i actually never got to play jade empire. I does feel alot like KOTOR but at least KOTOR had that mystical jedi feeling to it where this game does not. Though your decisions do heavily change the outcome of future events, for instance, theres a species called the Ratni (Sp?) that you come acrossed that had been extinct, some people find an abandoned ratni ship and theres an egg on it, they hatch it and breed them from the queen and raise the children themselves, but because they raise them the ratni become evil and have no control because unless they are raised by the queen they cannot learn properly, so you have to kill them all and when you get to the queen she speaks through a dead body to you and you have to choose to kill her or free her, she convinced me to free her and said she would raise her future children in harmony and peace and sing of your kindness, i havent really played much beyond that part,
but my friend made the same decision and now when he explores planets, ratni attack him.