Knights of the Old Republic 2: The Sith Lords

This sequel makes for a strong case of Déjà vu

Single player roleplaying is far from dead. The first Knights of the Old Republic rekindled our love for captivating RPGs and delivered a perfect Star Wars game. This sequel reprises the same formula—complex storytelling and difficult moral choices—to great effect. Irritating bugs and a rushed ending dull its shine, but the Force is still strong with Kotor 2.

Set five years after the conclusion of the first game you reenter a galaxy far, far, away in the same way you did in the previous adventure—an amnesiac with a mysterious past. As an exiled Jedi who fought in the Mandalorian and Jedi Civil Wars, you’re hunted by the Sith and an alliance of Bounty Hunters. As you journey, wayward travelers—each with their own interesting back stories—join you on your quest to rebuild the Republic and the Jedi Order.

Kotor 2’s writing is definitely its strongest asset. The spellbinding plot is wonderfully layered and complex, and almost all of your missions and actions actually build upon the underlying narrative. You travel to various planets in search of Jedi Masters, but at each location, they are unveiled differently and with unique story elements. On Dantooine, you can join a Jedi defending a key building from mercenaries, but on another planet, the resident Jedi will come to your rescue after an unfortunate misstep.

As the title suggests, many of the sequel’s underlying themes lay with the history of the Sith, and their purpose in balancing the Force. Once again, your actions determine whether you follow the light or dark side of the Force. But this time, your inner struggle is complicated by the ability to sway the faith of your up to 10 allies, who each have their own motives and troubled personalities.

The character Kiera, for example, will constantly warn of the weaknesses of blind selflessness, and impose her pessimistic ideals whenever present. You can either listen and build up your level of influence with her, or try to persuade her to change her outlook. Similarly, a Sith assassin who joins your party is very impressionable, but you’re free to either manipulate her beliefs or try to bring her to the light. The dialog does an admirable job of fleshing out complex relationship between Jedi and the Sith, and there are definitely times when the Sith convictions sound appealing.

Kotor2 also includes plenty of side quests to keep you busy. You’ll often have to rescue hapless settlers or refugees who’ve been scammed or have had friends or relatives kidnapped. While you don’t have to complete all of these missions, finishing them opens up shortcuts to advance the plot, and grants valuable experience points to level up your character. We were able to max out key skills early in the game, leaving us free to experiment with both light and dark force powers later on.

Numerous references to the first Kotor will delight fans, key characters from the first game show up for cameos. Your ship is again the Ebon Hawk, hinting at a connection between your character and the events of the first game. Also, both mini-games of Pazaak and Swoop Racing make a welcome return, and are as addictive as ever.
What you won’t enjoy are the unacceptable technical shortcomings, such as scripting bugs. NPCs often run the same scripting triggers repeatedly, and cut scenes occasionally lack models or movement. The almost archaic graphics are understandable considering it’s a console port, but the low resolution pre-rendered cut scenes are pitiful. The game even crashed twice between loading sequences, so make sure you save often.

There’s no doubt that Kotor 2 is essential to any respectable gamer or Star War fan’s collection–you might just want to wait until a patch comes out before embarking on the adventure. --Norman Chan

+ Sith Lord: Deeply involving plot, smart storytelling and layered complexity, Pazaak!

- Sith Lackey: Rampant scripting bugs, slow start, unresolved plotlines, dated visuals.

Month Reviewed: May 2005
Verdict: 8
URL: www.lucasarts.com