60 replies to this topic

[Gabrielle]

Get the Media Update Patches. That'll make the crummy looking movies look better. Why they didn't include this in the game I don't know.

[Choo Choo]

Although those seem to be for KotOR2, not for KotOR.

[Cal Jones]

Groovy, thanks for the link.

[Eleima]

I, too, thought the cut scenes in KotOR 2 were absolutely scary in their crumminess. Having completed KotOR 2 recently, I also got the feeling that there was quite a bit of unfinished business. A lot of stuff felt incomplete, like they rushed it. Oh well, there was this scene at the end that made the whole thing worthwhile (spoilers ahead):

Spoiler

Oh, Carth, my Revan would *never* leave you!!!

[Choo Choo]

Yeah, there was a lot of cut content from KotOR2 - most of it is in the process of being restored by Team Gizka, though, so keep an eye out for that.

[Bluenose]

Some things have already been put back in, and things added that weren't ever expected to be in the game. I really like the planet M4-78 that's been added, though it's incompatible with the addition of the Jedi Temple on Coruscant.

[Cal Jones]

Yes, it was rushed - LucasArts' fault rather than Obsidian's, though. I gather the romances were one of the things that got hit. I know Atton's been getting all jealous about Disciple but I've read nothing really comes of it, which is a pity. That the case?

I must admit it does rather feel that all the stuff you did in KotOR was for nothing (whether you defeated the Sith and saved the day, or ended up as Dark Lord).

One thing I felt was, in KotOR, I definitely felt I was in the Star Wars universe. I remember stepping outside on Taris for the first time and looking up at the buildings and the flying vehicles, and seeing the protocol droids rattle past, and getting a little thrill of excitement. I haven't felt any of that so far with KotOR II - it's still a fun game but, I don't know, it seems to lack something. I'm giving it time as it's still early days yet but KotOR grabbed me right away - this is taking longer.

[Bluenose]

Yes, it was rushed - LucasArts' fault rather than Obsidian's, though. I gather the romances were one of the things that got hit. I know Atton's been getting all jealous about Disciple but I've read nothing really comes of it, which is a pity. That the case?

I must admit it does rather feel that all the stuff you did in KotOR was for nothing (whether you defeated the Sith and saved the day, or ended up as Dark Lord).

One thing I felt was, in KotOR, I definitely felt I was in the Star Wars universe. I remember stepping outside on Taris for the first time and looking up at the buildings and the flying vehicles, and seeing the protocol droids rattle past, and getting a little thrill of excitement. I haven't felt any of that so far with KotOR II - it's still a fun game but, I don't know, it seems to lack something. I'm giving it time as it's still early days yet but KotOR grabbed me right away - this is taking longer.

The romances aren't worth the name romance, honestly. I've gone through the game without ever doing anything to advance them and still sometimes had the closest thing you can get to a result. I still recommend talking to the NPCs, but you'll be disappointed if a romance is your aim.

There's a fascinating discussion with someone ahead of you (assuming you haven't been to Nar Shadaa) which sheds an interesting light on the whole Jedi Civil War and the fate of the Republic. You may not agree entirely but it does make some things clearer. So does wandering around the Sith Academy on Korriban

One thing I'd say about the feel. Your first two planets - Peragus and Citadel Station at least - are both basically indoors, and the surface of Telos is pretty much a standard planetary surface. Nar Shadaa and Onderon are more interesting. Personally I think both Peragus and Telos are too long, and could have done with some compressing to get the story moving faster. Starting on Peragus is a bit like starting on the Ebon Hawk, but from the Ebon Hawk you get to Taris, where the Upper City, Lower City, and Undercity are very different environments with very different feels. On Peragus you're spending a lot of time creeping through a series of pretty similar tunnels without many people to interact with. Not a good design decision.

[GeN1e]

On Peragus you're spending a lot of time creeping through a series of pretty similar tunnels without many people to interact with. Not a good design decision.

What about Atton sitting on a console?
I personally think that leaving somebody on comlink and proceeding to explore an abandoned mine is a good thing to include. Though I do agree that having more people around would be better:

Operator - Hey, guys, what a big thing have you set in motion just now?
Explorer 1 - Say what? We did nothing of that sort.
E2 - Wait! Operator, are you trying to say that something big is stalking around?
E3 - Not good. And it's too dark here. Get your weapons ready, guys. Op, what's the direction?
Op - It's a bit to the east of the corridor you're standing it, moving further to east. No, wait, it stopped and stays still.
E2 - Corridor? We've passed it two minutes ago. Are you sure?
Op - You aren't there? Then why do I recieve E1's signal from there? E1, is the beacon still on you?
E1 - The beacon? That's wierd... What?
E3 - E1, is that the... blood on you? And what is that smell?
-----Rrrrraaaaagghghrrrrrrrrr!!!!!!!-----
Op - Guys, are you alright?! What's happened?!
----- *Chew, chew, chew*-----
Op - Th-th-that's bad! I'm outta here! Stupid door, why don't you open?! Open, damn it! At last... is that you, E1? What happened, why do you look like a... Oh no! NOOOO!!!!!!

