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View Full Version : Jade Empire (Demo)



Rase
03-26-2005, 07:02 AM
Well, I've just beaten the demo of Jade Empire that came with the April Issue of the Official Xbox Magazine for the third time, and it's still fun. You can choose from 4 types of characters in the demo (Strong, Fast, Magic, and Balanced), and each one plays differently. The small bit you get to play (one area, three waves of enemies) is solid and the controls are tight. There are three main attributes you character has displayed on the screen, which are Health, Focus, and Chi. Health is, well, your remaining health, Focus is what you must use to wield weapons in the game, and Chi is for Magic and Transformations (more on those later). Each character gets three staple attacks, Tiger Claws(Martial Arts), Long Sword (Weapon), and Dire Flame (Chi). With the Weapons and Magic, each time you attack it uses a part of you respective attribute. Martial Arts drains nothing, but you must be up close to use them, while Weapons and Magic give you some range. Each character can also heal themselves withChi Focus, but this drains your Chi like a vacuum, so it's best to use the Block and Dodge moves a lot. Remember, you can not block Magic, so just roll out of the way. Carefully balancing what your doing is key to beating this game.
All the fighting takes place in real-time, meaning no menus or waiting. You can change your fighting styles on the fly using the D-pad, which allows you to always be ready for your next challenge without a pause in the action. It works perfectly in practice, and with some experience you'll be all over the place, your character a virtual killing machine.
Now, for Transformations. Each time you defeat an enemy you have a chance to get the ability to Transform into them. In the demo, the first enemy you beat (a flame-throwing Horse Demon) gives you its Transformation ability. You can then use this to beat the much harder Lion Head Demon you fight later.
In all, I was very excited about this game and am even more so now that I have played the demo. So, what are your thoughts on this game?

Discuss.