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Finally. The wait is over. Bioware and LucasArts have created the sort of wish fulfillment that everyone who has ever enjoyed the "Star Wars" universe has waited for since the first time Obi Wan drew a lightsaber. For, while "Star Wars" has spawned a countless array of video games, "Knights of the Old Republic" breaks ground for one main reason: for the first time you don’t feel like you are watching a Jedi Knight, you feel like you ARE a Jedi Knight.
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Though the game’s control scheme takes a little getting used to, the longer you play the more you appreciate the game’s many strong points. The voice acting is fine and the sound effects are finer (the various alien species you meet actually speak in their native tongue). The turn-based battle system lets you pick your actions and then watch them unfold through fluid character animations, a system that focuses the fighting on strategy and the use of your character’s statistics rather than simple hand-eye coordination. The amount of interaction available between the main character and various party members is also a high point, as most NPCs who join your party can send you on side quests depending on how much you talk to them. If you keep striking up conversation with Bastila, the Jedi Knight you must protect in the beginning of the game, you’ll discover parts of her past from before when she underwent Jedi training and you’ll end up helping her search for her father’s body. This in turn leads into several other quests, should you decide to help her get in the goods with her family. And almost every character has background quests you can delve into, making your party members feel like real people and not just pretty cardboard cut-outs.
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"KOTOR" also has a variety of mini-games to keep gameplay from stagnating. Bored with cutting enemy Sith to bits? Try your hand at cards. Tired of trying to find a specific character? Rev up a swoop bike and go for a race. The game even shifts into a first-person view for some shooter-style gameplay, courtesy of the gun turrets on your ship. While you won’t find too much depth in these side games, they do provide a fun distraction and help drag you deeper into the game’s mythos.
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Overall: 9.5: One of best Star Wars games, if not RPG’s, to come by in a long time.
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Read the full review here