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Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II - Sith Lords (PC)
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5/5 |
A flawed classic
(January 28, 2008) |
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I've just played through this on the pc having previously played it on the Xbox.
This game was sadly rushed to release and it shows but only towards the very end of the game (around the 40 hour mark). The first 35 hours (give or take) are absolutely fantastic with one of the best opening levels I've played, which lasts about two hours. True, the story isn't quite as compelling as KOTOR but what the game may lack in comparison to Biowork's effort, Obsidian have refined the engine somewhat. The best new addtion is the ability to breakdown items and create your own weapons/armour/lightsaber modifications. Therefore rather than having to buy armour upgrades you can make them yourself. This does mean that gaining money becomes less of an issue, but if you're not really into the Swoop racing or pazaak (you don't like gambling) then it works out really well.
The ending of the game is sadly disjointed. The plot makes a sudden leap from its narrative flow straight into the end game, and for all your character building you don't really get the chance to choose which characters to take to the final showdown. Blame Lucasarts for rushing the release.
Otherwise this game is pretty much more of the same as KOTOR which is no bad thing at all.
The PC version is quite glitchy but not enough to kill the game. Google KOTOR2 music and movie patches which are official Lucasarts patches and then you can get hi-res videos and proper stereo sound, strangely lacking from the retail release. There is also a huge modding community.
One more thing. This game is dangerously addictive. |
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4/5 |
More Enjoyment
(November 27, 2007) |
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This game is in my opinion, more enjoyable than the original KOTOR. It has more force powers, more interesting planets, and far greater weapons. Your jedi hero is far more powerful in this game, plus the dialogue is greatly improved. There are several great one liners from HK-47 (again) and from the new character Atton. Although the original had a superior storyline and more of a desperate last stand feel. This sequel has the same great gameplay, much more powerful attacks and more devastating force powers. |
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4/5 |
If only they'd finished it.
(November 26, 2007) |
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I know this has been covered very extensively by other reviews, but this game is so infuriating that I have to add my two cents. It is such a colossal shame that the developers were not allowed the extra time to complete the game, but it was rushed to make it out in time for Christmas. Sigh.
This game has the potential to be absolutely great, in the proper sense of the word. The gameplay is virtually the same as KOTOR1, which means it is very easy to pick up, with a good variety of quests and subquests. I personally like the minigames as well, they provide a spot of light relief and a good way to earn credits. The combat options and lightsaber combinations are again interesting, and there are a few new Force Powers to choose from.
First of all, I'll talk about the good things about K2, the improvements on K1:
1. Upgrades - a useful add on. You can upgrade lots of weapons, more than in K1, and you can choose between a lot more upgrades as well, and make your own at work bences. What I like is that you don't have to explore the upgrades fully if you don't want to, because it can be time consuming for limited benefit, but I like the development of the K1 concept there.
2. Influence - it seems silly that none of the other characters change in K1. Canderous (a very interesting character from the first game) by the end of the light side game is clearly a lot mellower and more introspective, and would IMO be light aligned, so that added feature to K2 gets the thumbs up (although perversely Canderous is irredeemably dark in K2 - silly developers).
3. Training Jedi - obvious improvement, and again great because it is optional. If your influence is high enough, you can train party members to become Jedi as well.
4. Splitting party - good in moderation. I think the developers use it far too much (on Nar Shadaa, and the horrible end section), but it is a good idea - the Dxun/Onderon section is fabulous fun with the assault on the Sith Tomb and Iziz Palace.
5. Power - the higher limit ceiling is great fun. Obvious but still worth noting.
6. Besides this, it is worth emphasising that this is a very good game indeed, very similar to the excellent first one, just with flaws.
Now for the bad points. This will take me quite a long time...
1. Continuity - there isn't any. The story set up is such a horrible shambles. The canon ending for K1 is light side i.e a Republic victory, Sith in tatters. In the space of a few years, we go from this to a scenario where the Jedi are basically extinct (eh? what's going on?) and the Sith are back, complete with a nice new set of Lords who between them look set to destroy absolutely everything. There is such a horrible plausibility gap there that isn't covered by Revan sloping off to fight the 'true' Sith and Nihilus' appearance from nowhere. This doesn't affect the gameplay, and won't matter if you haven't played the first one, but it is annoying.
