(Explosions) "Thank goodness you're awake Rev – I
mean, thank goodness you're awake, AssMuncher43! Now come on! The Endar Spire is under attack
and we've got to get off this ship! "I'm just some character who's hopefully
not going to die within 5 minutes of meeting the main character. Now come on! We don't
have much time! "Bastila is the commanding officer on this
ship, and if you play your cards right she could be a potential romance option somewhere
down the line." "Bastilla's physical attractiveness is
irrelevant to our current mission. Which is getting the fuck off the Endar Spirem you
goddamn retard! "If you're some type of idiot or this
is your first time playing a video game, I can run through the basic controls with you.
But hopefully we don't get blasted to fucking smithereens while you're learning how to
press the A button." "All right, then. Let's get moving."
( Sounds of blaster fire) HMMMMEEEHUHHH! Auuuughh…
"These Sith must be the advance boarding party! For the Repbulic!"
If you've heard of any Star Wars video game out there in cyberspace, than you've no
doubt heard about Star Wars: Knights of The Old Republic. I mean, the title itself just
sounds so badass! And the cover is stylized just like the movie posters. Signaling to
you, "hey buddy, if you play this game you'd better get ready to experience a story as
good as any of the films." Knights of The Old Republic, abbreviated as
KOTOR, is often hailed by many to be the best Star Wars video game ever made. And boy, lemme
tell ya! With the massive, seemingly endless number of games in this titanic franchise
that's saying a whole lot! By the same token, it is also considered to be one of the greatest
video games of all time. With a reputation like that, the countless awards, people calling
it the 2003 game of the year, and with the power of the Star Wars logo and brand behind
it, KOTOR is definitely one of the most important games from the last two decades.
But has the game aged as well as some others? Has KOTOR become outdated? And is it truly
worthy of being called one of the greatest of all time? And does it honestly possess
a timeless story? Well, let's break into people's houses, murder them then take their
stuff, get lectured by an old black guy, and search for the Star Maps straight into this.
KOTOR came out on the original Xbox, and it's no wonder Microsoft was able to break into
the console market when they had some of the best goddamn exclusives of any console in
history. Honestly, Microsoft was never widely known for their exclusive RPG's, in fact
all three Xbox's were somewhat notorious for not possessing a killer RPG.
But KOTOR WAS that killer app, besides Halo. It gave me a reason to brag to all those Gaystation
fanboys! And they always agreed "yeah I love the Playstation," they'd say, "but
goddamn I wish I could play KOTOR…" The point I want to make right off the bat
is a game like this, totally changed people's minds about the Xbox and it's catalogue
of games. An exclusive single-player Star Wars RPG? And critics are calling it one of
the best ever made? Well slap my nuts and call me a Jawa! Ima get me an Xbox! That's
the type of power this game had. KOTOR's gameplay is vastly different from
most other game's and even other RPG's, I'll explain this in a bit. Now Bioware
had gotten some renown with their incredible Baulder's Gate games, Neverwinter Nights,
and… damn they really liked using Dungeons and Dragons as a basis for their games. But
anyways, Bioware wasn't all that well known back in the day. And when this fire – this
absolute butter – came out, they made a name for themselves. They force pushed their
way into the spotlight and let the whole galaxy know they meant business.
I mean, if you look at how Bioware has made their games ever since KOTOR, you can clearly
see them trying to replicate the same things that made it so great. Dialogue choices, morality
system, intricate world design, compelling, dynamic characters, all that good shit.
"Somebody's been drinking…" What most people know of Bioware, and what
they think about them as a company stems from Knights of The Old Republic.
So just to be clear, I'm going to be using footage from 2 different playthroughs, one
with mods, one without, also some videos from YouTube because it's a real bitch to track
down all the moments and dialogue that I talk about. So if things look different between
the footage, that's why. Now, I'm not gonna lie, because I'd get
dark side points and I'm trying to stay light-side, but the gameplay is definitely
clunky and so is the movement. I reckon most of this is due to the AI of the time, and
like the weird automated paths characters take. In fact, one of the more frustrating
things about this game is when you get get stuck on… NOTHING?! The fucks blocking me
right now, THE AIR?! It's also annoying as balls when the other two companions don't
follow you when you charge into battle fighting off 8 million rakghouls…
But to be fair, when you boot up a game from 2003 you should know what you're getting
into. No game is ever perfect and these mild technical problems are nothing close to game
breaking. It's frustrating yeah, but getting stuck on a corner every 30minutes is worth
the 40 hours of excellent story. This style of gameplay really didn't appeal to me as
a kid, I didn't quite understand it. I wanted something self-explanatory and simple, like
Jedi Academy or Jedi Outcast. But since I've grown up, I see the magic in it. It's a
brilliant combination of action and strategy. Although, to this day I still don't fully
understand how the system and numbers work. I know it's based on dice rolls, Dungeons
& Dragons and whatnot, but regardless, the combat intrigued me. It was always fun experimenting
with different builds, choosing talents, force powers, feats. Upgrading your gear and dishing
out the best equipment to your favorite characters. The ability to pause and set up your plan
of attack was a wonderful idea. Oftentimes you'd get to a hard part, and
after dying a few times you'd know what's coming next. So smart players could plant
mines, power up before hand, and set their companions in the best place. While younger
me didn't understand this back in the day, thankfully, I've realized that KOTOR isn't
just another mindless beat-em up. And for that, it stands out from the crowd.
