Jade Empire - Special Edition Review @ IGN

IGN is the first site to jump the release and get an early review of BioWare's Jade Empire Special Edition out the door.  It's a much more realistic article than their silly initial Xbox review (9.9/10), which they basically acknowledge in the conclusion.  The score this time is 8.6/10 and here's part of that summary:

While it's apparently quite easy for a good RPG to turn the heads of our console editors and leave them gasping for superlatives, the fact is that the RPG market on the PC is considerably more competitive. Add in the fact that Jade Empire is nearly two years old and it's not hard to understand that the PC version isn't quite the revelation that it was on the Xbox.

That said, Jade Empire is an instantly captivating experience for any action RPG fan who hasn't yet played it on the Xbox. The characters, settings and storyline are filled with fantastic details and the whole game is dripping with atmosphere. There are always meaningful and interesting choices to make throughout the game and a wide range of combat styles to explore. On the other hand, the linear missions tend to simplify the "good" and "bad" morality system and you'll need to focus on just a few combat styles in order to stay alive.