Developer: Bioware

Publisher: LucasArts

Release Date: July 15^th, 2003

Genre: Role-Playing Game

Consoles: Xbox, PC

I’m going to begin this review with a little story, detailing how I chose to review Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic. So, it all began with me talking to our friendly, neighborhood admin and PR guy, Son of Skywalker. I had just finished my Revenge of the Sith review and was debating what my next game should me; I decided I wanted to a larger game, one more well known and the one that came to mind was KotOR. Of course, when I mentioned that, he responded with something like: “Sounds good to me. Knights of the Old Republic is quite possibly my favorite Star Wars game.” You may be able to imagine my response which was balanced somewhere between horror that SoS might fire me (please don’t, by the way) and a determination to write a satisfactory review. So I dived into playing Knights of the Old Republic twice through, once as the canonical light male and then as a dark female, which ended up being some forty-five hours of gameplay. It was completely worth it and hopefully, my review will reflect that.

Disclaimer: I played Knights of the Old Republic on the Xbox 360, using emulation software (available for download) and my Xbox disc. I also have reason to believe that the disk was previously damaged as, during previous sessions on my Xbox, the game would refuse to load the next section of a game (it happened occasionally when I reached the Leviathan). As a result, I’m going to mention a few of the problems that I encountered while playing here as I seem to be the only one to have these problems (SoS stated that he has not). Occasionally, the game would stop loading sound effects resulting in silent battles. A simple restart would fix this yet it could be quite annoying and I also had an occasional freeze and other problems which, I unfortunately don’t remember right now.

Also, you should know that all the notes I took while playing were lost when my last lap top died on me. The review will still be complete although it might be missing a few minor details that simply slipped through the cracks. But without further ado, on to the review.

What is there to say about KotOR’s story that hasn’t been said already? Granted, I imagine that just about everything about this game has been reviewed at some point, given its age but that’s beside the point. If, for some reason, you’re living in a cave and haven’t ever read a KotOR review, I’ll do it all for you anyway. Let me begin by saying that KotOR has the ideal Star Wars story in every way. It has action, good versus evil, space battles, redemption, love and every other element that is what makes the original Star Wars trilogy great. After much debate, I decided that the best way to review KotOR’s story is to go step by step through the things that makes Star Wars great.

Action/Space Battles: The opening mission (Endar Spire) says it all. The moment you start the game, you’re plunged into the Star Wars universe. You’re aboard a Republic ship being attacked by Darth Malak’s strangely Star Destroyer-esque Leviathan with lasers blasting, fighters flying and boarders um…boarding. The action continues throughout the game, in both gameplay as well as cut scenes. The final mission aboard the Star Forge is simply the climax of this aspect of the film with a perfectly epic final confrontation.

Romance: Romance is definitely present within KotOR as long as the player looks for it. The subplots available are few yet fulfilling, each feeling realistic enough to really add to the game. Even greater is the fact that the characters will react realistically to your decisions at the end of the game. If your relationship is with Carth and you turn evil, he’ll swear to find a way to save you. Similarly, the player is given the option to redeem Bastilla in a manner similar to the Dark Empire comic series.

Universal Storylines: If you’re in any sort of Star Wars story arch, it’s going to be big and it’s going to be epic. If the main characters are fighting to stop extra-galactic invaders bent on destruction, then they’re working to create a peace that will reach throughout the galaxy. What I’m trying to stay is that Star Wars doesn’t do tiny stories and KotOR is no different. From the very beginning, you are thrown into a story with the fate of the Republic in your hands and the stakes only get higher as the game continues.

Good vs. Evil/Light vs. Dark: KotOR shines when it comes to moral and philosophical choices. The game utilizes a “Light/Dark” scale (more on that later) that measures your choices which are presented to you throughout the game. The player is confronted with minor choices (do I help a spacer who has been trapped into “slavery” from a businessman, for example) to galaxy-changing decisions (do I protect the Republic by destroying Malak or destroy it by taking his place). KotOR doesn’t limit these sorts of themes only to the main character as some side characters will be taken down these paths, only to be redeemed or left to their fate. Simply put, KotOR, as Star Wars does in general, revolves around the inherent struggle between good and evil.

Redemption: Given KotOR’s emphasis on player choices (especially ones that have far-reaching consequences), redemption is not a standard part of the story in the sense that the player must choose to be redeemed if the theme is to appear. If the player chooses the light side path, then his story will be a traditional Star Wars style story, filled with the redemption of the main character (Revan) as well other characters such as Bastilla. Revan’s story also presents a twist on the traditional “redemption” as it really isn’t “Revan” that is redeemed but the alternate personality that the Jedi “programmed” into the main character. It is an interesting concept and one that definitely adds to the unique story of Knights of the Old Republic.

