Dark Forces equals X-wing and Tie Fighter in my opinion. As with the flight sim games, it understood the role games should play in the Star Wars universe: presenting the unseen side of things, the sideshow to the war presented in the movies. Later games, such as Jedi Outcast, focus on being a powerful jedi or a major player in the wars, or create contrived interactions with major characters - but that makes no sense. Those kind of plots reek of bad fan fiction.

Dark Forces really felt like it fit in the Star Wars universe, in plot and in visuals. KotoR did get away with big epic plots, because it took place far earlier and pretty much anything goes.