Jade Empire Coming Soon - with Extras

Bioware's new chop socky RPG appears on the horizon.

Canadian developer Bioware is well known in the industry for its engaging PC titles, but lately the company has been demonstrating its console agility too. After the runaway hit that was Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, Bioware is back on the Xbox with the kung fu RPG Jade Empire.

While it's essentially an action-RPG, Jade Empire offers gamers much more. Characters are imbued with martial arts skills that develop as you progress through the game. And you can choose which new skills your characters learn as they develop. Beating demonic entities releases their chi, which you can use to harness powerful mystical powers.

The game's story is layered with myth and mystery, tapping into the current wave of emotion-driven action movies, such as Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. And like Bioware's previous Xbox game, Jade Empire introduces a good/evil system that defines your character's alignment with other characters.

To accompany the release of the game, Bioware has created a limited edition version of Jade Empire that features an additional playable character. The expanded version, which is currently only confirmed for North America, will also contain a behind-the-scenes DVD that offers insight into the process of making the game.

Jade Empire is scheduled for release in North America in early April and the European release is scheduled for soon thereafter.

Alex Wollenschlaeger
Editor, Kikizo Games