[Choo Choo]

While I'm at a minority here, enjoying the lack of interaction on Peragus (which gave the whole creepy feeling of an entire mining colony wiped out and you don't know how), I agree that the setting in itself could've been lots more varied. But then again.. how fun are mining colonies on asteroids, anyway?

[Eleima]

(warning, spoilers)

I'm with Choo Choo on this one, I kinda liked the creepy feel to waking up in an empty mining colony in which everyone had been murdered, but that feeling passed. Atton's reaction at the console kinda made up for it though:

Spoiler

Exile - "Cool, I found some clothes!" ; Atton - "Dammit!"

That's the thing with the romances though, they fall short of the notion.

Spoiler

I was expecting a full blown contest for my affections, not Atton saying "she likes honest guys, not hero types"... Pff, let me decide for myself, thank you very much!!!

Very unsatisfying!

[Choo Choo]

Yeah. Peragus on the first playthrough was creepy and interesting, but it has absolutely zero replayability.

And I didn't even get a decent romance with Atton. Hmpf.

[Gabrielle]

Too bad you can't skip Preagus like you can the tutorial. Overly long and boring. Its one of the places that I do quickly, to the point that I don't even bother getting items off of corpses and containers. Just get me out of there!

[Daulmakan]

Funny, I thought that Visas' declaration to the Exile before going to the Ravager was the most romantic moment in both of the games.

Different strokes, I guess.

[Eleima]

(a few spoilers here and there)

Well, I didn't try the male romances yet, so maybe the female romances were left with a bunch of loose ends, and they gave priority to the male romances (since there are *supposedly* more male gamers than female.... Humpf!). Lack of replayability is really one of the major downsides of KotOR 2, and I'll be waiting and keep an eye open for Team Gizka's project. In contrast, in KotOR 1, I'm just now doing KotOR 1, and although Taris does suffer from this (warning, spoiler)

Spoiler

I-know-you're-all-going-to-die feeling

, I treasure it as this special one-on-one time I get to share with my sweet Carth! (Yes, I know, I'm insane! ). Hopefully, maybe we'll get a KotOR 3 one day with the best of both games. And maybe both Revan and the Exile in it, that could make for an interesting twist!

Spoiler

I'd love to see some Carth-Atton friendship, with the poor sweeties speaking of how much they missed their beloveds while they were wandering out there, beyond the Outer Rim!

Edited by Eleima, 11 October 2008 - 07:30 AM.

[Jarno Mikkola]

And maybe both Raven and the Exile in it

That's Revan... just wondering was that intentional, as in you though it was written backwards-- as I though long that the bad guy in BGI was Sarovek.

[Cal Jones]

I suspect it's just a typing error.

[Eleima]

No, Jarno, just a typo. Corrected it now.

[Cal Jones]

Well I finished KotOR II. It got better actually. Nar Shadaa was OK but it really picked up at Dxun and Onderon - it got pretty exciting from there (so much I played it 13 hours straight and now feel a little odd. Maybe I should eat, or something...). The Mandalorian part was really fun and the whole storming the palace in Iziz was exciting. (I had to feel bad for Candy/Mandy after seeing his bedroom, though - it wasn't exactly befitting a leader).

I was a little sad there wasn't more dialogue with some of the NPCs. The Kreia (and non-party NPC) dialogues were often interminably long, but I'd have liked to have had more chance to talk to people like Atton, Bao-Dur and Mandy (after all, he has a lot to say in KotOR I and is an interesting character). Atton - well he would have been an appealing romance had it not been cut, but oh well. Still, I liked the fact you got to play around with other characters (even T3) for a bit - and I liked the on-ship cut scenes, though they often built up to something that never really happened.

Malachor seemed to suffer worst from cut content, but was so gloomy I was rather happy it wasn't longer. The game does end on rather a depressing note, even with the "good" ending. But then it's rather like Empire Strikes Back - if there's a third game (standalone rather than MMO) it would tie together well. We can but hope.

What bummed me out, though, was I got that bug in last part of the game where the cut scenes don't end properly and cut off the dialogue, so whilst I was able to go back into the journal part to see what had been said, it was a bit difficult during the conversations with Sion and Kreia, and I never did manage to see the full epilogues for the other characters. If anyone has copies of those, I wouldn't mind seeing 'em.

Edited by Cal Jones, 12 October 2008 - 11:24 AM.

[GeN1e]

the whole storming the palace in Iziz was exciting.

I do agree, as a dark Guardian/Marauder. Having almost 700HP with 5 attacks per round, 55-75 HP each, and rushing through whatever stood in the way, be it traps of soldiers, was more appropiate to action or even sportsim genre
Btw that's exactly the reason why I dislike enemies dropping loot, at least in rushing sequences. Stopping to pick up the loot was more of a boredom than a use. But even more upsetting was the idwea of leaving the loot behind.