Earlier I mentioned the gameplay is vastly different to most RPG's. That's in part
because most RPG's were either full on action, or turn-based like the Final Fantasy games.
Occassionaly there's a game like Paper Mario that comes along and combines the two. But
for the most part, these two styles of gameplay were hardly ever meshed together.
KOTOR is different also because the combat is only a portion of the gameplay. There's
actually a ton of mini games and puzzles to solve, from swoop races to PURE PAZAAK, and
of course the dueling arena. There's enough variety in the game that keeps things fresh
throughout. One of the coolest moments in the game is
when you're on Kashyyyk and in order to access the star map you're given a sort
of morality quiz. It tests you on what a Sith leader, such as Revan, would do when posed
with various tactical, military choices. The point of this puzzle is to show the player
how concerns over morality can compromise victory in war. Kashyyyk is also home to the
most fucking annoying sound effect ever conceived. (Gurgling Tach Noises)
It's bad enough they do this while you're talking to people but what's worse is it
never fucking stops. All denied. 152 – (Gurgling Tach Noises)
attempts by human – (Gurgling Tach Noises) all denied. (Gurgling Tach Noises) error.
Although the game has a great addition in the form of terminals and robots you can reprogram
using spikes and repair parts. If you've got enough supplies and a character with the
right skills, you can make really tough areas a lot easier, or even take out a whole room
of bad guys. No other game I've seen really has a game mechanic like this and it adds
another layer of depth, strategy, pre-planning. There's a lot of nuances in the form of
managing items like grenades, shields, and stimulants. Alongside your force powers this
can get a little complicated, but it makes the gameplay more strategic and rewarding
when you do succeed. The choices you make in battle are just as important as the ones
you make through the story. So it strikes a nice heh heh BALANCE.
One important thing with RPG's is that they maintain a consistent challenge from start
to finish. And KOTOR does a damn good job of that for the most part! Near the end, if
you've been doing most of the side quests you'll be pretty overpowered, but all the
bosses and even Malak are not to be taken lightly. See, when a game offers a good challenge
throughout it's entirety, it means the player is more likely to finish it because no matter
how far they progress, they're still overcoming a new challenge. But even if you're the
type of person who hates this type of gameplay, there's no question that KOTOR is worth
playing for the story alone. And a game like that is a rare find indeed.
The big thing with KOTOR, is your main character can't do everything, so strategy is a VERY
important factor in your success. You can cover most of the bases yourself, but you'll
need to figure out who best to take with you so that you can pick up mines or hack terminals,
etc. For the first part of the game team composition is very important. Though I'll admit, once
you get Jolee & Juhani you pretty much just take Jedi with you the rest of the way. But
I don't, cuz you can get some real interesting dialogue by switching up partners. And I like
the concept of going on an epic journey and taking everyone along with you at some point.
It's also important what class you pick at the start, because I think the Scoundrel
is the only class that can max out persuasion. And you're gonna want persuasion, trust
me. If you plan on seeing and choosing the most interesting options the game has to offer
it's essential. But if you really think about it, a good chunk
of the game is actually you talking to people, making decisions, learning about the Jedi,
the Sith, the force, the galaxy, and the history that binds them. So let's take a look at
the other side of KOTOR's gameplay, and arguably the most important…
The biggest reason for KOTOR's success is it's brilliant writing.
"How impatient can one person be? You must have driven your mother mad. All that gurgling
and fussing. Heh, babies are cute, but annoying." The designs of the characters, the dialogue,
perceptions of morality, and the choices you make along the way are all concepts introduced
in the films. "And again it's like poetry – it's
sort of that they rhyme." And KOTOR allows you to play through that.
A grand adventure just like the movies, but YOU make the choices. And the feeling of power,
satisfaction, that KOTOR creates with this system is something few games have ever achieved.
It's no secret these dialogue trees and morality systems have been implemented in
so many games after KOTOR. Now, it's not the game that pioneered these mechanics, there
have been different variations of this like in the old Fallout games, Ace Attorney, Morrowind
and probably some other games, but KOTOR certainly brought these ideas to the mainstream.
Character influence wasn't in the first game but KOTOR 2 brought it in a year later.
All these facets have become staples of Bioware games, but why? Why were these dialogue choices,
and morality systems replicated so much after KOTOR 1? Well, because it's fucking great!
