Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic

This may be my choice for PC game of the year.

Which sucks, because the XBox'ers got it first.

But I digress.

This is an excellent game that shows how far Bioware is above every other RPG game producer... not that there are all that many out there. But I digress. Again.

Bioware really puts it together here. They ease out the interface wonkishness experienced in Neverwinter Nights, and in the meantime massage out many other weaknesses in that game and its sequels.

And on top of that, they add some of the strengths from the Baldur's Gate series - sidequests with multiple solutions and a cast of characters with their own goals and personalities.

Like the Baldur's Gate games, the party interaction here is truly a reason to play the game differently each time you pick it up. Each character will react to in-game conversation options differently, and will converse amongst themselves for good or ill. Each character will also react differently to your character depending on whether you are leaning toward the light side... or the dark side.

And yes, KOTOR gives you the option to be a total bastard if you want to be. After finishing the game with a saintly light side character, I've restarted with a dark sider, and the game is a very different experience. I'll also say that the game's plot 'twist' gives not only a reason for your character's quick affinity for the force, but also a good reason for your character to go dark side, if you wish.

Before I get out of the positives let me mention one more thing: the score. The music isn't just the canned stuff from the Star Wars movies that we have become so accustomed to. No, the music is an entirely new composition that manages to hearken back to the music from the movies. This is an extremely difficulty and noteworthy accomplishment.

There are some downsides to the game. First and foremost is that it is probably too easy. The Baldur's Gate series remains the best melding of tactical fantasy combat and story that I've yet seen, and the Icewind Dale series probably gets the nod for best fantasy tactics game... because those games were all about the combat, and had no real story to speak of. Even still, KOTOR is a pleasing mix of good writing and entry level tactical combat, and while the main story is a bit cliched in parts, the volume and variety in the subquests will surely compensate you for that. You will find yourself forgiving the game for its simplicity in the combat portion simply because the total package is so very good.

In the end, KOTOR will likely be entered into the record books as one of the better RPG games ever created. If you have either an XBox or a personal computer that can run the game, you really owe it to yourself to pick it up. It is easily more accessible than the Baldur's Gate series, and provides many of the same payoffs to the player, even if it doesn't provide the depth of tactical options. Highly recommended.

Posted by Reid at November 30, 2003 08:13 PM | TrackBack