By far the best and most complex Star Wars story. You really should play it at least once, even though it has dated graphics and mechanics. Oh, and play it with the fan made restored content mode, since kotor 2 haven't been finished because Lucasarts' greed (that's why I gave it "only" 9 star). Compared to other Star Wars stories it is like books to comics. EA really should remake it with the original content, since sadly not everything could been restored.
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lordshen-855713 October 2017
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knebogin21 January 2008I'm not actually a gamer, but once in a while I can play something which I think is worth it. Well, let me tell you, dear readers, that game, along with the original KOTOR, was a stunning experience! The beauty of the far-away worlds, the masterpiece soundtrack from Jeremy Soule and Mark Griskey and the fantastic story will catch your mind for long days to come. Bioware (the developers of Knights of Old Republic) and Obsidian Entertainment (the sequel) truly did an outstanding job in creating the worlds that one will never forget having once "visited" them. In case you haven't played it yet, whether you like Star Wars or not, type Amazon in browser or get yourselves to the nearest store and get the game. You will not be disappointed.
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Metamorphosis8910 July 2019I wish the new star wars movies had a story and writing this good. They took the star wars ip and added more adult themes, they added choices which werent just either black or white ( Kotor 1), they expanded on the story by exploring the force and adding philosophy to it. They also found the perfect balance. the conversations dont bore me like the later games of obsidian, talking about pillars of eternity which was a total letdown story wise for me. So much meaningless text which became a chore to read each time i talked to someone. Kotor 2 doesnt have that, 90% of the time, expecially with kreia, i listen like i would listen to some intellectual celebrity (neil degrasse tyson or carl sagan come to mind). When she talks about the force i feel like i listen to carl sagan talking about the universe. A little more time and a higher budget would have made this game legendary.
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petra_ste30 August 2007Obsidian's Knights of the Old Republic 2 is a compelling RPG set in the Star Wars galaxy, the sequel to one of BioWare's best games. While KOTOR 2 has some flaws its predecessor lacked, it also features some neat improvements, like the influence system.
The main character is the Exile, a former Jedi searching for his surviving Masters to warn them about the return of the Sith. His companions include Kreia, an enigmatic old woman, Atton, who at first seems a Han Solo clone but hides a few secrets, droids T3 and HK-47 and a few others. Bastila from the first KOTOR has a brief but poignant cameo.
Many games start and end strongly but have lot of padding in between: KOTOR 2 is the opposite. The first couple of hours are slow and tedious, as the Exile is marooned on a space station; the final act part is horribly rushed, with subplots introduced and quickly discarded. However, the middle section (let's say the central 75% of the game) is as great as the first KOTOR.
The influence system is excellent; this was one of the first RPGs to make extensive use of it. The companions' attitude towards the player is constantly evolving: for example, a certain character may appreciate loyalty, another deception; some party members will despise evil decisions, others will approve them (the morality system is based on the Light/Dark Side contrast, albeit with a few twists). Naturally, mistreating your allies may ruin your relationship. You can also train some of them as Jedi (or Sith if you go for the Dark Side).
Characters are memorable, voice acting fine. Special mention to Sarah Kestelmann's Kreia, who is both creepy and strangely sympathetic: one of the best Star Wars characters outside the original trilogy. Villains are also fairly interesting and more creative than the first KOTOR's Malak.
Gameplay isn't as good as narrative; in particular, combat is often unbalanced. Some Force powers are absurdly overpowered: a couple of them are so deadly that when you use them a half-dozen enemies will drop dead at your feet. It's like swatting flies with a sledgehammer.
The worst thing about KOTOR 2 is its lack of closure. This game doesn't end, it STOPS: "anticlimactic" doesn't quite convey it. Questions about Revan, the Exile, the fate of the galaxy and the threat from the Outer Rim are all left unanswered.
Still waiting for KOTOR 3... -
sinanonline16 September 2005As a Star Wars fan and a role playing games fan, I loved the first game. I think that the only reason I was disappointed with Kotor 2 is that I had played Kotor.
The plot line is intriguing, and there is much room for role-play. However, it is apparent that there are many holes and unresolved mysteries in the plot. What happens to the force bond between Kreia and main character at the end? How come main character does not die? What happens to the force-sensitive characters trained by main character? How come the main character defeats "Hunger" in one battle, whereas he was able to destroy the whole Jedi council plus a planet full of force-sensitive sentients? What happened to Revan? What happens to the main character? Why does "Pain" not kill Kreia when she is caught defenseless at the beginning of the game, and why does he become an apprentice again at the end, both actions against the Sith Code? Some of these unresolved issues are apparently intentional. However, there is way too many of them, and it is apparent that most are not intentional, but unfinished.
