Knights of the Old Republic II has acquired a reputation as a Contested Sequel to the original KOTOR, due in large part to being released in an incomplete state and controversial story decisions. However, while there are areas in which it is lacking, there are many others in which it improves upon the first game, and I consider KOTOR II to be the superior of the two.
The game begins five years after KOTOR, and you play as an exile from the Jedi order returning to a Republic scarred by war and with the Jedi all but extinct, with your actions determining the fate of the Jedi and the Republic.
Not only does the game have rather rich worldbuilding, with each world having a fascinating backstory and relevance to the overall narrative(unlike the original, in which Tatooine was largely irrelevant), but it also deconstructs many Star Wars tropes, such as showing that the Jedi aren't always better than the Sith. This element of the game is undeniably controversial, but it's an insightful look at canon that few licensed works besides The Last Jedi have taken.
There are quite a few improvements to gameplay, notably the early game. You start as a Jedi, albeit without a lightsaber, and having Force powers makes for a more entertaining start of the game. It's also more fun to explore the mining colony of Peragus and find out why you and your companions are the only living humans on the station, than it is to go through all the fetch quests on Taris in KOTOR.
While the basic skill system remains in place, the individual skills have become much more useful. You can use many skills in item crafting, and others unlock additional dialogue options, a bit like Fallout: New Vegas; for example, you can use Awareness to make insightful observations.
Unfortunately, there are many bugs in KOTOR II, some of which depend on the version. For example, the GOG.com version crashes when I meet Bao-Dur for the first time a few hours into the game. I don't recall all that many bugs when playing the Xbox version, but it's been a long time since I played.
Additionally, a large portion of the game, including an entire planet and much of the endgame on Malachor V, has been cut, resulting in a relatively bare-bones ending, although I personally didn't find it as disappointing as many people did. Luckily, the Restored Content mod makes much of this playable, although I haven't played it.
All in all, KOTOR II wasn't able to live up to its full potential due to being Christmas Rushed, but what we got is still an excellent game that improves on the original. As such, if you enjoyed the first game, I highly recommend the second.
Not up to its potential, but still an improvement over the first game
Knights of the Old Republic II has acquired a reputation as a Contested Sequel to the original KOTOR, due in large part to being released in an incomplete state and controversial story decisions. However, while there are areas in which it is lacking, there are many others in which it improves upon the first game, and I consider KOTOR II to be the superior of the two.
The game begins five years after KOTOR, and you play as an exile from the Jedi order returning to a Republic scarred by war and with the Jedi all but extinct, with your actions determining the fate of the Jedi and the Republic.
Not only does the game have rather rich worldbuilding, with each world having a fascinating backstory and relevance to the overall narrative(unlike the original, in which Tatooine was largely irrelevant), but it also deconstructs many Star Wars tropes, such as showing that the Jedi aren't always better than the Sith. This element of the game is undeniably controversial, but it's an insightful look at canon that few licensed works besides The Last Jedi have taken.
There are quite a few improvements to gameplay, notably the early game. You start as a Jedi, albeit without a lightsaber, and having Force powers makes for a more entertaining start of the game. It's also more fun to explore the mining colony of Peragus and find out why you and your companions are the only living humans on the station, than it is to go through all the fetch quests on Taris in KOTOR.
While the basic skill system remains in place, the individual skills have become much more useful. You can use many skills in item crafting, and others unlock additional dialogue options, a bit like Fallout: New Vegas; for example, you can use Awareness to make insightful observations.
Unfortunately, there are many bugs in KOTOR II, some of which depend on the version. For example, the GOG.com version crashes when I meet Bao-Dur for the first time a few hours into the game. I don't recall all that many bugs when playing the Xbox version, but it's been a long time since I played.
Additionally, a large portion of the game, including an entire planet and much of the endgame on Malachor V, has been cut, resulting in a relatively bare-bones ending, although I personally didn't find it as disappointing as many people did. Luckily, the Restored Content mod makes much of this playable, although I haven't played it.
All in all, KOTOR II wasn't able to live up to its full potential due to being Christmas Rushed, but what we got is still an excellent game that improves on the original. As such, if you enjoyed the first game, I highly recommend the second.