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Both better in some ways and worse in others

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 7 / 8
Date: December 18, 2004
Author: Amazon User

I remember playing the original "Knights" a year ago and absolutely falling in love with it. It was the first game where I could unabashedly say it was perfect. The graphics were beautiful, the RPG mechanics were well balanced, and the battles were fun to play. Above all this, however, was an captivating story with the most interesting and deep NPCs I've ever encountered in an RPG. It's a lot to live up to. Mechanically, the sequel exceeds the original with nifty new features like the lab station and some enhanced force powers and abilities. Storywise, the game tries valiently but falls just short of the mark.

It tries really hard to differenciate itself from a typical Star Wars story, and in that in succeeds. It's not just about "light side" or "dark side", there are many shades of grey. Good deeds can have bad consequences, and vice versa. It's a nice theme, and I wish it was carried a bit further.

While the NPCs aren't nearly as deep as the original game, they are still more interesting then most typical RPGs. Where the first game revealed the characters' backstories to you slowly over the course of the game through conversations, this game opts to show you cutscenes where the characters interact with each other. This is a nice touch in some respects, but frustrating as well becauase your avatar is not present during these scenes and you can't act on the information you learn.

The plot in "The Sith Lord" is very deep, although at times it is VERY confusing. Most of the time, I had no idea why my character was doing what she was doing. It was as if there was a huge amount of backstory that was never revealed. I kept waiting for the big revelation that would explain everything, but it never came.

The end of the first game was perfect. Events were moving to a close and building up to a satisfying conclusion. Not so with the sequel. The end of the game comes extremely suddenly, not to mention out of nowhere. When the closing credits blasted onto the screen, I could only stare in dumbfounded annoyance as the controller fell from my numb fingers.

I'm being very critical here. Kotor 2 is an extremely good game, far better than most RPGs out there. As a followup to its precesessor, it fails - although it does try hard.

Don't Believe the Un-Hype

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 12 / 19
Date: January 14, 2005
Author: Amazon User

I've read several of the reviews of this game so far, and they are well thought out and aren't simply trying to bash this game. However, many of the reviewers are doing the game a disservice in their reviews.

Why?

Because they are comparing it to KOTOR I instead of simply judging this game on its own merits. They are letting their own expectations cloud their view of what is undeniably a very intriguing and enjoyable game.

I played KOTOR I as well and it stands as one of my all-time favorite games. However, if KOTOR I had never been released and this game had come out in its place, just about every reviewer here would be rating it 5 stars.

Graphically, the game is fantastic. Character models are smooth, animations in battle are excellent, and the level of detail can be overwhelming at times.

The sound effects are excellent. The clash of light saber on light saber during battle, or the sound of blaster fire, or the chattering of robot treads across metal floors is very immersive.

The plot is great. The end is a bit disappointing, but any good writer will tell you it's the journey that counts. No ending of a video game has ever stood up to the game itself, including KOTOR I, and KOTOR II is no exception. What I found most enjoyable about the journey was that sometimes I had to really sit and think about the responses that I was giving - sometimes it was impossible to tell what was the "light side" response and what was the "dark side" response. To me, those little touches really bring you into the game. After all, in life the line between good and evil can sometimes be very thin, and the game adequately reflects that.

This is not a "twitch" game. If you're looking for a 1st person shooter, buy Halo II. This is a role playing game, and as such, you can sometimes feel a bit detached from the action. That's normal. Someone noted that the game was too easy, and then revealed that they had played it on "Normal" mode. I played on Hard mode and I found it adequately challenging without becoming frustrating or monotonous.

Yes, improvements could be made. Load times are way too slow. The game does occasionally crash. Frame rates in large battles can get very slow. Some of the music is repetitive. And sure, a 45 minute cut scene at the end that wrapped everything up in spectacular fashion, preferably one directed by George Lucas and scored by John Williams, would be great. But for me, this game offers a lot of enjoyment, great replay value (I'm chomping at the bit to go through the game as the bad guy), and solid immersion into the Star Wars universe.

More of the same plus More bugs, More loading time

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 20 / 39
Date: December 30, 2004
Author: Amazon User

Continues the fun from the first game -- except the new story is like a pale copy of the first KOTOR, the loading times are actually worse (I eat during loading times) and the bugs are horrible. My XBox has crashed at least twice a day. They don't even have an XBOX Live component to download patches or new material.

