Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic 2: The Sith Lords
By: Eric Mortensen

System: Xbox, PC
Genre: RPG
Developer: Obsidian Entertainment
Publisher: LucasArts
ESRB Rating: Teen
Release Date: 12/06/04
Difficulty: Easy to Medium
Learning Curve: Hour
 
 

Pros	Cons
Uses the great battle system from original, awesome story, great in all aspects of the game, party aspects are better done this time around, better story than original at times, influence feature	load times, framerate issues, some areas seem rushed

Fun: 20 out of 20

KOTOR 2 is a really fun game. The gameplay of the original is mostly intact. There have been little tweaks here and there that mostly make the game better. The sequel is just as fun as the original. KOTOR 2 is once again a turn-based rpg. With a great story and great gameplay this game is as fun as any I have ever played.

Story: 10 out of 10

The story of KOTOR 2 is as amazing as the original. At times the story is even better. The pacing is good for most of the game. There are several twists along the way but none are as good as the one in the original. The story begins a couple years after the original ended. You take the role of the "last" of the jedi. As your journey continues many other people join your party. The story continues at a good pace until the end. The end seems rushed and leaves some parts of the story unresolved. The story is still so good these problems don't matter much.

Innovation: 8.5 out of 10

KOTOR 2 is innovative but not as much as the original. The game still uses the choices system that changes the story. In the new game you can influence you fellow companions. If you are good you can influence them to become good as well. The same holds true if you go to the dark side. When you talk with your fellow characters you can gain influence over them. Also if you make decisions during the game you can gain influence over people that agree with your choices. The more influence you gain over a character the more you will bring them to your side. All the feutures of the original game along with the influence feature make KOTOR a pretty innovative game.

Control: 9.5 out of 10

The controls in KOTOR 2 are about the same as the original. The controls have been improved a little. They have added several new attacks. The controls are not perfect but they get the job done.

Graphics: 9.5 out of 10

The graphics are about the same as the original. There are several new worlds to discover. They look realistic but do not compete with recent titles. There are more character models this time around and they look good just like the original. There are some glitches in the game and the framerate suffers when there are a lot of characters on the screen.

Sound: 10 out of 10

The sound is as great as the original. The sound affects are great. The voice acting is better than the original.  All the main characters are very well done. There are also a lot of voices for the bystanders.

Replay Value: 10 out of 10

What do I even have to say. The story is different each way you play it. The story can go 4 different ways. There are two different endings for good and evil story lines. The story changes if you play as a male or a female. There is also a different character in each of these story lines.

Challenge: 9.5 out of 10

KOTOR is usually not too difficult or easy. A couple of times the game gets really easy but it doesn't last long. The game is mostly challenging but not to diffiicult. You will never feel fustrated while playing this game.

Multiplayer: No Multiplayer Available

Tilt: 10 out of 10

KOTOR 2 is a great game. It has so many pros and so few cons. There is little I could complain about. It is not as good as the original but it comes very close. If you enjoyed the original you will enjoy the sequel.

Overall: 97 out 100    97%    Must Buy

KOTOR 2 is a great sequel. It does everything well. It has not changed much from the original though. The story is not always consistent. The load times are sometimes slow. If you like video games you will most likely enjoy this game. Unless you totally hate RPG's you will love this game.

Links

Gamespy Review

Gamepro Review

Game Rankings

Official Site