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

"A worthy sequel, which fans of the original smash hit will love."

Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, which was released back in 2003 on the Xbox and later the PC, was so successful and gained so much popularity within the Star Wars and RPG universe that a sequel just had to come about. BioWare, the original developers, stepped down and Obsidian came into the picture, receiving a little help at the beginning from BioWare. Our wishes were answered for a sequel though, and Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II came into works. Entitled, 'The Sith Lords', the game aimed to base itself on the original and introduce new aspects that will make the game more enjoyable than the original. Was this actually achieved? Find out in my review of Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords.

GRAPHICS/SOUND
Now as there's not a lot to write about in the graphics and sound department, I will wrap these up in two separate sections. Starting with the graphics. If you have played the original KOTOR game you will most definitely notice that the graphics are identical to its predecessor. KOTORII features new planets to visit and all of these look up to, if not better, than the original. In my personal opinion it seems like the graphics have been slightly improved, but not by a great detail. One notable graphical improvement is the accessories your party can have, such as robes, belts, etc. The original game's Jedi and Dark Jedi robes weren't that special (and to be honest, I found myself placing Dark Jedi robes on Jedi), but that is not the case with KOTORII. The new Jedi robes are excellent and range from Padawan, Knight and Master. It's just awesome seeing your Jedi, lightsaber in hand, running around with a slick Jedi robe on, which look almost identical to the Jedi robes in the movies. Some may complain about the graphics, due to as KOTORII is a sequel, they would expect the graphics to be improved.

Saying this there are still some areas where the game will look superior than the original. For example, one area places you on a ship, and when you look out into space, you can see a planet below and a space battle taking place, something which was never witnessed in the original. No matter how much they have improved, of course, with all PC games, the quality of your video card depends on the final result.

Onto the sound -- and again, there isn't really that much difference (hence why I combined the graphics and sound into one section). The voice acting has been done very strongly, and with all new characters for you to choose from, it just gets better and better than the original with each voice fitting the character perfectly. Sadly, as with the first game, alien languages are generally repeated and repeated and you will get very bored of it soon enough. Quite disappointing that they didn't fix this problem with all the complaints they received about it for the first KOTOR. Music wise, there are noticeably more generic Star Wars music which some people may like and some people may dislike. Jeremy Soule's created music is still included, but not as much as in the original.

GAMEPLAY
KOTORII: The Sith Lords' developers, Obsidian, were provided with the same engine that BioWare used to create the original, which means that the Gameplay is almost identical to that of the first game. However, there are many new additions to the gameplay in Sith Lords. As always, you start off the game by creating your own personal character; his/her appearance, skills, etc. More noticeably is the fact that instead of choosing from Soldier and Guardian from the original, you can now actually choose full Jedi classes, such as Guardian, Sentinel and Consular. After that, you get placed into the game and you're on way for yet another KOTOR adventure.

Due to the Gameplay being exactly the same, the level-up system which is pretty much essential in role-playing games is still intact. Gaining a top level proves difficult, and then each time you gain a level you have to upgrade your skills. Being a Jedi, it doesn't mean you will walk around with a lightsaber in hand all the time. If an enemy is, say, 30ft away, it would be wise to pull out a good blaster and shoot the enemy, unless you want to play it cool and charge with your lightsaber, which I found myself doing quite frequently. While we're on the topic of lightsabers, you may find it quite difficult before you actually acquire one. You have to gather a colour, two crystals, an emitter, a power pack and finally, a lens. It seems pretty hefty, and it could prove tricky, but with the help of fellow party members you will soon get used to the process and build multiple lightsabers after this. With a wide variety of lightsaber crystals to choose from, too, you will never get bored creating lightsabers.

Being an RPG game, it is no surprise that the game has an upgrades system, just like the original. In KOTORII this is vastly improved, though. What you can do now is create and breakdown items, or collect chemicals in order to generate useful items such as medpacks which at some point in the game, you will desperately need. Then there's the option to upgrade weapons and armor which will definitely prove essential in combat. What I noticed most was the weapons and armor for droids such as TM-44 and HK-47. Droids now have exclusive weapons and armor just for them, which means your droids can now have more deadly laser attacks rather than carrying a simple blaster like the original KOTOR.

A welcome addition for me at least, is the new influence system. Say for example if you talk like a Sith to a Jedi Master, you will lose your affection to them and they will respond to you differently in the future. Depending on the options you choose and the dialogue you speak, characters will respond to you in a different matter. As you progress in the game you will notice that they dislike you or respect you, and so on. If you respond in a poor way, you will generally miss out on certain sidequests and not learn much about the backstory of that character as he/she will not want to talk about it with you. The Gameplay is basically the same as the original, but with some cool new additions, and that's why the game is so greatly effective.

STORY
It's set five years after the events of KOTOR, so it's highly recommended that you play the original before picking this up, as you will not understand the crucial plot and get confused. I won't say anything because it will be hard to unless I unleash some KOTOR spoilers, which I will not do. However, in KOTORII, the Sith have ruthlessly hunted the Jedi Order to the edge of extinction and only one Jedi Knight remains -- you. You can help the Jedi fight its course or give in and fall to the darkside. Just like its predecessor, you will be drawn into the plot and enjoy it so much.

REPLAYABILITY
Well it's pretty much like the original in which when you complete it with one side (either light or dark), you should replay it with another side to get different cutscenes and the alternate ending. Sadly after you've beaten it with both sides you'll find it hard to replay the game again, unleash you're a really ravid fan of the game.

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Although not as strong as the original, in my eyes at least, Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords is a worthy sequel and one that is essential if you have played through the original game because it fills many plot holes and also opens up a few for a further addition to the KOTOR series. All in all, if you enjoyed its predecessor, it is highly recommended that you pick up TSL now and enjoy it. There's a few flaws here and there, but with some gameplay additions, it's a very strong game.
Overall: 9/10

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 09/13/05