Video game review by ERIK LEIJON

Edmonton developer BioWare has fast become one of the most respected development studios in the business. Their latest title, the monstrously hyped Jade Empire (Xbox/Microsoft, BioWare), comes two years after their most famous game, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic (LucasArts), rejuvenated the role-playing genre. While Jade Empire is essentially a transplanted version of SW: KOTOR (taking place in ancient China), the main difference is the real-time fight scenes, which is the game's raison d'être. Therefore, you can imagine my shock when I realized how unbelievably sub-par the fighting actually was.

The real-time fight mode is fast-paced, and your character has multiple fighting styles that you can switch in mid-combat. They range from chi-stealing magic to weapon styles and element magic, but you don't actually see your character develop as in other RPGs. Alas, my fireballs looked identical from the minute I got them until the final battle. While enemies do eventually get stronger and hit harder, you will find yourself killing all enemies the same way: a button until he starts blocking, then X to break his block.

But what makes the fighting especially grating is the action-killing framerate that continuously mars fights with multiple enemies. Try using the dodge button to circle around two ogres and the game slows to a crawl. In the grand master mode, getting frozen by ice spells uncertain death - not because it's too difficult, but because the framerate drops considerably, making it impossible to escape.

The collision detection could also use some tweaking, especially against larger golems, and the camera angles are cumbersome. Those expecting the gameplay to be on par with most fighting games will not be satisfied; the controls are unresponsive by fighter standards, and the repetitive nature of the combat will have you pining for more text-based scenes.

As for the rest of the game, the "choose your own adventure" style of conversations, where you can choose from multiple responses, is novel but wears out quickly, especially because the character development in Jade Empire lacks the depth of SW: KOTOR.

That being said, the game has an interesting plot and a hilarious cameo from John Cleese as a British colonial, which you might miss if you decide to zip through the game. There are plenty of side quests that don't feel tacked on or completely irrelevant to the main goal. I suggest trying to complete as many of these quests as possible, as the game is relatively short by RPG standards. BioWare also included some 2D shooter missions, an appreciated diversion.

Star Wars spoiler!

A warning to anyone who wants to play Lego Star Wars (PS2, Xbox, PC/Giant Interactive/LucasArts, Traveller's Tales) - the story of the upcoming Episode 3 is given away... in Lego form. Stay away if you don't want to see silent Lego characters re-enact Anakin's transformation into Darth Vader (oops). Honestly, Lego Hayden Christensen shows greater range and depth than the corporeal version.

Poor gamer alert

Guild Wars (PC/NCsoft, ArenaNet) is already a rebel in the MMORPG world due to its policy of not charging monthly fees, but the gameplay is also setting it apart from the usual fantasy online RPGs. There's a greater emphasis placed on action, and it's very user-friendly. It's already the talk of the PC-gaming world. n

Now playing: Snakes (N-Gage) Wishlist: Namco X Capcom (PS2)