Time to sprout some conversation. I began playing this game at a friend's last night and I really enjoyed it. It was different than I expected, but I quickly adapted.

For those of you, who might've been living in a cave for the past half-year, Jade Empire is a action-rpg that BioWare, the creator of 2003's game of the year Knight of the Old Republic, made. The game takes place in a Mythic Land of the Jade Empire, which the programmers have worked on history, original styles, and even developed a original language for it. You play as one of six choosable heroes, each with their own stats and styles. Of course if their starting stats do not suit you, you can take one of the character designs and customize the stats your own way and choose your own styles.

Whoever you pick, you start off as a student about to finish his/her training at the school of Two Rivers. Before your training is complete, your master wishes to speak with you, but as soon as the conversation begins, it's forced to end as Bandits are sighted and one of the students have been hit. You're told to meet with your friend, Dawn Star, and get a weapon to battle with. Yet, as your battle with the bandits end, the leader seems to recognize your power and summons up the dead to battle you. After ridding the spirits, the captain decides to kill you himself, but your Master rescues you, but not before the captain mocks him for something in his past. What does this mean? How did he know you? And what's with the spirits rising? These questions and many more will fill your mind as you journey through the Empire.

The realtime gameplay works effieciently as you'll punch, kick, fierce strike, block, evade, change styles, and slice your way to victory. What do I mean by 'change styles'? The game features a multitude of different attack styles, varying from the Heavenly Wave support style to slow your enemies to a snails' pace, then change to the quick Legendary Strike martial style to quickly beat some of them to a pulp, then switching to your Long Sword weapon style to slice up some more til your focus is wearing thin, then finally finishes them off with a surrounding blast from your Dire Flame magic style. You could just stick to one style if you wanted, but to mix styles together just adds so much strategy and gives your many ways to defeat your foes. Besides, some enemies won't be affect by certain styles, such as the Spirit Enemies, whic can only be harmed through Martial Styles or Magic Styles. Your comrades, or Followers as the game calls them, fight effectively and their support abilities can really help, whether it's restoring your Chi so you can cast more magic or heal yourself, or if it's a Weapon Style damage increase, so your blade slices through your enemies like butter.

Another factor that adds to the game's innovation are the branching storylines, or in other words, Light Path and Dark Path. BioWare was famous for making a solid concept of this in KOTOR, and though I missed out on that title, I can see why it's good in Jade Empire. Instead of "Good and Evil" there's "Open Palm and Closed Fist." Closed Fist characters aren't so much as Evil, as they are Selfish. They believe that people should fend for themselves as they reap whatever benefits they can from the townsfolk, while the Open Palm are for characters who offer kindness to all they can and don't abuse their power. One example is after the said Bandit Raid, when the student that was injured asks you to fetch this plant to heal her. You find out where to get the Leaf, but you have a choice. Prior to getting the leaf, you find out that you there's a special prize for those who a beat a challenge of fighting multiple foes and that student is one of the fighters. So when you hear about the leaf, you're warned that another type of leaf will make the student feel better, but the wound won't really heal, giving you a advantage in getting the prize. That's what I mean as a difference from Open Palm to Closed Fist.

Though I've only finished chapter one, from what I can tell about Jade Empire is that it's pretty good. The story moves along nicely and the characters are interesting, occasionally giving facts that you wouldn't expect from them. Though, since I'm stuck at my aunt's for the moment (Wedding today), I'll just have to wait it out until I can get through more again.

This is a cool game, but I only played it for like 10 mins so I cant comment much. But from what I saw I have to say that its a bit too much like Fable, expect that you can't kill random people.

It would seem like that, but the enemies are tougher and you have to strategize you method of attack.

Earlier today I found that the data for my game session above was erased by accident, so I made a new character, A magic, or Chi-based one. During the serious fighting segments of the game I found myself cut to pieces several times because I was too reckless with my low health. Where with my more-health previous character, I could rush in and start kicking some bandit-ass, I had to make it so my enemies could rarely hit me with my new character. To do this, I had to slow my enemies and then attack them before their sluggish movements could hurt me, all while trying to be the good guy and protecting the villagers.

I think it's more challenging than Fable and your character just seems to have more personallity than Fable's nameless hero. In Fable, you were just a boy who lost his village long ago to a band of Bandits and you seek revenge, which turns out too straitforward only dropping bombs at you near the very near end.. In Jade Empire, you're a top student, who finds out secrets sooner than you'd expect and more are to come. At first glance, I too would say that it might be too much like Fable, but after chapter one I begin to respect it more with it's diversirty in combat and story progression.