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Number of Reviews: I read the reviews, and I know KOTOR II is coming out soon, so I wanted to see what all the hubbub was about. I bought a used copy at the local video game store--one that had that fancy "Game of the Year" gold medal on the box. I guess I should have been more wary, because this game just doesn't do it for me. Granted, I have not gotten very far, but I don't really feel like trying to GET any further in this game. Some background: I have recently been enjoying the First-person shooter type games, enjoying Doom 3, Half-Life 2, and Jedi Academy. Jedi Academy has comparable graphics with what I believe is a much more intuitive interface. I know I am comparing two vastly different types of interfaces, but I have also played my share of RPG's on the computer as well. I grew up playing the old TSR Dungeons and Dragons games like Eye of the Beholder, and the best RPG EVER made, Bane of the Cosmic Forge. Now that was an RPG you could understand right off. KOTOR's combat system is real-time, yet requires turn-based strategy. This makes for a very confusing experience. It's also frustrating when it almost plays like a first person shooter, in that you have to keep clicking on your target if you want to continue to attack, or if you want to change actions, pause the game and issue new orders. In Bane of the Cosmic Forge, combat was not real-time. If an RPG is to work, it needs to be a true role-player. That is, you must have complete control over your players actions and be able to make decisions when it's your turn, and not lose that turn just because the game rushes you. The graphics are so-so. This game was released in 2003, so I know I have the benefit of the gorgeous environments Doom and Half Life have brought us more recently. In all, maybe this game was good when it came out, as far as graphics goes. As far as game play and interface, Bane of the Cosmic Forge, which came out around 1992, offered much better control of your character. For those people who claim to be die-hard RPG'ers, I submit that computer RPG's were, and should continue to be, based on real-life RPG's where players have total control and adequate time to make decsions on their characters' actions. In all, I think I may try to play through to becoming a Jedi and see if the game improves. Otherwise, this is going in my "mistakes" pile, and I'll continue to wait for a good flight sim like tie-fighter to take advantage of today's graphics technology, or for another Jedi Knight Sequel.