Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic

You start off with just one guy, a typical soldier of the republic (although you can pick from 3 character classes, scoundrel, soldier, or scout, with different emphases on skills, feats, and combat ability, and later 3 different types of Jedi classes...) and can get it looks like 9 other characters to join you, although you are limited on how many can group with you at once. Its based on the D20 system, but smoothly adapted to StarWars. You have feats, the standard DnD attributes, and skills, as in 3rd Ed. DnD. They added MANY new skills and feats for the SW world, and a TON of force powers also, all smoothly integrated into the D20 character system.

Every interaction with an npc is voice acted, and the voice acting is the best I have ever heard in any game. Hell, the acting is better than in the Episode II movie, and while that isnt saying too much, its still a first for a video game, and very impressive. The conversation choices are quite varied and actually in most cases offer real choices of what to do in KOTR, unlike most games. Athough the game so far is very linear, I expect it to branch out somewhat in the future once I complete some training I am currently taking care of *ahem* It isnt giving too much away also to say there are good and darkside powers and that your "force alignment," which is altered by being nice or mean, effects how much it costs to use the dark and lightside powers...methinks a whole other branch of the plot/game is unlocked by going over to the darkside.

The lightsaber effects (which you don't see right away, they make you wait a long time, heh) are unbelievable...when you use your flurry extra melee attack... dayum...they got the hum right, the blurring light effect when you go nutty with the swinging...its all there. The sword fighting choreography and animation are by far the best ever in a video game...much better than Jedi Knight 2. I won't give away how you get a lightsaber or its color etc, but I will say that it is customizable via...well, without giving away too much...powerups, and may change color/power/characteristics based on how you play the game, your class, your darkside/lightside sensitivity, etc...

I will get my computer fixed and get back into SWG also hopefully soon, but so far KOTR is a much better experience. The overall quality of the game and especially the script/writing is AWESOME. Also, did I mention that with the upgraded AV pack, the Xbox outputs 480p, 750p, and 1080i (if you don't know what I'm talking about, just suffice it to say these are the 3 main HDTV formats), as well as Dolby Digital and DTS in 5.1 surround??? I dont have a HDTV, but my TV does have component inputs and I got the upgraded HDTV/component/5.1 surround AV pack, and it does looks sharp, with really rich color. The sound is great, its like going from a VHS tape to a DVD, the 5.1 encoding is awesome, especially for caves and space scenes. I like my eyeballs in my head where they belong, so I haven't even contemplated what KOTR looks like on an HDTV...

Also, as a last note...you meet a little dude who looks like Yoda...but he's not Yoda, he's just the same race, with a somewhat similar but unique funky little voice, I love it! I think this is the first time in SW you meet another of Yoda's race, dunno what it is called. Hopefully we find out more about them, whatever they are called ALSO!!!! I won't give spoilers, but there have been tantalizing hints about what the "Sith" really is...or I should say...were...not was...were. Figure that one out. Haven't you always wondered precisely what the "sith" is??


KOTOR, from somebody whos played it   July 16, 2003
22 out of 24 found this review helpful

For all you people that wasted your time telling others what its gonna be like, I will tell you what it is like. Ive played it, and I'll tell you this, its really fun, with all sorts of battles and lightsaber duels, ect. 9 out of 10 for gameplay, because it can get sort of hard sometimes. I'm not complaining though, and you wouldn't either after you beat Halo on legendary w and w/o co-op. Anyway, the sound is pretty good if you like star wars music. Graphics are really good, 11 out of 10. The game is look really realistic. To top it off you get to choose and customize your character, pick wether you want to be jedi or sith, customize your saber hilt, pick what color you want, and even pick what type, single blade, double blade, or one blade in each hand. The control system is ingenious. If you like real time games like star wars jedi knight jedi outcast you can pick to do it in real time. If you like traditional rpgs, like final fantasy series, you can do it to. And you can switch between the 2 all you want. Now to get into the game. Like all rpgs there is a considerable amount of dialogue, enough for you to consider throwing your controller at the xbox. But its worth it. You need to know what theyre telling you, trust me, i found out the hard way. You travel with 3 friends. In different worlds you can get different partners. In realtime mode they just fight alongside you, but in the classical rpg mode you tell them what attack to do and who to do it at. You can have droids, wookies, or jedi in your party. So now i rate it...
Graphics 11 out of 10
Music 8 out of 10
Gameplay 9 out of 10
All in all 9.5 out of 10


One of the Great Xbox Games of 2002   May 20, 2002
J. Smith (Las Vegas, NV United States)
20 out of 69 found this review helpful

I just got done playing this game today and let me tell you, this game rocks. The controls were so smooth and the graphics were out of this world. It is made by the same people who made Baldur's Gate and they are well trained in the Jedi arts. I think this game is a system seller, meaning you should own a Xbox just for this game. If you don't get this game when it comes out, you are a Sith Lord. May the Force be with you.


