PC - Star Wars: Kinghts of the Old Republic 2: The Sith Lords

Format
PC
Publisher
LucasArts
Developer
Bioware
Country of origin
USA
Release date
11/02/05
Genre
Action RPG

Star Wars: Kinghts of the Old Republic 2 - The Sith Lords

By Joseph (Joe) Wood
1st Feb 06

What do you do if you make a video game that wins best game of the year award? Take your time in releasing a sequel that fans will love or do you release the same game with a different story and a few minor changes in order to get as much money as possible. Seems BioWare opted for the second option when making “Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic 2 – The Sith Lords”.

Set five years after the events of the first game (which still takes place several thousand years before the start of the movies), you play as a ex-Jedi who was exiled from the order after following Revan and Malik during the Mandolrian Wars. You wake up on a mining facility where all the inhabitants seem to have died, whilst trying to find away of the facility you come under attack by the Sith. It seems the Sith are still present in the universe and they are after you. The story develops as the game goes on, however what does become apparent is that whatever choice you made in the first game is null and void. Wither you picked to follow the light or dark side in the first game does not matter as your character from it has simply disappeared, which after spending a good deal of time trying to complete the game feels unfair. It does help to have played KotOR first, but it is not essential although KotOR 2 does contain spoilers for the first game. This game does not deliver nearly as many good plot twists as the first.

The playable characters in the game are all fairly likeable, and like the first game, they interact well with each other. One of the major changes to this game is that your team depends on the choices you make. If you pick a male character, you will receive a female character and visa versa also you get one of two characters depending on wither you favour the light or dark side of the force. It’s also possible for you to train most members of your party into Jedi although this takes considerable time and effort.

Gameplay-wise, KotOR 2 is identical to its predecessor, there are a few more feats and force powers available and that’s all. Of course that’s not a bad thing as KotOR was a good game, but still this feels much more like an expansion pack than a sequel. This is especially so when you visit some of the planets from the first game. These planets layout have barely changed from the first game and this is nothing but lazy development. It also feels like there are far less side quests to do in the second game. The graphics and music again are identical to the first game in almost every detail.

KotOR 2 still offers an enjoyable playing experience, although it’s inferior to the original in most aspects. If you enjoyed the first game, you’ll enjoy this although to a much lesser degree. This is more of a poor expansion pack than a genuine sequel, so if you intend on buying it make sure you don’t pay any more than you would for an expansion.

-- Joseph (Joe) Wood 1st Feb 06