As with Knights of the Old Republic, Jade Empire continually asks the player to weight their actions and conversations towards one of two ethical extremes. Happily, they will have a fair degree of moral freedom. As such, players of Jade Empire will feel like much more of a part of the story they just won't feel like they have any narrative freedom. While it can feel somewhat restrained, particularly for Elder Scrolls fans, it allows the designers to script a story that focuses more on the main character than on the world around them. Players are taken from point A to point B with very little opportunity for side trips or a shuffling of destinations. Unlike a "go where you will" game like Oblivion, Jade Empire has a very linear and focused story. We don't want to give any of the specifics away, but the story is instantly captivating with enough twists and surprises to sustain your interest all the way through to the end.
Starting as a young but promising student in a provincial martial arts school (complete with a wise old master and numerous other characters from martial arts movies), the player will be thrown into a story involving a mysterious drought, imperial bureaucracy, palace intrigue, drunken masters, stray ghosts and dozens of other amazing elements. Jade Empire plays out over the course of some 20-24 hours and embraces a wide variety of themes and types from Asian history and mythology. (The twenty or so loading screens that you encounter in the Arena will definitely make this apparent.) Two extra combat styles have also been included, allowing the player even more options when those pesky horse demons just won't listen to reason. To begin with, high end PCs will allow for much better graphics and considerably shorter load times. The PC version does have a few new additions. The same great story and great action have been preserved here and it's all rendered with BioWare's signature polish and sophistication. The PC version of Jade Empire is almost exactly identical to the Xbox version, which is to say, it's pretty awesome. While PC gamers might be understandably bitter about BioWare's new console focus, we can take some consolation in the fact that the games eventually make their way back to the platform that started it all, the PC. And just as they raised the bar for PC RPG developers, the studio has broken new ground in the console world with Knights of the Old Republic, Jade Empire and the upcoming Mass Effect. Though BioWare managed to set the standard for PC RPGs with their amazing Baldur's Gate and Neverwinter Nights series, the Canadian developer has, over the last few years, been drawn towards the Xbox as the platform of choice for their efforts.
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