As opposed to a game that plays the same way every time, the player can significantly alter
events with their choices, resulting in vastly different outcomes. They mostly fall into
light or dark side categories, but even though simplistic, it offers immense replay value.
If you play Light-side, you'll probably be thinking what would've happened in this
one scenario had you approached it from the dark side and vice versa. The game does have
numerous points where you have the illusion of choice, in that, the game could give you
3 options that all result in the same response. "Your words mean NOTHING to me!"
But you only realize that after you've played through 2 or 3 times, which is totally fine.
One of the most fun things about KOTOR is the encounters; those moments when you walk
by a group of NPC's and you're forced into some dialogue.
"Woo, hey, look at this… it's the Shith! (hic) Oh no, I'm sho shcared! Hoo hoo hoo."
Pro tip: anytime you see a bunch of NPC's, sh*t is most certainly going to go down. This
really does make the game exciting especially on the first playthrough because you're
thrust into these moments where you need to make decisions. You're put on the spotlight
and you don't know what to expect.The game keeps you on your toes, and it helps with
all the down time of running around and doing the main quest. Sometimes you might be able
to prevent a fight breaking out, or you could take part in the fight, threaten people and
take their credits. It's invigorating! You feel powerful! Sometimes I'd spend like
5+ minutes deciding over which option to pick when talking to someone. The amount of thought
I could put into these decisions shows how deep and impactful they are to the player
and how much they care about what they're doing.
Now, KOTOR wouldn't be half as interesting if it wasn't fully voice acted, which is
great because some characters really embellish their roles and I find that freaking hilarious!
"Oh hello again. Hope you didn't come to make a complain about the mess in the building.
I keep asking for an assistant." "Is somebody out there? Fishy, fishy, fishy?
Heh heh heh! Coming to eat me, too? Heh heh heh!
With the amount of voice acting that must've gone into this game, it's incredible how
good the voices are. From one-off NPC's to merchants, important characters, and of
course your companions. The excellent writing and great voice acting go hand in hand to
truly immerse you in this world and make you care about what's going on. You can understand
what's at stake based on the emotion and tone of voice NPC's speak in. The game does
reuse character models, and the animations look pretty funny nowadays but it's totally
fine because of the time this game came out and how vast it is.
The dialogue from the aliens was a really nice touch too! Granted they probably did
this for budget, and data reasons, as it would be easier to reuse the same lines for different
aliens "Takoom justack micky grabomogo."
"Takoom justack micky grabomogo."
"Takoom justack micky grabomogo." And tho it's kind of annoying to hear the
same thing over and over and over, it feels like Star Wars. Cuz it'd be weird if every
alien talked in galactic basic. One thing you might not have noticed is depending on
the important nouns, the alien dialogue can be completely unique to that sentence or line.
For instance, you can hear Ajuur say "Starkiller" amongst the other flabby noises he makes.
"Nuchu Bendark Starkiller. Jee tee manumah, Bendak neocho. Ho ho ho."
It's a level of detail I think most people missed, and these alien voices overall are
an excellent world-building tool. But what really makes KOTOR so memorable is
the companions, the characters that tag along with you and your travels. Every one of them
has a backstory, a motivation for what they're doing and it's up to you if you want to
unravel that and learn more about them. Which brings up a very important point, KOTOR is
as immersive and as long of a journey as YOU want it to be. You might be the type of player
who wants to find every nook and cranny. You may want to learn about every detail about
the worlds, lore, universe and characters. Or you might only care for what's essential.
Either way, you're not forced to talk to some protocol droid for 10 minutes but you
can CHOOSE to talk to him. And that's such a great thing about KOTOR,
not every NPC is essential to talk to. Like, there's this weird alien in the cantina
who appears to serve no purpose other than to immerse the player in the city of Taris
and shed light on a bizarre, planet and alien species. It's not essential, you don't
get any XP, but it's there. And that's why people get so invested into these games
because the main story is surrounded by stuff that is equally as interesting.
But going back to the companions. You know you've got great characters when you can
describe each one of them in detail, what makes them tick and all that. Quite honestly,
I could discuss these characters in-depth for hours, but we'll keep it somewhat brief.
The first real character to join you is Carth Onasi – SORRY, TRASK ULGO! Now, Carth can
be kind of an annoying dickhead at first, but you learn he's got trust issues. Carth
can be a potential romance option if you play as a female, but it's not as fleshed out
as the alternative. He was a soldier who really believed in the chain of command but was betrayed
by his commanding officer at the time, which resulted in the deaths of millions of people.
Carth has a sense of guilt following him, because he lost his family in this attack,
he lost everything. His side quest revolves around getting revenge against Saul Karath,
and finding his lost son Dustil. Both of which are very interesting scenarios. It's even
possible to kill Carth's son right in front of him which is really f*cked up! Good god!
Or you can save him and help him see the light. "I'm proud of you, Dustil. You aren't
hanging onto a lie after you see it for what it is. Not everyone could do that."
