Knights of the Old Republic, or Kotor was a huge hit on Xbox when it was released in 2003. Featuring an excellent mixture of story telling, character building and combat Kotor was hailed as one of the greats and was very welcome on Microsofts machine especially as RPG’s were very few at the time. For fans of the Star Wars universe and those who simply enjoy epic RPGs Kotor was and still is a must have title.

Well its 2005 and Kotor has been reborn with this new exciting sequel to one of 2003’s best games. Enter Knights of The Republic 2: The Sith Lords (Kotor 2). Set several years after the first game and introducing a whole new scenario and several new characters (and some returning characters) Kotor 2 steps up to provide another awe inspiring game by incorporating many features of the first game and then adding a few extras here and there. Prepare your self, as there is a disturbance in the force and guess what? You are at the centre of it. Game on!

Gameplay:

Kotor 2 is a story intensive RPG where players get to choose a character skin and then distribute points and various abilities to their character, whilst following the game’s meandering story line. There are a lot more powers and abilities to add to your character this time and with the wide number of classes available during the course of the game, which will make those hungry for stats very happy indeed. For those of you who wish to ignore this aspect of the game and focus on getting through the story will be able to do a quick level up or character create, thus taking the headache out of levelling and such. In my opinion it is worth learning to create/level up your character yourself as this gives the player a lot more scope and flexibility with their character and let’s face it, its not that hard to understand either, as everything is explained well enough in the game’s menus. Once you have chosen a name and created your character then the game begins. The first port of call is a tutorial and preliminary mission involving a droid (T3-M4) from the first game. This section is a great introduction to many of the game’s features and whilst remaining simple in story terms is a worthy intro all the same and will help those new to the series greatly. For those of you who are more experienced the option to skip this section is on offer, although fans of T3-M4 will probably want to play this section anyways.

Once the tutorial is completed or if you decided to skip it, then it’s on to the game proper where you will finally see and take control of your chosen character for the first time. Again like the original game, there is very little info surrounding your character as well as the environment that you are in, and through dialogue and action it’s up to you to start finding out what is going on.

During the early stages of the game, the player will encounter many droids that need to be destroyed to accomplish goals. It is here where players can get to grips with the game’s combat system. This is where Kotor 2 stands out and like its predecessor uses the same Dungeons and Dragons rules which run alongside your game (even though you will not notice). During battle players do not have direct control over their characters swing of swords however players can move their character freely at any time. Just like any other RPG players take turns to attack each other, however due to the animations and freedom of movement feels very much like real time battles. During combat players must choose what type of attack they are to perform, and depending on what skills you have chosen will be available from a non intrusive attack menu. Again unlike traditional turn based RPGs this system is on the fly, which means players must be able to keep up with the on screen action at all times. Yes, you can simply leave your characters to fend for themselves as they will continuously attack without your input, however this means that you will probably lose as there are so many options available to player during the course of battle. Things like replenishing health, laying mines, tossing grenades, performing power attacks, switching weapons and of course using those force powers you gain throughout the story. For characters in your party you can set their AI to various types which for the more intense battles is much appreciated.

The force powers have had a rewrite as there seem to be a lot more to choose from this time round and as with the original, the powers are affiliated to light, dark and universal. Meaning those with a dark affinity will be able to use certain dark powers more effectively than those who are neutral or light and vice versa. Overall there are enough offensive and defensive powers here to keep most players entertained for some time especially as it would be impossible to gain maximum powers for every one available during the course of one play through. Either way the force powers are very cool and once you start getting a few of these under your belt makes battling far more engaging as you perform combos on unsuspecting foes.

During the course of the game you will come across a wide variety of lockers and interactive containers as well as the corpses of the fallen. From these, players will find a wide variety of items which will aid in the adventure. All manner of weapons ranging from swords to blaster rifles can be found as well as health packs, stimulants, armour and other upgrade items. There are absolutely hundreds of different items available in the game and their use is entirely up to the player. What is more players are able to perform a lot more upgrades to weapons and armour than before, as well as create their own items from breaking down others. Sounds complex but isn’t really as the skill can be quite useful at times.

The trusty light sabres make a welcome return in Kotor 2 and this time have lot more upgrades available to them as well. There are also a number of jedi forms which can be learnt throughout the game. These can help if they are used in the correct situations and are a new addition to the series. However there is much battling and story telling to be had prior to the acquisition of these awesome weapons; so as a player one will have to be patient.

