Jackie Chan Adventures (video game)

The Jackie Chan Adventures video game series is based upon the animated series Jackie Chan Adventures.

The Game Boy Advance game, entitled Jackie Chan Adventures: Legend of the Dark Hand, was developed by Torus Games and published by Activision, and released in 2001. The PlayStation 2 version was developed by Atomic Planet Entertainment and published by Sony Computer Entertainment, and released on October 1, 2004 in Europe. The latter console version is compatible with the EyeToy. Jackie, Jade, Uncle, Valmont and Shendu were voiced by their original actors.

On May 11, 2005, Hip Games (a subsidiary of Hip Interactive) announced it would be publishing the PS2 version for North America, and the game was featured at E3 2005 as a part of their lineup. However, in July of that same year, Hip Interactive went bankrupt, and no one else picked up the PS2 title for a North American release.

Story
The story is a mix of Seasons 1 and 2 of Jackie Chan Adventures and follows The Demon Sorcerers, led by Shendu, the demon of fire. The eight demons were banished to the Demon Netherworld by eight Chinese immortals using the magic of the Pan Ku Box. In present times, the Dark Hand, led by Valmont, are using the Pan Ku Box to unleash the demons upon the world. However, Jackie Chan, his niece Jade Chan, and their Uncle are willing to stop the evil demons from returning to the planet. The heroes, also known as the J Team, search for the magical 12 Talismans as well.

Characters
Jackie Chan: The main protagonist of the game. Jackie is an archeologist who secretly works for Section 13. He has a niece named Jade and an uncle named Uncle. In his mission, he must collect the Talismans and defeat the Demon Sorcerers as well. He is an expert in martial arts.

Jade Chan: Jackie's 11-year-old niece from China. She moved to the United States and has enjoyed her adventures with her uncle, who believes the missions he goes on are too dangerous for Jade.

Uncle: Jackie's uncle who owns an antique shop. He is a Chi Wizard and studied with Chi Master Fong for 15 years. He knows a lot about antiques and magical things, and does research to find out what magic forces Jackie may deal with in his adventures. He has a habit for hitting Jackie over the head.

Tohru: A very large Japanese man. He used to work for the Dark Hand and Valmont gave him the Dragon Talisman to power up his strength. He later joined the J Team.

Captain Black: An old friend of Jackie's and the leader of Section 13. He sends Jackie off on his missions, but he dislikes magic and demons.

El Toro Fuerte: A famous masked wrestler from Mexico. He was using the Ox Talisman to power up his strength but gave it to Jackie, after he defeated him in battle. El Toro's biggest fan is Paco.

Paco: El Toro's biggest fan. He believes Jackie is a "mouseman" and El Toro is the greatest. He and Jade seem to argue about this every time they meet.

Viper: An ex-thief who is good with martial arts. She once used the Snake Talisman to steal jewels, but Jackie managed to get it from her and she now is a member of the J Team.

The Fishing Guy: This Chinese man appears practically in every level. He enjoys fishing and will save the game for Jackie in his diary. He has his own fishing store, and allows you access to the fishing game. His fishing stores are in the Japanese Gardens, Fisherman's Wharf, the Spanish Village and Golden Gate Park.

The Dark Hand: An organisation of criminals, led by the British Valmont, who is possessed by Shendu. Valmont is smart, intelligent and dislikes sharing his body with Shendu. Hak Foo is a muscular henchman of the Dark Hand and has named all of his attacks and is Tohru's replacement. Finn is a real joker and dresses in clothes from the 70's. Ratso is strong, but a bit stupid and his favourite music group is Kiss. Chow is the shortest member of the Dark Hand but the best at using martial arts. He wears prescription sunglasses, black clothes and likes drinking coffee.

The Demon Sorcerers: The eight evil demons that once ruled the world. They are led by Shendu. They each have their own powers derived from fire, sky, moon, earth, thunder, mountain, wind and water. They were defeated and banished to the Netherworld by the eight immortals of China, using the Pan Ku Box. Shendu wishes to use the puzzle box to release his brothers and sisters, so he and they can rule the world again.

Shadowkhan: These shadow warriors are Shendu's minions. The normal Shadowkhan are weak and don't take much time to be defeated. The Armoured Shadowkhan dress in red and attack with lethal blades. The Shadowkhan Mages wear Chinese hats and Shoot fireballs at Jackie. The Shadowkhan Samurais are the most powerful of the Shadowkhan. They are spirits in samurai armour and attack with sharp swords. They do tend to lose their helmets occasionally.

Talismans
During the game, Jackie can obtain the twelve magical talismans which give him special powers. The talisman powers drain Jackie's Chi Energy, but Jackie can heal his energy by collecting green orbs in every level. Below is the order in which Jackie collects the talismans.

Rabbit Talisman: Allows Jackie to move at fast speeds. Jackie finds it in a Mexican temple.

Rooster Talisman: Allows Jackie to perform a double jump and get over large holes, etc. Jackie finds it in a Mexican temple.

Ox Talisman: Gives Jackie super strength and allows him to move heavy objects. Jackie finds it in a Mexican village, being used by El Toro.

Sheep Talisman: Allows Jackie's astral form to travel to different areas of a level. Jackie finds it in a Japanese shrine. This Talisman can only be activated on a Sheep symbol.

Tiger Talisman: Allows Jackie's yin and yang forms to split up. Jackie finds it in a Japanese castle. This Talisman can only be activated on a Tiger symbol.

Monkey Talisman: Allows Jackie to change him into a Monkey. Jackie finds it in a prison in Alcatraz Island. This Talisman can only be activated if Jackie is on a Monkey symbol and can only be deactivated if Jackie is on the same kind of symbol.

Pig Talisman: Allows Jackie to fire heat beams from his eyes. Jackie finds it in the caverns beneath Alcatraz Island.

Rat Talisman: Allows Jackie to bring objects to life. It brings trees to life in the game and also the fossil of a Tyrannosaurus rex. The power of the Rat Talisman can only be activated if Jackie is on a Rat symbol. Jackie finds it on the moon.

Horse Talisman: Allows to heal some of Jackie's health. Jackie finds it on the moon.

Dog Talisman: Allows Jackie to use a protective shield to avoid being hurt. Jackie finds it in the sewers of a Spanish village.

Dragon Talisman: Allows Jackie to become surrounded by fire. Jackie finds it in a Spanish castle, being used by Tohru.

Viper Talisman: Allows Jackie to become invisible and avoid detection from alarms. Jackie finds it in the Academy of Sciences, being used by Viper.

Reception
The game received "generally favorable reviews" on both platforms according to the review aggregation website Metacritic.