"Maybe… after this is over, we can… talk. I'm still not sure about… us, but
I'll listen. Maybe we can get back to where we should have been."
"I'd like that."
But even though he's a mostly serious guy, Carth doesn't mind cracking a joke or giving
a sarcastic comment. "My lightsaber… was misplaced."
"Wait a minute, let me get this straight. You *lost* your lightsaber? Ha-ha! I mean,
isn't that a violation of some kind of Jedi code or something?"
Because his loyalty in Saul was met with betrayal, Carth began expecting the worse from people.
But because Revan was patient, listened, and put his trust in Carth, he learned forgiveness.
The next person to group up is Mission Vao who looks like a young rogue. She learned
to live on her own at a real young age and she can be kind of a brat at times.
"Are you ready to have a civil chat? Or is this going to be another childish tantrum?"
"Tantrum? I'm trying to apologize, you nerf-herder!"
"Nerf-herder!" But as you do her side quest and travel with
her, she starts to mature. She's pretty energetic and inquisitive and despite her
troubled childhood, manages to keep a positive outlook.
"We found a young Twi'lek in the back. She's got quite the mouth on her! She swore
at me and spit on my uniform." "She tried to bite me through my armor!
And you should hear what she said about my mother."
Mission can take care of herself but is still innocent and a bit naïve. She doesn't totally
understand the world and the galaxy. Early on, she really belives in her brother but
when you actually track him down, you and her both realize that Griff is a pretty shitty
brother who cares more about credits than he does his sister. Mission is a troubled
youth growing up in a difficult place in a difficult time, and she's the first one
to jump to your defense when your true identity is revealed. Because before anyone else, Mission
saw the good within you. "Hey – you've got nothing to be sorry
about! You didn't ask for this. Besides, I know you… you're not Revan anymore.
Whatever you used to be, you're one of us now!"
Not too long after recruiting Mission, you rescue Zaalbar, a Wookie, and he pledges a
life debt to you. He seems pretty quiet and stoic, but when you travel with him to Kashyyyk,
you learn he's got some demons in his past. His dad went missing, Zaalbar got exiled and
his brother took over and is selling his own people to slavers. You and Zaalbar work together
to either free the Wookies from Czerka, or side with Chunundar. Once your finished with
Kashyyyk Zaalbar doesn't say much which is a shame, but his best moments come when
he banters with Mission. Zaalbar is honorable and loyal. And he takes great pride in the
traditions of the Wookies. Though he does not think highly of himself, feeling great
shame because of his exile. After that you *rescue* Bastila Shan, who
alongside Carth is the most important companion. She's a young Jedi with a great weight on
her shoulders. Her Battle Meditation ability is prized and valued beyond belief by the
Jedi Council. This puts a lot of pressure on her. And she tries to remain calm and collected
and adhere to the Jedi code but she constantly struggles with that.
"I don't know. It shouldn't be so hard to not think of you. It should be easy to
not think of you. I should have discipline! Jedi discipline! Every time I try to call
on all my teachings to calm myself, they fail me."
In addition to being a major part of the main story, Bastila's got a side quest where
you find her mother and depending on your choices, things can go well… or terribly.
Besides Jolee, she's the most interesting of the group. She has a fall from grace, turns
to the dark side and ends up completely changing her views.
"You are strong, child. But I will break you."
"I'll never fall to the dark side!" How could it be, that such a rigid, strict
adherent of the Jedi could be turned so easily? Bastila's character arc shows how enticing
the dark side is, and how it takes incredible self control to restrain one's self.
When Bastila attacked Revan, a force bond between them was created. Visions of both
of their pasts were seeped into the other's minds. Perhaps it was this bond that allowed
her to fall to the dark side? Experiencing Reva's darkest moments. Perhaps it was the
love she felt for Revan as they traveled together. Either way, this bond is why she follows you,
and it's the driving force of the story. "In some ways you make me feel weak, like
I am caught up in the wake of our destiny. But at the same time, you make me feel stronger,
more alive. I realize now these feelings are part of the bond we share."
Through choosing the correct lines of dialogue, you can romance with Bastila, cuz why wouldn't
you? "Oh, my!"
You tease her, compliment her, and this starts to wear down the Jedi protection, the armor
she so desperately covered herself in. There's a battle on Rakata where you can try to bring
her back towards the light and she's completely forsaken the Jedi.
"Listen to me… the dark side leads to death and destruction. I've seen the horrors
the Stih have unleashed on the galaxy. Turn away from this path."
"Shut up, old man. Your time is over! The age of the Jedi and the Republic is no more!
This is the age of Darth Revan and the Sith!" What's really messed up is if you go dark
side, you end up killing 4 of your companions on Rakata. And because of that, I just can't
play dark side. But on the Star Forge when you fight Bastila
for the last time, she believes you're weakness stems from adhering to the light side. After
you beat her, Bastila begs you to kill her, but if you've been romancing her, through
the power of love you can convince her to come back to the light.
