The game is still too easy like Fable, and the only other thing I can think of to make me still want to give this another try is the amazing graphics with no pop up and foliage that moves as you walk through it. Why can't I move the camera to get closer to my character so I can feel like I'm in the action. It looks almost like a next-gen Baldurs Gate game with this camera up so high and far away, except in those you can move the camera closer...and it will actually stay in place. Not here, it flips right back to the high position when you let off the stick. This was the worst part of all the unfinished feeling parts this game has. You can't see anything, and when you do, you see the stiff animations. Feels like it needed another 6 months. Another hyped up disappoinment to add to the library of disappointments on the dying Xbox. This will go on the shelf with Halo 2...and Fable.… Expand

Awards & Rankings

9
#9 Best Xbox Game of 2005
6
#6 Most Discussed Xbox Game of 2005
9
#9 Most Shared Xbox Game of 2005

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
89

Generally favorable reviews - based on 84 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 82 out of 84
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 84
  3. Negative: 0 out of 84
  1. Yahoo!
    100
    Enthralling and beautiful, Jade Empire melds adrenaline-inducing combat with a compelling RPG structure perfectly. Here's an RPG that anyone can enjoy -- Jade Empire is sheer pleasure.
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  2. Games Radar
    90
    A near-masterpiece. Its sumptuous graphics provide enough eye candy to give your pupils diabetes and its combat system will frequently propel you into new areas just to kick the asses of a few more enemies.
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  3. Boomtown
    90
    Only one thing stops us from awarding top honours to this game: the lack of a co-op mode, which would have been an obvious inclusion.
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