One critical error is the following: If the main character takes time to work on the memory core of the astromech droid, we have a 3D message from Bastilla. Main character does not seem to recognize Bastilla here. However, main character recognizes Bastilla perfectly when he/she sees her image in the dark-side tomb in Coribban.
I have to congratulate Kristoffer Tabori on excellent voicing of the ironical HK-47 droid. He breathed life into a droid character sufficient to make HK-47 into a main character for a game.
All throughout the game, a strong atmosphere of "unfinished" is embedded. I hope that Lucusarts gives the necessary amount of time to the next sequel. However, certainly worth playing. -
As time goes on, games seem to be cast in different lights as technology can cast old games aside as feeling "dated". It is inevitable. However some games are truly works of art and can be considered timeless. Knights of the Old Republic 2 counts as one of those games. Where the first one gives one of the greatest adventures in gaming KotOR 2 does something entirely different.
When I first played this as a young child I thought the GAME was amazingly fun with all sorts of choices for game play dark/light, force powers, companions, choices etc. It is the pinnacle of RP game ambition before graphics, presentation and streamlined game play took over. Not many games make you feel like an unstoppable Jedi/Sith.
Now as an adult I find this game to be simply put; Art. No game in the history besides maybe Bio shock, Prey, System Shock 2, and RDR 2 have attacked themes and played mind tricks on the players own beliefs. Simply put this game will challenge your beliefs in the grandest sense of good vs evil.
Kreia might be the greatest video game character ever. Every line of dialogue is captivating. This game is a meta analysis on Star Wars itself and what the Jedi and Sith are (morality). Transcending the setting and looking at the world in a Taoistic lens. It challenges what you think to be evil and good while at the same time the GAMEPLAY itself works in tandem with the themes of the story. Being good/jedi or evil/sith or even neutral all help bring the themes to light.
This is exactly what The Last Jedi attempted. Albeit far worse and with essentially 0 nuance. Even your companions react to you and challenge you at every turn where you have to maintain a balance and manipulate your companions with certain dialogue choices (influence) in order to make them the best they can be. Are you truly a wise/peaceful Jedi if you attempt to keep all companions happy? Are you not more like a sith using people to your advantage? This only scratches the surface of the themes.
Absolutely Brilliant. Only thing holding it from a 10 as others have said are the bugs, ending, and cut content. As of today there is a patched version on Steam and addresses many of the issues. Chris Avellone really hit a grand slam here and ever since I have followed him and loved gaming. Ironically nothing has come close to the grand scale of this game for me.
What is morale good and what is morale evil truly??? You could write English essays on this games themes. -
snakes12411 June 2006this one is much better than the first and i have good reason. First of all my congrats for creating keria. She is the best character besides Darth Vader in star wars history. Because she keeps you guessing in the game about who she is and her character is full of mystery. This game keep me guessing till the end and it full of surprises. The music was better and the graphics and the Jedi robes were better. The story line was awesome. Best Game i Have ever played this game really keeps you going and i personally would love to see them make this game into either a movie or a TV series. Can't wait for them to make a third on. also i wish they came out with soundtrack cause the music is amazing. It really beats out the first one. The first one was great but this one was a lot better. Great Job!!!!
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anselmdaniel30 August 2021This review contains spoilers.
Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic 2: The Sith Lords is the sequel to 2003's Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic video game. The sequel takes place 5 years after the conclusion of the first game. The Republic is weakened by both the Mandalorian Wars and the Jedi Civil War when a new threat by new Sith Lords emerges.
The second game was developed by Obsidian Entertainment and features a different feel overall than the first Knights of the Old Republic. The second game features much more in-depth companion characters and a different tone than the first. The tone in this game is much darker with the Force taking on a more sinister tone than in the first game and in the Star Wars movies. There is an undercurrent that shows how the Force can be used to deprive the universe of its free-will.
The gameplay is largely unchanged from the first Knights of the Old Republic. The combat and dialogue systems function exactly the same as they did in the first game. There are a few improvements to the graphics but this is miniscule. Largely if players did not like the first game's graphics, sound, or animations they will not be sold here.
The second game's plot and characters is where most of the focus in development went. I am pleased to report that this game's plot and characters are superior in some ways to the first game. There is much more depth to all of the characters that are present in Knights of the Old Republic 2: The Sith Lords. The villains, protagonists, and supporting characters all feel alive in this sequel. They have personal stories and side quests that are well intertwined in the story. There are a few exceptions to this rule that seems to have more to do with Obsidian Entertainment's rush to complete the game rather than the writing. The video game also feels unfinished especially towards the end which features many scenes that appear cut.
