"(Force Persuade) You will buy this game"

Star Wars Kotor 2 Sith Lords the sequel to what many consider the best rpg of all time. Myself included I considered Kotor the best rpg I have played in my lifetime. From the story to the characters and to the combat, Kotor was near flawless in terms of what an rpg should be. There were a few frame rate issues and graphical glitches that brought it down to only a masterpiece instead of gaming perfection. With that said Kotor was still my favourite rpg and my second favourite game of all time behind Link to the Past. Bioware was absolutely phenomenal in making Kotor, but Kotor 2 took on a new developer called Obsidian. Obsidian consists of many rpg veterans from Black Isle studio. Many people had concerns regarding this sequel and the quality of it because Bioware was not developing it. Well those people that were worried I truly find your lack of faith disturbing. I can safely say that the force is strong in this one. In my review I will do a lot of comparisons to the first and breakdown the improvements over the original and the parts where the game isn't quite as good as the first. Kotor 2 basically takes place five years after the events of Revan, Carth, Bastilla and Malak in Kotor. There will be some appearances by Kotor characters and the story is connected with the first. The answers that you give will lead to a different result. This is used to tell whether you went dark or light in the first Kotor. If I were you I would go through both dark and light with both females and males for both sides. Anyways the story follows a Jedi who has been exiled from the Jedi order. This character is mysterious and as you advance in the game the pieces of his life come together. He was basically punished for following Revan and Malak to fight in the Mandalorian War. Now the Sith believe that he is the last Jedi and he is hunted. So the question is does Kotor 2 live up to the greatness that the first presented? Find out more in my review of the sequel to what I consider the best rpg of all time. (Force Persuade) You will continue to read my review. (Success) I will continue to read your review.

(Persuade/Lie) Sith Lords is a graphical masterpiece…it is so gorgeous it puts other games to shame…(failure). Okay truthfully speaking Sith Lords is not a great looking game; in fact there are plenty of Xbox games that look far better. But as the old saying goes beauty is only skin deep, it is what is the inside that counts. Kotor 2 like the original Kotor suffers from a few frame rate issues. For the most part it is not noticeable, but when there are large group battles the frame rate issues are apparent. The animation for the most part looks good. The fight between yourself and a NPC that has a light saber is a sight to see. You're flinging your light saber and clashing against his and it makes some really awesome visuals. The character models are not the greatest, but they suffice. The characters look good, but they seem to really lack any attention to detail when their faces are zoomed in. The environments on the planets are a sight to see. The few cut scenes look very good and portrays the Star Wars universe really well. The rain effects also looks quite good. For the most part Sith Lords looks solid and has a few frame rate issues.

The force is strong in this one

There are three important elements in an rpg that I always take into consideration. These three elements are what I consider the key to a great rpg. An rpg must have an engrossing story, likeable and character development, and lastly it has to have an epic feel to it, which would require a substantial amount of the first two elements to give one an epic feel. Now I can live with any combat system such as turn base, real time or a mixture of both, but an rpg must have an engrossing story and likeable characters in order for me to consider it great and epic. Luckily Sith Lords has all these elements and does a great job of incorporating these elements to make an epic adventure. Now I must say that the Sith Lords does not do as good of a job as the first Kotor, but considering the fact that Kotor is the best rpg I have ever played if a game comes close to it, that game is pretty good. The combat in Sith Lords like the first is a semi turn base plus semi action. Like any turn base rpg's you take turns attacking, but a player has control of their characters as they can move freely around the area. The storyline does a great job of guessing what to expect next. While the plot twists are not quite as shocking as the first, the plot twists for the most part gives you a feeling of a great story. You can also slowly develop your relationship with your team through dark and light actions.

The game's character development is highly customisable and is also very deep. When it is time for a character to level up one gets a chance to choose their abilities. They can choose which force powers to choose, they can choose what feats they want and they can choose whether to give points to your persuasion skills or your strength skills. Force powers are really a marvel to look at and a joy to use. I personally prefer Lightning Storm and Choke (which gives me that Darth Vader feel). Using force powers will cause you to use up force points. While over time it rejuvenates it doesn't do that quick enough in the heat of battle. This is a good thin considering force powers are so powerful. How much of your force points that you use up depends whether you are on light or dark alignment. If you were a light side Jedi using dark side powers then it would cost more points.

