Jade Empire: Special Edition

Great game, I try to break it down why. The world is unique and intriguing, even while it is only pseudo-open. But this freedom is rarely missing, because the journey is great, and the whole setting has a charm that guides you till the end. NPCs are actually interesting and fun, sidequests and companions too, bringing their own drama and comedy. It is actually visible that the creators cared for them. (Hint: check the objectives in certain parts of chapter 6.) The story starts slow, the first chapter is rather about familiarizing with the controls and the setting. But then starts picking up and opens to show that it has actual depth. There are things that look like plotholes, but are actually explained coherently. Besides being an amusing adventure, it can give some thoughts if you have open ears to metaphors. The skill system is solid, character development is enjoyable, added with some collectibles as well. Combat is the weakest point, even while it is not actually bad, it is not very well balanced. The martial styles are a bit too weak, which makes fights against ghosts/spirits more difficult than it should. Transformation styles are a bit too strong, but eat Chi super fast, so they are rather novelty. Support styles are rarely useful, because the change between styles is not very comfortable. However it is still fun, there is just enough variety of the enemies and the comat styles to enjoy it. The minigame is not for everyone, but it can be entirely skipped, or the difficulty separately adjusted, so not a big deal. Graphics are dated, but did not age so badly, due to the high quality of the design. Voice acting is varying between solid, very good and great, while music gives a non-annoying background. I had two bugs (a camera tilt and a denied sidequest), both could be resolved by loading the latest saves (which are plenty, because there is a good autosave system). I was thinking if I should give 4 or 5, but I enjoyed it so much, I couldn't give less.

miss this at your own peril it's not a perfect game but what little nitpicks there are do not degrade over time - it is an excellent adventure of style and grace, with hours worth of worldbuilding to explore. or you could rush through it and hate it but then you'd be missing the point on purpose.

Ein sehr gutes Bioware Spiel, als Bioware noch Bioware war. Wenn man über der heute überhaupt nicht mehr zeitgemäßen Steuerung steht, bekommt man ein ziemlich cooles, wendungreiches Abenteuer serviert. Das Kampfsystem mag damals innovativ gewesen sein, heute ist es etwas sperrig. Grafik geht in Ordnung. Die Erzählung ist 1A. Deutsche Vertonung geht größtenteils in Ordnung. Fazit: unbedingt spielen!

I remember playing Jade Empire on the original Xbox years ago as a kid and teenager and I loved it then. The story, the music, the fighting mechanics, even the graphics at the time were stellar and untouchable! While the graphics have aged a bit as well as some of the mechanics, the story and gameplay are still as engaging and wonderful as ever. Playing this nostalgic game after so many years is nothing short of a treat! And the version of the game through GOG is smooth, considering how old it is. I wish I could give a higher rating! If you haven't had the pleasure of playing Jade Empire, do yourself a favor and play it. It is one of the best and most unique stories I've ever come across.

The world feels rich and well thought-out and it's definitely a breath of fresh air from typical RPG fare. You play as the star student of a Chinese Martial Arts school who is sworn to rescue their master and defeat the corruption invading the realm. I don't think I've ever played a game inspired by Chinese mythology so everything feels fresh and there's a good amount of lore to be picked up from conversations and scrolls throughout the game. Fortunately, the incredible atmosphere can also be felt in the gameplay, as the combat is based on different martial arts and techniques that are very well integrated into the lore. You can use magic, martial arts and weapons and the character can do simple and heavy attacks, in addition to blocking and dodging. Frankly, though the combat has great potential, it was one of my least favorite aspects. The movement while in combat is not very smooth and the controls were not as responsive as I would have liked. The game also adapts the morality system to better fit with the setting, but it's not really a big departure from classic good vs. evil. The story is absolutely gripping. It took me a couple of hours to fully grab me, sure, but I was in from the start and it only gets better as you start to gain followers, because we know that Bioware truly shines with the liveliness of the companions and this is no exception. There are a couple of romance options too but I was unfortunate enough to be locked in with a character I wasn't interested in thanks to what I thought was some innocent flirting, so beware. At this point graphics are obviously outdated -though the art is often quite beautiful to look at-, but the rich setting, the memorable music, the fun characters and interesting side-quests together with the strong story made this for a super enjoyable RPG that I strongly recommend everyone to try.