Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic

"Force Persuade: You will buy this game."

There are two types of people in the world. The first go around with painted cardboard tubes making swooshing noises, can name every planet in the mythological Star Wars galaxy and whose religion is Jedi. The other type think that Star Wars is the biggest pile of crap ever invented and that George Lucas should be hung by the... anyway, if you're not a Star Wars fan you might be turned off by the prospect of KOTOR. Which is a crying shame, really, because it's one of the best games ever made.

KOTOR takes place 4000 years before the films we all know and (mostly) love. There are no Clone Wars, no Darth Vader and thankfully no Jar Jar Binks. The Republic are at war with the Sith, lead by the evil Darth Malak, and are fighting a losing battle. However, the tide of war is changing thanks to the Jedi Bastila and her Battle Meditation. Bastila's Republic ship is attacked by the Sith forces above the planet of Taris...

...and that's where you come in. KOTOR doesn't ease you into the plot slowly- it dumps you in up to your neck in Star Wars action. Before you get into the thick of things, KOTOR lets you make your character and customize them to your tastes. As well as changing the appearance of your character, you can alter their statistics and ultimately how you're going to play the game- Soldiers rely on combat with guns and swords, Scouts are good all-round characters, while Scoundrels rely more on evasion and superior tactics. Within your character's class, their power levels can also be altered to create a final character that is exactly like you... or what you'd like to be.

KOTOR has the highest level of player-character bonding I've seen since Shenmue 2, but even more so. As your character defeats enemies in battle, they receive experience points. Once they have enough experience points, their level increases and you're able to upgrade their powers. These are divided into three main areas- Feats, special moves mostly used for combat, Skills, used for a wide variety of skills, and later Force Powers. In KOTOR, it's just not possible to be great at everything- while it is possible to be boringly average, it's a lot more advantageous to focus on a particular area of your powers. Being the typical ''screw the talk, let's fight!'' type of games player, I chose to focus my character on combat skills. Of course, this comes at the expense of having weaker Force Powers and being less skilled with computer usage, etc. Ultimately, you can play KOTOR whatever way you want. It's not something many games do, but it's something a lot more should.

As well as your own character, a varied cast joins you in your travels. One of the first you meet is the republic soldier Carth, who is headstrong and good with blaster weapons. However, Carth seems troubled by inner demons and reluctant to trust you. It's only by continuing to play the game and rising up the ranks that you can find out Carth's past. KOTOR's plot is as deep as you want it to be, with each of the 9 characters in your party having their own stories to tell and unique quests to complete. They go from being computer-controlled teammates to your invaluable companions. You start to feel their emotions, gradually becoming increasingly immersed in the story. To vary the gameplay a bit, each of the characters can be controlled in combat, with the computer then taking control of your own character. However, you can only have three members in your party at one time, one of which must be yourself. With each character having widely different skills and abilities, it's important to think through whom you'll take with you as you progress through the levels of the game.

KOTOR's various worlds are vast, varied and beautiful. After negotiating the initial Republic cruiser level, you'll crash land on Taris and it's here that the game begins proper. On Taris, you can go wherever you want- it's like getting a giant plate of your favourite foods and being allowed to eat whatever tickles your fancy. While the most obvious option is to continue with the main quest- and indeed, it's what the rest of your party is focussed on- there are a massive variety of side quests to complete. These will gain your character more experience points, money and items. These can range from collecting bounties on people (by killing them, of course) playing the card game of Pazaak for money, or just helping people you'll encounter on your journeys.

What makes these quests in KOTOR different from other RPGs, however, is that quests will often have two sides to them. You'll have the choice of being a kind, helpful person by declining payment and helping people out of the goodness of your heart, or killing them and stealing their money. This earns you either Light or Dark Side points, ultimately influencing your alignment with the Force and whether you will become a Light or Dark Jedi or want. It's easy to be caught up in the small details of quests and spend hours on them, without getting any closer to completing the main quest. This would be a problem if the side quests weren't so much fun!

