[Editor's Note: Please see the update at the end of this article.] Not even Master Li could see this one coming. Aspyr Media, the team behind the iOS ports of Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic [$9.99] and Fahrenheit: Indigo Prophecy [$4.99], are adding another classic adventure to their iOS portfolio later today. Many of us had anticipated that their next release might be an iOS version of Obsidian's Knights of the old Republic 2, but it turns out they had their eyes on another RPG from the Xbox era first. Jade Empire, Bioware's epic martial arts fantasy, will be available for your favorite iOS device later today.

Originally released on the Xbox in 2005, Jade Empire was Bioware's first console release following the smash hit Knights of the Old Republic. In many ways, it can be seen as an extension of that game's console sensibilities. The combat is quite action-heavy, many of the character archetypes are the same, and even the light/dark mechanic makes a comeback in the form of the competing philosophies of the Open Palm and the Closed Fist. At the same time, Jade Empire has a lot of its own ideas to offer. Rather than being stuck with one fighting style selected at the beginning of the game, you'll instead be able to learn new arts and switch between them freely as needed. The Asian fantasy theme, likely inspired by the popularity of Hong Kong films at the time such as Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, is one rarely seen in Western RPGs. It's also a bit more linear tha...