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More of the same greatness

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 2 / 4
Date: December 19, 2004
Author: Amazon User

Knights of the old Republic is now the best franchise on XBOX after a medicore showing by Halo 2, well in my opinion atleast. I hear all these people saying it's better in some ways than the original and worse in others. It's the same thing, the gameplay and concept remain unchanged period. Only difference is this one has a bit more glitches during the talking, sometimes you can make a conversation last forever because you can make characters repeat the same thing over and over. My biggest grip is that you don't get a lightsaber until like 15 hours into the game and up until then some of the boss battles might be a little harder than in the original. Another difference is that you can lose or gain influence among your partners depending on what you do and how you treat them but this isn't a big factor. You hear this about games like Prince of Persia 2 and Metroid Prime 2 games that in my opinion were never that good to begin with but KOTOR 2: Sith Lords is just more of the same thing and makes a suprisenly good 1 year sequel by NOT changing anything.

Ed Asner returns.... JUMP BACK AND SAY OWWWWW!!!!!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 2 / 4
Date: January 05, 2005
Author: Amazon User

Sometime last year I pledged that KOTOR 2 would be the first game I would play solely in Hard difficulty mode. This was because the first game was easy in "Hard" ( with the right character ). I was hoping that the new game would provide some examples of more challenging combat.

Well, it does. Herewith, my list ( subject to the limitations of recall ) of fights in the game which I consider to be somewhat challenging ( meaning the party got killed at least once ):

- Me vs. a group of mercenaries on Telos ( note: this is only a hard fight if you don't call back the other party members who have disappeared )
- Me vs. the mercenaries on Dantooine ( without Ed Asner )
- Atton vs. Twin Suns
- Mira vs. Hanharr ( either time )
- Mira vs. the groups of Ubese bounty hunters
- My backup party in the last fight in Freedon Nadd's tomb
- Me vs. some of the groups of low-level Sith in Trayus Academy(!)
- Me vs. the end boss

Also, I was not able to beat the 5 handmaidens at once while on Telos; fighting 2 at once was challenging.

There's the whole list. Any fight in this game that's not on the list simply wasn't a challenge.

That includes Darth Sion and Darth Nihilus, the vaunted Sith Lords, the latter of which has his image plastered on the game box, the main menu, the prerelease teaser poster, etc., etc.
As other people have pointed out, Nihilus is a giant buildup to nothing, and goes down like a complete[slang for part of female anatomy].
Sion at least makes you spar with him multiple times, but is similarly disappointing as a boss enemy. Why? Well, for one thing, these guys don't really use Force powers. The thing that made Malak a difficult end boss in KOTOR was that he could use Force lightning and heal himself via the trapped Jedi.

As frustrating as it can be sometimes, the ability of a boss enemy to heal themselves makes for more challenging RPG or action-RPG combat. For reference, see Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance II. With certain bosses, if you pause for a second to catch your metaphorical breath or rest your tired fingers, guess what? All the HP damage you did up to that point has been healed. Back to square one! In these KOTOR games I see very few bosses who can heal themselves.

Other points: this is a glitchy game. There are items ( some implants ) which I should be able to use but can't, because they go by a base attribute instead of the modified attribute. There's a programming flaw which means that ANYONE in the party who tries to break down items at a workbench will get results due to the main character's Repair skill --- the way around this is to equip the main character with Repair-boosting items. Also, in my game I either get no light side mastery bonus or a DOUBLE light side mastery bonus. Go figure.

This is still a great game, for people who loved the first one and want more in the same vein. The dark tone of the cutscenes and the expanded story are great. Also, there are all kinds of useful minor improvements. For example: there is now no penalty associated with Master Flurry. Running around in the space suit no longer means moving really slow. You can use feats to change cross-class skills into class skills. You can break down items and build better items. You can switch between two weapon configurations ( think Grand Theft Auto ) without going to the Equip menu. Et cetera.

One more comment: the original music in this series continues to be impressive.

If there is a KOTOR 3 I want it to be flat-out DIFFICULT at times. But who knows? Maybe I think the KOTOR games are easy due to the fact that my PCs always turn out the same way: as damage-and-to-hit-maxing healing tanks!

An evolution rather than a revolution

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 2 / 4
Date: January 08, 2005
Author: Amazon User

This game continues on the momentum gained from the previous KOTOR game. It is very similar to the previous game but with a lot of little touches. Several things I noticed; one, the game features the ability to equip two sets of weapons and you can switch back and forth between the two with a push of a button. This is good if you have a character who uses ranged weapons and then gets into a melee battle or vice versa. The conversations are now much more active. In the first game whenever there was a dialouge the game just stopped and got static. Now, you see people moving around in the background and in the foreground. Talking during battles is interesting. One of my more memorable moments during the game occured when my character set a power conduit system on overload and then entered a conversation. Halfway through the discussion my chracter gets electrocuted and falls to the ground. It was quite humorous.

