VideoGame 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.
VideoGame Good, But Frustrating
TSL compared to its predecessor, has better characters, better dialogue/relationship system, better overarching story (kind of), and slightly more customization. Yet at the same time, it has worse side missions, worse planets, worse dark side choices, and the fact that without TSLRCM the game feels unfinished.
Not helping matters is the outdated combat, and while those who love that D20 style find it fun, I think it sucks. Firstly, some abilities are clearly more useful than others that you'll never really change your style on separate playthroughs. You'll start out feeling weak and then the moment you get a certain power or two, you feel unstoppable. I'm either pumping my party full of all my stims, med kits, and spamming grenades praying I don't die, or I'm doing force storm, killing large amounts of enemies with ease. No matter what though, it feels tedious. It's not even like DAO combat where there are at least different abilities and animations.
Despite that, I still like replaying the game. Its saving grace is its characters. Asides from Hanharr and Disciple, every companion is fascinating. Handmaiden and Atton stand out. The former for being badass and having an interesting background. Also helps that her dialogue didn't bore me to death. Atton's essentially a darker Han Solo yet at the same time doesn't feel too edgy. On the other hand, Kreia. Yes, she's incredibly deep. Her whole arc and philosophy are conceptually great. But it's executed in such a boring and annoying manner. She'll nag, criticize, and lecture you for what feels like an eternity. Not helped by her monotonous voice making me yawn. What could've been one of the most enjoyable parts of the game, is now the part I skip completely when I replay it. She's essentially a more preachy and less funny version of Jolee Bindo.
Almost all side missions are fetch quests or some variation.
The planets are a step down from the previous game. Whereas KOTOR 1 had you going undercover on Korriban, doing a court case on Manaan, choosing who to help on Taris and doing the battle arena. I could go on and on, but when I list the memorable planets for TSL, I'm only left with Onderon and the final mission. It's not just the missions and objectives on the planets that were lackluster, it was the design of the maps too. Like on Nar Shadaa, I felt like I was restricted to the least exciting part of the planet.
Lastly, the dark side options. Whereas KOTOR 1's dark side actions were either funny or empowering, TSL's DS choices were too cruel or pointless. The first game enticed you to be bad due to the fact that you could become an Evil Overlord, here there's no external motivation for doing so, only if you want to be a Complete Monster and not a cool one. There's an option to kill all your companions at once without them knowing by poisoning their prison cells.
It was a great game. It just hasn't aged well and is now more of an Enjoy the Story, Skip the Game kind of title.
VideoGame A classic demonstration of Miyamoto's Law
"A delayed game is eventually good, but a rushed game is forever bad" -Shigeru Miyamoto
KOTOR II had the potential to be an interesting Darker and Edgier take on the previous game and the Star Wars universe in general, subverting what the previous game played straight; a Wookiee who views his life-debt as a burden rather than an honor (compared to Zaalbar in the previous game), Dantooine denizens who resent the Jedi for turning their planet into a target for the Sith (as opposed to them turning to the Jedi for protection and guidance even for non-Force events, such as solving a murder or settling a family dispute), and so on. Many of the situations are unlike anything I've ever encountered in a Star Wars game, such as the repairing the ship prologue or solving what happened on the mining station the player wakes up on, or having to defeat a Sith lord by essentially persuading them to give up.
However, because of the game's rushed schedule and extensive cut content, there were several problems I encountered, such as parts of the game where a player who hadn't picked the "right" stats would get completely stuck, and a number of other issues that made this game a much less satisfactory experience compared to the previous game, rather than a truly worthy sequel or great game in its own right.
VideoGame Knights of the Old Republic II - Squanders chance to improve on sequel, but not bad
KOTOR 2 is a Contested Sequel to KOTOR for being different and probably isn't everyone's cup of tea. That being said, it is not bad, but there are some factors that prevent it from being masterful.
The biggest advantage KOTOR 2 has over the original is that its characters and story are far more interesting. Malak was a bland Vader clone, while the villains here are an abomination of nature, a hateful being who can regret his choices and a manipulative being who plays against traditional conceptions of Star Wars and challenges the player to think while being a surprise. Similarly, the companions have more depth with interactions varying more than just being positive to them such as Hanharr despising sympathy and the influence mechanic ensuring they can be swayed to either side. The story, while hard to swallow with its ruthless deconstruction, challenges your traditional views of Star Wars and makes you pay attention and isn't an average Good Vs Evil Star Wars is known for.
In terms of gameplay, while it is a little easy to become overpowered, it make s a greater sense of being a strong Jedi/Sith. The greater usage of skills in such as factoring them into conversations and actions helps and the ability to upgrade almost any weapon is a vast improvement over KOTOR's special limitations, along with a far larger arsenal of items.
In spite of these strengths, KOTOR 2 has some deep flaws. The unfinished nature, while remedied by mods, is glaring and hurts the game by forcing the player to seek out the missing content. Additionally, the deconstruction is Love It or Hate It thanks to being so ruthless on the series and being a very jarring contrast from KOTOR. It does not help there are situations where the player is engineered into listening to Kreia and accepting her advice, which will drive some people insane due to her being a blatant mouthpiece for Chris Avellone's Star Wars views. The best example of this is on Nar Shaddaa, where after making a decision regarding a beggar, the player is chewed out by Kreia and is unable to tell her to quiet if they choose without being penalized. As a result, one may feel insulted for playing the game due to it at times feeling like a Hate Fic of Star Wars.