The story is what really is captivating about the Kotor games and in this case remains thoroughly engaging, although at times does seem a little drawn out. With a whole new cast of characters (and some returning from the original) each with their own back story there is a lot of dialogue. All dialogue is spoken by voice actors and makes each conversation more realistic; however the realism also extends to listening to a lot of dialogue throughout the game. What was good about the first game were the options available to the player during conversation where your questioning and responses had a direct effect on individuals. Well these make a welcome return as players can opt to be nice (light) or nasty (dark). What is more and a new feature in Kotor 2 is the option to ask further questions based on certain aspects of your chosen skills, so far an example having a high repair skill might give the player the chance to ask a specific question based on that skill where as those without the skill would not be able to. This opens up more dialogue and offers a greater insight into the game’s story and non playable characters. Players can also digress from the main story and like many other RPGs partake in a wide variety of activities such as Pazak (a card game similar to blackjack), Swoop bike racing (a time based racing event) and a wide number of side quests that are not necessarily tied to the main story. Simply put, there are a lot of things to do across the 7 main locations that you will travel to and with a wide variety of alien and human characters you will often become side tracked at every turn as you either help or be nasty to people.

Graphics:

Kotor 2 looks pretty much the same as its predecessor which in some cases is a good thing and in others not so good. Whilst some areas look rather impressive other areas look very dull and uninspiring indeed. This holds true for most of the interior locations especially during the beginning section of the game. The graphical quality is really very sub par for Xbox when you look at them as a whole however as a game based on story telling this isn’t so much of a problem.

Other graphical errors tarnish the game as well such as some horrid frame rate issues during the emptiest scenes in the game. This becomes almost unbearable in places especially during some of the more action orientated moments where the frames dip extremely low indeed. This is supposed to be Xbox and yet it still struggles with the engine, not good and perhaps a little sloppy for not ironing out these problems. Either way they do not detract from the play experience enough to spoil the game.

Sound:

The sound in Kotor 2 is of a very high quality and as mentioned earlier features a whole host of voice acting across the board. Each character has a voice including some of the more obscure creatures in the game. The voice acting is a big part of the game, and such is performed very well indeed. My vote has to go to the person who voiced the character Kreia, as she delivers a smooth and highly convincing performance throughout.

The music is also very much Star Wars and although obtrusive at times during some dialogue, remains of the highest standard. With orchestral pieces throughout, the game’s musical score is solid and relevant to the on screen action at all times.

Other sound effects such as light sabres and blaster fire all sound authentic as I’m sure they have been lifted direct from the movies. If not then they do a great job and make those battles extra sweet. Who can tire of the sound of light sabres being drawn?

Longevity:

Kotor 2 is no walk in the park and weighs in with some hefty hours of play. This is more apparent when you take your time with the game and partake in some of the side quests and such. With the option to play as a light or dark affiliated character, male or female and with the wide number of character types available there is certainly enough to do here that could warrant multiple plays. That said, if one was to play the game once, there is enough here to keep players entertained for 40+ hours. It’s great to see a non Xbox Live game have some much needed longevity.

Overall:

Kotor 2 is very similar to the original and doesn’t deviate from the formula too much. The added features are a welcome addition to the game, although their use isn’t particularly vital to your success. With a gripping story that does tend to drag on in places yet still remains engaging enough for you to want to finish what you started Kotor 2 is a grand game on all fronts. Whilst many of you might still be displeased at the combat system used I think it worked well for Kotor and certainly continues to work for this game. If I was to gripe about the game then it would have to be the location not being as good as the first and perhaps the side quests not being as interesting. Also the character stories seemed vaguer this time round as there wasn’t much to learn about certain characters.

That said Kotor 2 is a worthy title of praise and does a good job all round. When you add up all the parts that make it a good game then your left with something that offers plenty of enjoyment for the RPG fan. For those not into Star Wars or into RPGs then this and its predecessor might just be the games that could introduce you to the genre although if you’re afraid of dialogue in games then I strongly advise you to look elsewhere.

A must have for Star Wars and RPG fans alike and an interesting title for anyone else. I suggest that renting the game will not do the game justice, as the rental period will probably expire just as the game starts to warm up. So I suggest taking the plunge and purchasing it instead if you are serious about playing. Not as good as the original as far as locations and story is concerned but better in other areas such as character development and combat. May the force be with you.