To answer your initial question, I absolutely love both games, and I still play them today. People's opinions will always differ, and each game is so unique in its own right, but I always cautiously rank KotOR 2 over KotOR 1. I do that because of the mythology they delve into in the game, because of how unique and fresh of an addition it was, and most importantly of all, because of Kreia. She will always be my favorite Star Wars character of all time, the only exception being Yoda himself.
I don't want to go into too many details, because I don't want to spoil anything for you since you're playing it for the first time. I just hope you've enjoyed it.
Also, please take into consideration that KotOR is broken and unfinished. LucasArts chopped six months off of the promised development time they had given to Obsidian and forced them to rush it out in time for the holiday shopping season. Because of this, a lot of content had to be cut from the game altogether or cut down considerably. That the game is playable is a triumph in itself. That it is as good as it is, and even won awards, is a testament to Obsidian! But truthfully, the blame for KotOR 2's broken and unfinished state is LucasArts', not Obsidian's.