"You… love me? Heh. I.. there was a time I yearned for and yet dreaded to hear those
words. I loved you, too, but I could never… face who you were."
And it's just such an incredible subplot that I had to cover it, because there's
no better motivation than love. I mean, there's a reason she's on the front cover, you know.
Eventually you team up with Canderous, a Mandalorian, who helps you escape Taris. This guy is a
f*ckin badass, alright! He's focused, aggressive, disciplined and ambitious. He doesn't mince
words or waste time with small talk. "Bold talk from a broken-down mercenary
who was serving at Davik's heel. I'd call you his pet kath hound, but they have enough
loyalty not to turn on their masters." "Insults? Maybe if your Master had trained
your lightsaber to be as quick as your tongue you could have escaped those Vulkars, you
spoiled little Jedi princess." Mandalorians value combat and battle above
all else and so Canderous has plenty of war stories to share with you. After losing the
Mandalorian Wars, he too, was lost, looking for purpose but never able to find satisfaction.
The pride and honor of the the Mandalorian race was stripped. His disappointment at what
the Mandalorians have become is what motivates him. He craves excitement, the call of battle
that all Mandalorians feel in their veins, and the honor one earns through victory in
combat. And because of this, Canderous joins you, hoping regain his pride and find his
calling in life once more. "Light side, dark side – it doesn't
make any difference to me, Revan. I'll stick by you no matter what comes."
When you're on Dantooine, you're given a task by the Jedi council to rid this local
grove of the tainted evil. That evil turns out to be a Cathar named Juhani. After beating
her in combat you can tell her to seek redemption from the Jedi council because of the bad things
she's done. After this she insists on joining you. It's revealed that Juhani had a very
troubled upbringing, her father was killed on Taris and her mother borrowed money from
the Exchange in order to take care of Juhani. Eventually, Juhani's mother collapsed in
a cantina and never recovered. She was forced into slavery and being treated like livestock
birthed a dark, hatred within her. Funny enough, a group of Jedi led by Revan, freed her from
the slavers and this inspired her to become a Jedi.
Juhani struggles with her emotions more than the others. Her fierce determination to become
the ideal Jedi is what ironically led her to the dark side, as she couldn't accept
failure. She didn't fully understand the teachings of her master. And she repeatedly
lashes out against you when discussing her past. She holds a lot of resentment towards
the people and groups that made her life hell growing up and her side quest is about seeking
revenge on the Slaver who killed her dad and tried to purchase her as a slave. But with
you at her side, you help her resist the temptation for revenge and Juhani becomes stronger because
of it. "After our last battle, Quatra had nothing
left to teach me. I needed time alone to explore the turmoil of my own spirit. Only then was
I ready to follow a guide – you – back to the light."
By traveling to Kashyyyk you find Jolee Bindo, an old hermit who lives in the dangerous shadowlands
below the tall trees. He is somewhat of an enigma, with unclear motives, desires, and
seemingly incoherent stories to tell with little to no point. But beneath all the crazy
is a man with incredible wisdom and an incredible story. Jolee is one of the best things to
come out of Star Wars because as far as I know, he's one of two characters in the
entire Universe who side with neither the light or dark but settle in between.
"Without the guidance of the Council how can you avoid falling to the dark side?"
"Well, I've managed to avoid it the last 20 years or so. Besides, light side, dark
side: they don't mean the same to me as they do to you. I don't see in absolutes."
"Only a Sith deals in absolutes." He's not willing to ignore his natural human
desires like love, and be a part of the rigid Jedi. But he's in control of his emotions
enough to not fall to the dark side and become Sith.
"Love doesn't lead to the dark side. Passion can lead to rage and fear, and can be controlled…
but passion is not the same thing as love. Controlling your passions while being in love…
that's what they should teach you to beware. But love, itself, will save you… not condemn
you." He's the only character in the game who
truly understands the flaws of both ideologies and how both lead to destruction in some form
or another. "I want to stop Malak as much as anyone.
But I don't have to join the Order to do it. Look at Carth, or Canderous. They're
with us in this quest, but they aren't Jedi. The capacity for good or eveil, like the Force
itself, is in all living creatures. And belonging to the Jedi Order, or the Sith, or any group,
won't change what you are at your core." Jolee comes with you because he senses a great
destiny about you. And it's not clear what this means until much later. Alongside Bastila
and Malak, he's the only character that knows your true identity before you do. He's
got two side quests, one where you help his friend Sunry in a murder trial, and another
where you uncover his origins, why he was on Kashyyyk and all that.
It turns out his wife was a Sith and he was a Jedi. When you talk with Jolee and listen
to what he has to say, not only is the character: Revan learning, but the player is as well.
Jolee's teachings and stories stretch beyond the contained world of KOTOR and the Star
Wars Universe. "Look, everybody always figures the time
they live in is the most epic, most important age to end all ages. But tyrants and heroes
rise and fall, and historians sort out the pieces."