Hanharr, a dark side wookie, and the Disciple are the weaker characters in this game. They do not have much of a tie to the main story when they are recruited and it feels like that are included because the developers wanted to experiment. Much of this game's flaws feel like failed experiments rather than an intended mechanic. These two characters could have been more included in the main story. As it stands with Mical the Disciple he does not have much of a tie to the story as Brianna the Last Handmaiden does.
The other characters are magnificent in their own ways and they tie into the main story wonderfully. There is also an undercurrent of the companions being Force sensitive that makes the return of the Jedi Order engrossing as it is the player creating these Force bonds.
I highly recommend "Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic 2: The Sith Lords". Although unfinished, the video game represents a retrospective take on Star Wars that feels fresh and unmatched.
Grade: A. -
umlaziking22 February 2021Star wars kotor 2 is a really fantastic game and definitely one of the greatest star wars stories ever told. I heard that the developers did not have time to complete this, which makes a lot of sense because the ending felt really empty and really unsatisfying....but if you look really past that and focus on its writing and story especially, you can tell that the developers aim was to make this game a lot better than the first and i really do believe they would have succeeded, they just needed more time. I love how every decision and choice you make sometimes has a consequence and what i love about this game the most are its villians, darth traya is one of the greatest female villians i have ever seen, the way she manipulates you and your crew, the way she talks about the force is very mesmirizing and the way she makes things happen her way really makes her stand out. Ao this game is a definate 10 from me, i know this review is late...that is becuz i played this game on my android recently. Really great game and i suggest u dont pay for it on playstore if you want to play it, just download it for free online...
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akhan22512 October 2005I have been a Star Wars fan for as long as i have been able to watch movies. Once I got a new PC, I was thrilled to begin the Knights of the old Republic. Not soon after, I was playing through the second game when I realized just how good the first one was.
The Sith Lords is by no means bad, if you are willing to overlook a few bugs and minor plot holes, but it doesn't even come close to the complexity and detail of the first one, story-wise. Combat was a little more engaging with new moves and force powers, but these can only sustain a gamer for so long. I was particularly thankful for the ability to open up new conversations with your companions throughout the game, and eventually teaching them to use the force.
Throughout the game there are several bugs. This is probably due to the fact that Obsidian was rushed to put the game on to store shelves for the holiday season. This resulted in parts of the games storyline being cut altogether or shortened and a somewhat disappointing ending. If you are PC version owner of KOTOR II there is always the ability to place mods in the game for added gameplay value once the game is finished.
Some Final Words: -Good free roam game with lots of side-quests. -Massively detailed environments. -Great new Star Wars soundtrack -If I had to rate it: 7/10 -
new_releases26 July 2007KOTOR 2 takes place five years after the original KOTOR. This time, you play as an exiled Jedi Knight, a veteran of the Mandalorian Wars, who followed Revan to battle against the Jedi Council's wishes. The Sith have hunted the Jedi Order on the verge of extinction, you are the only known Jedi left, and the Sith are focusing all of their attention on you. In addition to that, the Republic is on the verge of collapse, still recovering from the Jedi Civil War. Whether Revan saved or crushed the Republic affects the storyline. KOTOR 2 has eight planets, two of which are from the original KOTOR. Instead of fighting a bunch of Sith soldiers, you fight Sith assassins, and of course, there are a couple of Sith Lords leading the crusade against the Jedi Order: Darth Nihlus, and Darth Sion. This time, your alignment affects your companions. In KOTOR 2, there is an influence system. For example, if you have a Light Side party member with you, and you make a Dark Side decision, you'll lose influence (and vice versa) The more influence you have, the more secrets you can unlock from the party member. You can build a party up to 10 characters. There are some familiar characters that'll join you. Also, you can break down items into components, and with those make new items. You can also break down medical supplies (or grenades) into chemicals, and use a lab station to make new items. As in the last game, you use the Ebon Hawk. You must construct a new light saber, and reconnect to the Force if you are to survive!
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timtownson20 October 2018I still play this game all the time. I have it both Xbox and steam and I think this game still holds its place as best game ever made.
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qpbqttdz19 March 2023Loved this game upon its original release. Would have given a 9/10 a decade ago. Recently replayed once I found there was a switch port version of the game. So that is what I'm basing this review off.
The switch port alone I'd give 2/10 max. Constant crashes forcing replaying large sections. Bugged missions that then go incomplete. (KOTOR I on Korriban last mission in the sith tomb if you go for the sword you cannot complete the ring section literally forcing you to reload back to last save. All I could find as a solution was someone who worked on it said avoid that section and mod in the sword to use.) ... I payed money for this.
The story is mainly the same as I remember and nostalgia was nice. But didn't realize just how empty the world was. Large fields with maybe one or two enemies. Large cities constantly running from one side to another to two quest points. It became boring and annoying.