Miscellaneous: I have one other comment on KotOR’s story that isn’t so much a criticism as an observation. The games story comes off so well precisely because of how close it is to the original Star Wars storyline. Bioware drew upon traditional stereotypes such as the evil bad guy who happens to have a severe breathing problem or a villain who utilizes a super weapon to create their story. For some, this sort of “copying” diminishes the story although I personally found no problem with it. Bioware reinvents the story in such a way that it’s really not noticeable.

So how do you sum up the storyline of Knights of the Old Republic? Quite simply, fantastic. Despite the stereotypical story aspect, there is no denying that is quite possibly one of the best story’s existing within the Star Wars universe, on par with classic such as the Original Trilogy as well as the Thrawn Trilogy. If you’re simply looking for a great Star Wars book in video game form, look no farther than Knights of the Old Republic.

Bioware is known in the gaming community for one thing: fantastic RPG’s (role-playing games). RPG’s have been traditionally known as board games (such as Dungeons and Dragons) and they’ve made the transition to video games quite successfully. These games are based on dice rolls which determine everything from attacks to defense to persuasion. KotOR is a perfect example how this system can be applied to a video game. The player no longer “rolls” the dice; instead, the system does it for you. One of the beautiful things about KotOR is the versatility of the system. You don’t need to know how the mechanics of an RPG works in order to play it. In fact, you could know absolutely nothing and still greatly enjoy the game. KotOR provides simple “auto-update” systems that let the game choose how best to upgrade your character (everything from attacks to skills to feats are upgradable).

Honestly, I’m almost not sure how to describe or review the gameplay of KotOR. In almost every way, it is traditional Star Wars, filled with lightsabers, blasters, smugglers, droids and giant space ships. The only thing that will seem strange is that lightsabers almost seem underpowered in the way that many swords can block them. The diminishment of the lightsaber, while confusing at first, does not take away from your desire to use it.

The game also provides just about every weapon imaginable for the player and his party members to use (including blasters, lightsabers, swords, grenades and mines). Unfortunately, this plethora of weapons is, to a degree unbalanced. Grenades are nearly useless against enemies in motion (and most often, you will want to hit them while they are a great distance away) and blasters seemed to be underpowered, in both accuracy and damage, when matched against a melee weapon. Of course, these problems do little to bother the player, who is usually too busy wildly swinging a lightsaber. And let’s be honest, who wants to shoot a blaster when they have a lightsaber instead.

Bioware made a perfect choice when they designed each of the planets for KotOR. Including the downloadable content (which will be reviewed separately later), I can think of eight separate locales in which to play. While this number may not seem very high (especially for an exploration based RPG), Bioware has included multiple hours of gameplay within each location. For example, the planet Taris (on which you begin), has three separate “levels” on which you can travel and each level has multiple buildings and bases which you can enter. The game truly makes you feel like you are on an actual planet with NPC’s wandering the city, various shops, stores and buildings to enter and multiple locales which you can travel through. This variety is gratifying to see and the uniqueness of each planet (Kashyyyk’s deep forest, Taris’ sprawling cities, Dantooine’s peaceful planes, the Leviathan’s disciplined corridors, etc). The only problem that I have ever had with Bioware’s level design is the amount of running that is often required to traverse the planet. After finding the star map and completing the side quests in Kashyyyk’s shadow lands, the player is required to run back to the elevator to ride back to the surface. Unfortunately, this usually results in a few minutes of mindless running as the player holds the joystick down in one direction and prays that it will be over soon. Despite this flaw (which is a result of the expansive level design), Bioware could not have done a better job.

The level design does have one minor annoyance (in my opinion) and it is that the levels are riddled with loading screens. It is not too annoying when you are spending considerable time in one area but when you must traverse multiple play areas in a row, it can become tedious.

Before I discuss the graphics, I once again remind you that we are talking about an original Xbox game released in 2003. Despite this, the graphics of KotOR are definitely nice to look at. The panoramas are beautiful to look at and each planet has a unique architectural style that is pleasing to the eye. The graphics are crisp and clean (although not completely realistic) almost all around. In some ways, the worst part of the graphics is the face of the many characters within the game. Despite that, there truly is nothing to complain about graphically, given the restraints of the system.

Dialogue is another aspect in which Bioware truly shines (especially in more modern games such as Mass Effect) and KotOR is no different. During each conversation, the player is given the option of selecting a sentence (or more) which your character will then “say” (the player’s dialogue is not heard). Despite the seeming cumbersome design of the sentences, the dialogue is truly fantastic, with each character having a unique yet Star Wars-ish feel.

The only disappointment with the system is the lack of being able to hear the main character speak (and thus, to a degree, robbing the player of that experience). Despite that, the system works fairly well (although later Bioware games will perfect the system).

KotOR has no multiplayer component. And to answer you’re unspoken question, no, I don’t know why I’m bothering to write this sentence.

There really aren’t any unlockables in KotOR except for the cutscenes which unlock after you’ve viewed them.