KOTOR I was an incredibly great game. KOTOR II is an okay, sloppy game. (Guess they had to rush it out for Christmas shopping season).

Buggy regurgitation of the first KOTOR

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 13 / 22
Date: December 10, 2004
Author: Amazon User

I am a huge fan of the first Knights of the Old Republic(KOTOR) for Xbox. This sequel succeeds in certain areas, but in others it leaves a lot to be desired.

I had to take my first copy of the game back. It jammed up so much that it was unplayable. My second copy is functioning much better. I made an earlier review of the game. I was so angry at the time because of the jamming, that I might have been unfair in my harshness. This review is much more accurate as to what the strengths and weaknesses of the game are.

PROS:
-Being able to break down items and build items is an interesting concept.
-The "influence" factor in the game is a great idea. If you treat your fellow characters well, they will start to be more "influenced" by you and they will move towards your alignment more(which can affect their behavior).

CONS:
-There are some really bad framerate problems. Things slow down and get choppy during fights.
-There are some very long load times.
-This game is VERY buggy. There are so many major and minor bugs in this game that it is unbelievable that it is a major release. This game screams "rushed to the shelves".

MAJOR BUGS:
-Some of the copies of the game seem to be prone to jamming up. I had to return my first copy to get another. The second copy functions much better. I read that somebody else experienced this problem. It seems as if a certain percentage of the games are messed up copies.
-There is significant lag when doing some things, such as scrolling in the menu system. It can take several seconds for the game to do what you asked it to do.
-My party members don't obey my orders on a consistent basis.
-The enemy AI is VERY bad and stupid at times.

MINOR BUGS:
-Sometimes characters will do messed up things(typing on non-existent keyboards, talking to non-existent people, etc..).
-There are a fair amount of "clipping" problems(being able to walk through solid objects).
-Sometimes your party members "teleport"(I have seen some members of my party disappear and reappear about ten feet away).
-The game will tell you that your journal is updated, but when you go and look it is not. You have to scroll through your journal listing options in order to get it to update. This is indicative of bad programming(the journal should update without have to scroll through your journal options).
-There are some instances when you can say the same things over and over to a character and thus get your alignment maxed out on the dark side or light side. Although, this cheat might actually be appreciated by a lot of people.
-If a cut scene starts, the second that it ends I get a picture of whatever was going on on my screen right before the cut scene started. A very obvious, cheesy, and annoying bug(as it disrupts the continuity of the story).
-There are countless other cheesy little bugs that any experienced gamer or computer programmer will pick up on and be annoyed by.

This could have been a very good game. But all of the bugs make it just an ok game.

HUGE Disappointment - rushed and incomplete game

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 9 / 13
Date: December 14, 2004
Author: Amazon User

WARNING some spoilers discussed possibly as I go on. I have been a game player for many years now. I have always leaned towards the RPG side and KOTOR was a great game. The sequel however is a rushed buggy game that does not improve much upon the first one. I feel fairly good about saying this was a rush job to get out before Xmas..sacrificing game play and storyling testing for the dollar.
First, let's talk about controls. They are much like the first one. Once you are in a battle, you have many selections to choose from and it becomes very cumbersome to do alot of strategy besides whether to pick flurry or power shot. The queue system helps some, but if you move or pick something else your queue gets reset. Also, the new powers added to the game really don't add very much from what the first game had: you will fiund yourself still using heal and stun/horror as in the first game. Also, you will notice players gettting stuck alot and terrible AI. I more than once was able to kill enemies by just standing far away and shooting them without them ever engaging me.
Next, the story itself. The storyline is very average. There are no big surprises and the slight inclusion of the characters from the first game is not very exciting. The Influence feature is just afwul for your party members. You do not influence them. You have to answer the dialauge sections as they would like to hear or you lose influence and you will not find out very much about them. Also several story arcs are never completed and some just make no sense. You will understand what I mean if you decide to play this game...especially one of the worst RPG endings in memory.

Don't buy these reviews from people who think this is the best thing going. It was a rehash of the first game with bugs and unfininshed ideas. Trust me and rent before you buy!!!!

