Star Wars - Knights of the Old Republic II

So I know we already have a KOTOR thread, but I thought KOTOR 2 deserved its own thread. I purchased it last week, and I've faithfully been playing through it. TFU has taken a backseat, because, in my opinion, KOTOR 2 is better. I enjoy TFU, but it's just a little too much slash-slash (or as Orlando Bloom would say, "Swash-swash, buckle-buckle Wink

), and rather difficult to play on the computer. So while I enjoy it, KOTOR and Allies come first. Galen will just have to wait.

Anyway, I'm enjoying this so much! The only thing that can get annoying, though I've recently come to regard it as a plus instead of a minus, is how freaking long it is! I've been playing it steadily for a week now (for hours each day), and I don't feel any closer to the end! However, I find this to be a good thing now. There's soooo much to this game, that I already want to start over and revisit what I feel like I've missed, and I haven't even finished yet!

Also, the storyline is not as good as the first (or perhaps I'm just partial), but I find the gameplay is better, much better. As well as the exploration. Dxun? My most favorite planet ever! Or moon, to be precise. I'm not really sure why, but I love that place. Perhaps it's the rain and the thunder and the jungle and the Mandalorians...I couldn't really say. But I just adore it. Nar Shaddaa is also pretty darn awesome.

The swoop tracks? Awesome! Not to mention that you get paid a lot more for the one on Onderon than any in KOTOR 1. There's a little too much talking at the beginning of the game, but it balances out nicely later in the game.

Some excellent changes from KOTOR 1: Things you can get items from now say "Empty" if you've already retrieved items from them. Amazingly ingenious! Also, you can break up everything into characters: "Ranged", "Melee", "Armor", etc. If you've played the game, you'll know what I'm talking about.

The characters are pretty cool, though seem a little less in-depth than those in KOTOR 1. If you're a female character, you grow to love Atton just like you did Carth, obviously. Personally, I really like Mira. Mayba it's the fact that she looks like Mara, her name is only one letter different from Mara, she has red hair like Mara, and her personality is exactly like Mara. *shrugs* Hmmm...that may have something to do with it. Wink

You seem to have more freedom in this game to run around and hop back and forth to planets and such. It doesn't seem quite as a guided as the first one, which I like. I also don't really know what I'm doing, which I like. In the last game I was running around looking specifically for different Star Maps. In this game, I'm not really sure what I'm looking for. Supposedly it's missing Jedi Masters, but it's more vague/open than that.

Also, everything is less straightfoward. You're left more on your own for various quests, which I find both more realistic and more difficult. But in a good way.

And last, but not least, the little cameos (and more major appearances in some cases) of characters from the last game. Pretty cool.

Anyway, I can't completely review the game, since I haven't finished yet, but I'm definitely enjoying it. I say it's a total winner as far as sequels are concerned. Smile

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"It's not about the legacy you leave, it's about the life you live." ~Mara Jade Skywalker

Kotor II was a game that only suffered from being pushed out so quickly; the new mechanics worked, it felt and looked great, but the total story was never told-- it could have, given the chance, surpassed the first in terms of story.

I adore Dxun and when it first came out I use to tell my friend who played it as well that days "looked like Dxun" when it would be a rainy day. For an RPG, it's actually pretty short, although it is a little longer (Due to Telos) than the first.

Master Joined: 22 Mar 2008 Posts: 599

I liked KOTOR II, it could have been a great game, but the ending is a total mess as it stands because, like was said, the game came out far too early, because of pressure from Lucasarts. I do blame Obsidian for not doing a patch for the game; it wouldn't have been too hard for them to clean the ending a little afterwards.

I actually think they had one planned, at least for the PC version, but I don't recall what happened to it.

Seeing an updated Kotor II on Xbox Live Marketplace and on Windows Live would be a very smart move. Sadly, the stuff that didn't make it to the actual game isn't canon, but if it did, it would become canon.
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I wouldn't say the ending was bad, but it was very unfulfilling. I felt like we were building up to something amazing, and then we had nothing more than a brief, and vague, wrapping up. Also, there was that cutscene between Bao-Dur's droid and Goto's droid that never got resolved. Goto's droid stated that Bao-Dur's couldn't activate the mass shadow generator while he was there, and then apparently it was activated anyway. This was never explained or even referred to after said scene. Odd.