Another thing I noticed is that the ability to create new items and breakdown old items into componets to create new items. I didn't use this option too much but it is still a nice touch. The ability to influence your companions to the light side or dark side was also a nice addition although I never really bothered trying to convert anyone to my cause too much.

I must say that this game was very fun to play. Unlike the first one you start the game as a jedi from the first moment. Unlike the first game you can go beyond level twenty which allows you to learn more force powers and become much stronger. The addition of prestige classes also adds a touch of variety. Playing as a Jedi Master or a mighty Sith Lord is quite the thrill. You can just bowel people over with your force powers.

But alas, I must now deal with the negative. The story is somewhat lacking. I never knew 100% what was going on. I'm sure part of that was deliberate but still it was annoying. The game lacks the big "I am your father" mind trip moment that the first game had. The ending, also is somewhat lacking, both for the dark and the light. Granted, I wasn't expecting a twenty minute final fantasy III-esque ending after the first game's ho hum finale but this was even worse. I won't spoil it for you if you haven't played the game but I could surmise the ending in one sentence easy. Also, going back to a previous complaint the characters you have to choose from are essentially the same dudes you got to choose from in the first game, with slightly better looks. I hate to keep beating this into the ground but I got a fever and the only prescription is being able to play as a wookie.

So, in all I have to say this is a great game but if I had to give a nod I would prefer the first one but still, for having come out so soon after the first game this one does a good job trying to fill it's big brothers shoes even if it doesn't quite succeed.

P.s. If you play through the game as a dark side character you may notice that at the end your character has replaced Darth Sion/Darth Nihilus on the title screen. It's a very minor thing but it really is symbolic of what this game is about. The special little touches.

Great game - slow and irritating load times

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 2 / 4
Date: January 18, 2005
Author: Amazon User

I must confess that I have only recently started playing console games. I bought the X-Box because of the type of games I am interested in playing. My first game was Star Wars Battlegrounds - fun game.

As my second game, I chose Knights of the Old Republic II. The game is OK. A friend of mine told me that the cool force powers are available for those characters edging towards the Dark Side, so I purposfully chose responces that guarantee those points. A dissapointing feature of the game is that I cannot do very evil things like kill my companions or leave them behind. It seems regardless of my choices, they come along anyway.

The most annoying feature is the loading involved. I wish there was some way to copy the game and have it run from the hard drive as I am sure the load times would be faster. It takes close to 30 seconds to load a next scene, and sometimes accessing multiple scenes is required for game play.

But it is a fun game to play and I have been attachted to my game controller playing this game for day on end.

Same ole

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 2 / 4
Date: February 01, 2005
Author: Amazon User

Frustrating load times, tons of bugs and glitches, story with a lot of holes in it and extremly easy (and the only other RPG I've ever played is KOTOR I).

Besides that it's just a continuation of the first game. Which is fine with me. I had a lot of fun playing and beating it, just once mind you as I try to keep my geekdom in check.

I would recomend buying this game if you liked the first one, just be forewarned of the above complaints as this game seemed to have been rushed to market. But as long as you're even tempered and not a Star Wars fan boy loser, it shouldn't hurt the experience much.

A Half Great Game

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 2 / 4
Date: February 05, 2005
Author: Amazon User

I wasn't going to write a review for Kotor II until I saw Scott Sloan's comments below. It sounds like he's on the Obsidian or Lucas Arts payroll. Actually, I agree with much of what he said. The KOTOR II gameplay is better, and you are given many more ways (compared to KOTOR I) to build a great Jedi character (Light or Dark). But the story falls down: It's confusing/puzzling (read boring) in places, it just doesn't make sense in other places, quests suddenly end for no apparent reason without explanation, the characters are uninteresting and, above all, the ending is totally unsatisfying. So KOTOR II is half a very good game (gameplay) and half a not-so-great game (plot/story). I truly feel that KOTOR I is a better, more involving, game experience. And there is no way this game deserves a 5 Star rating (except to hardcore Star Wars fans) when compared to other titles available. I'd give KOTOR II a 3-1/2 Star rating if I could. It's definitely not a "great" game -- just pretty good.

More Star Wars goodness, though not perfect

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 2 / 4
Date: March 18, 2005
Author: Amazon User

I mostly agree with those reviewers who criticize this game for being very good yet not quite up to the first KOTOR. This may be the case, but I still feel that to give this game 3 stars while saying it's a great game is a back-handed compliment. In my opinion, the rating scale is absolute, and not relative, meaning that if I have a great time playing a game, it will get high marks, regardless of whether it lived up to the hype or not. Yes, the first KOTOR was a phenomenal game, but so is this one! I wonder if the roles were reversed and KOTOR I were the sequel, wouldn't people have the same criticism?

