Remember Episode I?
Remember all the hype and expectations you had for the film?
Remember how good the first three films were?
Remember when you had to sit through all the talk of midichlorines or whatever the hell those things were that Jedi had?
Remember the epic saber battle at the end mixed with scenes of a kid defeating an army all by himself?
That's a lot like playing SW:KotoR II.
The original game was outstanding. The storyline was much better than anything Lucas has produced lately and served as a prequel to Episode I by about 2000 years.
Thus excitement for this sequel was high. The game starts off well enough and the storyline is very good. Unfortunately, it all falls apart towards the end. There are stumbles throughout in the form of glitches and bugs, but they could have been forgiven until the ending.
My first big problem with the game, outside of the bugs, comes from the fact that many times throughout the game you'll find yourself in control of a character that isn't your main character. This normally would be fine, but the lure of SW games is controlling your Jedi. Not to mention that your character is really the only true badass in your arsenal. That means you control secondary characters through large portions of the game in battles that your main character wouldn't have trouble with. I should add these are characters you have no investment in, no emotional tie to, thus you simply play hoping to end it so you can get control of your main character back.
My second big problem is how the game portrays Jedi/Sith/The Force as religions. Its sort of cool in some aspects, but the game gets really preachy later on and contradicts itself too many times.
Another problem lies within the new "influence" system. As you gain influence among your travel companions you open more options with them. I won't list those options as its a spoiler. The problem is that you don't have enough opportunities to gain influence with all the people that join you. Thus, too many stories, side plots, and way too much character development is left on the table.
Of the 8-10 people that joined me, I only really got invested in 1. There's a reason why that one stood out. Its because that person is a central figure in the overall storyline. The rest meant nothing to me, and seemed to have really weak reasons for being in the game. The developers just made it too hard to get invested to the other characters due to the "influence" system and the few opportunities when you could actually gain influence with your companions.
The whole game played out like Lucas' current films: disappointment after disappointment filled with so much potential.
The side games like the pazaak and swoop racing are nice distractions, but ultimately ruined by bad design. The swoop racing was much harder this time around and much less developed and mostly easily avoided. The pazaak is as fun as the first time around, but there isn't enough opportunity to play. Take the pazaak room where tournaments take place that is full of people. You get to play three people total. Whoopie. To make matters worse, they were all boring and you couldn't play for much money at all.
Another problem is the endless storylines that go nowhere or are left unresolved.
There's a lot to love about this game, but the disappointments are too large too be ignored.
Bah, let me just get to the end. If you live for SW, then you'll play this game. Its actually worth it, but expect to be disappointed by the ending. If you're mildly curious, pick up the original if you haven't played it. Its a MUCH better game and MUCH better than the current films.
Had I written this review about an hour before I beat the game, I probably would have given it a 7 or 8 out of 10. Now, I'd give it:
5 out of 10.
Its still SW. Its still the original engine and gameplay. Its still fun. Its just damn disappointing.
SW:KotoR II - Reviewed - Spoiler Free
HK-47 is in it. He even has a MUCH larger role...but MUCH smaller. (that's cryptic becuase this is spoiler free)
“Every record been destroyed or falsified, books rewritten, pictures repainted, statues, street building renamed, every date altered. The process is continuing day by day. History stops. Nothing exists except endless present in which the Party is right.”
The more I think about the game, the more I want to lower my rating from 5/10 to something like 3/10.
If you've ever wanted to see what an unfinished or unpolished game looks like, this is your chance.
If you've ever wanted to see what an unfinished or unpolished game looks like, this is your chance.
“Every record been destroyed or falsified, books rewritten, pictures repainted, statues, street building renamed, every date altered. The process is continuing day by day. History stops. Nothing exists except endless present in which the Party is right.”
I hoped Bioware was done w\ that shit when they got cut off from Interplay.Leisher wrote:The more I think about the game, the more I want to lower my rating from 5/10 to something like 3/10.
If you've ever wanted to see what an unfinished or unpolished game looks like, this is your chance.
Diogenes of Sinope: "It is not that I am mad, it is only that my head is different from yours."
Arnold Judas Rimmer, BSC, SSC: "Better dead than smeg."
Arnold Judas Rimmer, BSC, SSC: "Better dead than smeg."