The only companion who kinda sucks is T3-M4. Now don't get me wrong he's freaking awesome
as a character in KOTOR 2, but in this game he doesn't really say or do anything special.
And finally, we have quite possibly the coolest character in the Star Wars Universe. An undercover
assassination droid built by Revan to facilitate communications and put an end to hostilities.
"I am a law-abiding droid. Yes, indeed, law-abiding, that's me."
Masquerading as a protocol droid, we learn that HK was created to eliminate high-profile
targets in an attempt by Revan to maintain Galactic Stability and avoid large costly
wars. After Revan was captured HK-47 moved around
several different owners, none of whom understood what he was or respected his purpose. Being
used for menial tasks, chores, HK grew a bitter resentment towards all organic meatbags and
started hating them, specifically his owners. After you purchase him on Tatooine, you use
his translator to communicate with the Sand People. Though HK would prefer to blast them
all, you can settle things peacefully though. He's a comically, bloodthirsty droid, noted
for his hatred of pacifism and kindness. HK is quite unlike anything else and he takes
great pride in his capabilities, his uniqueness and has immense respect for his original designer.
Upon learning he returned to his original master, HK's memory core is reactivated
and all his assassination protocols are restored. Even if the player is light-sided and prefers
the path of non-violence, HK still respects you. Knowing that it was by your devious designs,
that he exists in the first place. Throughout the game, your companions will
interact with each other from time to time. Often resulting in hilarious and insightful
conversations. "Why not just shoot them where they stand?
It would at least be more direct." "Observations: Yes, very efficient. It is
what I would do." "Of course that's what *you* would do."
See, KOTOR isn't just a game where all these people follow you and only talk to YOU, they
feel like real people all coming together with a common interest but various reasons
for what they're doing. Your companions react to how you handle certain choices, they'll
interject with their thoughts and approval or disapproval. It's nice to get feedback
from the people around you and you learn more about them.
But most importantly, through you, the player, every companion can find their salvation.
It is your choices, your destiny as Revan that allows you to bring your companions that
which they need most. A leader you can trust. A friend who looks out for you. A man who
respects your traditions and helps you reconcile with your past. A warrior you can fight besides,
who brings you honor and is worthy of your loyalty. A student who listens and learns
from your teachings. A man who saved you from a life of servitude; the ideal Jedi that inspires
you. Your owner and creator, the only one who understands and respects what you are.
And a lover who would risk his life to save yours, who believes in you no matter what.
It's because of these companions and how they play off of you, that KOTOR has such
a great story and universe. A Star Wars game driven by it's characters who are all connected
to you, the player. Is such a gripping, powerful concept that in this instance, is executed
perfectly. Knights of the Old Republic is the type of
game that absolutely should be played at least twice. Once blind so you can take everything
in, learn the mechanics, choose a side, experiment. And the 2nd playthrough so you can see all
the foreshadowing, go through on a harder difficulty, and pick different choices. The
game has IMMENSE replay value, and you won't pick up on everything your first time through.
I used to play dark-side male, but honestly it's just perfect if you play as a light-sided
male. That's the canon way to play this game.
You can essentially play through 4 times and have a completely different experience. Light
& dark sided male. Light & dark sided female. The story starts off simple enough, and right
from the get-go they drop subtle hints for the ultimate twist near the end. You're
thrust into this huge conflict that you know nothing about. Just out of the blue, you wake
up, and you're in sh*t creek. So your goal is to escape the Endar Spire and link up with
Bastila. You meet a bunch of those companions along the way, do some side quests and escape
Taris! After this you head to Dantooine where Bastila goes to talk to the Jedi Council about…
something important. The council agrees to train you as a Jedi so you can use the force
on your journey to locate the Star Maps which will lead to the Ultimate Sith Weapon: The
Star Forge. The Star Forge allows for fleets of ships to be created unreasonably fast.
So your main goal throughout the game is to destroy the Star Forge, defeat Malak and either
free the galaxy from his terrible reign, or usurp his throne and claim the mantle of Dark
Lord for yourself. The story itself is pretty straightforward, but like a good RPG and what
I mentioned before, you can choose to go through the way you want to. After Dantooine, you
can go to any of the four planets. The idea of setting KOTOR 4,000 years before
the events of the films was an interesting one indeed, but certainly allowed for nearly
complete control and freedom for Bioware. Without being forced to make a game that ties
in with the films. Bioware chose to explore the seemingly untapped history of Star Wars.
All the things that make a good Star Wars movie are here: great action, Jedi vs. Sith,
amazing characters, breath-taking worlds, an epic quest, and an amazing sci-fi universe
that immerses you completely. Everything in KOTOR 1 is recognizable and familiar to the
average Star Wars fan, but it also brings a lot of new things to the table that make
it stand out. They even included a few references to the
movies. What's also a REALLY cool parallel between KOTOR and the films, and you probably
didn't notice this, but Boba & Jango Fett are Mandalorians and descendants of Cassus
Fett, who's armor can be found in the game. This means all the soldiers cloned from Jango
are Mandalorians too. So essentially, in the Star Wars universe, there were TWO Mandalorian
wars separated by 4,000 years. Mind-blowing, isn't it?
