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Ray said it best -- Buyer Beware!!

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 12 / 18
Date: February 11, 2005
Author: Amazon User

This game installed on my computer just fine. Then after the first movie played the game crashed. I loaded and tried playing the game 3 more times, it crashed in the same place each time. I have a top of the line computer which plays DOOM3 flawlessly. I want to take this POS back to the store and get my money back, but I can't.

Go ahead and purchase this game, but only if you feel lucky.

It Could've Been Great

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 6 / 6
Date: March 28, 2005
Author: Amazon User

Underneath the bugs and plot holes of Knights of the Old Republic II is a great game struggling to get out. The gameplay, which is essentially the same as the first KOTOR is wonderful, though the addition of lightsaber forms really doesn't do much, and prestige classes really make your character way too powerful.

While many other reviewers have complained of bugs, I didn't have a major problem with bugs, though the first zone on Dantooine ran like a PowerPoint presentation for the first 1 minute I would be in it.

My main problem with the game was in the level design. Most zones seemed to be laid out in a rather unnecessarily complex and arbitrary way. There is also the issue of the appearance of the levels. I suppose in order to highlight the darker nature of the story, the level design called for using darker colors. The result is that almost every world is either very drab and dull in appearance, or has varying shades of dark gray as the only colors. Consequently, the worlds feel not so much dark as just plain boring, especially the last few zones in the game. Even worlds such as Dantooine, Dxun, and Telos cannot escape this monotonous art design. Additionally, the reuse of Korriban seemed rather unnecessary, since there wasn't much to be done there.

There were also a few bone-headed gameplay decisions that really irked me. In KOTOR, you wound up using nothing but Force users because they were the most powerful. In an attempt to alleviate this, most of your characters can become Jedi, which was a decent idea that worked well. However, the designers also decided to have times where characters you might never use be your main characters, which means you're going to get your ass kicked if you neglect your characters. There's also the issue that after spending hours developing your characters, on the last world, you go solo the whole way through. As a result, you feel like you developed your characters for nothing. Granted, in KOTOR 1, you went solo the last 15-20 minutes of the game, but at least you had access to the rest of party for most of the game.

Finally, we come to the game's most crippling issue, the story. KOTOR 1 had a fairly standard save-the-galaxy story, but with a few neat twists along the way. KOTOR 2 attempts to create a darker, and weirder story that makes no sense for the first quarter of the game. For the next 50% of the game, it begins to make sense, but then it all falls apart for the last quarter of the game. It really feels that the story was just not fully developed. I kept wondering what I was doing and why. There was no clear sense as to what the final objective was. This problem was exacerbated by the fact that there is no real ending to the game. The final cutscene shows the Ebon Hawk going into hyperspace and then the credits roll. You feel as though you've spent about 20 hours doing absolutely nothing.

Much like the story, the characters don't feel well developed either. The game is roughly the same length as KOTOR 1, yet at the end of KOTOR 2, you feel like you've learned nothing about the rest of the characters in your party. This is a far cry from KOTOR 1 where you learned quite a bit about your characters, and each had their own sidequests. As a result, you're left wondering about the characters and their backgrounds, and you're left not really caring about them.

As stated above, the gameplay is the game's only saving grace. The fact that the gameplay is essentially KOTOR 1's with a few extra bells and whistles probably explains the reason for that. However, the fact your character is even more overpowered than it was in KOTOR 1 makes it a bit repetitive after a certain point. Nonetheless, it is rather fun assaulting the palace of Onderon, because with Force Storm, you can kill eight enemies in one round without taking a scratch.

To conclude, KOTOR 2 is not so much a bad game as it is an unfinished game. The elements were there for a great sequel (sans the boring environments) to KOTOR, but for whatever reason, the game was ripped from the womb and delivered to us prematurely. Perhaps KOTOR 3 will be made and be great, but until then, we can only hope.

It would be fine if it wasn't bested by the first

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 6 / 6
Date: June 16, 2005
Author: Amazon User

First, the good news: this game is generally a good RPG. If I hadn't played KOTOR(1), I might even say that this was a great game. Take notice that I am going to be referring to the fully-patched PC version, since I was unable to play the game out-of-the box (without the newest patches). Even with the patches, there are problems, mostly having to do with triggering. Quests, conversations, and battles sometimes don't start or end correctly. The camera angles are sometimes off. But with all the patches, it's perfectly playable. Additionally, the developers took many things from KOTORI to good effect in this game, which plays more like an expansion (no complaints about that). They even try and improve some of them, to varying degrees of success. But the game simply pales in comparison to its predecessor.

