KotOR2 - worth getting?

[Calaethis Dragonsbane]

I just finished KotOR last night- both endings, and I must say I was somewhat disappointed... but despite that, I enjoyed the game - so, tell me - is the sequal worth getting? I've heard a *lot* of bad things about it... is it really worth my time/frustration over it?

Cheers in advance,

CD.

[Memnoch]

KOTOR II is a good game that had the potential to be even better than KOTOR I but isn't, because it was rushed towards the end. It's a bit like reading a great novel that falls away at the end. That's where a lot of the frustration is coming from - the fact that it just feels like it could be so much more.

Actual gameplay isn't that different to KOTOR I.

[Calaethis Dragonsbane]

Hmm... I know I should probably look it up for myself - but, have there been any actual mods to replace content? I've heard a lot of talk about people *wanting* them, but... thanks anyway [img]smile.gif[/img]

[Luvian]

Yes, Kotor 2 is a nice game, and worth playing if you liked the first one.

It's not perfect, but it's still very good.

Personally, I like the story and characters of Kotor 2 better. I wish they had finished it already.

By the way, I read in an article that the makers of the game asked the publishers for permission to make a content patch.

[Memnoch]

So far there haven't been specific mods to change the storyline, though there are plenty in progress. You should be able to find more info on the LucasArts forums, they have a good mod community there. I recently learned to create my own lightsaber and armor.

[Mr. Mopery]

I'd agree with Luvian. It's a good game and if you liked the first one, you'll probably like this one too but it's got some flaws. I also liked the story better in this one, than the last. Wearing headphones and reading/listening to all the dialogue made the game a more cinematic experience, too.

There's a restoration project of some kind going on in terms of the game's cut content (http://magestrix.com/K2End/), but bug fixes are still waiting on a patch.

Either way, there are better and worse games out there. But there aren't that many rpgs like this.

[Calaethis Dragonsbane]

Thanks for the input. I may end up getting it then. I hope its a tad more... well, conclusive then the first one. They seemed to downplay the romances a great deal and the dialogue was lacking towards the end - or so I felt. Oh well.

[the mighty stamar]

I liked the first one much more.
In kotor 2 there is a little recycling of some planets from the first game.

I think the character stories are good. New skills are neat.

Overall though the story was just better in the first one.

[Memnoch]

Originally posted by Calaethis Dragonsbane: Thanks for the input. I may end up getting it then. I hope its a tad more... well, conclusive then the first one. They seemed to downplay the romances a great deal and the dialogue was lacking towards the end - or so I felt. Oh well.

Well, if you want this to be more conclusive, it won't be - it's quite open-ended. The romances are downplayed even more here, and the dialogue towards the end drops off a lot more than the first. Just so you know.

On the other hand, the early-to-mid part of this game is brilliant. There's a lot more scope for interaction (and intra-NPC interaction) in this game. NPCs have cut-scenes with each other where they interact and carry on little intrigues. There's something called influence which allows you to gain/lose influence with party members - it doesn't work perfectly but does add complexity to your relationships with your team.

I felt the storyline in this was darker than the first one as well. You feel evil when you make evil choices in this game - particularly with the way that good party members will steadily grow to hate you when you continue to do evil things (unless you manipulate them to support your decisions via influence, hence leading them to the Dark Side). In fact, some critics say the reason that some of the end-scenes were cut were because they were too dark and evil for LucasArts - I listened to some of the cut .wav files and there's some pretty evil stuff in there:

SPOILER - SCENE THAT WAS REMOVED (mp3 file)

Evil Atton

This is why I said it's like a great novel that drops off in the last chapter. Brilliant story but not quite complete, and even more annoying when you see all the stuff that's in the game that didn't make it into the game. It's worth it just for what's in it, but you'll feel it could've been an absolute killer game and didn't quite get there, but it's still a great game.

[Dreamer128]

While I too was disspointed by the ending, it didn't stop me from replaying the game three times. It's great value for money, and while it may be far from perfect, it's much better then most other games I've played lately.

[ 04-09-2005, 06:17 AM: Message edited by: Dreamer128 ]