Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II
- November 09, 2004 09:40 AM PST
- Email this!
The Force is strong with this one, on both the light and dark sides!
Before movie-goers "learn" Anakin Skywalker's fate in Revenge of the Sith, gamers get to battle the forces of evil in LucasArts' Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords, the follow-up to 2003's multiple award winning game. While it's similar to its predecessor in a lot of ways, Sith Lords looks to entertain and excite Jedi the galaxy over with a more perilous storyline, an expanded list of Force powers, and 100-plus hours of gameplay.Release Your Anger
Fans of Knights will be instantly familiar with The Sith Lords' execution: the menus are very similar, albeit updated, as are the commands to perform specific actions. However, LucasArts and developer Obsidian have added a few nuances that are definite improvements, all of which are most welcome.
Firstly, you can have up to 10 members in your party, and each will have his own unique personality, motivation, and abilities. KOTOR II's Atton, who's similar to Carth, is more resilient than any other character and won't become incapacitated during a fight as long as he isn't the last one standing. When embarking on one of the many side quests, your party can split up to tackle them concurrently, which should add even more gameplay depth.
Secondly, and most importantly, the choices you make will actually affect gameplay: some NPCs may refuse to join you depending on your light or dark side alignment with the Force. If your character begins to sway one way or the other, members of your party will be influenced by your decisions and become good or evil with you.
Other improvements include two weapons configurations per character, the ability to make repair parts and medpacs, new feats, 30 new Force powers (including the devastatingly powerful Force Crush), and six new character classes like Jedi Weapon Master and Sith Assassin.
The Power of the Dark Side
Right now, Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic: The Sith Lords looks and plays great, and the level of action from the get-go should please fans who are looking for a good, solid adventure. If LucasArts can pull it off in time for the scheduled release, you can forget about socializing with sentient life forms come December.