2. Where did the rest of it go? The most obvious fault is the incomplete state of the game. It seems like the 2nd 50% of story is squeezed into about 10% of game time. You dart between planets like a whirling dervish at the end, when previous visits to planets have taken ages for menial tasks (see below). This also means that a hell of a lot of plot is advanced through cut scenes, and stages where you don't control your character. This is infuriating, especially for an RPG - you can't actually play your role. The final planet is horrible - it is supposed to look horrible, but it plays horribly as well. The wheels fall off the narrative, and you find yourself playing various different characters without the loose ends (and they are plentiful) being tied up.
3. Preamble - Peragus (the first area) take AGES! Why? Your lack of equipment and abilities makes it extremely tedious without being challenging, because the tasks have to be correspondingly menial to compensate for your character's rubbishness. Result=long section of boredom. Get me out of that hell hole!
4. Characters - I appreciate that this point is highly subjective, but the NPCs seem a lot less vividly realised in K2 than K1. I was genuinely interested in their histories. In K2 the cast list just seems quite a bit more drab - I think this is a fault of the dialogue options as much as their being dull. There is hardly any of the humour of K1 ( in your actual dialogue. In K2, you can kiss goodbye to getting anything decent out of HK (a very amusing droid companion) if you're light side, and the others are interesting but humourless. They even managed to make Canderous unresponsive and boring if you play LS, and I thought that would be impossible, considering how awesome he is in every aspect in K1. GO-TO is a complete and utter waste of time and space. He serves no purpose whatsoever other than to piss you off if you ever make the mistake of talking to him, which is obviously not a mistake you'll make more than once. Everything about him/it is just so pointless! He talks dull, looks dull, is dull! Get rid of him!
5. Baddies - not hard enough. The first time I took on Malak from K1 it was bloody tough. 'The Sith Lords' are pushovers. The toughest fights are early on when your powers are limited. It almost seems as if the final battles have been rushed as well. Your character is so supremely powerful that only the very final confrontation is a challenge. It is the norm that your character will actually not be as powerful as the big bosses, and so will have to use resourcefulness and tactics to prevail, to keep it challenging. 2 of the 3 Sith Lords from the title seem to be no better than you at all, and don't have the same array of weapons and equipment, which means they are just not tough enough.
That's all I can think of for now. The gameplay is excellent, but as whole, it isn't a whole. It is such a shame, because the scope and ambition of the game is immense, but you are left mourning for what have been at the end, rather than cherishing a well put together game.
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3/5 |
Interesting combat system???????? I dont think so
(September 17, 2007) |
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I have never actually played the first KOTOR but adored jedi knights' 2 and 3 and the battlefronts, Once I had run out of star wars games, I decided to get this one hoping it wouyld live up to the reviews and satisfy me after the other wonderful star wars games I have played.
I loaded up, no problems and the graphhics looked pretty good, even on my old system but i stepped into a room with an enemy first time and it paused. I was like wt*??? The combat system turned out to be like runescape!! a game (and I use the term game very loosely because games are supposed to be fun) which I despise with a passion! If you are looking for a button mashing, fun game then dont go for this one, Don't get me wrong, the graphics are good, the story may be a little cheesey but I hate the combat in this game because it just breaks up the game and makes it unfun! |
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3/5 |
An undecided review
(August 28, 2007) |
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To be honest I am not sure what to write as part of my review.
I was pulled into this game as I had loved the first one and couldn't wait to get stuck in, but the problem with this one is that I almost found it boring.
It was a little too easy for a start and I found I had to put the difficulty level up just so I had a bit of a challenge when it came to fighting. The storyline was somewhat confusing and lacking in comparison to the first game that delivered a fantastic storyline to play with.
I finished the game about 30 minutes ago and was bitterly disappointed with the ending. I agree with the other reviewers that this game has the feel of the unfinished and rushed and it was an opportunity lost.
On the whole it was worth playing, and I enjoyed most of it; but it wouldn't be making its way into my top ten anytime soon. |
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