Jade Empire is a fascinating roleplaying game worthy of Bioware's reputation.
You start out training in a martial arts school in a small village, where everyone makes it quite clear that you are the star pupil (with some being in awe and some being envious). Your master tells you that you have a great destiny ahead of you and that you must go on a long and difficult quest (your basic RPG stuff).
I won't go into any more story details than that, but suffice to say that the story picks quite a bit. There are a lot of plot twists that I totally didn't see coming that kept me interested.
There are plenty of interesting party members you pick up along the way, each with back stories you can learn if you get them to trust you.
Like in Knights of the Old Republic, there is an alignment factor (your actions make you good or evil). I was a little disappointed with it, however. I threatened peoples' lives, extorted, and lied and yet still ended up being a good guy. Unless you intend to be a rampantly psychotic murderer, expect to be considered righteous by the game.
So let's recap:
The Good
*An intriguing plot full of twists
*Fun, albeit somewhat shallow combat
*Lots of different decisions will beg multiple playthroughs
*Great voice acting
*Interesting cast of characters
The Bad
*They could have implemented better character customization/development
The Just Plain Ugly
*The morality system is way too unbalanced
Graphics: (8.5)
Gameplay: The combat could get a little repetitive, but it was overall well executed. (8)
Story: One of my favorites in a game. (9)
Sound: Great sound effects, music, and voice acting. (9)
Re-playability: (9)
Overall: 8.7
Jade Empire is a fascinating roleplaying game worthy of Bioware's reputation.