Knights of the Old Republic is an outstanding Star Wars game that succeeds in capturing the feel of the original movies while presenting an entirely new and compelling story set 4,000 years before the events of the films. Despite the ancient timeline, all of what I love about the Star Wars universe is present. Jedi vs Sith, politics, alien races, and multiple storylines. As you play, your choices push you towards the light or dark side of the Force and alter how the branching storyline unfolds. This game was far ahead of it's time in the RPG department. Every single interactable character (there are a lot of them) was voiced!

The gameplay blends storytelling through the extensive dialogue choices along with a unique RTS system that allows you to queue up moves in advance. Albeit this system revisited in my later years has not held up to time, but for it's own time was a step ahead. You recruit a diverse crew of many memorable characters each with their own individual skill trees, personalities and side quests. The gameplay is streamlined with QOL (quality of life) features like instant travel between locations. The music and stellar voice acting with all the familiar tunes and sounds further enhances the Star Wars authenticity.

Visually, the character models and animations stand out, as do the meticulously rendered environments that make each planet feel distinct. From the dunes of Tatooine to the forests of Kashyyyk, KOTOR nails the iconic Star Wars aesthetic, albeit with some minor graphical imperfections. Overall, KOTOR is an unmissable role playing game that I cannot recommend experiencing once in your lifetime. You will be in awe of the power the Jedi and Sith were capable of in the Old Republic era, it put the movies to shame.

I promise you that after playing this, you will be invested in the Old Republic lore and be left wanting more. I highly recommend playing KOTOR 2 and The MMO Old Republic for the Sith Inquisitor/Jedi storylines which tie in very well with these games.