| Knights of the Old Republic 2: Sith Lords review |
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Creating the follow up to what many people consider the best RPG available on the Xbox can’t have been an enviable task for Obsidian. To try to better the award winning original must have taken a lot of courage, and the good news is, for the most part, it succeeds admirably.
The story is set around five years on from the previous game. Your chosen character awakens in the medical bay of a deserted mining colony with no recollection of how he (or she) arrived there. As you progress through the story, you learn that most of the Jedi have disappeared from the Galaxy following the Jedi Wars, and those that remain are hidden across a number of far-flung worlds due to large bounties placed on their heads. It is these individuals you will seek as the main part of the story. Those unfamiliar with the plot of first game will have no problem starting here. There is no need to have played the original to understand the sequel, though some of the references will make more sense if you have.
The core structure of the game is largely unchanged; the story unravels across a number of different worlds, which can be flown to in the Ebon Hawk in the order you desire. Two of these worlds make a reappearance from the first story, and it’s fascinating to see the changes that have happened on these planets over time. Once again there is the option to walk the light or the dark path, though this time your chosen road will have influence on the other party members. Your choices can make a big difference to the dialog with other characters and even determines which are recruited in some instances. Each decision can alter the influence you have over your colleagues, for better or worse. The more influence you have, the more information that individual will reveal about themselves in discussions with them. It isn’t just a tacked on gimmick; influence can have a strong affect on the unfolding story and helps draw you into the narrative.
More effort has to be made to interact with the band of people that eventually join your team. The previous game would throw up a message that a character had something to say, this is no longer the case. You must pursue the conversations, and it’s worth doing with all party members as some may reveal a hidden talent that will be useful during your quest. It’s not necessary to do so in order to beat the game, but you will miss out on what makes KoTOR2 an enjoyable RPG; well fleshed dialog with interesting characters.
Sadly the overall story is not as well put together in Sith Lords, the ending is in fact the weakest link of all. That’s not to say it’s uninteresting, but the wallop of a twist present in the first game never arrives in the second. It very much has the feel of Star Wars, waxing philosophically on what being a Jedi or Sith means, especially in conversation with Kreia whom you meet at the start of the game, but the final chapter comes as a bit of a let down. This is countered somewhat by the fantastic score. Over an hour of new, fully-orchestrated music written by composer Mark Griskey adds atmosphere in spades, and certainly shows plenty of respect to John Williams.
When not in dialog, it’s likely you will be fighting, or at least running towards conflict. At first combat can be very tough, but you soon become a potent Jedi. Once your journey towards the light or dark side reaches a certain point, talking to Kreia reveals a number of prestige classes you can adopt, giving you access to new force powers. It’s quite possible to learn both dark and light side skills, however, using those opposed to your alignment will take more force points; it’s a neat way of balancing the game from over powerful Jedi.
The combat is based on the D20 system that worked so well in the previous iteration. The pseudo real-time combat remains, allowing special moves, force powers and items to be brought into action. Each character can be given a combat role, from Jedi support to grenadier. However, the AI is still very poor, so you often have to change characters to instruct them to do something sensible. Even with the highest of awareness skills, the computer-controlled members of your party will happily wade through limb-removing fields of mines without blinking. Most annoying.
Although you start the game as a Jedi, it’s a while before you receive a lightsaber. They are somewhat scarce in the game, probably because they can be made very powerful indeed. The lightsaber now has six upgrade slots; one for colour the others for stat bonuses via crystals, lenses and power-cells. As before, items can be upgraded via the workbench, but a clever twist on its function allows you to break down unwanted weapons and armour into component parts, and create new and different items. There is also a lab workbench, allowing the creation of medipacks and stims similarly from chemicals, so long as you have the required level of skill.
New for KoTOR2 are lightsaber forms, and these can make a surprising difference in combat. There are eleven different styles, of which up to seven can be learnt; some are better for fighting large groups, others will boost the effectiveness of force powers. It’s an interesting addition that gives a number of strategy choices in battle.
One very neat feature of the new equip screen is the ability to setup two different weapon configurations. These can be quickly flicked between when fighting, allowing for ranged and melee combat without the hassle of going through the main menu to change armaments.
Some may ask: would the game have been better had BioWare written it themselves? The answer is probably not. Everything that made the first title a classic is still there, albeit with a slightly weaker story, and the adjustments made to the game mechanics have been improvements. But for all of the clever tweaks to the game play made by Obsidian, one thing that’s been left completely alone is the tired graphics engine, and to its detriment. Although not plagued with slow down, it’s evident enough when there’s a lot happening on screen, especially in combat. The nature of battles means this isn’t too much of an intrusion, but an overhaul of the frame rate would have been a welcome addition. The problem with painfully lengthy loading times also returns and it certainly gives the drive a bit of a thrashing, making it worth putting on the HD if you're able. There does seem to be less of them this time, even so, it’s an annoying interruption to the flow of things.
Minor niggles aside, Sith Lords is a highly enjoyable RPG with a great deal of replay value, especially if you wish to see all the different skills and powers made available to the various Jedi classes. Above all, it’s a game that oozes Star Wars, allowing you to role-play as an evil Sith Lord, or a righteous Jedi Knight; and it makes doing so a lot of fun. The character development is enduring and interesting, and the story (for the most part) is well written in a coherent Sci-fi universe. If you don’t believe you could be Luke Skywalker or his Dad at the story’s conclusion, you should eat your lightsaber. |
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System: Microsoft Xbox
Genre: Role Playing Game
Developer: Obsidian
Publisher: Lucasarts
Players: 1
Version: United States
Reviewed: Jan 2005
Writer: Marty Greenwell
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Pros:
- Atmospheric Star Wars universe
- Excellent character development
- Plenty of replay value
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Cons:
- Lengthy loading times
- Some slowdown when things get busy
- Questionable AI
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Knights of the Old Republic 2: Sith Lords Video: 4.1MB
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