Overall, I greatly enjoyed the game. However, I am curious how it would have turned out had they given it more time and thought. The main thing that aggravated me was the apparent change of heart of the Jedi. All of them, save Vrook, seemed to be on your side when you first met them, then they suddenly decide to strip you of the Force when together on Dantooine? That part seemed thrown together and totally contrived. I was disappointed by it. I was also disappointed by the apparent ease and relative quickness (just a couple of hours), with which I disposed of the Big Three: Darth Nihilus, Darth Sion, and Darth Traya. Seemed like a very anticlimactic climax.

But again, overall, I found the game to be rather enjoyable. And I will never forget Dxun. Best. Location. Ever. Smile

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"It's not about the legacy you leave, it's about the life you live." ~Mara Jade Skywalker

Knight Joined: 30 Apr 2011 Posts: 222

I just got KotoR 2 today and have installed it, however, when I went to play it, it didn't work. This happened over and over again. I have Vista, and I ran it as administrator, but it didn't work. The furthest I have gotten is the end of the crawl. Advice?

Hmmm...I really couldn't say other than a guess, but I know I had the same problem with the first game. Somehow switching the something or other in my video card settings from flit to blip (or flip to blit) solved the problem. I don't remember what it is now, but I'm going to blame your particular issue on the video card. Since you have at least seen the crawl, that's what I want to assume.

Do you have an Intel card, by any chance? Those and LucasArts games are the worst of enemies. Sad

Edit: You could give this a try. No promises, though:

KOTOR 2 Patch for Vista
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"It's not about the legacy you leave, it's about the life you live." ~Mara Jade Skywalker

Master Joined: 22 Dec 2010 Posts: 1796 Location: Carcosa

I would also recommend trying compatibility mode. It can't hurt, though I can't think of a time when it was particularly useful.

Knight Joined: 30 Apr 2011 Posts: 222

Thanks, I had gotten it to work right after I posted this. I just had to change the graphic quality and the screen resolution. I'm enjoying it so far.

It starts out great. I'm curious to see how you like the ending though.....
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Knight Joined: 10 Apr 2011 Posts: 112

I had that same problem with playing it, except on Windows 7.

You know what game is nigh impossible to play on Windows 7? Halo 2! You have to go into Services, stop Cryptographic Services, go into your Windows/System32 folder and delete the CatRoot2 folder, then start up Cryptographic Services again, and finally you can play. It has to do with cheating Windows Live, which was configured for Vista in Halo 2. But you have to do this Every. Time. You. Play. Sad

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"It's not about the legacy you leave, it's about the life you live." ~Mara Jade Skywalker

Coming up on the ending of KOTOR 2 again, this time playing with the Restoration Mod, and may I just say, "Aw, poor Carth."

If you set Revan as a female in the beginning, Carth's cutscene near the end is so touching. I really wish this storyline could be resolved, but it cannot, because Revan was canonized as a male, and this saddens me. *sniffle* Sad

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"It's not about the legacy you leave, it's about the life you live." ~Mara Jade Skywalker

Master Joined: 22 Dec 2010 Posts: 1796 Location: Carcosa

That's one of the things that I like about TOR. The lore will presumably be a lot more nebulous about the identity of the player characters that achieved the various things in the story because they could be either male or female and of a wide range of species.

I also think that the storyline almost would function better with a female Revan. Revan wears a female Mandalorian's mask! But I can guarantee that Revan wouldn't have the popularity he has if he was a she. Which is unfortunate.

I think that the lore should have just been nebulous about Revan and the Exile. KOTOR 2 accomplished it pretty well with Atton Rand suggesting that Revan was female. Who knows, Revan always wore a mask!

I wanted to finish up tonight, but I always gets bogged down in the Trayus Academy. That thing is so darned long. And there are just so many kriffing Sith. Slash, slash all the way. Got boring. It's the only part of the game I truly dislike. I leveled up twice in the Academy alone, which is close to 40,000 XP. So if that gives you any idea. Neutral

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"It's not about the legacy you leave, it's about the life you live." ~Mara Jade Skywalker