Jade Empire

Jade Empire is an archetypical  Bioware RPG, this time in a pseudo-Asian martial arts world, but with the same strengths and the same flaws all Bioware Games share.
The biggest strengths being, as always, a great sense of character to most of the NPCs, even if you have seen some of the types before and really fun (sometimes funny) sidequests, as well as some of the most atmospheric worldbuilding you will find.
Alas, the flaws really are the same as always, too. So much so, in fact, that I am starting to doubt that Bioware actually wants to improve. The flaws are the terribly samey, been-there-done-that-plotting, moving from non-surprise to nice little idea to thing I lived through in every single other game by Bio, the lazy, too-streamlined combat, all culminating in a feeling that Bioware lets by now design parts of their games by automated plotting machines.
I don't mind the moral decision making part of the gameplay that got lots of flak from most reviewers as much. You just have to keep in mind that Bioware is a Canadian company and as such naturally unable to distinguish between rudeness and Evil. No offense.
Though all this may sound very negative, the game still has many moments of great fun, it just too often keeps on the safe side of the line between workmanship and art. I'm just hoping for Bio's designers to take some risks from time to time.