Jade Empire E3 Preview

WorthPlaying has put together a preview of Jade Empire, based upon what they saw of BioWare's Xbox RPG at this year's E3. Check it out:
There is no single style in Jade Empire that rules them all some styles are better suited for certain enemies, or certain situations (such as a group of smaller enemies as opposed to one large one), than others. It's very important to learn which ones work best against other styles. The whole leveling system in Jade works a lot like KOTOR's. As you use a weapon or a fighting style, you gain more experience with it and your attacks become stronger.

The coolest feature of the fighting system with out a doubt is the Focus Mode, or as I like to call it, "the Holy S*** Mode." While in combat, you can switch to Focus Mode by hitting the Y button. While in this mode everything is in slow motion but you, much like Max Payne. You can only stay in Focus Mode for a limited time, and a clock on the screen shows you how much time you have left before it runs out.

Besides slowing down time, you have access to your Chi in Focus Mode, which increases the damage of your blows. The effects of both of these combined are quite stunning. One example we saw had the main character run up to an enemy while he was still in normal mode and attack him with his sword. He landed a few blows but was not experienced in that weapon yet so he did not do much damage to him. The BioWare guy then showed us how in Focus Mode, you can power up your weapons with Chi, and took the man's head off with one swipe, leaving a fountain of blood shooting up from his neck before his lifeless body fell to the ground.

This game is, of course, eminently suitable for children. They'll love it.