The characters in this game have none of the depth of those in KOTOR. Where in that game we saw conflicts and history among the core characters (Bastila, Carth), there was little of this in The Sith Lords. There is hardly any interaction like we saw in KOTOR between characters in the party (that occasionally were hilarious), and not even any real way to interact with the characters via the protagonist. Sure, there's a new 'influence' setting, but what's the point if the characters aren't going to be developed any more even at a high influence level? I felt like the light-side interaction with Bastila in the first game was particularly well-done (and open-ended), but there was nothing remotely like that in The Sith Lords. Then there is the plot. It may be touted as 'deeper and darker' but in reality, it's just confusing. I think this is because the game was rushed out (hence the bugs, as well) of development. For example, there are hints of a romance with the opposite-sex characters, but only hints. Major parts of the plot are alluded to, but then the climax of each comes and goes quickly and too easily. The plot-twists in KOTOR were dramatic, but then everything prior clicked and made satisfying sense. Here we have none of that. Finally, the ending: nothing. Nothing is explained. I could give the benefit of the doubt and say this is to set up the sequel, but I think it was just a deploring rush to send out the game. I finally figured out what the word was I was searching for to describe it- the same feeling that happened at the end of KOTORI, when all the characters' diologues had been exhausted and there was nothing left to do except finish: most of KOTOR-TSL felt empty.

Basically, if you haven't played the first game... find it. Play it two or four times. If you have it and want more, well, go ahead and buy this game at a lower price and prepare to be somewhat disappointed.

Not that bad

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 6 / 6
Date: January 06, 2006
Author: Amazon User

I have completed both KOTOR I and II. While the story line in KOTOR I is more universally appealing with the romantic nature it provides, KOTOR II is not as bad as some people are making it out to be. It is true that the ending somewhat sneaks up on you. But the storyline overall is not as confusing as some other reviews seem to believe. The story here simply takes much longer to unfold and lacks the "Wow" revelation moment found in KOTOR I. It is a more intellectual story than KOTOR I, involving more nuances (especially when it comes to the nature of the Force).
The side quests are exactly what their name implies: "side" quests; they are not always tightly woven in with the overall story of the game. I think this makes the game much better. Helping(or hurting, depending on your choices) random people with their random problems gave the game a much more authentic Jedi feeling (wandering the galaxy helping those in need) to it. The gameplay is similar to KOTOR I but better in terms of developing a Jedi character. I also liked the ability to help other characters become Jedi.
Overall I think if you enjoyed KOTOR I you should be able to enjoy this game as well. It offers a much different feel than KOTOR I though, so if you are looking for a continuation of the first game you will be disappointed. But if you can get past the fact that there is no love story in this game it is pretty enjoyable.

UNFINISHED game!!! (UPDATED: patch)

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 7 / 8
Date: March 07, 2005
Author: Amazon User

From my original review:

"If George Lucas and the folks at Lucas Arts who are responsible for this game care about the future of Star Wars games ... or the future of their jobs, they will release a SERIOUS patch to this game that fixes the many, many problems that are here."

Well, they've released a patch, but it's certainly not everything we wished for.

I was very upset over this game when I first bought it. It had so many bugs and so many annoying story/plot holes that it was "painful" to play at times. Obsidian and Lucas Arts just released a patch for the game that addresses a few of the problems I was having ... but there really isn't much they could do about the holes in the story (because they rushed the game to stores instead of letting the designers finish the game).

Once patched, KOTOR 2: The Sith Lords is more fun to play ... similar to the original KOTOR. The only thing that prevents it from getting a perfect score on the fun scale is the fact that there are still a few holes in the story/plot (HUGE chunks that are completely missing). That, and since it was rushed there are some parts of the game that are just "underdeveloped" (meaning it's hard to understand what is going on in parts because the writers/designers didn't have time to put in the needed story elements so that players clearly understand what's going on.

My overall rating of the game has improved since the patch because I don't have "as many" annoying crashes and performance problems. I would now give it a 2.5 or 3 stars overall.