The Good: Terrific gameplay, engrossing storyline (no less believable or entertaining or deep than the first; the jury seems to be out on who prefers which. I liked the first better, but I suspect it had something to do, again, with novelty and a Star Wars game not stinking for the first time in human history). The world is believable, the characters are fun and deeper than most hollywood movies (certainly than the last 2 Star Wars flicks), and most importantly, you CARE about your character. I genuinely agonized over certain decision because of the possible repercussions. Also, this game has two great value incentives: long gameplay time (40 hours or so) and great replay value (I'm planning on completing it on Dark Side next). The new tweaks (create and breakdown raw items, modified force powers) are nice and generally well-implemented.

The Bad: The graphics are terribly outdated. The Neverwinter Nights graphics engine on which this is based is some 5 years old, and it shows. Compared to what is being done out there in terms of visuals (Half Life 2 anyone) or even just on the Xbox (Halo 2, of course, but also Splinter Cell), this franchise is due for a facelift. They added weather effects, which are nice, but actually have little impact in gameplay atmosphere.

The Ugly: Some of the effects actually slow down the framerate below acceptable levels. It's too bad, because they can be gorgeous. The loading is also on the long side, though I've seen longer. It'd be nice if the loading were related to lots of high resolution graphics, but alas that is not the case.

Bottom Line: This is a phenomenal game, with an addictive blend of RPG and action/adventure driving a solid, well-written and well-acted storyline. I know people who prefer KOTOR I to this one, but I also know some who prefer this second version to the first. You be the judge.

Could have been better

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 2 / 4
Date: November 13, 2005
Author: Amazon User

I like the graphics, the sound and the worlds you visit in this game. I like that their are different light sabers and crystals that go into them. The Force is always frn. The characters are a point of interest. They have depth and each has their own weapons. I don't like that there is not much chance to explore what you want. The maps are little more than big interlocking squares in most places with monsters scattered around. The fighting is boring and the bad guys are repetative. The small details I like aren't able to carry the whole game. Overall, I got pretty board after a few worlds and have not played in since.

Not as good as the first one.

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 2 / 4
Date: July 26, 2006
Author: Amazon User

Unlike this first KOTOR game, this one just felt "slapped together". Story lines go nowhere, characters fizzle, and when I played it the first time, the ending made almost no sense and was not very satisfying. I thought I would play it again, but it just wasn't good enough and ultimately I never did. (I played the first KOTOR several times and enjoyed it each time.)

The fighting in this game did not seem as challenging or as well thought out as in the first KOTOR.

This game is not horrible, but not anywhere as much fun or as addicting as the the first KOTOR. Play it, but make sure you don't pay too much for it.

An Xcellent Middle Chapter to the Kotor Series!!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 3 / 9
Date: February 04, 2005
Author: Amazon User

I loved the first Knights of the Old Republic, and continued to play through it many times even after beating the game. Yes it was that good!!! And this comes from a person who does not consider himself a gamer. The sequel Sith Lords adds a dose of polish to some of the rough spots from the original game, such as new Faces for the heroes, more choices and control over companions, and one of my favorites although a minor thing to some people. The Jedi robes look much cool then they did in the first game. Even more feats and Jedi powers have been added into the mix, and I am sure that everyone has their Can't Miss combonation that they choose EVERY time they play. I know i do!! The graphics are very nice, and the gameplay is simple for if i can master it then anyone can. it does take some practice and skill to acheive the right combo's of feats, skills, and powers so don't feel bad if you don't get it on the first play.
The story follows the first game, this game taking place 5 years after the original game (new players should really play the first Knights of the old republic first to get the full effect of some of the lingo, and special appearences from the previous game.) You are the last jedi, and of course the Sith are chasing you all across the galaxy, and you must use all of your abilities to either fight for the good, or the evil depending on your preferences. Though it does not carry the whopper of a plot twist that the original carried, and one of the few downsides of the game in my opinion. The story moves along very well in the beginning only near the end does it bog down a little bit in crosses, doublecrosses, and minor glitches in the game that left me puzzled with cut scenes that did not make sense such as the one scene where one character appears to kill another character but then all is forgotten once the cut scene has ended. I'm sure that you have read that the game ends on a bit of a downer, only due to the fact that i suspect that Kotor III is due out sometime, cuz the game literally leaves you hanging in space. Still it is an excellent game, for the Star Wars fan, and the casual gamer alike. Enjoy!!!

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