Reviews
80
S
ingle-player role-playing is far
from dead. Knights of the Old
Republic rekindled our love for
captivating RPGs and delivered a
perfect Star Wars experience. This
sequel reprises the same formula—
complex storytelling leavened with
difficult moral choices—to great
effect. Irritating bugs and a rushed
ending dull its sheen, but the Force is
still strong in KOTOR 2.
Set five years after the conclusion
of the first game, you re-enter a
galaxy far, far away in the same
manner as the previous adventure:
as an amnesiac with a mysterious
past. An exiled Jedi who fought in
the Mandalorian and Jedi Civil Wars,
you’re hunted by the Sith and an
alliance of Bounty Hunters. As youjourney, wayward travelers—each
with a unique backstory—join you
on your quest to rebuild the Republic
and the Jedi Order.
KOTOR 2 ’ s writing is its strongest
asset. The spellbinding plot is
wonderfully layered, and almost all
of your missions and actions build
upon the underlying narrative. You
travel to various planets in search of
Jedi Masters, but at each location,
they are unveiled differently. On
Dantooine, you can join a Jedi
defending a key building from
mercenaries, but on another planet,
the resident Jedi might come to your
rescue after an unfortunate misstep.As the title suggests, much of the
sequel’s story revolves around the
history of the Sith and their function
in balancing the Force. Once again,
your actions determine whether
you follow the light or dark side of
the Force. But this time, your inner
struggle is complicated by the ability
to sway the faith of up to 10 allies,
each of whom has his or her own
motives and troubled personalities.
Kiera, for example, will constantly
warn of the weakness of blind
selflessness, and she’ll impose her
pessimistic ideals whenever present.
You can either listen and build up
your level of influence over her,
or you can try to persuade her to
change her outlook. Similarly, a Sith
assassin who joins your party is very
impressionable, but you’re free to
either manipulate her beliefs or try
to bring her to the light. The dialog
does an admirable job of fleshing
out complex relationships between
Jedi and Sith, and there are definitely
times when the Sith convictions
sound appealing.
KOTOR 2 also includes plenty of
side quests to keep you busy. You’ll
often have to rescue hapless settlers or
refugees who have been scammed, or
whose relatives or friends have been
kidnapped. While you don’t have to
complete these missions, finishing
them does open shortcuts to advance
the plot, and it grants valuable
experience points to level-up your
character. We were able to max out
key skills early in the game, leaving
us free to experiment with both lightand dark force powers later on.
Numerous references to the first
KOTOR will delight fans, as will the
cameo appearances of characters
from the first game. Your ship is
again the Ebon Hawk, hinting at a
connection between your character
and the events of the first game.
The Pazaak and Swoop Racing mini-
games make a welcome return, and
they’re as addictive as ever.
What you won’t enjoy are
the unacceptable technical
shortcomings, such as scripting
bugs. NPCs often run the same
scripting triggers repeatedly, and
cut scenes occasionally lack models
or movement. The almost archaic
graphics are understandable
coming from a console port, but
the low-resolution pre-rendered cut
scenes are pathetic. The game even
crashed twice between loading
sequences, so save often.
There’s no doubt that KOTOR 2 is a
must-have for any respectable gamer
or Star War fan—but you might want
to wait until a patch comes out before
embarking on the adventure.
—NORMAN CHANKnights of the Old
Republic 2: The Sith Lords
This sequel makes for a strong case of deja vu
It’s not a scene from Sky Captain , but the world of tomorrow is
inhabited by giant killer robots. That’s right, giant killer robots.Deeply involving plot, smart storytelling, and lay-
ered complexity; Pazaak!SITH LORDSITH LACKEY
Rampant scripting bugs, slow start, unresolved
plotlines, and dated visuals.
$50, http://www.lucasarts.com, ESRB rating: TMA XIMUMPCVERDICT 8
MA XIMUMPC MAY 200 5New to KOTOR 2
are Lightsaber
stances—
techniques that
let you switch
your fighting
style to suit
your opponent’s.