Jade Empire: Special Edition

"Compelling narrative and crippled combat make Jade Empire a case of form over function -- and depending on what you want from a single-player RPG, that might be totally OK. It's short (in the 20-hour neighborhood for first-timers) and sweet; just don't let the premise trick you into expecting gameplay that isn't altogether there."

"Jade Empire: Special Edition is shaping up to be a great-looking conversion of the Xbox game that will offer the kind of role-playing, story, and memorable characters you'd expect from a BioWare RPG, along with unique action gameplay you don't normally find on the PC."

"The long-awaited PC version of Jade Empire retains the great story and setting of the Xbox original, but the streamlined combat and core design haven't aged quite as gracefully."

"Jade Empire's quality was a testament to just how good BioWare was at creating these types of games. A couple of years down the line, though, time has caught up to some degree. The storyline and characters are as rich as they ever were, but advances in both action games and RPG design can't help but make the game feel a bit old-fashioned and highlight flaws in the combat and ethics system. PC gamers who never enjoyed Jade Empire on the Xbox, though, will have a good time with the Special Edition, even if it doesn't quite pack the punch it did a few years ago."

"Jade Empire remains one of my favorite RPGs from the last generation of consoles. It has style, depth, drama, and action all compact into one lengthy RPG. It may not have as much replay value as say Baldur’s Gate or Neverwinter Nights, but the artwork and the worlds created are breathtaking."