Now, I mentioned this in my Star Wars: Battlefront 2 EA review, but it's such an important
point I'll reiterate. KOTOR 1's story is great because it focuses less on WHAT you're
doing, and moreso on WHY you're doing all these things. It keeps the plot simple, easy
to follow. And that's the brilliant part: for the majority of the game you don't know
why you're so qualified to track down the Star Maps. You don't know why you're so
special that the Council goes against their own rules to train you.
"You're a neophyte Padawan who's been saddled with the responsibility of tracking
down these Star Maps. Why? That's not normal!" You don't know WHY you were on the Endar
Spire or any of this sh*t. KOTOR has such an interesting story because for most of the
game, WHY the player is such an integral part in the events is left a mystery. It's slowly
revealed over time until the BIG BANG happens! "You cannot hide from what you once were,
Revan! Recognize that you were once the Dark Lord – and know that I have taken your place."
The amount of subtle foreshadowing is phenomenal. Characters, NPC's, your companions, they
all feel something special about you, but can't put their finger on it. And NOBODY
could've guessed the twist of the game. It's simply stunning. Just mind-blowingly
brilliant! The big reveal on the Leviathan is quite possibly
the greatest twist in video game history. Up until this point, you've been hearing
all about Revan. Revan is the one who gathered soldiers and Jedi to fight the Mandalorians
when the council did nothing. Revan was the one who turned to the Dark Side and discovered
the Star Forge. Revan was the master of the main villain of the game. He was at first
a savior, then became a conqueror. "Savior, conqueror, hero, villain. You are
all things Revan… and yet you are nothing." And yet, when you begin on Taris, Carth tells
you this. "Everything I know about Malak is pretty
much common knowledge. He escaped the trap that killed Darth Revan, his Sith Master.
With Revan's death, Malak became the new Dark Lord."
So your first time playing, you believe him, because why would the game lie to you about
that? It seemed like harmless exposition but in reality it was to set up the expectation
that Revan was just an important figure of the events prior to the game.
In fact, Carth was telling the truth. Revan was killed, but it wasn't his body, it was
his mind. When I saw this reveal for first time, and I saw Revan on Korriban taking off
his helmet and showing MY face, I was in shock. I just sat there for 10 minutes listening
to Malak. And I – I just couldn't believe it!
This is the genius of the writing and the character, Revan. Because he isn't voiced
during dialogue sections, you are immersed AS Revan, his amnesia is your amnesia. His
choices are your choices. And his revelation, is your revelation.
If you play KOTOR the canonical way, it's an incredible story of redemption and finding
your identity. It teaches you that nobody is defined completely by what they did in
the past. That no matter the crimes you may have committed, there is always a chance to
be saved, or to save yourself. Which brings me to Malak, the main villain.
Along having the coolest voice ever, Malak is just a badass.
"Your predecessor once made the mistake of questioning my orders, Admiral. Surely
you are not so foolish as to make the same mistake?"
He may not be the deepest, or most complex villain, but in this story he works perfectly
and there's a good reason for that. Because of the history between him and you.
You learn the history of the Mandalorian Wars, the fall of Revan & Malak throughout the game,
and when you're finally confronted with the truth of your identity, you've heard
so much about both characters that your motivations for taking down Malak is more than just "ahhh
gotta save the galaxy!" You – you've got a vendetta against this mother*cker! You
need to settle the score! The apprentice has become the Master, he's taken your place!
Are you just gonna sit there and let him? There's a lot of history between these characters,
you both went down the same path to the dark side, you led Malak there with you, and now
it's your duty as Revan to undo what you've done. What I love most is when you play light-sided
after beating Malak you're able to redeem him right before his death. It's a touching
scene, here is this big bad villain who you've been told countless times you need to defeat.
He's an awful guy, a piece of sh*t, evil, rotten to the core. But he was your friend,
your apprentice, your brother, and despite every terrible action he had done, here he
is, the Dark Lord of the Sith thinking about what would've happened if things were different.
This game does an incredible job of world and universe building. Every world you visit
is rich with detail! It's vibrant, the planets feel alive and you get invested into what's
happening on each of them. Every planet has some kind of crisis going on and something
new to teach you that ties in with their location. You learn about different species living together
on the diverse world of Taris. You learn the Jedi ways on the tranquil planet
of Dantooine. You learn about the harshness of life on the coarse, rough, and irritating
Tatooine. You discover history and traditions as old as the dense forests of Kashyyyk. You
engage in diplomacy and politics on the neutral water-world of Manaan. You learn strength,
cruelty, and self-service on the ruthless world of Korriban.
