Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic is exactly what a game based on the Star Wars franchise is supposed to be, an adventure that takes players deep into the Star Wars universe and makes them reluctant to leave it. From the beginning, it's easy to see that the development team at BioWare took the Star Wars lore seriously and created a rich experience that's equally accessible to hardcore RPG players, casual gamers and franchise junkies.

The first thing you need to do is create an alter-ego that will suck anywhere from 60 to 100 hours out of your life. Begin by choosing your class (Soldier, Scout or Scoundrel), then your gender, then your characteristics. My only minor gripe with the game is that there's not much in the way of character customization. For example, you can't pick a face and hairstyle separate from each other. On the other hand, there is a wide range of human races and features, more than I've seen in a Star Wars game before.

Once you know what your character looks like and he or she has a name, it's on to the stats. KOTOR gives you two options here: you can either let the game program your stats to your class optimization, or you can assign points manually to your skills, attributes, feats and more. This is a great feature that makes the game as accessible to RPG newbies as it is to seasoned veterans.

Okay, so your character is created, named and ready... now the game begins. You find yourself aboard a Republic ship under fire from the Sith fleet, who are attacking because of the presence of a very special passenger. Your first mission is to get to the escape pods, and this task functions as the game tutorial. You learn how to use the various menus, how to speak with NPCs, and how to use storage containers. Once you escape the ship, your pod crash-lands on the planet Taris, and you find that you're now stuck with the first of several party characters: Carth Onasi. KOTOR makes use of the party system to great effect. As more characters join you, the options for their use increase. For example, when trying to break into various locations, Mission Vao and a slicer droid are perfect companions. If you need heavy backup, bring Canderous and Carth, as both guys carry plenty of firepower.

Eventually, it is discovered that your character is strong in the Force. Once you reach Dantooine, you are recruited to become a Jedi. This is when the game switches in to high-gear, and every decision you make carries even more weight. It's one thing to go whacking civilians or being rude when you are a mere mortal, but a Jedi is supposed to know better. Yeah, right. Not if you're like me and playing for the Dark Side team.

The combat engine is a combination of turn-based and real-time mechanics. I say both because once you encounter an enemy, the game pauses and lets you program a series of moves. You then engage and the computer takes over. You can continue to enter in moves until you've won. The game also gives you the choice to turn this option off. Once you have a lightsaber, the fighting is much more intense, and you may find the programmed moves the better way to go.

GRAPHICS:

The graphics for KOTOR are excellent, much better than what I thought they would be. This is especially evident in the fight sequences, lightsaber battles never looked so good before. The animations are smooth, the in-game cutscenes and FMVs are tight, and I never noticed any issues with the framerate. Loading between screens takes a little while, but it's not a problem.

VOICE ACTING:

This has to be some of the best voice acting I've ever heard in a game. As annoying as I find Carth to be, whoever did his voice should be commended for making me hate him. His whiny speeches about not being able to trust anyone are spot-on and you can really hear the emotion behind the text. The other characters are just as good: Bastila is snooty, Mission is a streetwise kid and Canderous is a badass. Many kudos here.

CONTROLS/CAMERA:

I have zero complaints about the controls and camera, which I think is a first here. The left thumbstick controls movement, while the right controls the camera placement. The A button engages battle, X sets up your fight sequence, and B disengages. If you're traveling with a party, the black button is used to switch among the characters, so you can control whomever you want. The start button brings up the menu screen, which allows you to equip items, check your quests, read the journal, etc.

The camera follows along tight in third-person view, but can be adjusted with the right thumbstick. One of the best camera schemes I've ever used.

MUSIC/SOUND:

You can't expect anything short of amazing in this section for a Star Wars game, and it's just as true for KOTOR. Music from the five films is used, but is also padded with exclusive music from Jeremy Soule, the composer of the award-winning score for the game The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind. Mr. Soule took John William's playbook, studied it, learned it and lived it.

Sounds are straight from the LucasArts library, and BioWare made extensive use of the resources available. Every blaster shot, lightsaber swing and ship engine sounds like we've come to expect. Crank the speakers up on the Dolby 5.1 and enjoy the goodness.

REPLAY VALUE:

With three classes, two genders and two eventual outcomes regarding use of the Force, the replay value is virtually endless. Nearly every quest can tilt the game a different way, depending on how you respond to inquiries. Also, there will be downloadable content in the future through Xbox Live, so that will help in keeping the game fresh.

THE SKINNY:

Buy this game. Now! Seriously, this is an incredibly fun and deep game that's keeping me glued for hours at a stretch. Even when I finish this character, I know I can put it away for a bit, restart with a new character and get an entirely different game out of it. The only thing keeping this from hitting the perfect 10 is the limitations in customizing your character's looks. Otherwise, this has to be one of the best games published by LucasArts, and many kudos to BioWare for all their hard work and obvious care of the Star Wars franchise.

(Jody Reeves is living vicarously through Mina Cennmagir, writing off her Dark Side tendencies as a bad case of PMS.)

See game info, screenshots, trailers, and more on the Lucasarts website!
(Screenshots from official website used by permission of Lucasfilm.)

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