Jade Empire Demo and.....

[Rogue Bounty Hunter]

...the Official Xbox Review. When I have time, I will post my impressions of the demo, but until then, here's what's all on the demo and the review scores.

Demo:

Jade Empire
Area 51- New demo
One hidden Easter Egg (says it's a killer app)

Different Halo 2 Game Types- not sure if this is playable or in video form

Iron Phoenix stuff
Rainbow 6: Lockdown
Explore the World of Jade Empire

Videos:
Midnight Club: Dub Edition
Project: Snowblind

And a couple of other things that I'm not sure if they are games or movies

OXM Review Scores:

Jade Empire- 9.4
Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory -9.9
Brothers in Arms- 9.6
Area 51- 6.8
SW Republic Commando- 8.2
Worms 3D Special Edition- 8.1
Worms Forts- 6.8 ---Is the Worms franchise becoming the next Army Men?
Doom 3- 9.2
MVP Baseball 2005 -9.0
MLB 2k5- 7.4
Time Splitters: Future Perfect- 7.9
Super Monkey Ball Deluxe - 7.2
Red Ninja - 3.0
Rugby 2005- 7.2
FIFA Street - 5.4

One more thing about Jade Empire, they mentioned the game falls just shy of 30 hours, with a good bulk of the quests completed. All I have to say is, since this is a Bioware game, and the last two RPGs that Bioware had a hand in (KOTOR I and II), the reviewers mentioned those games would be between 30-40 hrs long, and I put in 50hrs in each without trying to extend the gameplay time.

Almost forgot to mention, this is from the April 2005 issue of OXM.

[Cuddly Knife]

Holy Sh!t, they gave SC: CT a 9.9?! That's the highest score ever from OXM! Beautiful. Halo 2 scored a 9.7.

Too bad about area 51. I liked the demos on both the PS2 and XBOX, better than SW Republic. I'll probably pick it up when it's cheap.

No downloads?

[Rogue Bounty Hunter]

Holy Sh!t, they gave SC: CT a 9.9?! That's the highest score ever from OXM! Beautiful. Halo 2 scored a 9.7.

Too bad about area 51. I liked the demos on both the PS2 and XBOX, better than SW Republic. I'll probably pick it up when it's cheap.

No downloads?

I think the Halo 2 stuff could have been downloads, or probably not if they weren't already on Live first.

I kind of surprised at the SC:CT scores. I remember last year, Pandora Tomorrow got high scores due to the online component. This time, it sounds like all three modes (co-op, single, multi) are good on its on, especially the single player. From the review, it appears the trial and error gameplay of the series is finally over, though I would need to play it myself. Did anyone play the demo of SC:CT in last month's OXM?

Now, about the Jade Empire demo.....it's very short. Maybe 5 minutes max. The demo does what it should, give gamers a feel of how the combat will be in the game. In my opinion, it's pretty fluid. The animations are good, the graphics are also good though they could probably use one more coat of polish (though it may not get it)....I think the game controlled very well, even though I got killed twice.

[Fivespot]

Is it me, or are these discs getting light lately? I'm as excited to play Jade Empire as the next guy but come on now... 2 demos and a bonus demo = 3 demos. I remember when these discs came packed with 5-8 demos per issue.

Ironically I also received a letter w/my issue asking me to re-new early. Pretty clever if you think about it. Lets see, I have 5 issues remaining which will take me through May, June, July, August, & September issues. When does the new XBOX come out? I don't want another year lasting me until 9/2006 when I'll be playing next gen systems long before that.

Thanks for letting me vent!

[Rogue Bounty Hunter]

Is it me, or are these discs getting light lately? I'm as excited to play Jade Empire as the next guy but come on now... 2 demos and a bonus demo = 3 demos. I remember when these discs came packed with 5-8 demos per issue.

Ironically I also received a letter w/my issue asking me to re-new early. Pretty clever if you think about it. Lets see, I have 5 issues remaining which will take me through May, June, July, August, & September issues. When does the new XBOX come out? I don't want another year lasting me until 9/2006 when I'll be playing next gen systems long before that.

Thanks for letting me vent!

You're right. The OXM discs aren't packing as many games as they used to. Most of the time they are either just 3 demos or the ones with more Xbox Live-only demos, which doesn't do much for the Non Xbox Live crowd. To be honest, the issues that packed Mercenaries and the new Jade demo, I would have been happy with just those on an entire disc. :D

Even if the OXM discs are lighter, they still do a better job than OPM discs. Last three issues I got of that mag, almost every playable demo wa for a game that was already out. Anything new just seemed to be in video form.

More than likely, the new Xbox will be out by the end of the year. I have to wonder, will it be for here where MS hasn't had a big problem with getting a fanbase, or will the release be in Japan, where an early release would make more sense to try and build some sort of fanbase there.

[joquito]

Has anyone found out what the easter egg was? Supposedly it was another demo. Someone please fill me in.

[Glockstar]

Is it me, or are these discs getting light lately? I'm as excited to play Jade Empire as the next guy but come on now... 2 demos and a bonus demo = 3 demos. I remember when these discs came packed with 5-8 demos per issue.

