A fun game built off of an invigorating system, with a great story and loads of replayability topping off the cake.
The thing that sets this game apart from all of those other one-shot, worth-a-rental-but-not-much-else games is that, surprisingly and quite happily, this game surpasses the hype that bloomed following its release.
First just let me say: Knights of the Old Republic is certainly a flawed game, but I want to put forth my philosophy that the flawed games tend to be the best games, in their own special way. KOTOR has a clunky, though effective interface, some awful framerate problems, dialogue hitches, sluggish responses sometimes, among being a bit of a graphic eyesore compared to its contemporaries, and featuring some annoyingly overused voices and faces in-game.
But you see, none of this, aside from perhaps the framerate issue, detracts from the game as a whole. It is truly a game that is greater than the sum of its parts.
First off, the story is astoundingly delicious--certainly one of the best to grace RPG brains in quite a long time, and the environment as well is quite the breath of fresh air; the Star Wars galaxy begs the creation of shooters and action games, but...RPGs? It's never quite been done before, barring perhaps a few missteps.
The thing is, Knights of the Old Republic not only benefits from the Star Wars galaxy, lore, and atmosphere, but it also surpasses any of those Star Wars shooters that predate it, due to its fascinating use of lore and environment, alongside some fun additions and a great cast of characters.
This game just covers all fronts. Whether you're soaring along through the grove of Dantooine, in search of a wanton Jedi, or you're prowling the sands of Tatooine, always perilously close to an unfortunate encounter with a sandman--maybe you're on the bottom of the ocean, wandering around, keeping an eye out for the looming threat of some monstrous fish; all the while pursuing the greater mystery behind it all, while also discovering those around you...and yourself.
The story, alongside the incredible use of Star Wars locales, really drives this game. But that's not to say all of the rest isn't good. On the contrary, the combat system is both accessibly turn-based, and hardcore enough in figure to please newcomers to the RPG world and veterans alike, and the minimal score by veteran videogame composer Jeremy Soule really settles into the world your character is placed in, driving the atmosphere to dynamic heights.
And then there's the duality that this game almost singlehandedly invented. Are you good, or are you evil? Will you be a soldier of light, or a scoundrel of the dark side? Your choices will decide...you will decide.
It all works really well and comes together to form a very comprehensive package worth playing through time and time again. If players don't rush through, taking their time to sight-see and do some side-quests here and there, you're looking at a 30 - 40 hour playing time per playthrough.
Though this might be slightly short compared to other games out there, it feels just right, and the options for replay, especially concerning the dark/light side choices one can make, really warrant second and third playthroughs.
Despite some minor issues, KOTOR really shines a bright light as one of the best RPGs of this generation. If, for some reason, you haven't tried it out yet, you really owe it to yourself to get to it.