Review Hot damn, does Boomtown ever love KotOR

[Spazmo]

Tags: BioWare; Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic

<a href=http://www.boomtown.net>Boomtown</a> have their <a href=http://www.boomtown.net/en_uk/articles/art.view.php?id=4055>review</a> of <a href=http://www.bioware.com>BioWare</a>'s <a href=http://www.swkotor.com>Knights of the Old Republic</a> up. It's extremely positive. The game gets tens everywhere but in graphics and longevity, where it scores modest nines. The overall mark is <b>10 out of 10</b>.
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<blockquote>If you have read all the way to here, you may be able to understand why KotOR has already won numerous awards from the gaming industry, and is likely to continue to do so for quite a while. Finally, finally, it appears that someone has managed to break the curse that (with a few notable exceptions) has caused every PC game under the Star Wars brand to come out as junk.
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This humble writers opinion is that with Knights of the Old Republic, Bioware comes a good deal closer to recreating the magic of the original Star Wars trilogy than any other PC game before it. <u>That is not to say that KotOR is a perfect game</u>, but honestly, the competition just isn't in the same league.</blockquote>
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If it's not a perfect game, why did it score 10/10? And I'm really annoyed at the implication that all Star Wars games suck. X-Wing, TIE Fighter, the expansions thereof, X-Wing Alliance and to a lesser extent X-Wing vs. TIE Fighter were all a hoot. Dark Forces is an example to FPS games. Jedi Academy is a brilliant action game. KotOR is really just an average one.
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Spotted at: <A HREF="http://www.rpgdot.com">RPGDot</a>

 

[triCritical]

This humble writers opinion is that with Knights of the Old Republic, Bioware comes a good deal closer to recreating the magic of the original Star Wars trilogy than any other PC game before it. <u>That is not to say that KotOR is a perfect game</u>, but honestly, the competition just isn't in the same league.</blockquote>

Yeah because everyone in the original trilogy had a double-edged light-saber and 450 PDA's.

 

[Galileo]

You think Jedi Academy is a better game than KOTOR? Dear lord, please pass whatever you are smoking. Academy = lousy graphics, worse phsyics and stupid linear path and hurt my head. Not even an average action game, I thought I was playing that lousy Indy Jones game again w/o the annoying swinging.

And yes, I created this account just to say please pass the crack pipe.

 

[Jed]

And yes, I created this account just to say please pass the crack pipe.

Congratulations. Welcome to the INFORMASHUN SUPARHIGHWAY!!!!

 

[Diogo Ribeiro]

Academy gets lightsaber combat done right. Graphics are a matter of personal preference, really. As for linear story? Er... You did play KoTOR, right?

 

[Spazmo]

Academy = lousy graphics, worse phsyics and stupid linear path

Funny, that's how I describe KotOR. I describe Jedi Academy as buckets of fucking fun. It has neat Q3 powered graphics that look good without being resource hogs like the latest and greatest engines and the best combat I've ever enjoyed in an action game, bar none. As for the linear path... yeah, well, it is an FPS.

 

[Nightjed]

do you really think academy got the saber fights right ? they were really sucky in my opinion (specially the two sabers/double bladed saber modes which seem bugged and have problems hitting/blocking or being blocked) most of the "moves" were useless if not plain sucidal (refer to the two saber's "desesperation" move) plus after a while you get so tired of killing sith dumbbots that you start going for the plain choke-launch kills, which are fun, but hardly justify buying the game.

and as for kotor not linear after finishing the game in goody mode (which almost made me puke on some parts specially since bastila kept bitching at me even tho i couldnt hurt a fly) i tried the dark side story and i couldnt find any difference other than you get even MORE bitching from your teammates and slightly different ways to do some quests, anyway i couldnt stand doing the whole game again with uninteresting loot/story twists/npc bitching (has anyone noticed that by the end of the game some of your guys best weapons are their BEGINING gear?)
actually i think the best thing about kotor is the old man's story about his "former" jedi companion that went "oooooh destiny" and got thrown into the ship's core causing it to explode :D

some times i wonder if kotor would have been a lot better if it was not limited by the "star wars" name

 

[Saint_Proverbius]

You think Jedi Academy is a better game than KOTOR? Dear lord, please pass whatever you are smoking. Academy = lousy graphics,

Graphics don't make a game. If they did, people would have bought Sacrifice.

worse phsyics

KotOR doesn't have physics at all, so I don't see how Academy can have worse physics. Everything in KotOR is determined by statistical probability rather than physics. Well, except grenades in KotOR, which don't seem to be determined by anything at all, they just automatically hit and go BOOM.

and stupid linear path and hurt my head.

KotOR's planets are all linear, and there's a more correct order in which to do them. If you don't do them in the more correct order, you end up doing lots of planet hopping back and forth to places and the difficulty is out of wack.

