Gorgeous ‘Jade Empire’ has it all

Inevitably the orphan's journey leads to self-discovery, another role-playing game requirement. The orphan holds a certain mystical power than can be used to put to rest the ghosts, the assassins and the overall government corruption.

If this story of an orphan with special, shall we say, Force-like, powers sounds familiar, it could be because "Jade Empire" comes from BioWare, the same game developers who gave us another well-crafted role-playing game, "Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic."

But "Jade Empire" is wholly original in its look and its inspirations.

Graphics look amazing. Environments run from rural villages to a teeming city. Wildflowers individually sway in the breeze. The quality of light is always changing, from sun rays streaming through storm clouds to dusky sunsets. But don't get too comfortable: Dark flying contraptions, belching black smoke, occasionally fly overhead to turn scenes of harmony into hell.

The game's graphics are at their best when conversation gives way to fighting.

There are a number of fighting styles ranging from weapon-based fighting to more magically influenced styles powered by your orphan's "chi."  Up to four styles can be mapped to the Xbox D-Pad's controller and are meant to be used in conjunction to trigger what the game calls "Harmonic Combo."

My favorite fighting style, Heavenly Wave, was hardly effective in take down combat, but it's ability to slow down opponents made it a great set-up when used with the appropriately-named Leaping Tiger.  More importantly, Heavenly Wave looked beautiful when executed.  A chi-based move, calling up Heavenly Wave puts your character through a series of moves that looks like he (or she) is drawing up energy through the Earth, unleashing New Age-y sound effects and briefly warping your view of the game.

The fighting experience is in real-time and more fluid, i.e. easily controllable, than one would expect from a role-playing game.  But if there is any one fault it is that some styles are simply too powerful.  A player can go through the game using just one or two styles.  That's a fault fighting game enthusiasts can't ignore.

Still, "Jade Empire's" fighting may be the closest thing to Zen I've experienced in a fighting game.

And that may explain why "Jade Empire" works. From the language to the martial arts ethos to the bits of regional religion we cull from discussions with the locals, "Jade Empire" gives you the feeling that its makers have tried to capture not only a particular look and feel, but a philosophy as well.

As the story progresses, we learn that a civilization founded on a balance between nature and the spirit world has been plunged into discord.  A deity, responsible for both the people's water supply as well as the dead, has been killed by the emperor for in the hopes of a quick relief from a drought.  Now water is in less supply and the dead walk the earth.

Biologists would call this crisis a world out of balance. As every role-playing game player knows, it’s time to kick butt.

MORE FROM GAMES

Games Section Front

The games that make seeking so satisfying Superman's planet is racially diverse — finally Microsoft: 2008 was 'biggest year ever' for Xbox Which games won me over in 2008? 9 comic book characters to watch in 2009 'GoodQuests' blends gaming with charity Boom in music video games helps original artists Best Wii games of 2008 Video games may do the aging brain good Electronic Arts to slash 1,000 jobs Games Section Front   Add Games headlines to your news reader: