Topic: Jade Empire (PC) -> Update: This is FREE "On The House" Next On EA Origin

[MysterD]

NEW -> 11/15/2015:
EA Origin -> Jade Empire PC = Next to be FREE for On The House.
Keep your eyes open, for when this switches to FREE - it's still C+C2 that's FREE, for now.

OLD:
Jade Empire: Special Edition has been released as DRM-FREE on GOG -> For its launch, it'll be $10 (33% off); normally, it'll be $14.99.


ORIGINAL
Interview from IGN w/ Bioware's Diarmid Clarke and Kevin Martins on bringing Jade Empire to the PC:
http://pc.ign.com/articles/737/737606p1.html

IGN: So what was the reason behind bringing Jade Empire over from Xbox to the PC?

Diarmid Clarke: Basically we have a huge and great community at BioWare of a lot of PC fans and it's pretty obvious that they wanted BioWare to produce a new PC game and it's been a while. So that was a big motivation really.

IGN: OK. What exactly is going to be new about the game? When we checked in with you guys at E3 there was some talk about new levels, enemies, and fighting styles.

Diarmid Clarke: We've basically added in three levels of new things for the PC version of Jade. The first level is the PC-centricness of the game. The things you expect and demand as a PC player like the higher graphics resolution. This also includes the redesigned keyboard and mouse controls that have been completely designed to work for the PC and be great rather than a side option. So it's not something that should really be played with a controller, it's actually designed for the keyboard and mouse.

The second level of things we put in is extra content. There are new monsters to fight including some new big demons. There are some new fighting styles for players to find as well. We've added a world map into the game. There are also some new weapon upgrades. A new difficulty level is also available. This is the super hard level. So quite a few new things for people who have played the game previously to discover.

The third level of changes we made were gameplay improvements. We've been able to change the AI around so that fights will be a lot more dynamic. You're really going to have to use the tactics of Jade in your fighting styles a lot more in this as the original Jade was pushing you to do.

Cool.

IGN: Is that because AI tends to use group tactics this time around? Or do they use more special moves that force you to counter them with a wider range of your own abilities?

Diarmid Clarke: Yeah the nature of Jade is working out to use the right tactics to counter what your enemies are using. So within the combat this time we can get them so that you might have some guys blocking and some guys might be flanking you. We found from the fan feedback a couple of game exploits that people might use to get through combat. We wanted to change it up a bit and make sure that they couldn't be used in the PC version the same way. You have to find new tactics. In fact it's been great doing demos recently watching Kevin play as the Lead Designer. He has to change his tactics to adapt to the PC version and that's a great affirmation that it's working well.

IGN: I think some of us managed to get through the Xbox version with using only the fast attack style the entire game so I'm glad to hear there's more tactics involved this time around.

Diarmid Clarke: Yeah and one of the other things we're doing on top of that as well is harmonic combos which are really great as super cool finishing moves. We've re-scoped the emphasis on those so it's much more rewarding for the player to actually use the harmonic combos to get something out of it. In fact on the highest difficult level you're really going to have to master harmonic combos as well.

IGN: How exactly are these combos going to work on the keyboard? Do you think it'll be easier since there are so many keys so close together so switching between styles will be simpler?

Kevin Martins: Our basic goal with mouse and keyboard is that no one should wish they had a controller. And that's true. I've never actually tried out the controller on the new version. I only use mouse and keyboard. It's no more difficult or easier to pull anything off on the mouse and keyboard. You can also reconfigure any of the keys so players can probably make it a little easier to do whatever their preferred moves are.

IGN: As far as the new content goes, is any of it going to be related to the story like story arcs or characters or is it more basic content?

Diarmid Clarke: There is a new playable character in the game but we haven't changed the story itself at all. We feel that Jade really tells the story that we want it to tell. It's a very tight, well crafted story and we felt that adding anything in there would look pretty odd attached to what was there already.

New playable character? Cool.

IGN: What are some of the new styles that will be put in the game?

Kevin Martins: The goal with all of the styles from the Xbox version and the new ones of course are that they play in a similar fashion in that they have a same sort of set of moves but because of the animation speed and effects that they play very differently. You can try two different martial styles that are just you using your hands and feet to attack somebody but they feel demonstrably different. In addition you can upgrade them in different ways so that you could choose to do all of the upgrades in one of the slower styles in speed as opposed to power.

With that in mind, these are the two new martial styles that we have. Viper and Iron Palm are the new ones. Iron Palm is the slowest style in the game and its also the most powerful so there are some tactical advantages and disadvantages there. It does a lot of damage but you have to have a good sense of timing and use evasion to get around the battlefield. It's inspired by real world sumo. It's not actually sumo style but it has the big palm strikes and a bull rush attack which is really fun.

Viper style is very different. It's a tactically different style that does very little damage. It does hurt people but doesn't hurt people anywhere near as much as any other martial style. What it does do is poison or bleeding damage. Maybe you want to use it in group battles. For example, maybe you cast a fireball and everyone is damaged but you're out of Chi so everyone is injured but not dead. So then maybe you use a poison attack so that you get everyone bleeding so that you can concentrate on the boss while the other ones die. They're demonstrably different tactics for the two styles.

I like the sound of the Viper Style, dealing out bleeding and poison damage and all.

Diarmid Clarke: Depending on the path that the player takes through the game, whether it's Open Palm or Closed Fist which is good or evil, will actually determine which of the styles they acquire. There is a new subquest to gain those.

IGN: Can you describe a couple of the new enemies that have been added to the game?

Kevin Martins: Sure, I'll talk about a couple of new demons that we've added. Our demons were inspired by Chinese mythical demons. They had a lot of dog men and cat people and fish men in various Chinese mythologies that we've read so we have an animal or shamanistic theme to our creatures. One of the new ones is in fact an animal demon and it's a rhino demon. He is one of the elder demons, not the most powerful one, but one of the most powerful. He's got a horn rush and a big stomp attack and other things like that. He's highly resistant to magic so that you have to get up close and personal with him which is difficult because he's got a long reach.

Another monster we have is the tentacle demon, which may or may not be the final name we have for him in the game. He's a monstrosity or an abomination that's a weird magical creature like some sort of bizarre anthropomorphic squid. He's freaky and also difficult to fight.

Sweet.

IGN: At this point, when are you looking to release Jade Empire for the PC?

Diarmid Clarke: First or second week in January. The game's really entering into the final stages of development now like fixing up the bugs. Right from the get-go, we've been focusing on the gameplay so we were able to have it up and running very quickly. So we're just polishing it really.

Good. I hope they take all this time to iron out any nasty bugs that might be still lingering around.

Kevin Martins: Yep, most of the graphics features are in. We have a lot of upgraded textures and effects. We've got widescreen mode and high resolution support. So now we're moving from alpha into beta and getting the new content in and balanced. Because of the difficulty settings we have to do a complete rebalance of the game from scratch which is time consuming, but it's going.

Diarmid Clarke: Just to give you an idea of the level of detail we've gone down to in the improvements. We actually had some of the original Jade artists here quite literally going down to individual flowers and pieces of grass and upgrading them.

Kevin Martins: Well modern PCs look a little better than the Xbox I'd say. We had to take advantage of that.

IGN: Is it the hope to bring most of the console BioWare games out to the PC after they've been on consoles?

Diarmid Clarke: I think we have to look at it on a case by case basis and work with our publisher on this. I would say that all things being equal we'd like to see our product on PC. Traditionally it's been such a hugely successful format for BioWare and where we have such a great fanbase that we'd like them to play every game that we do but we'll have to see as we go ahead.

I hope Bioware keeps bringing their console games over to the PC. I hope Mass Effect will join that list, myself.

As for PC-only games, I am looking forward to Dragon Age....whenever that's coming...

IGN: What was the reason behind moving to 2K as a publisher instead of staying with Microsoft?

Diarmid Clarke: That was an interesting one. Microsoft is obviously a publisher on two main formats. They have Vista very much in their mind and really when we were starting development up on this Vista wasn't in a position to be supported for us and so we decided we'd make the game ourselves and get it to a pretty final stage before we started seeing who the right publisher was. Microsoft was great in helping us out with that and making it very easy to position the game with 2K.

IGN: Thanks guys!

I wouldn't be surprised if M$ wanted Jade PC to be Vista Only and Bioware just said, "We want to support more than only Vista; so we need another publisher." hehe.

[iPPi]

Heh... I have the Xbox version and I only played it for about an hour and I never played it again.

[Xessive]

Man, I'm looking forward to this on PC! I finished it (one way) on Xbox, and I loved it.

Oh man, I really hope Mss Effect finds its way to PC. From what I've seen so far it looks amazing!

[MysterD]

Man, I'm looking forward to this on PC!

Me too.

I finished it (one way) on Xbox, and I loved it.

I heard from some friends who got it on the Box that it's a good one.

It does look cool -- especially since it's a kung-fu style game w/ that world as its backdrop, but it's one that is an RPG!

Oh man, I really hope Mss Effect finds its way to PC. From what I've seen so far it looks amazing!

Me too.

Bioware will keep me happy if they keep bringing their console games to the PC -- and especially more so happy if they keep adding extra content to their PC ports.

[MysterD]

GameSpot on CES 2007 w/ Jade Empire PC impressions

CES 07: Jade Empire: Special Edition Hands-On
We focus our chi and attack this PC update to BioWare's martial arts action RPG.
By Brian Ekberg, GameSpot
Posted Jan 9, 2007 6:28 pm PT

LAS VEGAS--Almost two years after the release of the original Jade Empire for the Xbox, developer BioWare is bringing the game to the PC in the form of Jade Empire: Special Edition. While we've written about some of the features that will differentiate this version from the original game in a prior preview, this is the first time we've had a chance to take up a mouse and try it for ourselves. Based on what we played on the show floor at CES, Jade Empire SE is looking like a winner on the PC.

Wo0t for KB/MOUSE controls!!!!

They were well re-vamped to the PC for ports of SW: KOTOR series and Fable: TLC. I bet the same will hopefully ring true for Jade Empire PC.

The original game was a departure for the team at BioWare, which had previous success with games like Baldur's Gate and Knights of the Old Republic. With it's action adventure gameplay, multiple fighting styles, and Far East influences, the game looked and played like nothing the BioWare team had released before. Luckily the approachable controls, which began on the Xbox, have been translated over to the mouse and keyboard with minimal fuss.

Sounds good that the controls weren't botched.

Controlling your character is easy. You use the standard W, S, A, and D keys to move, and most of your attacks are controlled with the left and right buttons on the mouse. Multiple clicks of the left button will result in longer and more complicated chain attacks, but those can be blocked by enemies. Clicking the right button will result in a longer, more powerful attack that will break through a blocking enemy's defenses. Pressing the left and right buttons simultaneously resulted in an area attack that was ideal for making some room when the enemies piled up.

Sweet -- controls sounds good, to me, so far....

In addition, as a magical martial artist in Jade Empire SE, you'll be able to focus your chi to add extra damage to your attacks (by pressing the E key) or heal yourself by holding down the left button on your mouse at any time.

Cool.

One of the big focuses in Jade Empire is the emphasis on different fighting styles. The character we created, a chi-intensive magic user, had retractable claws she could use to carve up foes, as well as a special bo staff we picked up a bit later in the game.

Nice...I like the sound of having claws!

Switching between styles, or from one weapon to the next, was as easy as pressing the associated number on the keyboard.

Sweet. So to switch styles, we use the number keys  as the hot keys -- this sounds like a great control scheme, already.

Periodically, you'll find other characters to party up with, and you'll be able to team up and take down enemies.

Cool. Like most RPG's.

As in the console game, you begin Jade Empire as a student looking to complete your training as a martial artist under the tutelage of one Master Li. One day, a group of bandits attacks your village, and after fighting off the sea-faring bandits, your adventures in the world that bears a striking resemblance to ancient China (sans magic and mystical monsters, of course) will begin.

Okay.

One aspect of Jade Empire that has received a significant overhaul is the graphics. The game made the most of the Xbox's graphical prowess, but it looks even better on a high-end PC. The environments especially are gorgeous--the tall grasses and flowers in the overgrown parts of the starting areas are fantastic, and the sophisticated lighting effects really add to the fantastical settings.

I love it when we PC gamers get upgraded graphics on our port! Very nice.

About the only visual clue that this is a two-year-old game is the character models--while the faces show off a lot of detail and differentiation from one character to the next, the character bodies are slightly blocky in spots. Still, that's nitpicking on what should prove to be a fine-looking game on high-end PCs.

Hmmm.....I wonder why they don't have higher-res character model available then....
Not too big of a deal really, though....

The original Jade Empire featured the BioWare hallmarks of a great story, compelling gameplay, and a rich settting to adventure in, and based on what we've seen of the Special Edition on the PC, the trend looks to continue. The PC version will feature a new weapon, a couple of new fighting styles, and a character--Monk Zeng--previously available only in the limited-edition Xbox version. If you've recently upgraded your gaming rig but haven't tried Jade Empire before, this seems like an opportune time to get in on the martial arts fun. Stay tuned for our full review of the game when it reaches store shelves in February.

-GameSpot

New content is always a good thing.

Looking forward to this one, for sure!

[Pugnate]

IGN: At this point, when are you looking to release Jade Empire for the PC?

Diarmid Clarke: First or second week in January. The game's really entering into the final stages of development now like fixing up the bugs. Right from the get-go, we've been focusing on the gameplay so we were able to have it up and running very quickly. So we're just polishing it really.

*stares at calender*

I hope Bioware keeps bringing their console games over to the PC. I hope Mass Effect will join that list, myself.

As for PC-only games, I am looking forward to Dragon Age....whenever that's coming...

Dragon Age mmmmmm..

Oh and I am pretty sure that Mass Effect is going to come soon after to the PC, like the KOTOR games.

I just wonder... why not release Jade Empire on both the 360 and PC?

[gpw11]

You can play the xbox version on the 360 anyways, why would they bother? 

The graphical update from what I've seen doesn't seem huge at all.  Higher resolution, probably some nicer textures because of that, and possibly some nicer lighting (although the ambient lighting looks exactly the same from what I've seen).  I don't think they could get away with releasing a 360 version based off that.  The other upgrades don't really justify it either. 

Either way, it's a good game and I'll probably play it again on the pc. 

[Pugnate]

Oh, I thought it was going to look significantly better. Oh well.

[gpw11]

From what I've seen it looks like just better textures, a higher res, and maybe better effects for spells and special moves.  Apart from that the environments and models all look the same from what I can see.  It'll probably look a lot better on a pc either way (higher res and better textures make a huge difference), but its not something that would really benefit from a port to the 360. 

I could be wrong though...they definitely make it sound like a huge difference on Gamespot, but I can't really see it.  Then again, they kind of mislead people about how much content is being added as well as some features of the game (mislead may be the wrong word here for the later part...but you might get the wrong idea).

[MysterD]

For you guys who have Jade for the X-Box, I don't think there's really any new quests. So, I don't know if it'll be worth purchasing the PC version, if you looking for extra content. If they added say another 15-20 hours or more for quests, some new items, and some new enemies, then it'll probably be a no brainer for you on all who own it on the X-Box to get the PC version....

....Well, that would be as long as they don't decide to re-release Jade Empire w/ that new PC content onto the X-Box w/ them two new fighting styles in some Jade Empire: Special Edition for the X-Box. Fable got re-released w/ the TLC content on the X-Box, so it might happen w/ Jade....who knows....Maybe even re-release it to the X360.

I'm sure the KB/mouse and the sweet new graphical improvements are definitely welcome. Always welcome for a PC port of a console game.

I know this, for me, rings true:
1. I don't have an X-Box
2. So, I don't have Jade Empire for the X-Box.
3. Therefore, I want my PC version of Jade Empire -- which is due next month!

Yeah, I really want to try that kung-fu style w/ the poison attacks....ooooh yeahhhh!!!

EDIT:
Got an e-mail from Bioware newsletter, stating 15 new screenies in their gallery for Jade Empire: Special Edtion -- click here!

[gpw11]

Yeah, I can't really see them doing the same thing they did with Fable.  The amount of new content in Fable: TLC dwarfs the amount of new content that appears to be here.  The fighting styles don't really add anything (basically a fighting style is like a spell or a move), and the new character is already on the pretty common LE for the Xbox.

I'll probably still play it on the pc though, just because I want to play it again and I'd rather do it on my pc than xbox...if it runs well.

[MysterD]

Yeah, I can't really see them doing the same thing they did with Fable.  The amount of new content in Fable: TLC dwarfs the amount of new content that appears to be here.  The fighting styles don't really add anything (basically a fighting style is like a spell or a move), and the new character is already on the pretty common LE for the Xbox.

I'll probably still play it on the pc though, just because I want to play it again and I'd rather do it on my pc than xbox...if it runs well.

Well, Well....BIG NEWS, guys.....

This is a shock to me, since I figured the PC version of Jade would likely get not much support after it drops, since Jade 2 is being worked on.

Well, looks like Bioware wants to go the similar Oblivion DLC route and drop episodic content to the game!

Jade Empire: Special Edition PC to get new EPISODIC CONTENT released -- I'd guess probably after the retail box game drops.

Episodic content is the future for BioWare titles
Thursday 18-Jan-2007 10:27 AM Mass Effect developer tells CVG it has "big plans" for additional material for numerous projects
7 Comments

It's already know that BioWare is to release episodic content for its forthcoming Xbox 360 game Mass Effect, but the developer has now revealed it's expanding episodic release plans to cover additional projects.

"...we have big plans afoot at BioWare for post-release and episodic content for upcoming cool BioWare games like Mass Effect, Dragon Age, Jade Empire: Special Edition and other upcoming BioWare titles, both on console and PC", BioWare CEO Ray Muzyka divulged in an interview with CVG which we'll be publishing shortly.

Speaking further about online initiatives, Muzyka said, "There have been a lot of innovations in the PC space in online games - World of Warcraft and other MMOs continue to expand the business and we're excited about joining that world ourselves with the upcoming title we're developing down with our great team at BioWare Austin [BioWare's in-development MMORPG] - and digital distribution and episodic content".

[idolminds]

Isn't it funny how they call every little downloadable content "episodic" now? I bet this will be no different from the NWN downloads.

[MysterD]

Isn't it funny how they call every little downloadable content "episodic" now? I bet this will be no different from the NWN downloads.

That's my guess, Idol.

HL2 kind of coined the term "episode" so much when touting "Episode 1." An "Episodic" game is around say 3-6 hours short. "Episode"/"Episodic content" sure sounds nicer than "Premium Module" (NWN) to me.

[MysterD]

Que, I know you ain't big on episodic gaming, though I know you like the Oblivion DLC stuff....

....so, do you like the idea of Bioware hopping on the bandwagon and also planning to do "episodic" gaming (like BethSoft has done) for their future games to distribute online?

[Pugnate]

*whistles the we used to get this stuff for free, and now we have to pay for it tune.*

[MysterD]

Chris Preistly of Bioware has made a post on the Jade PC boards and nailed down the exact Minimum & Reccommend System Requirements for Jade PC

Posted: Wednesday, 10 January 2007 05:05PM
As we get closer and closer to launch, we can finally pin down some of the more technical aspects of the game. Many people have been asking about the system specs required to run Jade Empire Special Edition, and now we can let you know both the minimum and recommended system requirements to play JESE.

