Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic (Xbox)

I’ve played quite a few single player role-playing games in my time, but none have been as instantly immersive as KoToR, as it is known. It seems more like taking part in an interactive novel rather than playing a game.

There is a central story, which requires your character to carry out extensive missions on a number of worlds. There are also lots of side missions which help towards solving the main mission. You have group help from Jedi, droids and other sidekicks. All your sidekicks have a long and detailed personal history that they will tell you about.

The game has real atmosphere. Every character in the game has a voice, or beep, in the case of droids. Settlements have background chatter and machine hums, whereas outside environments have more natural noises from the local wildlife.

And to top it all, there is plenty of Stars Wars Lore to get your head round.

It’s not all perfect.

The Xbox struggles a bit with the graphics when a lot is going on.

The extensive use of Dungeons & Dragons stats and modifiers is probably a bit overwhelming for casual role players. A bit of dumbing down would help, as this is not meant to be a hardcore role-playing game.

Finally, I would like to have seen a bit more variety in the character models and some of the voices.

But these are minor quibbles. This is without doubt a landmark game and will probably lead to a whole host of new highly interactive games.

There is plenty of replay value as you determine whether you lean to the light or dark side based on the choices you make. There are also a wealth of options to choose from enabling you to tailor your would be Jedi to your own preferences.

The game does have a few flaws in that the initial levels can be a little tedious as you find yourself backtracking quite a bit which can seem quite boring, but patience is the key young padawan!! Also some of the extra objectives can be annoying depending on how helpful you want to be as you'll be going back and forth in order to obtain information!

All in all this is a great game and one that most definately needs to be in your XBOX collection. Just make sure you don't make any plans once you've bought this game and you may need to do the sicky to get out of work so you can truly enjoy it!!

KOTOR is a truly amazing game by any standards. It introduced an amazing Light/Dark system, allowing you to choose your path. In fact, wether you are Light or Dark has sever impact on the game, like who one of the final mini-bosses is, or who lives and who dies. Replay Value is, thus, absolutely amazing. A revolutionary idea in terms of RV.

The graphics are not the bext XBox can offer, but luckily graphics don't make an RPG. The many worlds of KOTOR, are, nonetheless, amazing, and lightsaber combact is more realistic then ever.

The music score features some very nice new tunes which fit in with Star Wars amazingly, and are a pleasent change from the dramatic crescendos of John Williams. In fact, you may find yourself returning to areas just to listen to the music.

As for gameplay... Well, the RPG engine is amazing, allowing for great PC-style RPGing on the XBox. The attack system seems to be real-time, but is in fact a seamless D&D style d20 system, which works well. Although people complain of not getting to attack themselves, allow me to tell you that NONE of the popular RPGs (FFX, Kingdom Hearts, etc) have manual attacks. Finally, the variety is amazing. Seven huge worlds, nine different characters ranging from Wookies to homicidal droids, three different character classes, tons of feats, jedi powers, and weapons all make for great ways to think of strategies - will you be an all-out attacker, or a Light-side healer?

Finally, my own opinion. KOTOR is, without a doubt, the best game on the XBox, easily topping Halo and Halo 2. A must have for RPG or Star Wars fans, and highly recommended to other gamers too.

Replay Value: 10/10
Graphics: 8/10
Music: 9/10
Gameplay: 10/10
Overall: 9.7/10

Once you become a Jedi and recieve Force powers it becomes evident just how much you can change your character. You can have him really strong, good at dodging or just plain average at everything. This combined with the huge range of equipment like armour, implants, gloves,etc make it so you character can become effectively invincible. There is nothing better than traversing the Dune Sea on Tatooine slashing at Sand People with two purple lightsabers!

I simply cannot do this game justice in words. This may already have been said but you must play it yourself-you won't regret it.

The plot is this: It's 4,000 years before Episode 1, and the Galaxy is in a state of war. A race called the Mandalorians have recently lost the battle against the republic and have been scattered across the galaxy. Although they defeated the Mandalorians, the Republic's numbers have dwindled. It seemed that it couldn't get any worse for the Republic, but then came along Darth Malak, who usurped the mantle of Dark Lord after he previously assasinated the previous Dark Lord - Darth Revan.

Malak had come along at the head of an ENORMOUS fleet, of an epic scale, and was conquering planet after planet with his seemingly unstoppable armada of ships, troops and sith. The Republic were shocked and amazed at how he had raised such an army so quickly (as they had only tried to kill him 5 years before) and are trying every method possible to defend themselves against him. But none have succeeded and the only reason they've been able to last so long is because of their many hidden refuges on planets scattered throughout the galaxy, and because of a special Jedi called Bastilla.

Bastilla is special because she can wield a special power called 'Battle Meditation'. This can make the opposing side feel cowardly and scared, enough to turn the tide in a battle. But, because of this, she has become one of Malak's prome targets...

This is where you come in. You've been recruited by the Republic because of you're abilities, and it's you're job to protect Bastilla.

From the minute you load up the game, you know you're in for a treat. Before you start the game, you can completely customize your character: how he/she looks, what his/her attributes and abilities are, if they're a scout, officer or mercenary etc. You then delve into the game, and, from that minute onwards, you're hooked.

The first thing you notice is the graphics. They are among the BEST ever to grace a console, with stunning lighting, amazing attention to detail and top character models. The next is the sound. As any Star Wars game contains, the music is perfect. NEVER has an atmosphere been set so well with music. NEVER. But the thing that easily stands out the most, is the one thing that makes this game unique: the ability to decide your own fate. You have the ability to do what ever you want! Whether it be kill an innocent suvillian, save a planet from a horrible disease, assasinate someone etc.

