The game itself is brilliant, unfortunately, Valve is distributing it in a broken, unplayable state for most windows Vista/7/8 users. This requires users to hack the install directory by renaming files, or to seek to resolve the problem by more convoluted and risky means.

It is of course BioWare's responsibility to fix this, but Valve is still selling it, and it's unacceptable that people feel the need to download anonymous executables off the internet in order to play a game they purchased.

If you feel like dealing with the head ache of trying to get this broken product to work, it's actually a very good game. It starts a little slow but you encounter lots of interesting characters, make lots of decisions that impact how things turn out, develop relationships with party members, get multiple endings, and can unlock a lot of cool powers. It's a very good game many people will be infested with viruses or create registry errors for trying to play. It's like a pre-cursor to Mass Effect but JadeEmpireConfig.exe is broken and results in a Can't Find Steam error.

Oh the solution to the Can't Find Steam error? Simple

Make a backup of JadeEmpireLauncher.exe, create a copy of JadeEmpire.exe, and rename that copy to JadeEmpireLauncher.exe. For most people, this solves the problem. I'm sorry you had to look for a work around like this to make a game you spent money on playable.

Played this a few years ago and I loved it. Had troubles starting the game on the steam version, but I found the solution after just a quick search. A rather nice gem from Bioware; one that is not as popular as their other games, but is about as good. Expect the quality story and role playing that Bioware is known for. Don't let an easily solvable compatibility issue keep you away from this experience.

I bought this game with the Steam discount offer (75% of its price) and I must say the money is well spent. After playing it I'd say even the full-price would be well spent money.
Story-wise, the game got me hooked from the start to the end. It might looks a bit cliché at the beginning, but there are many twists in the plot and there are a couple of features that really make the game a very good product. The graphics might not the best around but I didn't realy care much about it. Bioware makes a good use of romances (both heterosexual and homosexual) even if they're not the focus of the game. The combat system is fast paced and much more technical than other Bioware titles (mostly because this was intended as a X-Box game, then ported to the PC version), but I enjoyed it and never found it frustrating.
That said I would really recommend this game to people who enjoy ancient Mongolia/China settings, mixed with magic, mythology, kung-fu monks and action roleplaying games.

Fantastic story, fun martial arts styles, funny characters. An all in all great rpg, especially for people who are interested in a great story. Comes in handy when you want to live out your Last Airbender fantsies as well :)

When you think of Bioware, you usually either associate the company with either hilariously over the top fantasy romance, gritty bloody or D&D Fantasy and sci-fi moral guided RPG shoot from cover games.

But there was a time where they worked on a game with a very different setting and combat system. This is the game, and the settling is the sadly rarely used Chinese Fantasy. Jade Empire is a very different beast for what we now expect from modern Bioware games. Originally for the first Xbox and ported to the PC around 2007 back in the days where STEAM was also very different and oddly enough not well remembered.

I had fun playing Jade Empire. It was something new, despite the now dated graphics. It was something fresh despite the system limitations like being limited to a single companion and being one of the shorter Bioware games I have played. A good game always has a rock solid foundation. Very few games bother to cover China at all. The combat system in this game is very unique and reminds me a lot of the more modern but quite different open world game Sleeping Dogs. You fight with WASD, general movement and using techniques (spells) that are fueled by a chi (mana) meter. This makes fighting a lot more fluid and interesting that the usual turn based stuff older RPG games are associated with and there is a simple wonder of going all Bruce Lee (and yes, one of the male main character models pretty much is a tribute to Bruce Lee) and kicking ♥♥♥ while staying mobile.

You aren't limited to your fists, there is the usual slightly bland array of metal weaponry and Chinese Magic style techniques some of which transform you into mythical fantasy beasts of the era. The companions themselves, whilst limited in combat are quite interesting like with all Bioware games. There is even the token 'Drunken Style Master' who helps boost you with buffs of well wine really. One of my personal favourite quests in the game is a much more interesting Arena quest that makes the younger Oblivion one seem hilariously bland and boring in comparism. Oh and John Cleese has a cameo too in which he plays an Arrogant ♥♥♥♥ of an Elizbethan Explorer who debates and fights you.

Sadly there are some flaws. Like I mentioned before the game is short, I played it one and off for an hour or two for the last few weeks and just shaved past the eighteen hour mark before completing it. Once you finish the Imperial City portion of the game pacing gets incredibly rushed and the scant quest based hub areas vanish completely. The storyline demands you to get it done and over with.

And the Gem system really could have done with some more thought. But these things are pretty minor. The most disturbing issue was the fact this game is one of the older titles that is broken due to STEAM constantly changing but I found a player bashed up fix in the STEAM community forums which was easily to install and get working in about a minute.

So final opinion really, if you are looking for something new and interesting in both setting and combat system RPG wise and don't mind the length and the age of the game you will enjoy Jade Empire. If you don't click with Martial Arts, Fantasy China or would rather have a more relaxed combat system I might suggest looking into amazingly well written Planescape Torment instead which is different enough to take a break from the more boring old school RPG games.

Worth picking up in a sale if it sparks your interest? Go ahead. Even outside the sale, the price is still pretty cheap and it will run like a charm now even on what we would consider old hardware in space year 2013/14.