Ehh... what bugs me is that they left the XBox Live Arcade demos off again! Dane it! They were supposed to be on last months' but for some reason or another didn't make it (I forget why). They apologized, then said that they'd be on this issues'. Well... :mad:

Man! I was so looking forward to those!

-
Ironically I also received a letter w/my issue asking me to re-new early. Pretty clever if you think about it. Lets see, I have 5 issues remaining which will take me through May, June, July, August, & September issues. When does the new XBOX come out? I don't want another year lasting me until 9/2006 when I'll be playing next gen systems long before that.

Well I'm sure that the OXM will make the same transition. Or at least have expanded coverage.

One thing about renewing... I've seen some issues with renew-cards offering subscription prices of $24.99 (like they are in this issue), while others say $19.99. WTH? If you are going to re-subscribe, make sure you do it on a "good month", eh. ;)

:
Has anyone found out what the easter egg was? Supposedly it was another demo. Someone please fill me in.

Don't look at me. If it's not a real Easter Egg (a.i. food ) I won't find it :p . I've never ever found an easter egg. And I don't have the foggiest idea how...or to where to look... or whatever.

:

Holy Sh!t, they gave SC: CT a 9.9?! That's the highest score ever from OXM!

It's not just a score either - it's a heck of review. The whole review covers three pages, and barely any of it it is that waste-of-space joking-around-talking-about-nothing crap. The reviewer makes it very clear as to why he likes it and why it warrants the 9.9 score he gave it; the 9.9 sounds like it's more than justified. I know I'm sold. I am pumped for this game now, boy!

:
One more thing about Jade Empire, they mentioned the game falls just shy of 30 hours, with a good bulk of the quests completed. All I have to say is, since this is a Bioware game, and the last two RPGs that Bioware had a hand in (KOTOR I and II), the reviewers mentioned those games would be between 30-40 hrs long, and I put in 50hrs in each without trying to extend the gameplay time.

Thank you.

My impressions of JE, based on the demo? It's a cross between KOTOR and Sudeki... with a dash of Shenmue II.

I first tried playing it with the "fast" babe (and I do mean babe), but I got my butt whooped. But when I tried it with the "balanced" dude I was able to get thru it. I actually found the combat to be quite fun. But I was a little dissapointed that it did not feel like sparring, or feel like real hand-to-hand combat. At all. It was more like... hit and run. :( Ninja Gaiden it is not.

Oh and one last thing... this is NOT a demo worth paying $9.99 for! It is incredibly short!

:

The Area-51 demo was much improved over the last one. This one is actually controllable.

Some of this game is abso-positively thrillin'! The graphics are amazing. I like the lean feature. The arm-gadget-thing is way cool! And dual-weilding shotguns put a big ole smilie on my face!

But... some of it is downright head-scratchin'. Like, holy cow does this game shake!!! Every weapon rattles you like a jackhammer. Worse! And you get severely jostled with every bullet that hits you. Ugh. I don't know about that decision. The sound effects are poor. Like... give you bitter-beer-face poor. And, why oh why did they put that cool arm-gadget-thing in with the weapon rotation?!?

Then the OXM review says the game is fairly vanilla; that it's poorly balanced; and is real short - and also says that most - if not all - of the fun occurs in the first half of the game on top of that.

I'd like to play it, but there's no way I'm paying $50 for this one. I don't even know if I'd pay $20 to tell you the truth. There are a LOT of FPSs coming out this year - especially around now - and there is just no room for error - no need to settle, or make concessions. Too bad, Midway. (But you know I still love ya.)

[Rogue Bounty Hunter]

It's not just a score either - it's a heck of review. The whole review covers three pages, and barely any of it it is that waste-of-space joking-around-talking-about-nothing crap. The reviewer makes it very clear as to why he likes it and why it warrants the 9.9 score he gave it; the 9.9 sounds like it's more than justified. I know I'm sold. I am pumped for this game now, boy!

Overall, it really sounds like UbiSoft -Montreal changed SC for the better. Almost to the point where I wouldn't mind doing a deal for the......no can't do it. Must......save........something.......good........ to... play........during.......summertime..........
The review, though it is just one, confirmed (IMO, anyway) that Pandora Tomorrow really didn't really deserve the high reviews it received. Pandora really felt like a SC 1.5, because the gameplay of the storymode wasn't different at all. Subtract Spy vs Mercs, and Pandora would have scored lower than SC1. With Chaos Theory, it sounds like any of the three modes could stand on its own and get a good score, and that's really something I like to see when it comes to games with both a single & multiplayer mode.
:


Thank you.

My impressions of JE, based on the demo? It's a cross between KOTOR and Sudeki... with a dash of Shenmue II.

I first tried playing it with the "fast" babe (and I do mean babe), but I got my butt whooped. But when I tried it with the "balanced" dude I was able to get thru it. I actually found the combat to be quite fun. But I was a little dissapointed that it did not feel like sparring, or feel like real hand-to-hand combat. At all. It was more like... hit and run. :( Ninja Gaiden it is not.

