Empire Builders

Peter Molyneux��s now-infamous proclamation that Fable would be ��the greatest role-playing game of all time�� might have come as something of a challenge to a company full of egos larger than those at BioWare. The studio��s joint CEOs, Dr. Ray Muzyka and Dr. Greg Zeschuk, are too humble, or perhaps too media savvy, to make such bold claims themselves (or better yet, too unwilling to eat their own words). Instead, the 200-plus-person outfit remains hard at work in its inconspicuous Edmonton, Canada�Cbased studio, churning out superb role-playing games for Xbox and PC. Each game improves upon the last in slow, measured paces, a process BioWare sees as being at the core of what it does best. ��We think story is the future of games,�� Muzyka says, summing up in one fell stroke the company��s design philosophy.

When pressed to critique Fable, the doctors choose their words carefully. ��Once I changed my expectations, I actually really enjoyed it quite a bit,�� Muzyka says of his experience with Lionhead��s recent attempt at the RPG throne. ��I guess it just wasn��t what I was expecting. It was more of an action-adventure, really. Something more along the lines of��I don��t know, Zelda?��

��One thing that disappointed me about the game was the general lack of consequence,�� Zeschuk recalls. ��I don��t feel that they really nailed that element of it��I didn��t really feel like my actions mattered all that much.�� He pauses, raps his fingers against the table, and continues with a smile. ��Other than that, I quite enjoyed it.��

BIO WHERE?

In many ways, BioWare and Lionhead have been chasing the same lofty goal: to create a compelling gameplay experience in which the player��s values and personality are properly reflected by his or her onscreen avatar. The difference, of course, lies in the approach: From Populous to Black & White, Molyneux��s and Lionhead��s foundation has always rested in simulation-style ��God games,�� while BioWare��s background rests in narrative structure, an ongoing refinement of ��interactive storytelling.�� So much so, in fact, that over the past several years, BioWare has solidified its place as the premier RPG developer in the Western world. Its name has become an assurance of quality and in many ways synonymous with the genre itself. The term ��BioWare-style RPG�� is used to describe a game that fuses a deep D&D-style stat system with a dense story and compelling characters. It is what many developers aspire toward, but few achieve.

And now, after winning nearly every prize the industry has to offer (Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic was awarded literally dozens of ��Game of the Year�� awards��from CNN, the Game Developers Conference, Amazon.com, and many other sources), BioWare has ditched the lightsabers and Wookiees for throwing stars and demons. It has taken Zeschuk and Muzyka nearly 10 years to make Jade Empire; it is BioWare��s first original universe, the game the company has always wanted to make. It��s an attempt to merge Hong Kong�Cstyle action with the depth and open-ended gameplay that has long been BioWare��s hallmark. So now the obvious question lingers: Will Jade Empire be the best RPG ever made?

A THOUSAND WORDS

The first thing you notice about the game is that it��s technically stunning. This is not only Xbox��s best-looking RPG, but also one of the console��s best-looking games, full stop. At a glance, one might mistake it for a Team Ninja production rather than a title from a notoriously PC-minded developer like BioWare. While plenty of RPGs have certainly been easy on the eyes��the Final Fantasy series springs to mind��Jade Empire looks like an action game. That is to say, the game��s disparate elements look comfortable where they are: Characters blend seamlessly with their backgrounds, animations maintain their physical and mechanical integrity under gameplay duress, and real-time special effects abound.

Jade Empire does not feel like an RPG with tacked-on action elements; it feels��crucially��like an action game with a vast RPG back end. It��s an important distinction; even the award-sweeping KOTOR ran into considerable problems when it came to technology and required a certain suspension of disbelief specific to the RPG-playing crowd. The prospect of watching stiffly animated characters politely take turns assaulting one another��their attacks marred by poor collision detection and a wholesale lack of visceral response��is, to some, simply unpalatable.

Of course, rebuilding the combat system from the ground up hasn��t been a walk in the dojo. ��Real-time fighting has forced us to rethink many of our beliefs about player rewards, pacing, challenge, and story, and has taken a ton of work to pull off,�� Jade��s producer Jim Bishop says. ��We went to all this trouble because a real-time combat system seems like the next logical step for our games��particularly our console titles. We want to make our games appealing and accessible to the widest possible audience, and real-time combat is one part of that package.�� Not only a part of the package, this point is at the forefront of everyone��s mind, from fans to journalists to everyone we spoke with at BioWare. The company has certainly proven that it can tell a winding, epic 30-hour interactive narrative; it has not, however, proven itself to be capable of creating action that can sustain itself for the duration of a winding, epic 30-hour story.

EMPIRICAL EVIDENCE

Which brings us back to the question of consequence. ��Freedom�� has always been a major tenet of BioWare games, in terms of character and narrative structure. With a fully interactive combat system, is it now possible to give the player the same freedom in second-to-second combat as he or she is given in a more gradual, methodical narrative?

��We��ve really worked at keeping a sense of choice in the combat system,�� Kevin Martens, the game��s lead designer, says. ��Mashing buttons until your opponent falls down is a great place to start, but you are [also] given a wide selection of tactical options.�� From what we��ve seen thus far, gameplay feels good��but perhaps more important, fighting is fun.

The combat itself is nothing if not varied. Each of the game��s six characters can switch between any of three distinct styles (martial arts, weapons, and transformation/summoning, with four to seven moves per style) at any given moment, allowing for strategic improvisation within battles. Martens continues: ��Each combat [scenario] presents you with a new type or combination of opponents, and we want players to find their own way to deal with the problem. Try to take down a group of ogres with magical fire and then try again with dual sabers. Both options are valid, and we want players to be able to find their own combinations of styles to deal with the myriad encounters that we��ll throw at them.��

IMPREZZA

At this stage of development, Jade Empire has proven itself able to surpass all expectations. From multitiered teahouses to pirate hideaways, the environments present the opportunity both to explore and to beat the sense out of many, many enemies in their natural habitats.

As for fans worried about Jade Empire straying too far from the BioWare formula?

Edmonds doesn��t mince words: ��Jade Empire is first and last a role-playing game. It has a sweeping story, compelling themes, and rich characters, as well as plenty of mechanics under the hood, and no one will confuse it for a simplistic game.��

Whether it��s a recipe for ��the best RPG ever made�� somehow seems irrelevant; if it��s the best BioWare game ever made, that will be just fine, thank you very much.

JADED EMPIRE

Role-playing in a Time of Political Correctness

What of the fact that BioWare��a thoroughly Western developer remotely situated in the Great White North��has decided to make a game about��ancient China? Sensitivities vary, of course; Japanese developers have been making games about subjects existing far outside of their immediate sphere of knowledge for decades (e.g., Metal Gear Solid, a game steeped in Western military culture and conspiracy theories). There��s something significantly more sacred about Jade��s subject matter, certainly, and this is something BioWare seems to have taken to heart. ��The entire team is extremely passionate about Jade Empire, and we��ve worked very hard to make sure that the world we create is well realized,�� Greg Zeschuk says. ��It��s important to point out that we��re creating a fictional world, so the bounds of reality are frequently stretched in order to further the game content and story. We��ve done a lot of work to gather top-quality reference material that we use to build the worlds.�� Unlike old kung fu flicks, characters in Jade Empire speak fluent English, sparing the audience the faux authenticity provided by ��ethnic�� accents and mispronunciations. (And for what it��s worth, not a single Xbox Nation eye rolled during the hour��s worth of Jade Empire to which we have been privy thus far.)

Copyright © 2005 Ziff Davis Media Inc. All Rights Reserved. Originally appearing in Xbox Nation.