G-pinions

There's really no logical reason why KOTOR should be as good as it is. The story is slow, the character dialogue is redundant, the graphics are functional but not astounding, the levels are relatively sparse, the textures are bland, the battles can be awkward and usually require little skill, the teammate A.I. is questionable, the general pathfinding is weak, a lot of the items you'll find are fairly useless, and the NPCs are either inconsequential or very important. In fact, if someone were to ask me what the two single best elements of the game are, I'd probably say the great voice-acting and useful map, which aren't exactly vital. Somehow though, everything comes together. While a lot of the individual elements may seem mediocre, few are actually bad, and the better ones compliment each other very well. That, and the balance and pacing is just spot-on throughout. The battles are actually pretty fun despite their shortcomings, and you never go for very long without one. Just when you get sick of wandering through an area you'll be presented with something new to do, and you're almost always rewarded for exploring off the beaten path. In general, the more you put into the game the more you'll get back. It's a pretty unique game, but damned if it isn't compelling as hell. I really need to finish it before GTA comes out; it's too bad I'm a year late on this one.