Caveat
Some reviewers relish in spoilers and suggest that a review
must contain them because if you read a review you obviously want to have
them. Sometimes spoilers are impossible to
avoid, but when I can avoid a spoiler I do.
Introduction
This is a game that I have been waiting for…for a long
time. When it came out on the Xbox
before the PC I was severely disappointed, mostly because I had to wait months
on end for the PC version to arrive.
This should have been a harbinger to all the things I wound up not
liking about Knights of the Old
Republic (KotOR).
The Mechanics
Gamers will be happy to see that a simplified D20 system
(akin to the Star Wars pen and paper RPG) is used for the game mechanics. Note the key word: simplified. This is particularly noticeable with
character classes. Your character’s
class is locked into two modes. Your class before jedi training and your class after jedi training. Your NPC’s will be locked into their
respective classes the entire game. Given
there are a very limited number of classes (3 non jedi, 3 jedi, 2 robotic) it
would have been great to be able to mix and match a little.
There are certain feats that would have been nice to have
had in the game, given its melee combat focus with jedi knights. Specifically cleave and its enhanced follow-up
feats leap to mind. The feats are also a
little sparse, which leads to many characters resembling each other in feat
selection.
There is nothing fantastic about the D20 implementation in KotOR,
but it is consistent and a rules set most gamers are
familiar with.
The equipment is KotOR is
well done. There is a large variety of
equipment to pick and choose from for your character and their followers. Some equipment is better than others and can
be upgraded to boost their ability to damage, protect, resist or hit. Lightsabers have the
most variety as there are many different gems that your character can insert
into a lightsaber to give it a variety of abilities. This is particularly great when using two
light sabers, as one can be a defensive oriented one, loaded up with crystals
that aid in blocking and your primary weapon that will allow for devastating
attacks.
As your character goes up in levels they gain feats, but
also for the jedi powers are gained.
There is a good selection of powers and you can differentiate all the
Jedi in your party. I recommend leveling
up characters manually because the AI has the bad habit of choosing the same
feats and powers in a cookie cutter manner.
The Plot
The plot of KotOR takes
place thousands of years before the movies, which is
refreshing, but it is almost painfully linear too. You have a number of quests that funnel into
being trained as a Jedi, then the main plot line to
track down an ancient artifact is enabled.
There are a number of worlds to explore, so your campaign does not have
to go in any specific sequence. I would
be curious to see if the game adjusts the difficulty of various worlds
depending on what route you take. There
were only a few encounters that proved REALLY challenging, which is unlike most
Bioware games.
Along the way though are a number of side quests and
activities that your character can partake in, which makes up for the paint by
numbers overall campaign. You can gamble
(which is almost a requirement as you never seem to have enough credits),
become a swoop racing champion, be a bounty hunter, or simply pick up the side
quests that are abundant.
The one plot twist in KotOR
was a surprise, but it goes a long way to explain some of the questions early
on about your character that seem like plot holes.
I went with a lightsided campaign,
but there is also the option to be neutral or turn to the dark side of the
force. I suspect the campaign plays out
along the same lines, just your motivations change from trying to stop the bad
guys to usurping them. The plot
certainly leaves room for this to work.
The Art, Acting
and Graphics
One thing that impressed me the most about KotOR
is the graphics, particularly the exteriors.
The scenery is so good that it gives an almost immersive quality to the
game that most CRPG’s do not have. The
character graphics are solid both in animation and equipment. The only knock on the character modeling is
that the NPC’s do not have a tremendous amount of variety. It would have been great to have seen more of
the funky aliens as seen in the movies beyond the dozen or so that are in KotOR.
The voice acting in KotOR is
very good, perhaps the best to have been in a CRPG to date. There is definitely reuse of a lot of the
voice actors, but they are parsed out in such a way that it is not repetitive.
Over the course of the game, the animation is great. When the auto pauses are put to a minimum the
combat flows very much like the Star Wars movies. The lightsaber
fighting is particularly great, with the acrobatics, swordplay and bolt
deflections. The only knock seems to be
the AI’s decision to sometimes close on enemies when they are using ranged
weapons, which looks goofy and is tactically unsound.
The Console
Problem
Knights of the Old Republic is a great CRPG on the Xbox. Despite graphic improvements to the game, on
the PC it still feels like a console game in play style and interfacing. This is particularly noticeable with the inventory
interface, which is clunky without reason, save it was designed for use with a gamepad. The biggest
problem though is the linear plot, which is not unique even in the PC
realm. But in the console world that
seems to be the rule rather than the exception and is something that KotOR
on the PC could not shake.
The Good
Has a Star Wars look and feel that is the best to date
A good plot twist for your character
Great voice acting
Good selection of NPC followers
Ability to be focused on the light or dark sides of the
force
The Bad
Feels like a console game
Linear plot
Some gaps in the D20 implementation (classes, feats)
Overall
Knights of the Old Republic is a good game, regardless if you are using an Xbox or
PC. It could have been a great game had
the mechanics and plot been opened up to take advantage of a good game system
and awesome setting.