Kotor 2 -- Unfinished

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 5 / 5
Date: March 13, 2005
Author: Amazon User

Wow, a great game! This game is easily 5 stars worth of fun and gameplay, but the ending...:

LA [LucasArts] did not give Obsidian enough time to develop the game. It was a Christmas-rush job, you can totally tell. I loved the game, but it's liek you are playing for nothing. How could you do that to a long-awaited sequel?!?!? I loved kotor 1, great ending(s), but the whole 6 SECONDS of Kotor 2's ending blew. BioWare or Obsidian can do Kotor 3, they are both great, good job guys, unless you have barely a year to do the game!

EDIT: This game is very glitchy too, due to the lack of time. May wanna think first before you buy it, unless you wanna screw up your XBox, which has happened to people...

Left me wishing for more.

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 5 / 5
Date: August 19, 2006
Author: Amazon User

There are three things that matter to me when I sit down to play a game. (1) Playability, (2) The Story, and (3) Graphics. This game excelled in all three.

The ease of directing my character about and choosing his moves were so prominent and felt so natural that I just sort of fell into my character's role. As in few other RPG games, I didn't doubt for a second what I was supposed to do to move forward.

The story of the game is deep and riveting - but more importantly, sensible. This is not just another action game with annoying, throw-away characters and subplots that go nowhere. You actually care about the characters involved and you take a keen interest in what their future holds, even the characters that you only get to see for a moment. The ending is especially well done, for it left me thinking about where my character would go next, what he would do, what path he would follow. Even though I made his decisions throughout the entire game, he was still his own character - I simply shaped him a bit. When I finally put the controller down and watched the credits roll up the screen, I was heartbroken that it was over. But then I realized that I could simply start all over again with a completely different character, and end up in a completely different place. A whole new experience. If you're anything like me, trust me when I say that this game is one of a kind.

And last, but certainly not the least, the graphics are fantastic and at times breath-taking. The graphics only work to bring out the story and characters and make the universe that the game is set in all the more believable. They never fail to set the tone for whatever setting you find yourself in.

As with its predecessor, The Sith Lords raised the bar for role-playing games. Role-playing games, such as Final Fantasy, while still enjoyable in their own right, tend to allow the player almost no freedom at all. Sith Lords allows an astounding amount of freedom. You can literally go where you want, do you what you want, however you want to do it. Granted, it's not Grand Theft Auto, but then, GTA is not a role-playing game.

But while I am quick to point out the great aspects of the game, I most also point out the bad. The first major annoyance is that the game continually froze and I was forced to reset the system and start over. To counter this problem, you'll be forced to save often and on different slots - the game even warns you to do so. It's not really a big deal, but it did get to me a little.

The second major annoyance was my inability to control all the members of my party proficiently - the AI continally got me into trouble I could have avoided. (This is one of the problems the first Knights of the Old Republic had.) Other than that, there's nothing else worth mentioning.

As with its predecessor, I hold this game in the highest esteem, and eagerly look foward to the next (if there is one) installment. Enjoy the game!

Recycled

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 6 / 7
Date: December 23, 2004
Author: Amazon User

If you love the first game, you might love this one, because its essentially the exact same game, just not as good.

Almost all the major plot points are exactly the same. If you don't like spoilers, stop now.

1. Your character wakes up, with no memory, and no recollection of the force. You have to slowly re-remember how to use the force.

2. You have some han solo type character, who does nothing but whine, but is handy with a blaster, and flies your ship, which is called the Ebon Hawk.

3. You're being hunted by the sith.

4. You pick up a Mandalorian warrior who joins your party. And although in this one your warrior is wearing a mask, his name is...Canderous, Clan Ordo. Plus, you have the exact same driods.

5. You arrive on a planet, and someone important has been arrested for a crime they didn't commit. Guess what, you have to prove them innocent, through sleuthing and investigation.

6. You arrive on a large industrialized planet, and are stuck in an apartment like complex, and you walk around from enclave to enclave finding things to take, and things to do. Plus, the exchange is pretty rampant, and you have to ultimately dispose of them.

