Simply the best game I have ever played.
KOTOR is based in the Star Wars universe and faithfully portrays it. You will see all the famous species, the starships, lightsabers, the Jedi and Sith, and everything else. Everything fits together with an amazing story and plenty of plot twists. Your main goal is to stop Darth Malak, who plans to take over the galaxy. The rest will be up to you to figure out and it will take you on an amazing ride.
The gameplay is based on a turn-based system, though it lets you do it in real time if you so wish. It will take some time getting used to, but once you get the hang of it, it is quite fun and lets you have control over the battle. As you level up, you will gain new abilities and talents, and at the end of the game, you will have a very powerful character. The game has difficult moments, but everything feels right.
The role-playing element of the game is simply astounding. Your decisions will have an impact on the plot and you may take which ever
side you want. You can be a hero like Luke Skywalker and do everything for good, or you can fall to the dark side like Darth Vader and cause mayhem and destruction. Or you may just want to be in the shades of gray if you so choose. The great thing about KOTOR is that it lets you make the decisions. The characters in the game are all very interesting and have unique side stories. You can hear the crazy ramblings of Jolee Bindo, the humorous talk of assassin droid HK-47, and the the unintelligible verse of wookiee Zalbar. If you delve deep into your party members past, some will give you great quests in their own right.
The graphics aren't the main part of the game, though the developers did great art work and the planets all look amazing. All your party members faces have unique looks, though you will see some of the same faces from time to time from NPC's. Their are some technical problems with freezing and such, but they do not take away from the game at all.
All things said, Knights of the Old Republic is a must-own for RPG fans, and all gamers in general. If you are a Star Wars fan everything will be all the sweeter. The game will take you well over 40 hours if you take your time and do some side quests, but the game is well worth it to play multiple times through to see all the outcomes. KOTOR is a game you must play, and it will take you on a ride you won't soon forget!