Oh and one last thing... this is NOT a demo worth paying $9.99 for! It is incredibly short!

Compared to the Republic Commando demo I received 2 months ago, I think it's worth it. :D

I tried out the JE demo with all three of the babes. I'm pretty sure I will use Wu during the full version of the game. I do think they run kind of funny, at least during their start-off. It feels like the game will be hard until you master using Chi and Focus while using a weapon or magic attacks. It does kind of suck that a sword would use up Focus power, but I'll get used to it.

Is it just me, or should there be a different standard when comparing gameplay length with a Western RPG and the length of a Japanese RPG? Almost every Western RPG (except Morrowind) will have less gameplay time than a J-RPG, and that's due to two reasons: 1)Shorter cinematics during the game (and fewer as well) and 2) combat is usually faster than the one-at-a-time turned based fighting that J-RPGs usually use. Take Final Fantasy X, switch the combat to a KOTOR-type combat or real time combat, and that alone will make FF shorter than it is. I may have to take this thought to a few review editors.

[Cuddly Knife]

Did anyone play the demo of SC:CT in last month's OXM?
I played it a few times before I got new games and forgot about it. I haven't beat part 1 and I barely got Pandora Tomorrow recently, so I can't comment too much on the differences, but the graphics are insanely improved from the other games. Gameplay-wise, I'd say they are all about the same, with CT being maybe a little faster. Maybe.

That demo also has playable Unreal on it.

Is it me, or are these discs getting light lately? I'm as excited to play Jade Empire as the next guy but come on now... 2 demos and a bonus demo = 3 demos. I remember when these discs came packed with 5-8 demos per issue.
It's not that bad, when you think about it. I mean, other magazines don't give anything, and they charge more per subscription than OPM or OXM. And in the case of OXM, they also include other cool stuffs like downloads for games(Full Spectrum Warrior Epilogue 1 and the other level in another demo, Vice City 100%, all levels and extras unlocked on a number of games), music downloads(Halo 2, Silent Hill 4, Thief: DS), and videos of course. It could be worse and get nothing but a crumb every once in a blue moon like Nintendo Power. Hell, even EGM and Gamepro hook it up once in a while with a DVD that has cool stuff like Action Replay, Speed Demos Archive, Red vs. Blue, Mega64.com, and more.

Don't look at me. If it's not a real Easter Egg (a.i. food ) I won't find it . I've never ever found an easter egg. And I don't have the foggiest idea how...or to where to look... or whatever.
It's easy and fun! They even tell you how to do them in the magazine. I think you hold L trigger(maybe R) and then start trying buttons. You know, up, down, X, back, black. The controller will start to rumble more violently as you get the buttons in the right order. You can be like me a make a memory game out of it, or you can write the button presses down. There have been some cool unlockables. Some cool demos or a cheap-assed video awaites!

[Glockstar]

It's easy and fun! They even tell you how to do them in the magazine. I think you hold L trigger(maybe R) and then start trying buttons. You know, up, down, X, back, black. The controller will start to rumble more violently as you get the buttons in the right order. You can be like me a make a memory game out of it, or you can write the button presses down. There have been some cool unlockables. Some cool demos or a cheap-assed video awaites!

Hey, thanks!

:

Oh btw, in answer to your earlier question about downloads on this months demo:
Yeah, the Halo 2 stuff was this months "downloads". They're just customized multi-player gametypes that the editors of OXM and Bungie developers came up with tho'. There's, like, six of them. I "downloaded" them (why not, they only take, like, about a half-second to download, you know?) even tho' I doubt I'll ever play them. I dunno tho'... I might this weekend!

[Glockstar]

I want to share a little more about Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory, but I think I'm going to start up a new seperate thread. The game is deserving of its own thread, I think. ;)

[Rogue Bounty Hunter]

I figured out how to unlock this month's easter egg, though to be honest, it isn't really worth it, IMO.

Hold L-trigger

Press A three times
Press B three times
On D-Pad (or L-stick) Press:
-Up
-Left
-Right
-Down
-Up
-Left
-Right
-Down
-Back button

Hopefully, I wrote it down correctly. Once you do that, the hidden game will pop up. I will not spoil what it is, but I have to say I had more fun figuring out how to unlock it than actually playing it.

[Cuddly Knife]

Yeah, I read in the mag about it being a Killer App, and then I was like, OHHHH!, when I saw what it was. I have to say that this was the easiest egg to unlock yet. I didn't play it, though. I didn't play anything, really.

The "new" Area 51 demo is the one they had in the OPM demo a few issues back.

I couldn't get into Jade Empire, either. I guess I was just expecting something a little... nicer. Not graphics-wise, even though they just seem to be a slight step up from KOTOR, but everything in general was pretty lackluster IMO. It took me a while to get into KOTOR also, so maybe that's just the way these games flow with me, or maybe it's because I just got Strangers Wrath and I wanted to tear into that sucker above anything else.

Stranger's Wrath. Yup.