 

[Nightjed]

Graphics don't make a game.

man, i wish more ppl would think the way you do (and game companies) :D

 

[Jed]

KotOR's planets are all linear, and there's a more correct order in which to do them. If you don't do them in the more correct order, you end up doing lots of planet hopping back and forth to places and the difficulty is out of wack.

***SPOILER (As if anyone cares)***






Yeah, if you don't go to Korriban first, you never get to see the result of turning the (obligatory) sexy evil lady over to the light side and back to the Jedi academy because Dantooine goes BOOM! I didn't find this out until reading a walkthrough much later in the game. There goes the meaning of yet another choice...

 

[Galileo]

i will just clarify two thing in my orig post 1) by worse physics i meant that the physics were worse than the graphics. i am well aware that KoToR had no physics as it was not twitchy. 2) Yes, linear path. Lieteraly! I mean the only way I can run is forward. "don't you think you should cut down that tree to make a bridge?" Dear lord, let me at least figure it out.... Insulting.

Now to expound:

I have only began Academy but am about to send it right back to GameFly. I am very disappointed. The graphics are a huge problem as they are hurting my eyes. More of a problem is feel, which really does remind me of the Indy feel, which I also didn't like.

On the other hand, I finished KOTOR twice. So yes, it is all about preference. However, I don't really think Academy is going to be #1 on anyone's list and you can keep mocking all the people who really enjoyed 90% of the aspects of KoToR all you want... but there are a lot of us.

 

[Jed]

Ahhh... more for the mocking, then!

 

[Nightjed]

2) Yes, linear path. Lieteraly! I mean the only way I can run is forward. "don't you think you should cut down that tree to make a bridge?" Dear lord, let me at least figure it out.... Insulting.

I might be wrong, but i dont remember having to think in kotor either, somebody tells you what to do or you just find a datapad with the instructions

I have only began Academy but am about to send it right back to GameFly. I am very disappointed. The graphics are a huge problem as they are hurting my eyes. More of a problem is feel, which really does remind me of the Indy feel, which I also didn't like.

hurt your eyes ? academy's graphics are far from the best but they are not THAT bad, plus it runs pretty well in not so new boxes which at least for me it evens it out. what did you expect from it anyway ? its just another rushed jedi knight 2 xp that is destined to sell well just because its star wars, lucasarts has released a lot of these

 

[Diogo Ribeiro]

i will just clarify two thing in my orig post 1) by worse physics i meant that the physics were worse than the graphics. i am well aware that KoToR had no physics as it was not twitchy.

Nice try, but still, dead wrong. Physics aplly to a set of rules of physical interaction. Physics != gameplay, neither do they equal twitch gameplay also. Better knowledge of words next time, mate.

2) Yes, linear path. Lieteraly! I mean the only way I can run is forward. "don't you think you should cut down that tree to make a bridge?" Dear lord, let me at least figure it out.... Insulting.

I found the rather high count of PDAs and instructions on how to solve puzzles to be much more insulting. But i guess some people can take insults for a longer time, or their meaning totally escapes them.

On the other hand, I finished KOTOR twice. So yes, it is all about preference. However, I don't really think Academy is going to be #1 on anyone's list and you can keep mocking all the people who really enjoyed 90% of the aspects of KoToR all you want... but there are a lot of us.

Well, it seems we just have to work overnight to cover you all, ain't it?

 

[Saint_Proverbius]

Maybe he means thinking is basically being able to find the datapads that tell you how to do those puzzles. After all, BioWare did manage to cleverly hide those datapads on the ground in the doorwell in plain sight on nearly every one of them. There were a few that were really tricky, though. Those were the ones where the datapad was hidden slightly to the side of the doorwell or bridge.

 

[Montez]

2) Yes, linear path. Lieteraly! I mean the only way I can run is forward. "don't you think you should cut down that tree to make a bridge?" Dear lord, let me at least figure it out.... Insulting.

Yes, the two or three puzzles in KOTOR were truly mind-bogglers. That is, if you've never solved a puzzle before or didn't find the datapads with clues or solutions. I thought kotor was fun, but it was extremely linear and not a "thinking" game.

The graphics are a huge problem as they are hurting my eyes. More of a problem is feel, which really does remind me of the Indy feel, which I also didn't like.

I've only played the demo, but the graphics looked like Jedi Outcast with some improvements. If those graphics hurt your eyes I think you're shit out of luck finding a game that will be playable for you. Kotor's graphics weren't anything special either, it basically looked the same as NWN with a Star Wars color scheme.

 

[Otaku_Hanzo]

The guy's sending out flame bait on purpose. To hell with him, okay? Just another Biowhore looking to piss the Codexers off by shitting out his mouth. Ignore the insignificant worm and go on with life.

ACADEMY RULEZ!!!!

KOTOR DROOLZ!!!!!

My two cents.