If you loved KOTOR then KOTOR 2 can be fun ... just be prepared for some frustrating times and make sure you update with the patch.

Buckfutter

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 28 / 61
Date: May 28, 2004
Author: Amazon User

I really don't know why they let anyone rate a game before its release. I mean what am I rating... hype. I give Bob in marketing a perfect 5 stars for this game, AWESOME job Bob!

On a more positive note, I'm pretty excited about this game. I played the first one till my DVD drive on the Xbox burned out and then replaced it and kept on playing. BTW playing dark side was a blast. Anyone gives you flak and CHOKE, AGGHGHGHGHGHGG. Moooowaahhahahhahahahahaha. Quick note, no matter how much people in real life tick you off, choke does not work outside of the game. And its not from lack of trying. It does however make for some funny antics when your stuck in traffic or in line behind an annoying person.

Unforgiveable insult by indifferent company wastes superb potential

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 13 / 22
Date: November 02, 2005
Author: Amazon User

The Sith Lords is a pig with makeup. She has the looks, lure and lust, but marital union reveals the sow she is.

And Vader's breath aside you'll still buy it knowing what KOTOR was like and the temptation is critical striking your saving throw to wisely avoid. So we'll get straight to the point. Obsidian's affront offers no backstory on the Darth villains, myriad game bugs, no twists or surprises or final movie, a companion-influence system that works against you, and fewer movies horridly fragmented into brief sequences best of all that a 2-gigabyte graphics patch still doesn't resolve.

KOTOR starts with a bang and Taris diversity to impress. Your bang here is a choppy intro movie, slaying foes with weak weapons in single hits half naked, your first vista of new face templates an afro-haired geek, unattractive ladies and a Lando clone. Hunters are coming, surrounded by volatile explosives, and the outcome is obvious. Kiss my Vadering breath, your dramatic movie/music of the heated escape is abruptly stop-started-stop-started with loading screens!

The transparent storyline as the last known wizard is ridiculous fraudulence, as though you won't greet and grit other Jedi. You're dreaming Bastila bums if you think the game offers plot or character conversation surprises like KOTOR, the stolen ending aside, of course. There's a darker feel, as unknown threats have decimated the wizards. The Darths aren't so terrifying when you easily corpse them, with only rudimentary info on Scion and absolutely none for Nilly. Why, you're not even told his damn name until you meet, this nightmare sucking worlds dry a delightful opposite of battle meditation, feeding, not nurturing, no background at all! Searching for Jedi Masters instead of starmaps, the old hag warns you the Darths you face are best faced without your Force.

Then why do you fight them with it??

Burping banthas, the Sith hardly use THEIR Force on you. I sabered them just fine. And they'd have you think Jedi-ing your companions is awesome, but it's too late in the short game, making their weak powers needless against your Incredible Hulk. Enemy strength isn't compensated when prestige classes overpower you. Force lightening/screaming 8 dead in a hit will either be fun or eventually boring. Sith Lords hardly even dark side you!

Your party conspiring behind you flavours TSL like a story, but it doesn't feel Star Wars at all. You don't find much sabers or fight saber foes until the very end, so what's the point in calling it SW? The legions of Sith Lord babies you swim through at the end are hardly worthy of the name.

The Kreia Kontradiction is transparent as to be blatant nudity. Supposedly neither light nor dark, then why does she reward you with darkside-influence? Was her ulterior design so opaque, that the developers thought that'd be a sneaky plot twist? She'll bonus your experience when with you, but lightside action loses influence. You want to level up faster, but a handy "close your eyes" game bug aboard ship allows you to influence her enough to access her movie story, fortunately.

Influence is this game's theme. Different behaviour can charisma different companions, which the developers would have you think is quiet cool. Truth is, you don't influence them right you won't access their precious backgrounds. While tying your influence into the storyline was a clever touch, the game lacks casual fun as you must constantly shift party slots to have the right human or droid present when meeting people.

Game duration's shorter than KOTOR, too short to access all your party stories under restrictive influence guidelines. Added annoyance as your shipmates is quite hilarious to hear. Lightsiders will only influence good companions, so you'll miss the darksiders. What, were you encouraged to replay this skeletal game?

Not only are you returned to Dantooine and Korriban, they're exceptionally short stays. The cave phantoms were fun, but there's almost nothing to do on Korriban and no influence opportunity at all. Cut material cheats you a third of the game. Complete Nar Shadda even second last and you'll have no chance to influence the weak but snappy Mira.