Minimum System Requirements

* Windows XP
* Pentium 4 1.8 GHz or AMD Athlon 1800XP
* 512 MB RAM
* 8 GB free HD space
* 1x or better DVD-ROM drive
* NVIDIA GeForce 6200 or ATI 9500 or better (Shader Model 2.0 required)
* 100% DirectX 9.0 compatible sound card and drivers.
* DirectX 9.0

Recommended System Requirements
Windows XP
* 3 GHz Intel Pentium 4 or equivalent processor
* 1 GB RAM
* 8 GB free HD space
* 1x or better DVD-ROM drive
* ATI X600 series, NVIDIA GeForce 6800 series, or higher recommended
* 100% DirectX 9.0 compatible sound card and drivers.
* DirectX 9.0 February 2006

It was also recently asked about CD/DvD discs. Jade Empire Special Edition will come on a dual-layered DvD.

And finally we can confirm that Jade Emprie Special Edition will support wide screen monitors as well as the normal more standard versions.

[Quemaqua]

It all depends entirely on whether or not I feel I'm getting something worthwhile for my money.  I say this for any game, any developer, any genre.  If I feel like I'm getting my money's worth, it's fine.  If I don't, then no.  Obviously anything I pay for has to be better than the stuff we used to get for free.  Try to just slap a price tag on that and you can bet that you won't be getting my money.

[idolminds]

HORSE ARMOR!

[Quemaqua]

They openly admitted that the first few were more or less a test to see what people were willing to go for.  They've gotten a lot more reasonable since then.  $20 for the retail pack with Knights of the Nine and the other stuff is a pretty darn good deal, and $10 for Knights alone isn't too bad either.  I think it was worth it.

[MysterD]

HORSE ARMOR!

RHINO TRANSFORMATION (fighting style)!

If you pre-order Jade Empire PC from EB/GS, you get that extra exclusive fighting style on an extra CD.

Who wants to bet if Bioware decides to release their own "Episodic DLC" content, they'll sell that style online for DL for like $2 like BethSoft did w/ Horse Armor?

[MysterD]

Jade Empire: Special Edition for the PC = GOLDEN; due Feb. 27th

Jade Empire PC kicks down factory door
Special Edition of BioWare's martial-arts-based RPG finishes development; game in stores February 27.
By Tim Surette, GameSpot
Posted Feb 7, 2007 12:15 pm PT

History is repeating itself, as Jade Empire has gone gold...again. Back in April 2005, Xbox owners eagerly awaited the latest offering from role-playing specialists BioWare in Jade Empire. Today, it's PC owners channeling their Chi in anticipation as the gold master of Jade Empire: Special Edition has headed off to factory.

The PC version features the same kung-fu-fighting action in a world inspired by Asian mythology as the Xbox version, with a few bonus features thrown in. The keyboard-and-mouse crew will get enhanced graphics and resolution, a new difficulty level, new monsters, and a few new fighting styles.

Jade Empire: Special Edition will be in stores on February 27. For more information, read GameSpot's previous coverage or the full review of the Xbox version.

[Xessive]

Nice! I hope I can get it!

[MysterD]

Nice! I hope I can get it!

Yeah, I'm looking forward to this one, for sure.

I been waiting for this for the PC for quite a while....

[MysterD]

New impressions on the game from IGN

Jade Empire Hands-on Impressions
We close our fist and punch our way through the last preview build of this Xbox port.
by Dan Adams

February 7, 2007 - Almost two years ago BioWare released their first action-RPG onto the market exclusively for the Xbox console. Jade Empire made quite the stir, and while opinions certainly differed, it received a large percentage of excellent reviews from an excited gaming populace. Of course, PC gamers were once again miffed that BioWare had moved away from their favorite gaming platform to focus on development for consoles. We have a hard time faulting them for their business sense in this decision. Once the dust settled and BioWare moved onto other things, it came as a mild surprise that Jade Empire for the PC kept on with its development. They've been working on it for quite some time now by gussying it up for PC gamers used to high quality visuals, adding in a new control scheme to take advantage of the mouse and keyboard, and throwing a few extra fun bits into the mix as well. We finally had the chance to take a good long look at a near final build of the game and see how well the controls really performed on the PC.

