Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords

"A good sequel, a great game"

I purchased Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II just a few weeks after I had completed the first one. I knew very little about it, unlike the first KotOR, I had not read any reviews or heard much about it. I went into it excited, expecting it to match up well with its predecessor. I was surprised, the game was very similar to the predecessor, the graphics were fine, the sound was fine, everything I loved from the original KotOR was there, but for some reason I was disappointed. I couldn't figure out what was wrong, why I struggled to connect with this game as I did the first. I thought about it for a long time and managed to finally realize what was wrong.

Graphics - 9/10

The graphics in KotOR II still hold up today. Early into the game I wasn't awed by them, they looked very similar to the first. But once you start exploring the galaxy you can see the changes, character designs have once again been rendered well although some of them have clearly been reused from the first game, but there is so much more to it this time. Encountering characters earlier in the game and seeing how they have changed in the future was a shock to me. The ships are well designed(the Ravager especially) and the Ebon Hawk has undergone few changes, it feels like I'm back in KotOR I, travelling through space in the Ebon Hawk still looks as good as it did back in KotOR I and still awes me as much as it did then.

One of my issues is the planet design. Unlike KotOR I, there is not as large a design range when it comes to planets. You get the forests of Dxun, the cityscape of Nar Shaddaa, the city feel of Telos, the royal city feel of Onderon, and the cliffs of Korriban again and the dark, mountainous feel of Malachor IV. No seabeds or oceans, no deserts. Malachor IV was designed beautifully and shows the effects of the Mandalorian war. It is definitely a downgrade from the first game but Malachor IV itself keeps it at a 9/10.

Sound - 9/10

The sound in KotOR II hasn't undergone any major changes since the first game. The classic effects are still there, the blasters, the lightsabers, the thrusters of the Ebon Hawk going into Hyperspace, it's all there and done as perfectly as before. It has worn thin a bit after hearing the exact same effects as the first game, but it didn't really need to change anyway. The characters voices are fine, you get a few returning characters and they still have the same voice actors

The score is once again done by Jeremy Soule and holds up with the movies as well as the score for the first game did. The score fits every scene well.

Story - 10/10

As I said at the start of this review, at first I struggled to connect with this game and I couldn't understand why. Then it came to me, I couldn't connect KotOR II because of KotOR I. I had developed a connection with the characters of the first game and was constantly comparing their equivalents in KotOR II to the characters of KotOR I. I didn't like Atton as much as Carth, I didn't like Kreia whatsoever. Handmaiden didn't come close to replacing Bastila. I had to get over this before I could truly see KotOR II for what it is. It is a great game with a great story.

The story of KotOR II is awesome, but still not as good as the first. You play as the Jedi Exile, you served with the Jedi council and were exiled after you left with Revan, Malak, and other Jedi to fight the Mandalorians. You were in charge of the activation of a Mass Shadow Generator, a superweapon used in the final battle in the Mandalorian wars on the planet Malachor IV, a lush, fertile planet. This weapon changed the gravitational pull of Malachor IV and ended up destroying the planet. Mandalorians, Republic soldiers, Jedi, warships, everything was pulled into the depths of the planet. You were the only Jedi to return to Coruscant after the war and face the council for punishment while the rest of the Jedi left with Revan and Malak, if you played the first game than you know how this turned out. It is much more complicated than the first game.

Jump 8 years ahead and the Jedi are broken. You are being hunted by the Sith who believe you to be the last known Jedi. Your mission is to track down the last of the Jedi who have gone into hiding on war torn worlds where the Sith won't be able to use the force to track them. On the way you meet many people and droids who each have their own story, just like the first game. You learn about why you were exiled and what your impact on the war is.

Gameplay - 8/10

The gameplay is the weakest point in the game, the gameplay is good but nothing special. The controls are fine, the camera is fine. The only glitches I found were ones from the first game, which makes me believe that it may be my computer more than anything and none of them were gamebreaking.

Some of the quests are similar to the first game but I have no issues with that. The dark side/light side scale returns with no major changes. In KotOR II you can also turn your party members into Jedi, but it has no impact whatsoever when it comes to the story. You still have choices to make, same as KotOR I.

Overall - 9/10

Overall, this is a great game. It holds up in every level even after all this time as passed. You have just as much a variety of weapons and armor to use and not much has changed from KotOR I, but that doesn't hold it down. But in comparison to the first game, it is not as good as the first. I couldn't connect as well with the characters as the first game. It is a great game, and a good sequel.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 08/10/09

Game Release: Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords (US, 02/08/05)