Role-playing games, as well as Star Wars, usually cater to a specific group of people. Good RPG's put an emphasis on quality storytelling, subplots, supporting characters, and the unraveling of mysteries. KOTOR carries on this tradition, while adding great graphics, quality sound experience & excellent special effects, all taking place in the Star Wars Universe. I actually end up caring deeply for several of the characters, especially the player character you control, and that is a sign of a good RPG.

You start off picking 1 out of 3 classes: Soldier, Scout or Scoundrel. Each class has a male/female variant, so in reality, you have only 6 choices, and you are restricted to a human character for the duration of the story. You'll eventually become a Jedi, and that is where the fun really kicks off!

Any Star Wars fan should get this game, simply because this game illustrates a Jedi's lifestyle, different worlds and eclectic cultures so well. During combat, your Jedi character will occasionally reflect blaster shots with his/her lightsabre, trick enemies to think you're invisible, and use force speed to attack at a blinding pace. You can also effectively utilize darkside powers popularized by Darth Vader and Palpatine, such as telepathic choke holds and lightning. The combat in the game is easy to learn, but somewhat difficult to master. On normal I had fair difficulty on the first play-through, and then it was easier after that - it seemed to fluctuate with the right level of difficulty.

Most important in this game, though, is the non-combat experience.

Depending on how you play it, about half the game is non-combat, and this is where KOTOR distinguishes itself from most games. The amount of characters, quests, replayability, and non-linear gameplay is astounding. Even if there are certain things that must be done, there are many that are voluntary and the required ones can be done basically in any order. The characters available to be in the party are deep and uniformly humorous in their own ways. Having conversations with these characters yields interesting conflicts or, alternatively, amusing tidbits. Two of the characters (Jolee Bindo and HK-47) were always great for a laugh, and two others (Carth Onasi and Bastila Shan) were very multi-layered with their own reasons for joining the fight. The characters, specifically the latter two mentioned above, fit very well into the plot, which is an achievement in itself for Star Wars fiction. Depending on the player-character's gender, there is an available romance. The light-side male romance with Bastila particularly resonates with the plot-ideas of redemption. It's seldom that I actually care what happens to NPC's, but this game managed it better than most motion-pictures, notably Lucas' prequels.

The graphics are beautiful and environments are filled with small touches like swaying trees, realistic shadows, and NPC's hustling and bustling about. The characters aren't anything to scoff at, either; granted, KOTOR wasn't a technical achievement, but the fact that characters eyes can follow things around without turning their heads makes the visuals more than adequate for the time period of late 2003.

The soundtrack is absolutely fantastic, filled with the best that John Williams' orchestral theme has to offer. As you cross the galaxy in search of the items that will let you save or rule it, the score will fill your ears in an altogether pleasant way that never seems overly dramatic. The sounds are classic Star Wars fare, from blaster fire and chirping druids, to the distinct hum of lightsabres, aurally you really feel immersed in George Lucas' universe.

The dialogue itself is performed through numbered responses. For instance, if you decided to save an Ithorian from xenophobic humans, and then give him a medpac without asking for a reward, you'll get points pushing you to the light side of the Force. On the other hand, if you decide to participate in a death match against an aging combatant for the sake of credits and fame, chances are you'll find yourself on the path to the dark side. These moral dilemmas are, admittedly, pretty black and white, but they add an interesting spin to the game, and depending on what you say, you could find yourself going down a completely different story path than someone else.

As for negatives, my biggest gripe is that the game can really discourage you from being evil. Among the total of 9 supporting characters, only 2 of them are intrinsically evil. Hence whenever you do something bad, the other 7 will give you a hard time. Bioware could have evened it out by providing a couple more neutral or evil-sided characters. That way, you can have a decent supporting cast to endorse evil deeds.

Also, the combat is manageable, but isn't really exciting, and tends to get derivative after awhile. Essentially you click on what kind of attack, ability or item you want to use and wait until the enemy dies. There isn't an extreme amount of fighting when you're in the field, so it doesn't get too annoying like it can in some RPG's.

Learning Curve: Takes a while

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