Every movie is fragmented. Like 3 clips to reach Telos' surface instead of one 15 sec one! Absolutely unacceptable! Music's a blaring riot of sounds without KOTOR's rhythmic intricacy. Battle tracks are mundane, though the atmosphere of Malachor is memorable.

Companions are better controlled and now automatically move out of your way, teleport in if lagging, unique talents with exceptional witty dialogue. Kreia's ire at your zoo collection of outlaws, misfits and Jedi sparks tension. Gender and light/dark alignment affects some party composition. This time your loyal T3 has a strong role, but bugged with rapid-speech lines. HK-47 is back and with a family. Damn the bumtarts for cutting the droid planet out! Loads of Star Wars trivia from all sources, and instant weapon swapping is what KOTOR really needed. Varied facial templates won't see the same few this time, and you might even meet your own from last game. Gone are the ubiquitous Twi'leks and Rodians for vaster alien and ethnic human variety.

Exotic new powers and skills make autolevelling again pointless. Without respawning foes I reached level 27. Attributes and skills now affect your conversation choices, enhancing game play. Item acquisition is random, tempting you to reload until enemies give you something better; excellent range of exotic accessories, weaponry and Force-usable caped armour. I mostly got only short and double sabers though.

The 35 problems the game boasts weren't invisible during pregnancy. Technical glitches like bugged journal quests, getting stuck in walls, companions not attacking, rapid alien speech, random desktop crashes, your saber permanently lit. No stage bosses, blasters and lightside powers still weak and defensive, and shorter mouse-targeting-distance are some design faults. It also looks ridiculous to block a blade unarmed.

It's not the sheer audacity of rushing a skeletal game for new year sales, but that LucasArts has forbidden Obsidian's request to restore missing content.

Fun game... But not worth the price...

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 10 / 15
Date: March 13, 2005
Author: Amazon User

Do Not Buy This Game!!! There are so many bugs in this game that it is almost unplayable... This is also not a complete game... there are portions of the story that are missing. Lucas Arts to date has also not released a patch and no information is forthcoming on when a patch will be available. If you doubt me, check out both obsidian's forum and lucas art's support forum for proof. In my opinion... those people who have rated this game highly haven't played it enough to experience any of the bugs. It took me four hours to get the game to even start as there was compatibility issues with my graphics card which is well over the recommended specs, issues with dialog skipping, frame rate issues and much more.

This all being said the gameplay is actually really good. They have taken the original gameplay and built off of it so KOTOR fans will be quite happy.

I recommend people wait to buy this game untill the price goes down, or at least wait untill the patch has been released for a while and tested by the general public as obviously Lucas Art's game testers have are obvious to any problems.

DONT buy this broken game

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 10 / 15
Date: April 05, 2005
Author: Amazon User

game is messed up and obsidian and LA wont release the patch. You will never be able to finish the game if you buy it. It has been two months since they said they were working in a patch and now they just ignor us. They no longer care about their customers. They got our money and wont fix their broken game. Do yourself a huge favor and pass up all lucas arts and obsidian games including this one.

Resting on their Laurels

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 9 / 13
Date: February 15, 2005
Author: Amazon User

The game is a big disappointment.

There are way too many bugs for this game to have gone Gold. (When running the game on a P4 3.2 GHz system with 2 Gig of ram with an ATI RADEON® 9800 PRO 256MB video card with the latest catalyst drivers, the game was crashing every 15 to 20 minutes.)

One reviewer suggests wait for a patch... after we waited for the game for two months after the Xbox release, I thought this one would have been playable out of the box.

It seems to me that the game just isn't done yet.

There is so much detail that isn't there. While they did a lot of work on the new logo (which is prominent everywhere) they didn't flush out and pay attention to the details of the game. It's not a rich and full as the first game was. It's as if they were resting on their laurels and expecting this game to be a success because the first game was. The problem is that the first game was such a success because of its innovation. While there are changes and upgrades in KotOR II, there is very little innovation.
The AI seems worse in this version not better. The graphics are the same. The maps have the same feel (different planet same map...)

I admit that I expected a lot from the sequel.
I expected it to feel and play like this year's Game of the Year.
It looks like I expected too much.

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