G-pinions

I know I'm way late on this, but I finally finished Knights of the Old Republic so I'm going to write all about it, and you're going to read it and like it. I would have updated yesterday, but I spent just about all day yesterday (My Xbox can't follow me to the bathroom) finished up KOTOR. I'm back from the chair with some opinions.

This may seem like a bold statement since I have been on record saying Grand Theft Auto is the most important game released this generation and Prince of Persia is the best platform game since Super Mario 64 - but I'm going to say it anyway: Knights of the Old Republic is my favorite 1 player game this generation by far. It's not even close. I could go so far as to say it's the best game, period, released this generation, but it hardly seems fair to compare 8 player Halo or 4 player Double Dash!! to a one player RPG, so I'll leave my statement as it is.

So why is this game so bloody good? I would show you in dance form but unfortunately the internet doesn't allow for that yet, so I'll have to tell you. The game is the most engrossing game I have ever played. From games like Goldeneye that put you in Bond's head and force you to save the world to NCAA Football that makes you the coach and recruiter forced to turn Columbia College from a school that doesn't even have an athletics department to the Nation Champion, and the all mighty Final Fantasy 7 which provides an epic quest complete with a bad ass enemy and some of the most interesting characters I have ever seen - KOTOR surpasses them all.

The KOTOR difference is that it gives you complete control over every action you take in the game. This may seem like a niggling point on the surface, but just think about the ramifications of that for a second. Depending on what you chose to do you can essentially ruin the lives, or kill, everyone you meet in the game. And it's not even restricted to the small scale. Say you want to, for instance, ruin the economy of one planets by destroying the oil (it's not really oil... but it's the Star Wars equivalent) they mine. You can! And this will cripple surrounding planets as well as they rely on that fuel source.

The game is almost entirely reliant on the choices you make. It's the addicting feature that makes you feel like you have ultimate power over everything and pushes you to not only keep playing, but to talk to every creature you encounter to see if maybe you can change their lives in some small way as well. The overall story of the game, which centers around the Sith and Republic fighting, is not that different from any other Star Wars movie or game you've played, and isn't good enough to keep you going on your own. In fact, if this was a movie or standard game where you simply walk from point A to B, watch a movie unfold, and continue to Point C, it would get boring fast.

This is problem I have with most RPGs. I don't necessarily think every game should mimic KOTOR's design and allow you to be good or evil. It just wouldn't work with every game. Can you imagine stupid, messed up Cloud trying to destroy the world? Wait... maybe that isn't such a stretch.

Anyway, it really wouldn’t have to be on the scale of creating a pure good or evil character. It can just be anything. Say, for instance, Cloud and Barret, to stick with FF7, have a disagreement. Cloud wants to sit in his dark room and think about what a crazy nut he is and Barret wants to kick some ass. So you have the choice to fight - from either side - and the winner moves on, leading everyone else, and the loser dies. Think about how cool that would be if this were present in every RPG.

This is a SPOILER for those that haven't played through yet. There was one particularly emotional scene late in the game that almost made me stop playing for a bit. I already mentioned how I was going through on the Dark Side, having to commit horrible acts throughout the game to keep my evil powers up. It got hard after awhile, but never anything I couldn’t just forget about later.

Well, at one point I go back to the rest of my party on our ship and announce that I am, in fact, evil. Sorry, but you can either join me or die. So the droid and the bounty hunter are obviously fine with that. They have no feelings. The Wookie has to be with me because he swore a life debt to me. This is an ancient Wookie tradition that is more powerful than an individual Wookie - it represents the collective word of Wookies everywhere. So, since he vowed he would stay with me, and protect me, for the rest of life, he has to be with me even though I told them all I'm evil.

So that leave Mission and Carth. Carth is a goody goody Republic pilot. I was trying to insult him and mess with his head some, and he just took off running. So, I didn't actually get to kill him. Shame, too, since he was such a whiny bitch throughout and I really wanted to kill him.

But then Mission had to make a choice. She's an alien kid who has an attitude and is good at picking locks. I usually took her with me because she was the best fighter of anyone who could pick locks, plus she was pretty cool. She happened to be best friends with the Wookie also, they had been looking out for each other on the streets when I happened into them. They were pretty much inseparable.

But, when I told her I was evil she got pissed and said she could never join me. She told the Wookie he should come with her, but he said he couldn't because of the Life Debt he swore.

I'm getting a little choked up typing this now... sorry... So since she won't join me I have to kill her. Or do I? The game actually gives me the option of ordering her best friend, the Wookie, to kill her. He's like "I can't kill her, she's my best friend" in his Wookie moan. But then I'm like "Screw that, you will kill her" so she starts crying, pleading for the Wookie not to kill her. "Remember the good times? Don't be evil!" but, because I ordered him to, he has to kill her.

Man, you talk about Aeris dying; at least it was Sephiroth who did the killing. This was me forcing her best friend to kill her. That's fucking rough right there.

End Spoiler

Since this game is, after all, an RPG, combat is handled in a turn-based fashion. When you see an enemy, the game pauses you decide who you want to attack and with what move, then you can switch to your other two characters and tell them what to do as well. Then you watch the combat unfold. You are not able to manipulate the light saber on your own, or actively control Force Lighting, but it feels like you are placed right in the action anyway.

It may not seem like the most exciting combat system around, but, believe me, it is pure fun. If you chose the Dark Side you get awesome attacks like “Kill” which puts a permanent choke hold on some unlucky person, squeezing their neck until you die. Or you can shoot lighting, which hits anyone who’s nearby. And there’s crazy stuff like “Fear” which makes the other people terrified. Man, it’s fun being on the Dark Side.

The Light Side attacks aren’t nearly as cool though. They do get a “Destroy droid” command, which is obviously pretty useful, and Stasis, which freezes everyone, but not much else. Nothing as cool as “Death Field” which sucks the life of any enemy nearby and giving their health to you.

To break it down, 50% of the fun from this game comes from being able to do whatever you want to do. 25% is the fighting, which is so much fun later on in the game when you’re all pimped out. 15% comes from the Star Wars license. This is one game that really benefits from the name. It’s cool to wield a sword, but so much more fun to have two light sabers. And the final 10% of fun comes from tormenting poor Carth. Man that was great.

I could go on about this game for a long, long time so I think I’ll just stop it right here. This is it – one of the best games I’ve ever played. I wish I could go back and experience for the first time again, but I’ll have to settle for going on the Light Side. I’m going to miss tormenting Carth.