So I Tried… Jade Empire

Each edition of So I Tried… I will try a game that I have never tried before. Will I find something new to love? Will I find something new to despise? I'll take a full half hour, no matter how bad it gets or how badly I do, to see if this is the game for me. This time I went for the PC version of Jade Empire.

What I thought it was

One of the better RPGs that came from the Xbox era, with a female protagonist. Honestly, that’s all I know -- I think it’s an action RPG, rather than a normal RPG, along the lines of Fable. I imagine there are swords and spells, elves and wizards, monsters from the deep… You know, your normal fantasy setting.

Pictured: Not elves

What it actually is

Wow, was I wrong or what? It’s an Eastern-themed game, with martial arts and spirits and stuff, not a normal fantasy game at all. It’s by Bioware, the ones who made all of the action RPGs that everyone loves (Dragon Age, Mass Effect, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic…), and you can tell it’s an early Bioware title. It’s rich in story, with little titbits stashed away for you to find and read, the conversations are simply text-based answers to spoken NPCs… You use martial arts to fend off bandits, and in the process learn that there is more to your sensei -- and yourself -- than you ever imagined.

"I only asked for a light!"

Will I keep playing

I’m certainly going to give it more time. The voiceovers are a little stale in places, but Cam Clarke does his best, and Nathan Fillion was a huge surprise (and, of course, well done!). The gameplay itself is interesting, and very different from the more recent Bioware games I’ve played. It’s made me nostalgic for Knights of the Old Republic, so I’m also going to have to reinstall that and the sequel… You can be a dick to everyone, or nice of course, which means I’ll have fun being the worst person these folks have ever met! Despite my character having known these people most of her life…