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Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic 1
PC
Bioware
Action RPG
Part of Knights of the Old Republic series
Part of Star Wars Universe
GRAPHICS/LOOK: 2/3
Good graphics, fine for their time. Things are crisp, sharp, and thoughtfully designed. Some of the people are a little crude, but overall, KotOR pleases the eyes.
MUSIC/SOUNDS/VOICE ACTING: 5/7
Music is decent--in general, there's a calming and undisruptive nature to it, which is good, leaving you to concentrate on the game itself, while it sets a pleasant mood. If you like Star Wars music, you'll probably like KotOR's music a lot; if not, you'll probably still like it fairly well.
Sound effects are great--the clear hiss of a lightsaber extending and the comical beeping of droids pulls you immediately into the Star Wars universe.
Voice acting's not perfect, but it's definitely very good--there's really no instance of a bad voice actor, and several actors who really play their parts well. Carth, Canderous, Jolee, and HK-47 are especially well-done roles.
MINIGAMES: 1/1
While the occasional bout of blasting Sith fighters in a space battle can get repetitive if you do a lot of planet-hopping, in general the minigames are fun and largely optional (Swoop-Racing you only HAVE to do once, the fighter battles only last a couple minutes, and Pazaak, to my memory, is entirely optional).
CHALLENGE: 3/5
This game's got a decent challenge. In general, it gets less difficult as you continue on--the main part of the game's events progress in the order you determine, so while some planets are a little harder than others (Korriban is much more difficult than Tatooine, for example), most are made so that you can get through them early on if you visit them first. So, once you've cleared most planets out of the way, your levels have brought you to the point that most everything else you face really isn't any big deal. The last part of the game is balanced out, though, so you'll still get a decent challenge there.
BATTLE SYSTEM/PLAYABILITY: 5/9
KotOR's system, while built on random variables interacting with statistical values of each character (think Fallout or Dungeons and Dragons, basically), is easy enough to understand and effectively do battle in. I must say, though, that battles tend to look a lot flashier and more interesting than they are--while your character and some dark Jedi are dueling expertly with glowing lightsabers, you're just assigning which attack/Force ability/item/other action you'll use in the next turn. There's nothing really wrong with it, it just could afford for a little more interest to the player. Let's face it, if you're going to be controlling some badass Jedi in a 3-on-8 (where you are the 3) lightsaber battle, you really ought to be able to DO more than click your mouse on a few command buttons.
Playability-wise, the system is great. You run in a direction, you look around with your mouse, and when you want to examine something or talk or whatever, you click on whatever's caught your interest. It's simple, immediately easy to understand, and works.
PLOT: 30/35
KotOR 1 has a plot to renew your faith in the Force, despite Darth Money-Whore's recent movies. Taking place thousands of years before the earliest of the movies, KotOR 1 focuses on one of the old Republic's wars for survival against dark Jedi known as Sith, weaving an intriguing story that spans many worlds and conflicts. The setting is created skillfully, the plot moves along smoothly, and the twists and surprises along the way are excellent. You probably won't even notice that the majority of the game is the old "Go Out And Find Ancient Relics" plot of countless RPGs. The story draws you in and makes you an active part in the universe's history, while detailing many of the Star Wars universe's settings and ideas. You'll learn about Wookie culture, learn that the Sand People actually have a comprehensive history, and learn all about both the light and dark sides of the Force. Now, granted, I'm a Star Wars fan already, but I gotta say that even if you have little interest in the movies, this plot would still grip you--the Force is, in a sense, simply a convenient tool to examine aspects of humanity in a more magnified and clear view.
CHARACTERS: 31/35
Great characters in this. Just about everyone is a deep and interesting character (not to mention likeable) who adds a lot of enjoyment and insight to the game as you speak with them. From a vengeance-minded soldier to a former dark Jedi apprentice, each character has their own distinct personality, and just about no one, save poor T3-M4 (Droids just get no love), is lacking in personality depth.
Well, okay, HK-47 may not be all that complex a character. But damn is he hilarious.
PACE/LENGTH: 2/5
The game's a fair length, and it goes at a relatively good pace mostly, but by the time you finish it, you'll probably be feeling mildly displeased that you really only get to visit a handful of different places altogether. A few more planets really would have been nice.
EXTRAS:
+3 for a crap-load of sidequests. Often ones that expand further the personalities of your characters, or just random smaller plots inside the whole.
-1 for glitchiness. It's not too bad, but glitches do occasionally happen, so it's good to have multiple save files that you alternate with--let me tell you, nothing would have sucked so bad as a glitch erasing my main save file if I hadn't had the backup only about a half hour behind it.
+5 for affiliation. Basically, you have the choice to be a good Jedi in this game, or to be so evil as to make Emperor Palpatine give great heave-sobs of pity to everyone you speak to. All the major events and people in the game are greatly influenced by your actions, giving the game lots of replay value to see what happens with each side of the force. This even includes having two endings--one if you were evil, and one if you were good. It's basically like the Fallout Karma system, only with even more importance placed on how you yourself react to situations.
+1 for character-creating. Being able to pick the looks, stats, class, and especially gender of your hero is really a nice touch, especially considering that the gender also has a moderate effect on the characters and plot.
+1 for book references. A lot of the stuff in this game, such as references to Cortosis and Exar Khun, are built off of the Star Wars books. A nice bonus to have, considering how good those books usually were, and how much they also expanded the universe of Star Wars.
OVERALL: 88/100
Definitely a great RPG, well worth giving a chance even if you aren't a Star Wars fan. And if you are...well, this is just a dream come true.
Like This? Try:
Knights of the Old Republic 2
Fallout 1
Fallout 2