Combat in KOTOR is turn-based, although disguised to appear like real-time fighting. Don't be expecting Jedi Knight levels of interaction here- KOTOR's combat is literally by the numbers. Upon choosing a target for your character to attack, the game calculates a winner by comparing your statistics with the enemy. While this might sound bland and tedious- I'd have to admit that before playing the game, I'd have agreed- but combat is great to watch and play through, much to my surprise and delight. Swords clash together as your characters fight with enemies. You can select the attacks you want your character to use on the fly and move them around during combat, giving you a very high degree of control during a fight. You can also pause the action and switch characters, so that you're fully in control of all of your characters' actions. Combat in KOTOR is more than brainless brawling as in a game like Phantasy Star Online or Shenmue 2, relying more heavily on tactics and thinking through situations before you go through with them.

Obviously, every KOTOR player's main ambition is to become a Jedi. It happens automatically as part of the plot. After spending the first few hours of the game wielding cheap swords and blasters, the game's whole focus shifts to the Jedi Academy on Dantooine. Here, you'll have to learn about the Jedi Order before completing three tasks- one of which is constructing your very own lightsaber. Here, once again it's decision time as you choose between three different classes of Jedi. Jedi Guardians are focused towards combat with the lightsaber, and excellent choice if you picked the Soldier initially. On the other hand, Jedi Consulars focus on using Force Powers to defeat enemies and less on physical prowess.

Upon completing your Jedi training tasks, the main quest begins proper and you can travel to various locations in the Star Wars universe- Tatooine, the desert world, is populated by Jawas and Sand People, whereas Manaan is an aquatic world inhabited by the inhabited by the indigenous Selkath. While these names probably mean nothing to you now, after a few hours of playing KOTOR they'll become second nature. You begin to learn who your friends and enemies are. Each world is genuinely different, with its own enemies and cultures. For example, Kashyyk is the Wookie home world (think: Chewbacca) where finding even a simple shop becomes a difficult task. Manaan is mostly one large city, featuring a Swoop racing track.

Swoop racing is one of the mini games on offer in KOTOR and one that you'll have to master if you want to succeed at the game. Control of the Swoop is easy, with players having to time their gear changes to the millisecond to get the fastest time on each course. Later in the game, Swoop racing is a non-essential event, but it's a lot of fun and can be a good way to earn some extra money. Another mini game of sorts takes place in the Ebon Hawk's gun turret, where you must shoot down waves of pursuing Sith fighters. The mini games break up the usual gameplay and prevent it from becoming repetitive, without being overly difficult to the extend that they infuriate the player.

The aforementioned Ebon Hawk is your personal spaceship, which you automatically acquire through the main storyline. The Hawk becomes your base, where you can converse with the members of your party and chart your next destination. As the game progresses, various side quests take place on the Ebon Hawk. Sometimes the plot of the game changes and your stay on the ship might be rudely interrupted. Without going into too much detail, KOTOR's storyline is one of the best I've encountered in a game. Not just recently, but in a game-period. There are some unbelievable plot twists to encounter, leaving you to pick your jaw up from the floor and wonder what the hell just happened.

KOTOR succeeds because, for the first time, you're playing a game that feels exactly like the Star Wars movies. Although the game is set thousands of years before the films even take place, it arguably feels more like Star Wars than Episodes 1 or 2 ever did. The stunning graphics and soundtrack add to the cinematic feel- pulsating light effects are used to achieve the perfect glow of the lightsaber, worlds are rendered in painstaking detail, all with the classic John Williams theme tune playing through your television speakers. Some areas in the game were slightly dull in terms of colouring, but this isn't necessarily a bad thing. As mentioned before, each world feels noticeably different and adds to the overall feel of the game. Voice acting, traditionally the low point of RPGs, is of a remarkably high standard in Star Wars games. Aliens even speak their proper languages (allow these consist of a few voice clips, with an irritating amount of repetition.) Of course, your character can speak a large variety of alien languages, otherwise the game wouldn't be much fun. One of the side quests involves your character trying to learn a new alien language- difficult and utterly hilarious.

What's not to like about KOTOR? It looks and sounds great and has some of the best gameplay you can encounter on the Xbox. It's very large too- after a week, I've still a considerable section of the game to complete. I can't wait until I've completed KOTOR and then get a chance to play through the game again, choosing the Dark Side next time. In this way, you get two games for the price of one and a real incentive to play it again. In addition, soon downloadable content will be available via Xbox Live. If it's even half as good as the main game, we're in for a real treat.

Overall

Calling KOTOR great would be insulting- it's so much better than that. This gigantic, beautiful game is one of the best on Xbox. You'd have to be foaming at the mouth to miss out on this modern classic. 

95%

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 09/22/03