High: Excellent use of cut scenes, very interesting story and ending, high replay value, follow up to one the best RPGs.
Low: Buggy, repetive gameplay, feels like KOTOR I with a new story and a few bonus features, fun lost in those mini games, very linear.


Recommended!

Bioware is busy with its Xbox Jade Empire so they handed the development of KOTOR II to Obsidian Entertainment. Obsidian Entertainment is made up of former members of Fallout, Icewind Dale, Baldur's Gate, Dark Alliance, and Planescape: Torment. Those games I mentioned are some of the best in the RPG generes. Obsidian Entertainment looks like a very strong RPG developer who knows what is doing. Obsidian Entertainment is a very new developer who sole existence is based on the fact that Black Isle Studio, another famous RPG developer like Bioware, died a couple months earlier. They wanted to make a good first impression so they pushed KOTOR II out after just 1 year of developing. They made a big mistake. KOTOR II is good, but far from the great experience KOTOR I gave to its fans. The sequel is a disappointment for most KOTOR fans but thankfully not a big one.

KOTOR II follows up on the life of one of the generals of Revan's fleet, a jedi exile. (Revan is your lead character in KOTOR I, the one who defeated the Sith lord Malak and became the new Sith lord or the savior of the Republic.) You are wanted by both the Republic and the Sith. You will start up the game in the badly damaged Ebon Hawk, a former ship of Revan. You are badly wounded and unconscious, half dead. Your trustful droid onboard, T-3, somehow managed to dock the Ebon Hawk to a nearby mining facility and saved you. You will start your adventure in this little mining facility and explore a total of 5 planets as well as a number of large spaceships. 4 of those planets will have a variety of side quests for you to complete.

Like KOTOR I, KOTOR II follows a heavily modified version of the old DnD dice combat system. You won't really notice it in game unless you look carefully or know the rules. The combat system is very well implanted. It's efficent, action oriented and fun to watch. Lightsaber will be again the main weapon of your character, although you won't get it until you are 1/5 into the game. The combat system is alot easier than other RPGs I have played. I played most of the game on medium diffculty without much upgrading with no diffculty until I got to the bosses. In fact, its alot more easier than KOTOR 1, least the end bosses are.

You do have a system of force powers and combat feats. They are very useful as you will face off some tough monsters and they are critical to defeat them. They are for the most part the same as the ones in KOTOR 1 with a few bonus force powers and combat feats.

Also like KOTOR1, you can have many companions but a max of 2 by your side fighting with you. You companions consist of some interesting characters as well as characters that resemble similaries to your old companions on KOTOR 1. (Old HK-47 anyone?) Unlike KOTOR 1, there won't be any interaction between your companions. It's just you and companions. Thereare no sidequests to do, nothing to talk them with. (You could turn some of them into a Jedi or do half -naked wrestling with one if you character is a male.) KOTOR 2 does include an influence mode for your companions. If you think the way your companions do, or agree with what they do, you will gain influences with them. High influences means that some companions will have a few more dialogue options with you or they will allow you to turn them into a Jedi. Your companions will also follow the path you have choosen. If you have choosed the dark side, they will turn into dark side as well over a long period of time. Influence system is a poorly implanted and the only goal it achieves its to slow you down on your relationship with your companions.

Old mini games like Pazaak (21/blackjack sort of card game) and swoop bike racing are back. Mini turret games are also back but less annoying. There are no significant improvment on any of those mini games other than the fact that they are optional now. You can avoid them all together if you want. For Pazaak, there is a bar in each planet that allow you to play it with one or two NPCs. (Non Player Character) The only exception is one planet where you can enter a pazaak den and compete with 4 NPCs in a tournament. You will no longer get any pazaak cards from monsters you kill or from any treasures. You will only get them by beating other NPC pazaak players or buying it from them. Swoop bike racing is heavily bugged. Unless you complete the first run or cheat there is no way of winning it. The NPC conversation for the race will loop on and on. It is also alot more annoying. Your swoop bike can now jump vertically and you will have to jump over mines and obstacles to finish a race. If you thought swoop racing in KOTOR 1 was hard, welcome to KOTOR II's swoop race. Hit on an obstacle or mine enough times, you swoop bike will break down and you automatically loses.

It's alot easier to reach the max in light side or dark side in KOTOR II. An average player can get to max light side or max dark side 1/4 through the game. If you don't like the side you are on, you can switch back and still max the other side. The basic idea is that the more you help people and ask for less credits, you get light side points.The more you threatening people and the more credits you get., you get dark side points. Those sides affect what ending you will get in the game.

You will also reach a much higher level than you did in the pervious game. You can choose a prestige class once you reach level 15. Those prestige classes includes Jedi watchman, Sith lord, Jedi weaponmaster etc.. Each class give you special abilities. It is also alot easier to level up in KOTOR II. You can reach level 25 ish by the end of the game just by playing normally. Your companions will auto level up to match your level. There is no need to babysit any of them.

Dialogues for this game are well written. They try to convince you to see the way of other characters every step of the game. Near the end, I almost went to the dark side because what they told me was so true and shocking. The dialogues with other NPCs made me feel what they say are the true facts and my actions are wrong. Those interesting dialogues made the whole storyline of the game feel alive. It's not just yeah ok, whatever you say I will do type of conversation. You wil to careful consider your choices or you risk falling into the wrong side.

End boss fight aren't challeging for the most part. You have a total of 3 end bosses to face off. The best tactics for each one its to hack, slash, heal up and repeat as many times as you need. Those bosses don't die the fast time either, you need to kill them over and over until they give up or you quit. There is no thinking involved, just hack and hope for the best.

like the first game, there are lots of cinematic and cutscenes used in the game. They are for the most part well implanted and enjoyable to watch. They add a certain flavor to the game.

Graphics look the same as the first game, I suspect they used the same engine for both games. Graphics are stunning but not top-notch anymore. New RPGs like Vampire: The Masquerade Bloodlines started to use Half Life 2 graphic engine. Those games looks way better.

Every character in KOTOR II is voice acted like in KOTOR I. The quality isn't there though. They are good when compare to other games but far from the ones in KOTOR I. Those voices just don't sound too enthusiastic. The music on the other hand is quite good. They broke away from the Star Wars element and it sounds so refreshing and new. Most of the good musics are placed at the climax of a battle or a boss fight.

KOTOR II is a very good RPG and I recommend it. It doesn't give the great experience the first game did but it certainly its good. You should try it no matter if you are a star wars fan or hater or none. It takes about 30 to 40 hrs to finish and it's single player only. If you have a bit time to spend, I suggest you to pick a copy at your local game store and play it. It's not a game I want to miss.

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Reviewed By:p3t3r Reviewed On: Mon, 09 May 2005 16:05:38 Read:

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