My biggest problem with the game playing as an older player now is the "good vs evil" choices and consequences. Basically if you are not pro republic you are evil. Helping Oonderon become an independent planet gave me evil attributes. Was kind of laughable at times how ridiculous some choices became.
Loved this game as a kid. Thought I'd really enjoy playing through again. Was severely disappointed. 6-7/10 overall. -
soneil123 August 2007This game could have, should have been a classic. The first one certainly was. The second one though was so obviously incomplete that it detracted from what would have been a very interesting and engaging story. Sort of like a movie with a great script, but didn't come across too well because they didn't have time to film some crucial scenes. The developers were so hell bent on getting it out in time for the Christmas sales rush that the final game had big chunks removed from the story and it shows (especially playing the sith storyline), not to mention the game being chock full of bugs. In some parts of the game, there are discussions and other references to parts of the story that didn't make the final cut. It's hard to enjoy the storyline when you're having to trawl through mountains of discussions about bugs in online forums, just to find the awkward solution to a problem that's preventing you from playing a certain level properly. Overall as a game its 'not quite finished' status is painfully obvious and what should have been a great game became a chore.
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sheepgood30715 January 2005It's hard to try and live up to a game that's been voted "Best Game of the Year" by at least 6 different groups. But this game almost does it. Enhanced interaction and influence with highly developed party members, more upgrades for your weapons, and a fascinating plot leave few weaknesses. If you've been reading the IMDb threads about this game or Xbox magazine, you know this already: the bosses are just not as menacing as Darth Malak was in the first game. Even so, I was playing this for hours at a time, whenever I could muster it in my schedule, and it became dangerous how much emotion I poured into that game. If you've played KOTOR 1, definitely play KOTOR 2.
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DIceoFire24 July 2009Kotor2 one of my fav games for the first level to the end. The games level are hard but can be easyif you stay calm and if you have pacence. There are some bad parts of the game like all the cut content the robot planet, assassin droids base, and love stories. the reason they gave up the cut content is to release it on time. The game was better than the first and was longer, if you have the PC Version of it you can download added content to it to make it longer like planets, weapons, people, and music. The Xbox version of it has cheat nods in it that can be randomly. I have beat the game many time be for and have had may characters. If you can master the first kotor you can be a pro at the game and have the best of characters.
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kazar-rimaa18 February 2023KOTOR 2 expands upon the first game brilliantly, and truly brings the galaxy to life, whether on the seedy underworld of Nar Shaddaa to the wild overgrown primal jungles of Dxun. It adds depth, nuance and darkness to the galaxy far far away, and has in my opinion, arguably the greatest writing and story in the entire franchise. Obsidian knocked it out of the park with this sequel. The fact that it was rushed in development by lucas arts is a real shame, because the final product with the restored content mod is just brilliant. Kreia is one of, if not the best written character in the entire franchise, and raises so many interesting questions about free will, the influence of the force and the choices we make. The exile has a fascinating story, and the game really allows you to explore the nature of the force and what it means to be a jedi. I also prefer how it adds subtlety and shades of gray to what had largely been to this point, a black and white galaxy in terms of choices and morality. It's such a shame obsidian never got to release and finish their KOTOR 3, this game is a fantastic sequel that deserved a solid conclusion.
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josephellis27 February 2021I just completed this "game". And it is without question, the most intresting, diverse, philosophical, dark, and engaging star wars story yet. It made me think about my whole journey. It made the Dark Side and Light Side so intresting and diverse and NOT SHALLOW like in kotor 1. It explains how the Force is everything wrong with the galaxy, and the weakness of the Jedi, weakness of the sith. Honestly the story in this one grabbed me more than kotor 1. An amazing cast of characters, npc and playable. The world of the Old Republic is so interesting and far more diverse than anything the current star wars is doing now. We've seen vader, storm troopers, the resistance, palpatine, luke, etc; Over and over and its not cool anymore. But this era that is the prequels before the prequels reminds me of how enriching the galaxy is, and that you can do any new and intresting stories with this universe. Disney will say this isn't canon but who cares what they say, this is canon to me and is more inspired than all of their trilogy they made.
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those_who_dig16 March 2017'Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords' is the sequel to one of the best games of the 21st century. It had an awful lot to live up to, and I believe it did so surprisingly well.
Many of the companions are fun to interact with and bring along on your adventures. Players of the original 'KOTOR' will be pleased to find themselves reunited with more than one familiar face. One of the companions is simply awful, and barely deserves mentioning. The character I'm referring to is a droid-like drone, and you *won't* want him around for long. I have no further criticisms of the companion system, though; in fact, I'd say that a few of the player's sidekicks are outstanding. I'm chiefly thinking of Atton and Kreia - two characters you meet very early in the game - but it could be extended to several others.
