nightsavior
03-11-2005, 05:50 PM
i don't know about the rest of you but knights of the old republic was one of my favorite titles. for its day the graphics were gorgeous and a riveting storyline unfolded across many worlds in which you could be a good or evil jedi depending on your actions. well naturally i expected alot from kotor 2 sith lords. gladly to say it lives up to its expectations. the only gripe about kotor 2 may come from graphics whores who will notice the visauls have not really improved since the first game and from whiney techies that cannot stand even a few bugs in their games. most likely kotor 2 for the x-box runs smoother but i wouldn't know since i own the pc version. to be honest i have not beaten the game BUT so far i have not been able to put it down.
unlike kotor 1 sith lords makes you question certain stereotypes in the star wars universe. you start your quest as an exiled jedi who fought along side malak and revan (two other famous jedi) in the mandalorian wars. many times you're left feeling that the jedi council itself was cowardly for not interfering as thousands of innocent lives were being snuffed out. though the sith are still potrayed every bit as terrifying and dark as in the first kotor game you do meet some among their ranks who don't seem compleltly evil but rather merely have a different style of ethics. this sort of adds a "grey" area into lucas's universe that was previously left unexplored. another example is a mission on dxun onderon's jungle moon which has you interact with mandalorians and become sympathetic for them as you learn their honorable way of life (it sort of reminded me of the movie last samurai in the way it unfolded.)
unique to the first kotor your "allies" don't always serve you blindly. many seem to have their own cryptic alliances and agendas that go on behind your back so you're left wondering who among them is really your friends and your foes. unlike kotor 1 the only way to strengthen frienships with party members is to increase your influnce with them. this gets sorta complicated because some admire kindness and mercy while others adimire cruelty or violence.
as in the previous game you shift to the light side or dark side depending on your actions, though i noticed in sith lords this happens much more quickly. in kotor 1 as a lightside jedi it took me almost the whole game to become completly glowy and saintlike. in sith lords i'm still near the beginning and i'm already topped out as a defender of the light. ppl may want to take advantage of this because with rapid increases and decreases on your light side/dark side gauge you could most likely go from vile to priestly or back again just your first time playing through.
your cast of interesting characters is for the most part completly new though greats like carth onasi from the first game do make the occasional guest appearances. it is possible to get hk 47 as an extra character "if" you find all the droid parts to fix him. other then that t-3 seems to be the only party member that starred in the first kotor. though i missed the original cast of characters it was nice to see new faces as well.
the combat system is still very much the same. before each battle the game temporarily pauses at which time you punch in your actions then let a flurry of lightsaber combat,blasting,and force power eye candy commence until either you or your enemies are the victor. a few new force powers and items were added but quite frankly its very much the same from kotor 1 with just some minor tweeking.
if you can forgive graphics that are just slightly dated (but still very awesome looking in my opinion.) and a few bugs i'd say its definetly worth getting kotor 2 for the pc if you don't already have it for the x-box.
graphics 8: many whine the graphics were not improved from the original kotor but they still look wicked sweet and the characters have a very graceful fluidity about them. if someone tells you this game looks awful they need to get glasses...or have their eyes removed from their skulls then replaced with visaul implants.
sound 10: i know many of you proably get tired of hearing the same regurgitated music from the star wars films played over and over. well fret not..besides for a few famaliar tunes sith lords has a fully original and riveting sound track that goes perfectly with the many enviorments you explore. of course the blaster and light saber sounds remain unchanged but to me that just keeps things loyal to the star wars universe.
storyline 10: there is alot going on plot wise much of which you don't always expect. also since different decisions create different outcomes and form different relationships with your party members it really adds to the replayability factor. like kotor 1 sith lords is not a game you'll just want to play once and put on your shelf.
challenge 8: so far i've been doing well though some of the battles can be very hectic. charging directly into a fray isn't always the best solution and sometimes smarts and tactics rule out over brutal force and good equipment. one thing i do like about sith lords so far is that their don't seem to be many frusterating puzzles, at least near the beginning. still this may very well change once i make it futher into the game.
replayability 10 : as i said before you're not just going to want to play sith lords once. their are so many different paths created by your myriad responses, gender, and force affinity with the light or dark side you'll rob yourself of alot unless you play through multiple times to see the grand epic plot unfold from unique choices.
