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> Results: Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords
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For anyone who saw Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan or Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back in theaters when they were released, there are several memorable things. First, they are regarded as the best in their respective series, and were recognized immediately as really good films by fans and the public at large. Second, they each worked very hard to intimately detail the characters and their relationships. Finally, they both had endings that were very frustrating for moviegoers, as they were left "hanging" as obvious bridges were made to future films, without any sense of closure.
That largely describes how I feel about Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic II : The Sith Lords (hereafter KotOR2). It is difficult to describe everything I loved - and was disappointed with - about the game without presenting any information that would spoil the game, but I will make every attempt. The game starts five years after the end of KotOR, and is centered on a different character, although some characters reprise their roles from the first game. From a graphical perspective, I would compare it to the changes from Jedi Knight II to Jedi Academy - same engine, tweaked a bit, and with some new moves, but you'll pay for it in terms of graphics processor load. This was apparently a significant issue on the XBox, but would likely effect gamers with lower-end PC's as well. Most other features from KotOR - key mapping, options and so on - are brought forth to KotOR2. That makes the game very easy to pick up and play, and immediately familiar. More buttons were added to the HUD "quick item bar", featuring combat styles and other easy access items. One very nice feature that was added was a second "weapon set" and a quick switch button. These allow you to configure a melee and ranged weapon choice, for instance, and instantly switch between the two. That makes combat much more fluid and immersive. When it comes to reviewing the game, I think of it in three stages - early game, mid game and end game. That is how my mind broke it up as I played, as well. Let's start with the end game, as that is the part that is all over the gaming press.  When we look at the endings of popular games recently, it is a fairly bleak picture. Far Cry took an excellent game and mired into a mindless bunch of bullet-sponges. VtM: Bloodlines lost the thread of questing and storytelling that made it such a great game, and got the player lost in a sea of endless combat. Half Life 2's ending was considered unsatisfying by many (personally, I really liked it, but never mind). Doom 3's ending was also fairly climactic, but many people seem to have given up before then. So how about KotOR 2? While playing the game, you get to a certain point where you realize that the "end game" has begun. It is not quite the "twist" of KotOR, but you will know instinctively that "stuff" is about to happen. Unfortunately, too much of that "stuff" feels sketchy and unfinished or at least under-explained. That continues right through the ending, where you will find yourself in pursuit of goals, and suddenly realize you aren't sure about what is going on, aren't satisfied with what has been told to you & generally feeling the ending was much weaker than the early part of the game would have you expect. And that is part of the problem - it would be hard to imagine a game that could sustain the swirling plot elements, character developments and intrigue of the early part of the game. Which brings me back to Half Life 2: while I have been critical of many items and elements in the game, one element that it has that truly represents "changing everything" is the stunning production values - the near perfection of execution from start to finish. While there was much I didn't like about HL2, all of it was perfectly executed. So what does this mean in the context of the "middle game" section KotOR 2? Well, it would have to be either analogy or contrast, right? Contrast. Because in the mid-game of KotOR 2, something happens - you start to notice small glitches, errors in the dialogue, repeated dialogues, and so on. The worst for me was going to an area where I had completed a quest, and the quest-giver had left, only to find them standing there again, and have the dialogue options start off as if we had never met. At this point I realized that the production values of the game were not up to the standard set by HL2. The rest of the game during this section - dialogue, characters, combat, quests and locations - are all excellent. That is why I separate the game into thirds. The last part had you think of "what might have been", the middle was excellent with minor issues, and the beginning.... Ah, the beginning of KotOR2. The first 20 or so hours of KotOR 2 are some of the best gaming experiences I've ever seen. We have PlaneScape Torment levels of dialogue, plot weaving and intrigue, Baldur's Gate 2 levels of party interaction and banter, and action right out of KotOR. The game starts off with a "prologue" which can be skipped without consequence (unlike VtM: Bloodlines, where if you skip the tutorial you miss out on two precious skill points and a set of lockpicks!), but is worth going through once to orient yourself to the small differences in interface and control. Once you are into the main part of the game, you know this is unlike KotOR. No more cozy jaunts around Taris in the sunshine, you need to get down to business right away. That is a level of drama and tension that pervades the whole game, and makes it more effective at communicating the immediacy of the troubles than almost any other RPG. I cannot overstate how excellently drawn the characterizations are, how deeply the plot currents swirl, and just how lost in it all you can feel early on in the game. So this is a tale of three games, and the scoring of those games varies, so the overall score depends on how each part is weighted. This isn't a simple case of scoring a game like Lionheart, where you start an excellent game and then suddenly find yourself in a mindless, purposeless dungeon crawling click-fest. That is a tale of two games - good and awful, leaving you with overall mediocrity. One thing KotOR 2 shares is the feeling of disappointment at what "might have been", but that is as much because of the pure greatness of the early game as the holes in the end game. But KotOR 2 is never a bad game. Not even a mediocre game. When I compare it to the two 90% games I reviewed recently - HL2 and VtM: Bloodlines - I find that it is much deeper and more satisfying than HL2, but doesn't have the production values or sense of consistency. Compared to Bloodlines, both offer deep stories, interesting characters and excellent role-playing value. Both also have bugs and quirks which cannot be ignored. All said, KotOR 2 is an excellent game, and probably the best RPG since the original KotOR. It is worth playing for any RPG fan or Star Wars fan & or anyone, really. 
KotOR was a game that earned its' T rating, as the action and dialogue got somewhat intense for younger kids, but was viewable by anyone old enough to enjoy the movies - I regularly let my 6.5 and 8 year old watch, but not play. KotOR 2 is darker and moodier than the first game, but that doesn't change my opinion of who should be playing or watching. The game in general features themes typical of the movies - heroics, tragedy, and humor. A player taking the dark side path would be exposed to more adult themes of betrayal, lying and subterfuge, but nothing outside of the PG-rated Star Wars world. I believe that KotOR 2 is best left for those 12+ to play, but somewhat younger kids might be able to handle it depending on their other gaming habits.
Kid Factor by Michael Anderson
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