Okay.

The Basics
Those unfamiliar with Jade Empire probably need a brief introduction. Those that already know the game and story basics can skip down a couple of paragraphs to our impressions of the PC version thus far. Jade Empire is a role-playing game set in a fictional Asian inspired world full of magic, demons, and treachery. The story centers around the player-made character as he or she learns of their glorious destiny following the capture of their master. Much like previous BioWare titles like Knights of the Old Republic, Jade Empire allows players to choose their moral path through conversation and quest resolution. Choose the righteous path (Way of the Open Palm) and NPCs will have different reactions than if the darker path (Way of the Closed Fist) is chosen. Each side holds rewards of their own and only players can decide what's right. This isn't a completely open-world game like Baldur's Gate, but it does offer plenty of choice.

Sweet.

Characters build up in three separate areas: body (health), spirit (chi), and mind (focus). These three attributes govern other attributes such as Charm, Intuition, and Intimidation which come into play during some conversation trees. Points can also be put into any of the many fighting styles that become available to players over the course of the game. These include direct martial art and weapon styles, magical styles, and support styles that can slow enemies or even drain their power. What's more, these fighting styles can be combined together with the correct timing to create what are referred to as Harmonic Combos. Successfully pulling these off leads to an instant kill and power-up. Along the way, followers will join up for various reasons, each with different stories of their own. One of these helps out during combat at any time.

Sweet.

Impressions
The biggest difference to gameplay between the Xbox version of Jade Empire and the PC Special Edition is undoubtedly the control scheme. While controllers will be supported, we've actually found this keyboard scheme to be superior to the Xbox controls.

SWEET!!!

The major reason for this is the ability to map ten fighting styles to the number keys. It allows for very quick changes between styles which in turn allows for a much easier time pulling off harmonic combos, which could be a little difficult on controllers. Having so many styles at hand also increases the amount of options readily available to players without having to jump into a menu screen. While the transition between styles can still be a little slow from time to time, we've been pulling off harmonic combos with a much higher regularity.

Oh, hell yeahhhhhhhhhhhh!!!

One thing we haven't had a hard time adjusting to is the mouse controlled camera. It's a non issue. When in combat, the camera locks onto whatever target is selected and the WASD keys are used to move in and around that target. Hitting TAB switches targets and double tapping any of the movement keys will dodge or flip while Space blocks. All of it works in harmony a lot smoother than I would have thought. The only issue we've had thus far is with the camera ramming up against things and moving behind objects. Not being able to see certainly makes combat difficult. Even so, this only has happened in some of the more cramped fighting arenas.

Okay.

Outside of combat, controls work about as you would figure. Movement and camera together act like any third-person shooter. Camera tilt is a bit restricted so that players don't get completely turned around, but it makes little difference to gameplay. As with any half-decent port, the rest of the interface can be used with the mouse and keyboard, which by itself shows that BioWare was serious about porting the game over.

Very nice.

On top of the gameplay issues, we had plenty of time to really get a good look at the visual improvements. The game is substantially better looking than the Xbox version. The most notable of these upgrades are the textures on the various characters. The new higher resolution and anti-aliasing options really bring the characters to life. They already looked very good for an Xbox game and now they actually look very good for a PC game. Games like Half-Life 2 and Crysis still have an edge, but we're doubting there will be any complaints among those that play Jade Empire on the PC.

Sounds good.

Unfortunately, we haven't made it far enough in the game at this point to try out the new Viper and Iron Palm combat styles. Each style is associated with a Way and can only be learned when three scrolls scattered throughout the land have been collected. Some of the other new content we did get to see was the new Rhino demon, whose first appearance comes towards the end of the pirate cove missions in Tien's Landing. He's one big beast that packs quite a punch. Thankfully he's also pretty slow with his attacks so fast characters should be able to avoid most attacks while smacking him around a bit before ever getting hit.

Cool.