The story is considerably more complex than the original game's. Some people will welcome this; others won't. I *did* welcome it, and found the network of plot twists and unforeseen developments to be fascinating. The RPG quality of the game also means that the twists may not occur on your playthrough, or that you may experience other developments that I haven't faced.
This game has two key antagonists - Darth Sion and Darth Nihilus. (This isn't really a spoiler as they're featured on most cover art!) I don't think that either of these two Sith Lords are quite as intimidating as the original game's Darth Malak, but the way in which they are written will really challenge your perception of the 'Star Wars' universe, especially where the Force is concerned.
The planets and other environments open to exploration are broadly as good as those in the first game, but I found it slightly disappointing that none of the worlds became quite as immersive or deep as Taris, the first planet the player experiences in the original 'KOTOR'. I view this rather negatively, but not all players will: some will welcome the lighter approach to the worlds of 'KOTOR II', as you can cover more ground in less time. My only other criticism of the landscapes of 'The Sith Lords' relates to Korriban. You may recall visiting this planet in the first game. I do, and I remember finding it considerably more interesting and enjoyable in that earlier game.
The side quests maintain the high quality set by the first game, you'll be pleased to hear. It should also be noted that there appear to be a greater number of them in this game, and many of them can be completed very quickly. They're absolutely worthwhile, though, as they often expand on the player's understanding of the various lands, characters and events experienced throughout the game.
Pazaak and swoop-racing both make a welcome return. Pazaak hasn't really changed a great deal (although I don't think NPC pazaak players are quite as easy to find), but the swoop tracks have been made significantly more challenging - and addictive! Overall, whilst 'KOTOR II' falls slightly behind the original game in certain areas, I believe that it actually surpasses it in others. The first one was a great game for RPG fans. The second one is a fantastic game for 'Star Wars' fans. It's definitely one of my greatest gaming experiences this year, and I have to recommend it to almost all gamers. -
isaactheanimator3 February 2023This is only my first playthrough with the game. There's still a little more I want to learn about the story with a few more replays. With what I've experienced so far. This is quite possibly the smartest Star Wars story I've ever came across and nothing else even comes close.
Over the past few years, I've been growing burned out of Star Wars. And the new content and fan discussions around it have driven me further than I thought I would ever have in my teenage years. I also had this guilty feeling that maybe Star Wars isn't really that interesting anymore, especially because of how minimized it has been recently as a basic fairy tale story for children by both the makers of the new content and the consumers who defend it constantly.
KOTOR not only brought me back to what I used to feel about Star Wars, it opened it into a completely new direction. It's way better than what I wished before of how I wanted Star Wars to be more complex and self aware about its themes of good and evil. I don't play any RPG, and admittedly am not a fan of it. I admittedly came to this game because I was once a Star Wars fan and I heard this is some of the best storytelling we've not only gotten from Star Wars but of all time. I went through KOTOR the first game and thought it was pretty good. The story, while the main plot was pretty much a retelling of A New Hope with aspects from other movies, did a really good job bringing me in to the Star Wars universe I cannot see any other RPG pull off, and the character work/side quests/ planets are very interesting and you can tell have a lot of idea put into them.
KOTOR 2 takes what the first game was good at and tripled a fraction of it. The story is better, the characters are better, the decision making is much more intriguing in this game than the first because the themes of good vs evil is taken SO MUCH more seriously, and you are more afraid of choosing a good decision that maybe would lead to worse consequences or a friend would lose trust in you. The game has so many aspects about its events and backstories that I couldn't come to a full conclusion on how to really about any of it morally. The movies usually make it clear that the blowup of Alderaan is bad and the blowup of the Death Star is good. I have no idea on what to feel about the wars that happened before the events of this game. The Mandialorian Wars, the Battle of Malachor V. The game gave such a strong theme that no action anyone ever took is great. Even when a character acted on the best intentions, it always ends up horribly in the price of war. It also added so much more depth to the Force than anything I've ever seen. It put more emphasis on what kind of choices you can make with it, such as can you use the Dark Side for the greater good? Or can a Jedi who hasn't fallen do something worse than a Jedi that has fallen. While still keeping the Light vs Dark concept consistent and making sense. Yes, the dark side still consumes you and you will still create/face consequences, but I love the idea that this game came across, that some of the Jedi, including Revan, just HAD to turn to the Dark Side in order to understand how the Sith can be defeated while sacrificing their own goodwill in order to do it. It's even much more complex than that.