7. You go to dantooine to find the Jedi Enclave. These, you go to the crystal cave, to get...crystals.

8. You go to Korriban, and you fight...the spirits of dead sith.

9. The last battle, takes place on a far away ancient planet, which culminates with you storming it and facing the evil Darth (fill in the blank).

Those are just a few of the examples where both stories are exactly the same. I especially didn't like the whole amnesia bout a second time around. In addition, once you find out who you are, it's nowhere near as interesting as in the first one. In the first one, you were Revan, and you were important. In this one, you're just some person who has "wounded" the force. Big deal. You're not all that special.

All in the all, the game is enjoyable, but is an overall let down from the previous game. The jedi powers and feats are for the most part the same. They add the ability to effectively fight without weapons, but who wants to do that. I found the fact that I was being attacked by lightsaber weilding sith constantly, but once killed, left me nothing but a stimulant or a grenade, to be very annoying. Look, if I kill a guy with a lightsaber, give me his lightsaber. And enough with the short lightsabers. At the end of the game, without using the lightsaber glitch, I had one normal lightsaber, three dual-lightsabers, and four short lightsabers. And what is some random guy I did a small quest for giving me a lightsaber for. When all three "jedi masters" die on Dantooine, weilding a total of four lightsaber, why don't they leave anything.

And I really, really, really didn't like that you have jedis in your party, but they can't be activated unless you have enough "influence." It sucks, you have I think three latent-jedis, but if you don't have the right amount of influence, they won't become jedis. Worse yet, sometimes, once you have the right amount, it's late in the game, and you only get a few jedi powers, if any at all. My first time through, none of them would let me train them. I wanted to kill them.

I guess, in the end, I was expecting too much. GTA:San Andreas and Halo 2, both pretty much delivered, but this I would have to catergorize with Lord of the Rings: The Third Age. A good game, but nothing really that great. If this game didn't have the star wars license, I don't think it would even be worth playing. Not to mention the horrible frame rate, the skipping, and the slow user interface. My first time, I beat the game, with several bouts of leaving it on to go watch something else in another room, at approximately 27 hours. And although they say there are four new colors, there's really only one. Silver, which comes out looking more like white, is cool. But Orange looks just like yellow, cyan looks is just light blue, and the last one, is just light green. Silver does look cool though.

So, if you like Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, then you should have an adequate time with Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic 2, the Sith Lords, because it's essentially the first one, recycled with a few more bells and whistles. And if you haven't bought the game yet, rent the game, and just wait until about February or March, when it will on sale for $20 in the best title bin.

And last bit of info, the first two levels, are tedious and boring. Actually, three, if you count the tutorial.

This game is sub-quality...

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 6 / 7
Date: December 24, 2004
Author: Amazon User

This game is so full of bugs it's ridiculous. The first time through the game I encountered a few lock ups, the more I tried to unlock in the game the more I locked up. I really enjoyed the first game, and had high hopes for this one, but between no story line and all the lock ups I don't think Obsidian Entertainment even has a quality assurance program. This game is a sad failure compared to the original.

A Notch Below The Original

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 6 / 7
Date: January 08, 2005
Author: Amazon User

Knights Of The Old Republic II: The Sith Lords brings us much of what made the first game so great. Nonlinear gameplay, gripping story, interesting characters, high degree of customization, it's all there.

Some things have been improved. Characters can now be raised to level 30 instead of 20, so gaining experience induces a faster sense of progress. There are more items to collect and use, more upgrade options, more force powers and more party members available.

I was most impressed with the level of depth the main characters displayed. The graphics were adequate; nothing too amazing. The voice acting was acceptional and the music was of high quality.

However, there is a sense that the developers rushed this product out prematurely. There are a significant number of gliches throughout the game...much more than in KOTOR I. Maybe it's because this game is from a different developer. There are misspellings, dialogue repeats, and unresolved quest issues. While these glitches don't detract from the overall enjoyment of playing they're enough to annoy some people.

Like KOTOR I, this game allows you to choose light or dark paths to follow. Many elements in the game change depending on which side you're on. Because of this there is high incentive to replay the game all over. After first playing The Sith Lords as a Jedi Consular I'm looking forward to experiencing the adventure again, this time as a Sith Marauder.

While good, KOTOR II just doesn't appear as polished as KOTOR I. If they had spent more time tweaking the imperfections we'd have a real winner.

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