overall 10: an rpg like this won't come along for a long time. $50 is expensive yes, but sith lords delivers. sure their are a few bugs and the graphics are looking a bit dated compared to games like half life 2 but that's still no reason to call sith lords a sub par game.
unlike kotor 1 sith lords makes you question certain stereotypes in the star wars universe. you start your quest as an exiled jedi who fought along side malak and revan (two other famous jedi) in the mandalorian wars. many times you're left feeling that the jedi council itself was cowardly for not interfering as thousands of innocent lives were being snuffed out. though the sith are still potrayed every bit as terrifying and dark as in the first kotor game you do meet some among their ranks who don't seem compleltly evil but rather merely have a different style of ethics. this sort of adds a "grey" area into lucas's universe that was previously left unexplored. another example is a mission on dxun onderon's jungle moon which has you interact with mandalorians and become sympathetic for them as you learn their honorable way of life (it sort of reminded me of the movie last samurai in the way it unfolded.)
unique to the first kotor your "allies" don't always serve you blindly. many seem to have their own cryptic alliances and agendas that go on behind your back so you're left wondering who among them is really your friends and your foes. unlike kotor 1 the only way to strengthen frienships with party members is to increase your influnce with them. this gets sorta complicated because some admire kindness and mercy while others adimire cruelty or violence.
as in the previous game you shift to the light side or dark side depending on your actions, though i noticed in sith lords this happens much more quickly. in kotor 1 as a lightside jedi it took me almost the whole game to become completly glowy and saintlike. in sith lords i'm still near the beginning and i'm already topped out as a defender of the light. ppl may want to take advantage of this because with rapid increases and decreases on your light side/dark side gauge you could most likely go from vile to priestly or back again just your first time playing through.
your cast of interesting characters is for the most part completly new though greats like carth onasi from the first game do make the occasional guest appearances. it is possible to get hk 47 as an extra character "if" you find all the droid parts to fix him. other then that t-3 seems to be the only party member that starred in the first kotor. though i missed the original cast of characters it was nice to see new faces as well.
the combat system is still very much the same. before each battle the game temporarily pauses at which time you punch in your actions then let a flurry of lightsaber combat,blasting,and force power eye candy commence until either you or your enemies are the victor. a few new force powers and items were added but quite frankly its very much the same from kotor 1 with just some minor tweeking.
if you can forgive graphics that are just slightly dated (but still very awesome looking in my opinion.) and a few bugs i'd say its definetly worth getting kotor 2 for the pc if you don't already have it for the x-box.
graphics 8: many whine the graphics were not improved from the original kotor but they still look wicked sweet and the characters have a very graceful fluidity about them. if someone tells you this game looks awful they need to get glasses...or have their eyes removed from their skulls then replaced with visaul implants.
sound 10: i know many of you proably get tired of hearing the same regurgitated music from the star wars films played over and over. well fret not..besides for a few famaliar tunes sith lords has a fully original and riveting sound track that goes perfectly with the many enviorments you explore. of course the blaster and light saber sounds remain unchanged but to me that just keeps things loyal to the star wars universe.
storyline 10: there is alot going on plot wise much of which you don't always expect. also since different decisions create different outcomes and form different relationships with your party members it really adds to the replayability factor. like kotor 1 sith lords is not a game you'll just want to play once and put on your shelf.
challenge 8: so far i've been doing well though some of the battles can be very hectic. charging directly into a fray isn't always the best solution and sometimes smarts and tactics rule out over brutal force and good equipment. one thing i do like about sith lords so far is that their don't seem to be many frusterating puzzles, at least near the beginning. still this may very well change once i make it futher into the game.
replayability 10 : as i said before you're not just going to want to play sith lords once. their are so many different paths created by your myriad responses, gender, and force affinity with the light or dark side you'll rob yourself of alot unless you play through multiple times to see the grand epic plot unfold from unique choices.
overall 10: an rpg like this won't come along for a long time. $50 is expensive yes, but sith lords delivers. sure their are a few bugs and the graphics are looking a bit dated compared to games like half life 2 but that's still no reason to call sith lords a sub par game.