A definite classic for every gaming meatbag out there   January 22, 2004
Peter Garff (Potomac, MD United States)
19 out of 23 found this review helpful

If you're anything like me, you squirmed in your seat and grumbled aloud as Hayden Christensen and Natalie Portman affected onscreen romance during the last cloned movie. Maybe you muttered oaths about George Lucas and reached into your box of beloved jujyfruits for solace--only to find that greens were all you had left. Like me, you'd been duped into giving up your cash for something just because they slapped the Star Wars tag on it. You weak-minded fool.

But a la Han Solo in the first Death Star assault, Knights of the Old Republic has emerged to give us...a new hope. Actually, to say the game came out of nowhere is a definite exaggeration; Bioware has long been known for making outstanding and deep role-playing games, but they have outdone themselves with this first console effort. The first element that separates this game from not only other RPGs but Bioware's previous efforts is that every line of well-crafted dialogue is spoken, and voiced by outstanding actors. Interaction with the many characters who join your party is important and every party member has an interesting back-story that you can draw out of them as the game progresses. Your party members also interact with each other in interesting and somewhat unpredictable ways. In addition, some of the back stories of party characters involve quests and intersect with the game's main quest.

The RPG elements are incredibly deep and balanced. You can customize your character in nearly every conceivable way and develop him/her as you see fit. The feats development tree was one of my favorite elements. Also, you almost always have a number of choices as to how you want to handle a potential quest. You can be the darthest of the darth or Gandhi in a Jedi robe or walk a path somewhere in between. These choices have an impact on experience, money, items and can open or close other quest branches and affect the way people in the world interact with you. For example if you win a swoop bike tournament, everyone in the respective city will be buzzing about it. I am anxious to see how things are different if I play the game as an evil dark lord pawn instead of as a morally ambivalent Jedi.

The combat is also fantastic and stays fresh and involves the perfect level of difficulty. As with the other great Bioware RPGs, there is an important tactical element to the combat. If you simply let your characters rush into battle without guidance, they will not survive the difficult encounters. While combat is turn-based and can be frozen at any moment to allow you time to give numerous commands to your party members, the actions are carried out in the most convincing real-time execution I've ever seen.

While I've only had an XBOX for a couple of months, I found the graphics to be outstanding. Every world felt unique and had terrific detail, including ambient audio and visual effects like water lapping the shore, trees swaying in the breeze, wandering around, etc. The character models looked terrific (I found Bastila to be particularly...ahem, saucy) and the light saber and blaster fire seemed straight out of the movies.

There have been a few minor gripes made about the game, only one of which I found to be legitimate. The first gripe is that the frame rate takes a nose dive in hectic battles and other random sequences. I never noticed this--or perhaps I was so possessed by the force that everything seemed to move in slow motion for me--so I didn't notice. Another gripe has been that the Jedi characters are far too powerful for non-Jedi. I didn't find this to be the case except possibly at the very end of the game when high-level Jedis have so many powers its tough to keep them out of your party. The one legitimate gripe is that you cannot equip characters while on your ship. This is an annoyance since it's your starting point for every new world you explore.

These smallest of flaws do not affect your overall enjoyment of the game. It is a rewarding, balanced and well-crafted game the folks at Bioware have put together and it would be a shame if any XBOX owner missed it. Go on and buy it, meatbags.


Hey, morons!   July 15, 2003
13 out of 35 found this review helpful

I just noticed that the game is supposed to come out today, which prompts me to ask the question...How the hell has this game gotten 18 reviews with ratings?!? C'mon people, don't waste everyone else's time and skew the ratings of a game you've never played. Play the game, then you can write in your reviews, whether they be fair or biased in one way or another toward Lucas. But not before hand. It's pathetic. How can you say this: "Of course I have never played it. Sounds and probably is an awesome game. I can only say good things about this game."

Trying to use an analogy, that was pretty much the same thing most people said about the Matrix II release, and there were MANY disappointed fans. See what I mean? I'm sure there are one or two ratings where the reviewer has managed to play the game before release, but these get lost in these pointless comments by everyone else that will look even more embarassing once the game comes out and people are putting in real input.

Since I have to put in a rating myself to post this, the game gets a neutral 3 out of 5.