Jade Empire Preview

UGO has put together a preview of Jade Empire, after spending some firsthand time with the Xbox RPG during a visit to the developer’s headquarters in Canada. Here’s a taste:

There will be a total of twelve different followers players can recruit for their missions, although only one can aid in combat at any given time. The followers in Jade Empire are handled a bit differently from previous BioWare RPGs. Players do not have control of the followers; they pursue their own AI. From my experience playing the game, I was able to recruit a fellow Two Rivers student, Dawn Star, to help me with my battles. I found her to be a competent fighter, and once I got used to the fact that she was there, I was able to focus only on my character’s fights. The followers aren’t going to out perform the player characters, but they may provide assistance and buffs. Rumor has it there is a drunken master who imparts upon players his inebriated fighting techniques and joins the fellowship. If selected as a follower during combat, the lush supplies the player with booze so he can kick some drunken ass.