Overall, we're pretty pleased by the efforts that have gone into porting the game properly to PC since there are so many console ports that aren't given the same attention. Gamers who've been waiting for Jade Empire to finally make it onto PC will have a chance to play the game at the end of this month when it releases to stores.

Sounds good.

Screenies

[MysterD]

8.6 from IGN for the PC version of Jade Empire

[MysterD]

7.8 from GameSpot

[gpw11]

I'm actually a bit let down.  I really liked this game but wished they would have added more to the pc version.  Like a real character editor, new models, and maybe some more quests.  The two new styles really adds nothing for me, and the 'new character' was already on the LE version for Xbox.

But don't get me wrong, if you haven't played it you can't really go wrong.  I just don't think I'll be buying it again.

[Pugnate]

I still laugh at how IGN totally embarrassed themselves by giving the Xbox version a 9.8!

Anyway I am a bit disappointed, but not that much. It was never really looking that appealing to me anyway.

[MysterD]

I'm actually a bit let down.  I really liked this game but wished they would have added more to the pc version.  Like a real character editor, new models, and maybe some more quests.

That sounds like a good idea, to me.

The two new styles really adds nothing for me

I'm glad to see the new styles, myself.

and the 'new character' was already on the LE version for Xbox.

The "Rhino Transformation?"

But don't get me wrong, if you haven't played it you can't really go wrong.  I just don't think I'll be buying it again.

That is what it sounds like, from both IGN and G-Spot -- that if you already own the XB Version, you won't miss much by skipping the PC version.

Though, yuh -- I don't own an XB. So, yes -- I am definitely looking forward to the PC version.

[gpw11]

The new character is a monk character that was included in the Xbox LE version, and I believe the new weapon is the weapon that was also included in that version but not in the standard one.  It doesn't really matter since the characters are basically just skins anyways.   The Rhino transformation is basically a style or spell.  Again, it's cool that it's in there, but it doesn't really add anything since it looks to be an alternate visual appearance of a different transformation.

The reason I think the two style additions are kind of lame is because the styles are pretty shallow.  They basically ammount to spells. You have one that slows people down, one that freezes them, and so on and so forth.  Same as above, cool that there are new ones, but it doesn't add much.

I'm still tempted because it's an awesome game and I'd rather play it on PC, but the resolution upgrade and minimal extras make it a hard thing to do when I still have the xbox version sitting around.  Maybe when it hits the bargin bin.  Anyways, great game I think you'll enjoy it a lot.

[MysterD]

7.0 from 1Up

[MysterD]

4 stars from GameSpy (out of 5)

[Pugnate]

Just finished NWN2 so I need more RPGs. This is going for full price. Gpw is it worth the $50 or should I wait?

[MysterD]

Just finished NWN2 so I need more RPGs. This is going for full price. Gpw is it worth the $50 or should I wait?

It's gonna be $40 at EB, BestBuy, and most stores...

[gpw11]

I bought it for Xbox for full price and wasn't disappointed in the least.  It's not the deepest RPG out there but there is a lot to do with side quests and the atmosphere is top notch.  I'd say if you liked KotOR you'll definitely like this...I liked it quite a bit more.

[Pugnate]

Hmmm.. well it is about $10 on the Xbox. I am going to read the reviews to see if it is worth the jump.

And D, it will be $50 for me because of shipping. I am probably going to buy this, because I love Bioware.

[gpw11]

If you have an xbox, get that version.  I was thinking about buying the PC version as well but reading the reviews and previews, there isn't anything to justify the price difference you'd be paying.  If you really want the improved graphics through the higher resolution, go pc, but personally I'd save the $40.

[MysterD]

Hmmm.. well it is about $10 on the Xbox. I am going to read the reviews to see if it is worth the jump.

That's pretty damn cheap.

And D, it will be $50 for me because of shipping. I am probably going to buy this, because I love Bioware.

Damn those shipping costs.

[MysterD]

Looks like Circuit City will have this Jade Empire SE for the PC on sale for $29.99 the week of 3/11/2007-3/17/2007.