As I have said previously, this game is Star Wars through and through. From the story to the characters, there can be no doubt what genre and universe this game belongs to and Bioware’s portrayal of the Force is no different. The “Force” is tied into the gameplay and “feat” (Upgrade system) and fits the RPG genre quite well. For the most part, the Force falls into two categories, the Light side and the Dark side and each deserves its own review.

The Dark Side: I’m starting with the Dark side as it is much easier to review and is definitely more conventional (in usage) than the Light side. Bioware has chosen a plethora of old fashioned dark side powers (lighting, choke, etc) and then created a few new ones to go along with it (fear, plague, etc). These abilities are almost all focused on dealing out damage to the enemy. A few, like Fear, stun or keep opponents from attacking but the Dark Side is largely traditional in how it is used in game.

The Light Side: On the other hand, the light side is vastly different, playing much more into the RPG aspects of KotOR. Bioware created a number of light side abilities, each of which contributes to the player’s “dice roll”. For example, using Force Aura will increase your character’s defense which will then passively assist you during battle. Light side abilities are largely based on helping your character (as opposed to the dark side which focuses on harming others). The Light Side can be difficult to understand for someone who is not familiar with RPG’s but once they do, it can be a powerful ally.

Neutral: KotOR does contain a plethora of neutral abilities (such as Push, Stun, etc) that seems to be more related to traditional light side abilities. Both lightsiders and darksiders can use these abilities without penalty. They’re quite fun to use and when I first played the game (a long time ago, before I understood RPing), I mainly chose these abilities as my “light side” powers.

To sum it all up, Bioware implanted the Force in such a way that it interacts within an RPG universe while still being undeniably Star Wars. The Force surrounds the player and without it, they are doomed.

Downloadable Content: Bioware has one item of downloadable content available for KotOR (at least via the Xbox) and this was the first time I was able to try it out. I’d heard about it online before and I knew it included the planet Yavin as well as lots of new items and a new race (Trandoshans). Unfortunately, this caused a few problems and I eventually had to look online for a guide to the DLC. I’m going to review it from two viewpoints: My first time trying it and after I looked at a guide.

Before: After leaving Dantooine, I decided that my first stop was going to be Yavin as I couldn’t wait to see what Bioware had given us. Unfortunately, I was disappointed. I landed at the space station (admiring the polished graphics) and quickly walked through the corridor to the main room. There, I found a Rodian salesman. I talked to him, played a few games of Pazaak, looked at the items he offered which, while cool, did not impress me, and then looked for something else to do. There was nothing. I couldn’t find the rare items I had heard of (such as one of a kind lightsaber crystals) and there wasn’t any sort of story whatsoever. At the time, my opinion of the DLC was quite low. At that point, I decided to look online for a guide.

After: The online guides revealed the reason for the DLC’s seeming lack of value. Yavin operates on a “Star map” basis. As you progress through the game, items are unlocked and a small story begins to unfold while you are on the station. With that in mind, I returned to the station after each star map and, after you collect the final map, things took off. I arrived at the station and found a Trandoshan raiding force which I was prompted to defeat. The Rodian opened up his full stores, allowing me to buy my crystals and other items (at a ridiculous price of course).

Once I understood how the DLC worked, I did enjoy it but I wish that first moment of confusion could have been avoided. Despite that, I heartily recommend downloading the content as it is free and the items are great.

The Good, the Bad, the Ugly: That just about wraps up my review of Knights of the Old Republic and I will once again provide this final “summary” section although it may seem a bit unbalanced as the game doesn’t have much that is “bad”.

· The Good: Combat system, dialogue, story, character development

· The Bad: Initially confusing downloadable content, load times

· The Ugly: It could be argued that the load times are part of “The ugly” but I never had too much of a problem with it. Other than that, there isn’t anything else that comes to mind.

In fact, I think the best way to describe the game might be with a cliche, it’s more than the sum of it’s parts. The greatness of the game simply transcends any problems it may have. Well, two cliches for you. In fact, I think the best way to describe the game might be with a cliche, it’s more than the sum of it’s parts. The greatness of the game simply transcends any problems it may have. Well, two cliches for you. In fact, I think the best way to describe the game might be with a cliché, it’s more than the sum of its parts. The greatness of the game simply transcends any problems it may have. Well, two clichés for you, along with the good, the bad and the ugly.

Buy, Rent or Ignore?: If you haven’t already figured out my recommendation for this game, well, I’m not sure what to say. But this is definitely one game for the ages that should always be sitting on your shelf. Do yourself a favor and buy it, especially given that you should be able to find a cheap copy somewhere. The game is almost pure gold and every so often, you’ll find yourself motivated to play it again.

I hope you all enjoyed the review and if you have any comments or suggestions, feel free to post it on my EUCantina Blog (www.eucantinablogs.net/ironfist) or send your comments to the EUCantina e-mail (found below). Thanks again for reading.

-Iron Fist, all EUCantina staff members can be reached at staff@ eucantina.net