All the character monologues, even when they go for a long time, are almost always intriguing and never usually boring, especially when they're backed up by amazing voice acting and storytelling within their dialogue. It especially helped make for some great characters that we barely get to see. Like Darth Sion and Darth Nihilus only showed up for one or two scenes before the climax, but are given so much depth from some of Kreia's monologues that it barely matters and their payoff is worth it.
Kreia is hands down, the most intriguing, and one of the best written characters I have ever seen in Star Wars. She carries the entire game, she's much more intelligent and manipulative than even characters like Palpatine can ever dream to be. Her words of advice are genuinely smart and believable, and her ideas and philosophy of the Force can be applied to much of real life as well, the same reason Empire Strikes Back's themes are so great. Except her philosophy is much more brutal and grey than any of what other movies or EU content taught. Her philosophy is more about which action you take, good or bad, works best for your purpose or others', and depending on which side of the galaxy you're in. Giving a stranger you don't know some money, is that a helpful case or is giving someone what they not have earned 'cheapening' their problem? Her philosophy works like this, it's more about doing the right thing but being fully committed to it without being cheap. If you want to know how to defeat the Sith, act like or become a Sith and then you'll know. You want to understand how powerful or special you are? Look at yourself without your Jedi powers and see how you hold on your own. You hate the Force and it's prophetic will that destroys billions of people for every generation? Work your way towards the rarest, darkest knowledge possible to DESTROY THE FORCE. Kreia thrived on these ideas and always talked about people she knew that thrived on them as well. But you still had your own choice as a player to deny these teachings and reject Kreia as a teacher. Because this game gives perspective, not preach. But her teachings were still the most intriguing part of the game. And I could listen to hours of her all day. She makes for some of the greatest villains ever made, period.
Not even a week before I played this game, I watched a Bad Batch episode and groaned because of the way the episode just turns out that a senator a clone was told to arrest just comes out and simply states her intentions aren't bad without explaining why and suddenly that was enough for a clone to put down his weapon and realize his mistake. That was not what Star Wars is, never was even going back to the first 3 films. Star Wars is not about denial or the quickest road to redemption in a small world. Growth takes time, and redemption is hard for those who struggle too much with good and evil. We all struggle in a harsh world we ourselves can't control. And what we can control, is up for us to decide, we triumph based on whether that decision we make was hard, not just that it was right. It's easy to make a right choice when nothing holds you back. We triumph when Han went back to help Luke in the Battle of Yavin when he thought he didn't want to. Not with Rey defeating Palpatine in the third film, because it was always eventual. Star Wars needs to go back when things really meant something again. It's a story about war. People die and there's never coming back from it. Even in a simplistic adventure, we can't brush it off like nothing serious came out of it. Accept the reality and show it, not dedicate a whole minute of sadness to one rebel who died in battle we never even met or heard nothing special about. KOTOR 2 is something I don't want to be pretentious and say every Star Wars project should be like it, because it's much better than it needed to be and it's too much to compare with any other Star Wars project, but Star Wars should take inspiration from it and follow its teachings. It's the core idea of how you can keep Star Wars interesting and it really took an advantage on what was simplistic about Star Wars. And it knew how to do it without being pretentious or going against anything of what made SW what it was. I hate the "Jedi and Sith are both bad and need to end" concept that's talked about by so many fans, but I'm glad my hate for it is over the way the fans discuss it than how it was originally brought to the table. This game doesn't go by one idea that opposes another, it explores everything and supports/attacks all sides. Every hero and villain has both redeemable and bad qualities, and every one of them has reasonable but flawed motives, And I feel any author or writer should understand this. For what you would complain about Star Wars being a kiddy-ish unchallenging story, this game turns it away from that in every aspect it can, and it deserves the praise for the way it achieved it way more than TLJ does. It's going as the best written Star Wars story I've came across, not even "one of" to be honest, because it set that high of a bar. Empire Strikes Back is a great movie and it gets its point across very well with way less. But the writing with KOTOR 2 generally is smarter and more compelling. Yoda is a great character but now he doesn't even compare to Kreia. Even Revan through only exposition and dialogue is quite possibly more complex than over half the Star Wars characters in the movies. With some flaws, I already consider it a masterpiece. And I'm glad I came across stuff like this later on in my life than sooner. I'm gonna replay the game a few more times to learn some more about the story. The experience from so far is worth it. One of my favorite Star Wars pieces and I can't think of any other SW stuff to reach this level. -
lord_konan25 October 2006PROS: There so much more to do. you could build and breakdown stuff with the workbench rather than simply just upgrading. The fighting style was more complex and you could even train some of your party in the ways of the Jedi or Dark Jedi, which was an excellent addition to the Knights Of The Old Republic Saga. You also get to hang out with the Mandalorans and even Mandalore himself. You get to see what goes on in the Ebon Hawk between everyone else in your party, which is very fun to see and it also makes the game feal and look more real. Plus, Atton's dailog was perfact. And it had cameos to tell where the characters from the first Knights Of The Old Republic had gone.
