Jade Empire E3 Preview

GamesFirst! has put together a preview of Jade Empire, after getting some hands-on time with the game at this year’s E3. An excerpt to follow:

This is like two games in one: You have an incredible RPG/adventure style game, then you have a very deep, involved fighting game as well. You can switch fighting styles right in the middle of a battle, using whatever is most effective on any given type of enemy. For instance, just kicking and punching a particularly strong warrior master using kung fu wasn’t quite working out. However, as soon as I switched to Paralyzing Palm, I was able to kick some tail by freezing him, then wailing on him with some magic, dropping him like a bag of laundry. There is quite a bit of strategy involved here, which serves to deepen the gameplay and further enrich your playing experience. We’re just scratching the surface though. Unlike in KOTOR, which had you punching in commands before hand then sitting back and watching the battles, Jade Empire is all real-time combat, in which you use the A and X buttons for your primary attacks, the B button to dodge, and the Y button to go into Focus Mode, which is absolutely awesome! Focus Mode equals slow-motion mode, which concentrates your chi for a limited time via a timer that counts down in the upper right corner and, of course, puts everybody in slow motion.