Jade Empire: Special Edition review

We’re trying desperately to replenish our chi before our scantily-clad female character wades back into kung fu combat with a flaming horse demon. Of course, that’s pretty much par for the course in Jade Empire, BioWare’s latest role-playing epic in which the traditional fantasy trappings have been replaced with a mythical Chinese setting. But being a port of a two-year-old Xbox title, is this a case of glorious reincarnation or ageing master?

The first act introduces you to the controls and the story. Ghosts inhabit the world of the living and after your home-town is destroyed and your master is taken by the Lotus Assassins, it’s a non-stop action ride to set the world’s problems straight. Expect a journey packed to the rafters with a fantastic supporting cast and a wide variety of inventive foes, from arrogant fellow students to animal spirits and creepy ghosts.