Overall, KOTOR 2 is a good game warranting a look, although its great writing is potentially alienating, especially to fans.
VideoGame Bright and Shiny vs. Dark and Inventive
The dichotomy between original KOTOR and KOTOR II could be summed up very roughly as KOTOR is to A New Hope as KOTORII is to The Empire Strikes Back.
Which is the better GAME? KOTOR has brighter, cleaner visuals and is more consistently entertaining. KOTOR is by far the MORE FUN of the two, and more obviously loyal to the "traditional" Star Wars mode.
KOTOR II is something very much different and the story stays with you, even if the drabness of the game occasionally becomes tedious. KOTOR II takes chances with the Star Wars universe, and feels richer and more mythical. Kreia is one of the more fascinating video game characters I have ever encountered.
One of the real downsides of original KOTOR is that Malak is such a weaksauce villain - little more than a boring Vader clone. KOTOR II on the other hand does something different - Darth Traya, Darth Nihilus, and, in some ways, Darth Sion are interesting takes on the idea of the Sith. Traya with her wisdom and, I would say, lack of absolute conviction in the Dark Side, Nihilus who is bizarre, dangerous on a cosmic scale, and nigh-on Lovecraftian, and Sion who, unlike Malak, could be read as a very subtle take on the Vader idea.
The way that KOTORII plays with the Light vs. Dark dichotomy is fascinating, and much more effective than previous EU attempts to justify the idea of a "Gray Side" of the Force. KOTORII even makes KOTOR retroactively richer by expanding our view of who Revan was and what his goals were.
I maintain that, had the original vision for KOTORII been completed, it would be the greatest work of the entire EU.
VideoGame The Sith Lords: Fighting is by far the worst part
Don't play this game fresh. Find the first two patches and then download The Sith Lords Restored Content Mod right now.
The writing in Koto R 2 is better than almost any other game. But the think that makes the game tick is integration. Every game mechanic is linked and has meaning. The people you travel with notice uyour actions, have opinions on what you say to them and from their opinion of you from that based on their own complex personality. And it's not just "be nice to them". One character admires you for displays of moral rectitude, hates being manipulated in any way but also likes the thrill of murder. Another is impressed by mechanical prowess. For another character the dialogue option to get her to like you is "I'll view you as disposable from now on". It makes it feel like a real relationship and challenges you to really think about what you say.
When you talk you talk. It's not "this is the bad option" but, this is the polite option, this is a pro robot action. You will pour over every line of dialogue for the one that suits you best and there is no clear answer. You will engage in dialogue battles with cold-blooded murderers and seek to persuade slimy merchants.
And you will learn. From your own dialogue choices. Rather than make you an amnesiac your character has a clear relationship with the world and people and the developers cleverly show you this through your own dialogue choices. You might ask an old friend about the war.
Morality is grey and thought provoking and in the end the culmination of the story will intertwine the very nature of RP Gs with it's message and make you stop and think "crud, I thought I was just playing the game". There is no gameplay story segregation. Even skills will provide you with vital dialogue options and your decisions can change the face of worlds.
In fact this game adds another dimension to the whole Star Wars mythology. It questions the nature of the light and dark side and about the larger impact of actions, but it;s not all serious. The restored HK factory has some of the funniest dialogue of all games.
But the combat sucks. You'll seek out conversations and do your best to learn about people but at the very end the game decends into a mind-numbing slog and it's very easy to build a character which only has a 1/20 chance of even being hit,
VideoGame A Star Wars game that hates being a Star Wars game.
The original Knights had its flaws to be sure, but overall it was a damn fine game, probably the best licensed Star Wars game of all time; capturing all the magic of the original trilogy while carving out its own part in the (sadly, no longer canonical) mythos of the galaxy far, far away. Obviously carefully crafted out of love of the source material.
Exactly what went wrong with this sequel, I can't begin to guess. From the outset it feels uncomfortably much like a retread, a victim of that horrible affliction. It's still fun, sure, but something ain't quite right. Gradually, the script (pleasantly intriguing at the outset) becomes more and more saturated with what can only be equated to deconstruction. Hearing it from your teammates when you engage in a pointless bit of your average, over-the-top, mustache-twirling villainous BioWare evil is fine, I guess, but even when you play as a good guy, that one character who totally isn't secretly evil lets you know what a bastard you are.
Suffice to say, trying to squeeze in what seems like, I don't know, Holden Caulfield's view on gray morality into something as inherently black-and-white as the Star Wars mythos (or at least, how the first movie was) is a near-complete waste of time, and comes off as condescending and insulting to gamers and Star Wars fans alike. Combine that with one rage-inducing doozy of a disappointing endgame and you end up with the gaming equivalent of those poorly fried, slightly overripe fast food onions whose taste lingers in your mouth for what seems like a month.
This is a perfect example of a game that would benefit from my long-gestating idea for what I call "Mute Button Mode", a mode in which you're able to just turn off the dialogue and story; basically, "shut up and play." As a game, it's not really any less fun the original, and there's some memorable moments and quests to be sure, but as a narrative, it just comes across as sour and petty. There's always somebody who's able to "gauge" some sort of deeper meaning behind a hot mess like this, but a Star Wars game, at least not one as tonally jarring as this, doesn't seem the proper avenue to argue the hypocrisies and dogma and JUST SHUT THE HELL UP KREIA YOU WRINKLED OLD HAG!