Ontop of all this, you have a light and dark meter. This shows how far you've swayed to the dark or light side. Depending on how light/dark you are depends on how you stand (light will stand proudly; dark will stand menacingly), how you look (light have a well complexioned face; dark have scars and spikes on their face), how you act (e.g what you say to people: Light - How about we resolve this peacefully; Dark - Shut up! Time to die, bug-face!) and many other things. You can also pick your occupation e.g. Bounty Hunter, Jedi, Sith, Swoop-Racer (like podracing), Duelist, Murder Detective (!?!?! I know!) etc. The possibilities are almost endless.

The combat in this game is also spot on. Instead of pressing buttons to execute attacks, you give the character a command and they will do it. It may sound tacky, but it works suprisingly well. To do this, when you locate an enemy the game pauses and you then have the ability to scroll through all of your attacks and either press 'A' and execute the attack immediately, or press 'X' to line up different attacks in a row and execute a combo. Great stuff.

There is only one problem with this game, though. It seems short once you finish it. Even though, in actual fact, the game lasts about 40 hours minimum (100 hours if you wnat to do EVERYTHING), you still find yourself thinking 'Why didn't they make it longer?'

To wrap this up though, you simply won't find a better RPG out there. Bioware and Lucasarts have done what everyone else has tried to do first-time round and they've done it beautifully. Truly stupendous stuff.

Naturally there is the distinction between the light and dark side of the force, and your actions throughout the game determines your preferences. This is definitely one of the aspects that gives the game great replay-ability and lifespan.
If you're a star wars freak (like me), and have a liking for rpg's, this game should be in your collection.
Levelling up happens after collecting a certain number of experience points. Again, if you've tried Neverwinter Nights you'll be familiar with that. The system is quite similar.

KOTOR is a huge game. Seven worlds to explore, and lots of quests to take on. Many of these are optional, giving you the possibility to finish in a second round of the game if you haven't done them before. Adds to the lifespan as well.
You don't start out as a jedi either, which is great, since it feels a lot more rewarding when you finally get to commence you jedi training, and constuct your lightsaber.
During the game you get to have two companions at most parts of the game, and for the most part you get to choose which ones you'd like to have with you.

The controls are great. Even though many aspects of the game can seem complex, you'll have no problem with that in terms of gameplay. Take the time to understand the controls and you're well off.

a few downers are that you only get to be a human, no other alien species is awailable for the main charachter (but you can play the role of aliens through you companions), and you only get to change the heads, and there are quite a few loading sequences, but it's not a huge annoyance. Other than that, the game is great.

The game takes some 5,000 years before the events of Episode IV. You create your own character out of a few basic classes offering general attributes and strengths specific to the classes (for example the soldier will be strong whilst a rogue will be dextrous).

The game takes place within a dramatic story line often echoing events in the movies while managing to inject a refreshing sense of originality. The Republic's most trusted turn against her and drive her into civil war after saving her from a massive war which weakens her - The events of Episodes 1-3 anyone?

The way the storyline unfolds is perfect. It really is involving. Everyone you speak to has an opinion if not full on dialogue. Every side mission has some sort of relevence to your main mission or storyline. Yet you don't really have to do any of the side missions. You can choose whether or not to behave in a bad or a good way. You can kill people, speak badly towards others and behave threateningly and this will take you down to the dark side. If you act with good will and charity you will head towards the light. The options in nearly every scenario are mind-boggling.

Parts of the game take you into what I would call "dungeon mode" of old games like Legend of Zelda III: Link to the Past. But thankfully they have diluted the boundries between the dungeon world and the outside world so that even though you know you're in a dangerous world you can, for the most part, escape from it. It's not outside of the playable world but incorporated into it.

When you're in such dangerous places even more choices are presented to you. You can bash down some low security doors or hack into them and open them. You can enter a room and kill everyone with your weapons or slice into a nearby security panel and order the room to be gased. You can find some old disused droids, repair them, and send them out on patrol and do the work for you. The system is innovative and gives you a level of control that takes the linear feel completely out of the game. Even though you are clearly following a plot (this isn't Morrowind) you never lose the sense that you can do whatever you feel like.

When you get to the Jedi Academy you have the option of Jedi training. It really is thrilling fighting with a double bladed lightsabre one minute and then using two lightsabres the next, or even mixing the lightsabre with a vibroblade.

Some people may not like the fighting which is essentially turn-based and based on a D&D style system of rolls and saves. I think the pause and queue attack system works quite well because it has dynamism and strategy rolled into one. Decisions you make while paused about which weapons and items to use can mean an easy fight or something which takes out your team. For example on one occasion I duelled a guy called Bendar Starkiller. The first time I played him I throw a concussion grenade, before mine hit he had thrown three plasma grenades - bam, I was dead. Next time I just charged at him with Critical strike and he was dead within ten seconds and I had taken no damage.

Essentially there's too much that's good in this game to talk about so I'll move onto what's 'bad' about it.

The main story line only has about 20-25 hours of hardcore playing in it. The story line involves you so much and you find yourself enjoying the game to such an extent that 25 hours really is nothing. The time flies. I played about 8 hours on my first sitting and my friend 13, it was that addictive. It does have replay value with retrying the game every so often to play in a different way but I would have loved to have had more in the way of game time.

The economy. Credits are seriously hard to come by, especially if you play on the harder modes. It owuld have been nice if the economy allowed for you to sell your goods for credits. Often, especially if you are acting for the light, you'll find yourself short on credits.

In closing I will say this: This is the best game on the Xbox so far in my opinion. I preferred it to Halo which was another great game. It is an essential addition to any X-Box collection.