Good or Evil done right....unlike *cough* Fable *cough*

Fable, which was released earlier this year, was a big disappointment. The fact that the good and evil choices had little effect on the game breaks every promise that the Big Blue Box had. They promised a free roaming rpg ala Morrowind, with groundbreaking choices that will determine your characters alignment. Boy were they wrong, not only was the combat repetitive, but the good and evil choices that I was looking for failed to impress me. Unlike Fable, Kotor 2's choices are more then satisfying. On my first play through I decided to go light side, but I was tempted a few times to fall to the dark side. Your actions will also influence your team members and their attitudes towards you. When I was giving credits away as an act of mercy one of my fellow team members gave me hard time about how I was showing weakness. Talking to your members will also help advance the story. Light and dark sides are usually quite apparent as light side usually involves helping others and dark side is usually when you do something evil. There are quite a few planets in Sith Lords and at first you will go in order of which the game lays out for you, but as you play it will open up you can go to different planets in the order of your choosing. While playing you can talk to other NPC's to get a hint at what to do next and to advance the story. There really is a lot of story telling to follow. There is a really great story here and if you pass up a conversation you can be missing a very important part of the plot.

As you play through the game you can pick up items to serve your cause. In fact you will find yourself with so many items that you don't know what to do with it. When the game first starts out you have a bit of amnesia such as the first and as you continue through the game you will see the amazing story start to unravel. The game starts off a bit slow also like the first, but the game starts to pick up when you pick up your first light saber. Unlike the first light sabers do not come by as easily. Well it was a minor gripe by me because I had quite a few double bladed sabers and I prefer the more traditional single bladed ones. Wielding the saber and having control of the force is really cool and a joy to play. I felt the game was quite a bit easier then the first as I only died a few times. When you become a Jedi the game really starts to pick up for the better and you won't find a better Star Wars experience with the exception of the first Kotor of course.

The music in Sith Lords really fit the mood. It has some soothing themes and really fits the star wars atmosphere. The voice acting is simply incredible and near flawless. Like the first there are numerous lines that the NPC's say. These lines are well done and do a great job of portraying their characters. The alien languages are also a nice touch that gives a better Star Wars feel to it. Your character does not speak, but the fact that others have such a rich dialogue it really overshadows this minor gripe. The sound effects are also nicely done such as the times where you pull out your light sabers, when blasters are firing or when sabers are clashing.

Kotor 2 Sith Lords is quite a bit shorter then the first. It took me 40 hours to beat the first and it only took me 28 hours to beat Sith Lords. While this is more then solid for an rpg I do wish it would be a bit longer. You will also want to play the game a few times trying the dark and light side differences in the story. While it is shorter then the first what is there offers a great rpg experience. Sith Lords has a lot of significant value and playtime and any rpg fans will see that Sith Lords has a substantial amount of quality to be seen.

The Star Wars theme and your ability to wield a light saber and using force powers really gives this game a great presentation. Your menu is very easy to access as you can go through your inventory and it makes it easy for players to sort through. The graphics are not a marvel, but the light saber fights are definitely easy on the eyes and a sight to look at. The ability to go dark side or light side also adds a nice touch to the Star Wars theme. I like the whole Star Wars theme and the ability of Obsidian to offer a genuine portrayal that gives credit to the rich Star Wars universe. The few frame rate issues are noticeable in big battles, but nothing big that can't be overlooked. The highly customisable characters are also a great plus. Being able to choose your own force powers really extends the experience. The enemies also vary and the Sith Lords are also quite cool.

May the force be with you

Overall I would have to say Kotor 2 is my second favourite rpg behind Kotor and tied with Final Fantasy X. Kotor 2 has a few things that are better, but the overall story and the characters I felt was not quite as good as the first. While they are still great these are important aspects of an rpg and I feel it would be unfair to Kotor if I would say that Kotor 2 is better. In some ways Kotor 2 is, but in others it is not. However what Sith Lords offers is one of the best rpg experiences that you will find on any consoles. Any rpg fan will realize what a great experience Sith Lords offers. Overall I must say I am quite pleased with what Obsidian did with the sequel and I cannot wait for Kotor 3. Any Xbox owners owe it to themselves to pick this game ASAP. If you don't own an Xbox I would suggest buying one for this and Kotor along with other great Xbox games.

Pros
+ A great story
+ A great combat system
+ Being able to influence party members
+ Great voice acting
+ Star Wars theme
+ Being able to go dark or light side of the force
+ A deep customisation of your characters and their abilities
+ More epic boss battles
+ Good or evil done right

Cons
- A few frame rate issues
- Not as along as the original
- Game starts off a bit slow

Graphics - 7/10
Gameplay - 10/10
Sound - 10/10
Value - 9/10
Presentation - 10/10
Overall - 9.4/10

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 01/03/05, Updated 03/23/05