Have a nice day.

 

[Volourn]

That coming from the guy who was saying how much KOTOR rocked... until it become common practice on RPGCodex to bash the game. Weird huh...?

 

[Otaku_Hanzo]

That coming from the guy who was saying how much KOTOR rocked... until it become common practice on RPGCodex to bash the game. Weird huh...?

Oh, come off it. I did love KOTOR, but compared to Academy, it's nothing. Besides, I'm just mocking the baiter. Hey... I guess that makes me a mocker baiter! WOOT! :D

 

[Volourn]

Please, I remember when before I ahd played the game and just joked around how much the game sucked; you were all over me about "giving it a chance'; and what not and you are saying it droolz (let's not get started in how exactly agame can drool); but seriously your attitude about the game has dramatically changed since the rest of the RPGCodex have played and subsequently bashed the game to smitherins (in some cases justly) that it's hard to take you seriously on the subject any longer.

And, yeah, the reviewer here is really easy to mock for his silliness. A little too easy so I easily ignore him.

 

[Otaku_Hanzo]

Ummm... once again the meaning of my post has eluded you.

I was MOCKING Galileo and baiting the baiter with my comment.

I did love KOTOR and still stand by that. I have also stated that it DID have it's problems, just not all the problems everyone seems to be having with the PC version with the exception of how linear it is. I maybe had one or two pathfinding problems, but that about sums it up.

I still own the game for my Xbox and probably will for some time unless someone offers me $50 for it. Then I will gladly part ways with it.

Now that I have a system that can run Academy, I am enjoying it MUCH better though as it is a better game in almost every aspect.

Galileo was obviously talking shit just to stir some up. Therefore I talked shit back in an attempt to prove a point. Just ignore the fucker and let his fifteen minutes of fame fizzle into nothingness.

My opinion of KOTOR has not changed since being here. It did change however on my third play through the game and now it's just bleh. That does not mean I dislike the game though, I am merely tired of it and realized just how linear it is. I keep it because someday down the road I can pop it in and probably have fun playing it through again.

 

[DemonKing]

If it's not a perfect game, why did it score 10/10? And I'm really annoyed at the implication that all Star Wars games suck. X-Wing, TIE Fighter, the expansions thereof, X-Wing Alliance and to a lesser extent X-Wing vs. TIE Fighter were all a hoot. Dark Forces is an example to FPS games. Jedi Academy is a brilliant action game. KotOR is really just an average one.

Yeah KOTOR is not a 10/10 game but it is a lot better than some of the SW crap that Mr Lucas and co. have tried to force-feed down our throats over the years in the guise of computer entertainment (not to mention Episode I itself!).

I would argue that it is a lot better than average on the whole though - and is IMO superior to X-Wing Alliance, X-Wing vs Tie Fighter and Jedi Academy (which just appeared to be a hastily patched together JO expansion which somehow managed to run twice as slowly on my system as the original). Yes KOTOR was quite linear and had some other problems but the strong story, decent graphics, great sound, interesting NPCs and all-round high quality made it a pretty fun game with some replayability.

 

[Sol Invictus]

All Quake 3 engine games have the propensity to hurt your eyes. Literally. I'm not referring to the ugliness of the graphics, either, because they're far from ugly. I'm talking about the refresh rate - Quake 3's graphics engine is buggy and if you don't know the console code to enable a higher refresh rate you will be playing each and every single one of these games in 60 FPS.

KOTOR is far from being a great game and certainly, under [NO] circumstances deserves a perfect score. The puzzles in KOTOR are literally infantile in the fact that I had to solve them when I was in preschool. Hardly a challenge. If anyone tries to accuse me of arrogance in this matter I'll just have to point out how fucking stupid you are.

The game would have been a lot better if you weren't guided by the hand or even told what to do by NPCs and datapads. It's the kind of stuff games like Anachronox and Fallout made you figure out on your own. Case in point : nobody told you how to attach the rope to the broken ladder in Vault 15. You had to figure that one out on your own; on the other hand a Bioware game would have had a booming voice give you the instructions.

 

[undead dolphin hacker]

KOTOR and Academy both suck.

JK: Outcast is much better than Academy, imo. Really they're both crap when it comes to modeling melee combat... but Outcast had more, ya know, shebam. And it came out before Academy.

Want cool melee combat? Blade of Darkness is your game... crappy coding in the graphics engine, bad sound and music and retarded story, but boy, that melee combat is FUN!

 

[Nightjed]

of course academy sucks, lets not forget you can finish it in a few hours and there nothing worth replaying

outcast is better if you can stand the levels before getting the saber with those crappy weapons, its funny how the game is actually quite difficult before the saber and then it gets easy as hell

i wouldnt say kotor sucks tho, the game is ok for playing, its nothing awesome or original and maybe too consolish (as in dumb and linear) for pc game players