CONS: It takes 10 to 15 hours of gameplay to get your lightsaber which is very frustrating. There is a ton of glitches but some are funny like when Atton is typing on the Ebon Hawk computer but he isn't he is typing on nothing, the computer wasn't there. And one of my favorites is Bao Dur's floating robot kept going through Goto. Another issue was when Atton killed something or was about to attack he constantly said, "it time to even the odds," which was very gay. But one of several major issues I had was that the storyline was not at all remotely as good as the first Knights Of The Old Republic which made me fealing empty and even worse is at the end when you are on Malacore you are like a God it is near impossible to be killed by anyone or anything. The story had become repetitive over the coarse of the game which was depressing.
CONCLUSION: I give the game an 8 out of 10 because I felt that the game had enough positive sides that I could give it a slight break, even though the negatives slightly outway the positives, but not by much. -
yasenkiranov17 February 2013Before I start with the review I would like to point out,that I am giving the game a higher rating than it deserves(I would normally rate it at 7.5),simply because "TSL" had great potential,but sadly,never achieved the greatness it deserved.
The gameplay mechanics are basically the same as the first game.Some improvements have been added,such as more weapon upgrades,lab stations and more force powers,but I don't think it's relevant,as I will mainly talk about the story.
The basics of the story are better than the first game.Let's face it,as much as I love KOTOR's story,it was little more than your basic good vs. evil plot,with some clever twists,but still fairly simplistic.Here the focus is more on betrayal and suffering.Also,unlike the first game,not everything is entirely black or white.The characters are also far more complex,especially Kreia.This is reflected in the influence system(determines how much each companion likes you,depending on the actions you take).
So,where does the game fall short?The answer is the ending.One of the most botched up,incoherent video game endings I have ever seen(on par with the "Mass Effect 3" ending before the extended cut).Seriously the first time I played the game,I had no idea what the hell was going on.First of all the ending is so damn abrupt,that when I reached the point of no return(where you can no longer do any other quests besides the main one) I said to myself "Nah,it can't end this soon,this is probably like the "Leviathan" segment in the first game",but no it did end that soon.Secondly,there are so many scenes missing,you wont be able to fully comprehend what is going on because the pacing moves at ludicrous speed.Seriously,you kill 3 Sith Lords in less than 3 hours,I'm not kidding.Characters disappear with almost no explanation,plot threads go absolutely nowhere and in the end you are just left thinking whether you had taken some kind of hallucinogenic substance,or the game designers.
And the problem isn't just with the ending,it's safe to say that about 40% of the game's worth in cutscenes,quests,characters and areas has been cut out.In some cases it was cut out so late in the development,that you can,for example,see the door to a cut out area or start a quest you can't even finish.I don't know why they did it,were they that rushed,were they high?
It's very sad,because this game could have not only lived up to the first one,but even surpassed it and it could have established itself as one of the best RPGs ever made.There are some restoration mods,but I don't think they do the game justice. -
To start why is it weaker than the first. Well I encountered more bugs and glitches than the first like the worst glitch I have ever seen. The nar shaddaa glitch ( look it up), sound glitches, 1 where you can't move and a lock to an enemy glitch that can fling across the area your in. By the way I had to start the game all over again because of the nar shaddaa glitch. The ending now mass effect 3s and Bioshocks ending are disappointing but my jaw dropped literally at how bad this games ending is for a good game. Trust me light or dark it doesn't matter its basically the same where as the first game is polar opposite. Kreia oh was she really sith wouldn't of guessed that, she can tell you the other characters destinies but no cutscenes or interactions with the other characters. Hk-47 if he wasn't in it 6/10. new characters atton a decent addition likeable, mandalore obviously canderous from the first game same decent, hanharr just angry zaalbaar, visas felt like that a bit of her story was cut, handmaiden felt like a weaker bastilla, go-to average , mira couldn't tell you I did one playthrough DS and watched LS. Kreia saw that coming from her first 10 sentences intriguing but obvious. The villains sion and darth nilihius were no where near as good as revan or malak in the outcome also except for a couple of small moments mostly no fantastic scenes like first. The game was cut because of the 1 year of development but you feel at the end like why did they bother a bit why release an incomplete game. Still 7/10 impressive enough. Pros turn based combat still great, force powers, good dialogue throughout most of the game and good crafting. Bioware did a better job no doubt. No idea why people think this one is better it isn't. Obsidians fallout new Vegas and south Park the stick of truth are better those are 9/10s. Like a said good but if you play it there will be disappointment.
