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Reader Reviews
49 reviews. Average Rating: 7.53
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Publisher:  Genre: Adventure & RPG
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Mac OS X: 10.3 Mac OS Classic: Not Supported
CPU: G4 @ 1000 MHz RAM: 256 MB Hard Disk: 4000 MB DVD-ROM Graphics: 32 MB VRAM |
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Just like in Neverwinter Nights, characters gain new skills and feats as they level up, but each base class gains said skills and feats at a different rate. For instance, the Soldier picks new feats at a slower rate than a Scoundrel. The KotOR character system is quite flexible, allowing players to play in a style that suits them. For instance, Scoundrels are known for lock picking, but there’s nothing that prevents a Soldier from learning the same skill, albeit not as quickly. Nothing in the game truly forces players into a certain mold.
Weapons are another major example of KotOR’s flexibility. There is a wide variety of both ranged and melee weapons, as well as feats to bolster their effectiveness. Eventually, one’s main character will become a Jedi. So, with that in mind, I built my Scoundrel’s weapon skills. From the beginning, I went with melee weapons, as I knew a lightsaber was in the future. I also chose feats that suited melee combat, like the ability to wield a blade in each hand and Critical Strike, which allows for the chance to stun an enemy with a deftly placed melee blow. My killing teacher says I’m a natural. Each lightsaber is powered by 3 crystals; one determines the color, while the others give the beam its strength. For instance, a beam can be made wider to better deflect blaster bolts, or stronger against steel to cut through droids. With the right skills, a player can wield dual lightsabers or even a single dual bladed lightsaber. Lightsabers even vary in length, allowing for dagger sized Jedi weapons. I use a stylish purple lightsaber in my main hand and a short red lightsaber for offhand parrying. However, I also know of people who play blaster-toting Jedi who don’t use lightsabers at all. Such a thing is blasphemy in my mind, but it is possible. There are plenty of NPC companions who are suited for blasters, thus I choose to experience ranged combat through them.
Just like in any BioWare game, the combat is sort of a real-time/turn-based hybrid. At any time, the player can pause the game mid-combat to issue attack commands. However, the combat system is structured in such a way that one COULD probably handle themselves in real-time.
As I said, there are 3 Jedi classes in Knights of the Old Republic; Guardian, Sentinel and Consular. These classes work similarly to the base classes, with the addition of a new set of skills, Force Powers. Force Powers are all the nifty tricks that separate the Jedi from the wusses. Force Powers are also where the light and dark side of the Force come into play. Throughout the game, players make choices that lead them down the dark or light path. For example, I came upon a group of bounty hunters preparing to collect a man’s head. Thus, I had to choose whether or not to intervene, and to what degree. For example, I could kill the bounty hunters and take the poor fellow’s head for myself, or perhaps just dispatch the bounty hunters and let their prey go. Then again, I could take things a step further and pay off the man’s debt all together. Altruistic decisions earn light side points, whereas vile actions earn dark side points. These points affect gameplay in several ways. First, as a Jedi tumbles down the dark path, the dark side physically twists their outward appearance. They literally LOOK evil. Furthermore, there are 3 categories of Force Powers: light side, dark side and universal. To use a Force Power, the Jedi must use Force Points (mana in D&D terms). Universal Force Powers can be used by any Jedi without penalty. However, if a light Jedi of the highest degree wishes to dabble in the powers of the dark side, it will cost far more Force Points than their light side powers. The converse is also true for dark Jedi. One can hover on that grey area between dark and light, which helps to mitigate the Force Point penalty. The only catch is that extreme light and dark Jedi are granted bonuses for choosing a side. Depending on the path taken, the player can have vastly different gameplay experiences. In most RPGs, playing an evil character is just plain hard. The penalty for evil far outweighs the fun factor. Luckily, this is not the case in Knights of the Old Republic.
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