Create your own character

Hello! I was hoping someone could help point me in the right direction. I'm trying to find a Star Wars game in which you can create your own character (similar to KOTOR). It's for my 8 year old son. We played KOTOR together, and he had a blast. I know there is KOTOR 2 and SWTOR, but I was actually thinking about moving off of the computer and buying a game system (PlayStation or Xbox, etc.). Here are the deal breakers... he really wants to be able to create his own name. (I heard Jedi Knight/Jedi Academy was cool, but you can't create your own name). This is super important to him. Also, he'd like to create a lightsaber if possible- (choose the color at least) and finally, be able to choose the character's looks obviously. (Even if there's only a few options like KOTOR). So... anyone have any suggestions?
A game that you can create your own:

Character
Name
Lightsaber

Thanks a million in advance!

 

SWTOR is only on PC, though you can customize your name, attire and weapons. There are a ton of combinations.
I'd recommend LEGO Star Wars: The Complete Saga. The customization is quite nice. The more characters you unlock, the more body parts you get. The other day I was playing an Imperial Navy Commando. There are so many possibilities. You can also choose any name, and there are a few lightsabers and blasters to choose from.

 

I'm afraid there aren't really a lot of Star Wars games of that kind. The LEGO game, the Force Awakens, lets you create a character, but I think not right from the beginning, and it's not really the same kind of a game as KotOR either. SWTOR seems to me the most in line with what you're looking for with your son, but it's only for PC. You can choose your name (provided someone else hasn't taken the exact name), pick your gender, your body type, face, all that as well as your species. Creating your own lightsaber is part of the Jedi class story, and while the colour is decided by your class (blue or green) in the beginning, you can change it afterwards. It's also free to play (though I seem to recall the restrictions for free players were pretty rigid). Plus people online can be... interesting, but at least you can turn off some of the chat options.

(One more distant alternative that comes to mind is tabletop roleplaying. It does lack the visuals of a video game entirely, but the new series consisting of the Edge of the Empire, Age of Rebellion, and the Force and Destiny books is meant to offer a more narrative experience, reminiscent of the feel of the movies. Learning something like that together with your son could be fun, and you'd be able to tell the kind of stories your son wants to be a part of. It does take imagination, but it's probably not that big of a problem for an 8-year old.)

 

Thanks for the suggestions. I will need to look into tabletop role playing. I didn't know there was a star wars type game like that. When I was young, there was D&D. Sounds similar. Would be very cool. I wonder if there are boards...? Also, thanks for the suggestion about Lego Star Wars. We actually have both lego Star Wars games for the iPad. My son has unlocked all the characters. However, for the iPad, we can't seem to name the characters. It says stranger 1, or 2, but we can't seem to click on that part to change it... I don't think you can do it on the iPad version of complete saga. Thanks again for the info!

 

KotOR and KotOR 2 are on the original Xbox in addition to the PC. So if the only knock against 2 is that it's on the PC, there is a console option available (a quick eBay search indicates it isn't too difficult to find). I played a ton of Jedi Academy on the PC back when I was just a little older than your son, and that game also has an Xbox version. The character creator is probably the most robust you're gonna find in a Star Wars game on console. One of the cool things about it is that you aren't restricted to just playing a human like you are in KotOR, as there are a variety of options available for choosing your character's species (Human, Twi'lek, Zabrak, Kel Dor, and Rodian are all playable). You can also choose between a male or female character, change their skin color, and decide what type of outfit you'd like them to wear. Not only that, you can also customize your character's lightsaber, choosing between different hilt designs and blade colors (blue, green, orange, purple, and yellow). If I remember correctly, at the beginning you can only use one standard lightsaber, but later on in the campaign you're given the option to switch to using two standard lightsabers, or a Darth Maul-style staff with a blade on each end of the hilt. The only downside is that your character's name, Jaden Korr, is already predetermined and you can't change it, since NPC's often refer to the main character by his/her name in the story (unlike KotOR, where you can name your character anything you want without consequence). But it's a great game, and if the lack of name customization isn't a total deal breaker, I think you and your kid could get a lot of enjoyment out of it.

 

In the Lego The Force Awakens X-Box 360 game or any of them since they appear to be almost the same with the exception of the hand held ones. Can you customize , or better yet choose the lightsaber color when creating a new character? For example, when you get the disco sabers, they have the cyan colored blade. Can I select that saber with just the cyan color when I customize my character? Let me know