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GabeShadow20 March 2005Obsidian had a lot of excellent things planned prior and during the development of the game. They were planning on creating a story that surpasses the original, well-developed characters that would beat out the cast of Knights Of The Old Republic 1, and a big improvement over its predecessor. Sadly, the game just falls short due to an exorbitant deadline made by LucasArts to sell the game by Christmas of 2004.
Story (10/10 if the game was completed, but unfortunately, this one gets a 5): The game takes place five years after Knights Of The Old Republic 1. You play the role of a Jedi Knight that was a general in the Mandalorian Wars, and were exiled from the Jedi Order just because you followed Darth Revan during the Mandalorian Wars. You are hunted down by the Sith being labeled as "the last Jedi," and you are either pitted to the role of the savior of the Republic or the down-fall of the galaxy. The main focus of the game is to find out what the hell happened to Revan, why exactly you were exiled, and combat the current Sith threat or destroy the Jedi Order. The beginning and middle were strong enough, but the end just sucked monkeys' balls. The story is linear so the actions you took in KOTOR 1 is virtually non-existent due to the fact that the story goes: "No matter what the player did, Revan did this or that."
Republic is 95% destroyed: Check
Revan knew about the True Sith: Check
You're stuck with helping Revan: Check
No matter what you personally want to do, you're stuck in a pre-determined path. Example: Jedi Council dies even if you're light side. You're stuck looking for Revan after killing Kreia.
What's worse than this is that the characters were supposed to have a bigger impact on the story, but Obsidian wasn't able to put it in the game no thanks to the Christmas deadline and it did show when you were playing as Mira on the Light Side game in Malachor V. There are various links on the Internet that provide such evidence.
Gameplay 6/10: Pros: There was very little change in the gameplay so those of you that played KOTOR 1 will feel right at home. The additions that were made were the ability to create your own items, gaining and/or losing influence with party members so they could be either in the light or dark side of the Force, and you could make half of them Jedi Knights. There are lightsaber forms as well.
Cons: Creating the upgrade items (like a hair trigger and stuff like that) for customizable weapons is a pain in the ass especially since you're required to use every single skill. Things don't help that much especially with the randomized items. As for the influence system, you can pretty much be nice to almost everyone and get the maxed out on the Light Side alignment. On top of this, you will also get the feeling of incomplete background story from your allies. It was just too under-developed since the opportunities are limited if you were playing with favorite party members and rarely used the rest of the party members. On top of this, you can't make friends with every party member (therefore, if you want to play Mr./Ms. Light Side, gaining influence with Mandalore, G0-T0, and HK-47 goes right out the window). As for the lightsaber forms, you don't know if you're making a difference at all in the battle and have to rely on statistics for this. For those of you that like to power-lvl, you're S.O.L. in that department. There is very limited wildlife which was blamed more on a programming rush. If you cleared out an entire room of wildlife on a planet like Dxun, that's it. They're not going to respawn. The only way you can power-lvl is to exploit the Infinite Hssiss glitch which may screw up your game badly.
Worst of all, Obsidian never had the chance to beta-test the game and the game has frame-rate problems, a huge number of glitches, which varies from hard-drive to hard-drive (those with the Thompson drives have the worst-case scenarios), and sidequests that are impossible to complete period. Such quests are the Telos Fuel Source, TSF Two Criminals, Dantooine Redemption, etc.
Character development: Atton Rand, Bounty Hunter Mira, assassin droid HK-47, Mandalore, Visas Marr, and Kreia were the only well-developed characters that Obsidian had time to work on. T3-M4 undergoes a personality change, but ends up being an exact clone of R2-D2. Unfortunately, some of the other characters pretty much fall flat on their faces. Handmaiden is too shallow and feels too Gothic, Hanharr is a wookie that whines about his life-debt to Mira, G0-T0 is the cheap version of "The Architect" from the Matrix franchise, Bao-Dur ends up being the big casualty since you barely get any background story from him besides "I just want to repair things, general."
Unfortunately, you don't care about the villains at all in this game. Darth Nihilus is a parasite waiting to get squashed by you, and Darth Sion is a bad guy that just tries too hard to imitate Vin Diesel. The worst thing of all is you don't get to relive your romance sub-plots at all. Again, emphasis is LucasArts is to blame for not giving Obsidian time to develop the characters well.
Sound: 9/10: The voice-acting was great, but I had problems with the soundtrack. The soundtrack just felt too "creepy" to be Star Wars. I only liked the Ebon Hawk music, that's pretty much it.
Verdict: Avoid the game at all costs and sign petitions so that Obsidian might get a second-chance on re-making this game. It may not physically possible now, but it would be nice to dream about it. Unfortunately, LucasArts probably has lost future investments no thanks to this mess.