On an RPG-starved system, Star Wars: KOTOR is the shining beacon of what a great RPG should be!
Star Wars: KOTOR follows the story of Revan and Darth Malak, two rogue Sith Lords who had jumped from the Jedi Order. You, as the player, must travel across six planets, encounter copious amounts of puzzles, enemies, and new characters in hopes of stopping Malak from taking over the Old Republic. The story-line is very open-ended, allowing the player to travel to any of the planets at any time and still seamlessly flows the story through. The game, without wanting to spoil anything, has the biggest twist that I have ever encountered in a game.
The game-play is top-notch. The RPG elements and number crunching (the game uses the Dungeons and Dragons rules) are all hidden so that, on a casual glance, you might mistake the game for an action-adventure game. The character customization is truly one of the strong points of the game. There is a litany of weapons and equipment for the main characters. As well, each can have their skill sets enhanced and augmented following each subsequent level they attain. Finally, you have the ability to become a Jedi and wield powerful Jedi powers.
The graphics of the game were on-par with standard PC configurations (in 2003). However, nowadays, the graphics of KOTOR pales in comparison to some other games on the XBOX (Ninja Gaiden) and although usable, the graphics are not very good. The character models themselves look good, but the hit detection and the environments look pretty bland. The different weapons and armor lack detail and are of the generic run-of-the-mill type.
The sound and the music are excellent. The voice acting needs special accolades because of the sheet amount of voice work in the game. There are literally hundreds of hours of wonderfully characterized speech. The sound effects sound good and the music works well with the overall mood of the game.
The game features very little past the story-mode. However, despite this, you will find that this is enough to satisfy yourself. This is partly due to the sheer amount of things one can do in one play-through. It takes an average of 40 hours per play through, and with both Light and Dark sides available, you could easily lose 60-80 hours of your life in this game.
Overall, this is simply the best RPG on the XBOX and one of the best RPG's available. It features memorable characters, excellent game play, and one of the best stories I have ever encountered. If you even remotely enjoy RPG's, pick this up for your XBOX!