And you get lost in mystery on the alienated Rakata Prime. The level of detail and uniqueness
with every location brings KOTOR to life. You get a sense of how vast the galaxy really
is, and why it's so important to defeat Malak.
The Rakata are most fascinating because of their rise and fall. You learn that they used
to be the cold-blooded, unrelenting rulers of the galaxy. Their society was known as
the Infinite Empire. But at the height of their power, after the construction of the
Star Forge it began feeding on their evil intentions, their hatred and dark side tendencies.
Eventually, through a series of revolts, conflicts and inner-fighting, the Rakata lost their
connection to the force permanently, and were reduced to nothing more than primitive tribes
vying for control of a tiny, lost world. The rise and fall of a person, group, or organization,
is a constant within the Star Wars universe. But what KOTOR brought to Star Wars was something
more valuable than any other game had brought up to this point. Because it actually fleshes
out the Jedi and the Sith, what makes them who they are.
And both ideologies are based off of real world philosophies. The Jedi are altruistic,
taught that self-sacrifice, a life lived for others is the path to enlightenment. Concepts
such as mercy, redemption, forgiveness are core to the Jedi philosophy. And the code
is all about purging emotions, purging the self, so that only the good of others remains.
The Jedi philosophy is very similar to Buddhism and this is clearly seen in the final line
of the Jedi Code. "There is no death, there is the force."
As one of Buddhism's core ideas is that of rebirth after death.
On the flip side, the Sith are self-serving, valuing strength, independence, and identity
above all. Taught that through tapping into their emotions,
using them as your power is the way to free oneself. The Sith embody the philosophy of
"Will to Power," which is the idea that the driving force of humanity is achievement,
ambition, and the desire to reach the top. The Sith have a much more loose structure
of government because it is not a viewed as a crime to kill someone and take their place.
Weakness is a crime that is punished with death. And in fact, you are encouraged to
kill, as part of the Sith. Because only the strongest are fit to lead, and through the
leadership of the strongest is how the Sith survive. They Sith use their powers and life
to further themselves and just like the Jedi, this is shown in the final line of the Sith
code. "The Force Shall free me."
As the idea of "Will to power" is the driving force of humanity. Your will, your
accomplishments are what shall free you. This is the duality of Star Wars. One side
lives for the well-being of others. One side lives for the well-being of themselves.
But what is brilliantly illuminated through Bastila and Jolee's character arcs is that
neither the Jedi or Sith have a perfect code or ideology. While the Jedi act as peacekeepers,
it was their inaction that drove the other Jedi to war and the dark side. The inability
to accept blame, the self-righteousness, the Jedi's biggest conflict was they could not
separate themselves from their ego. And this also prevented Bastila from living her life
the way she truly wanted. Who truly wants a loveless life of self-sacrifice?
And while the Sith may be a dominating force to be reckoned with, capable of great things,
their system of rule revolves around power and individuality. It's a dictatorship governed
by the strongest and most treacherous. With those who seek power often forgetting why
they sought it in the first place. "All the things I wanted to do, all the
wrongs I wanted to right… I haven't done any of it. They just get farther and farther
from my mind. All I've cared about is power…" Eventually leading them to work only towards
maintaining and increasing that power. It's a constant struggle for control and the Sith
can never find stability or use their power and influence to a higher goal.
You know, it's rare to find a game that is so thought-provoking and ties into real
world philosophy like this. What's crazy to think is these ideologies play a background
role against the main story. And they could be analyzed for hours! I find these types
of stories so intriguing and I just love talking about them and sharing my thoughts. And I
hope you guys feel the same. This side of Star Wars is the reason why so
many people love it, because we learn so much about ourselves. We learn what it means to
be human and it gives us an applicable perspective to the real world, and all that from a damn
video game. In conclusion, Star Wars: Knights of The Old
Republic is the type of game that you enjoy every minute of playing. It's an experience
that can be analyzed and talked about for hours on end, with it's stories, dialogue
and ideologies providing so many forms of interpretation. So many things to learn about
ourselves and the world around us. It has memorable characters and companions you grow
to like and care for, a system of morality and choices that empower the player. An intricate
and engaging combat system, beautiful, lively worlds to explore, an epic quest that ties
it all together and the Star Wars universe backing it all up.
Though it may have aged in the visual and gameplay department. The quality voice acting,
incredible writing and world-building make it a timeless classic, and a must play for
any Star Wars fan. Graphics may age, but a good story can be enjoyed for the rest of
time. There's a reason why Knights of the Old
Republic is considered one of the greatest games of all time, and it is for these reasons
why it is well worthy of that title. And that is why Star Wars: Knights of The Old Republic
is SO AWESOME! But what do you think? Let me know in the
comments below! Do you prefer light side or dark side, and why? What do you think of the
story? The game overall and all that jazz? Hope you enjoyed the video! Like it if you
did, and subscribe to The Act Man for more AWESOME content! That's all I've got for
today. This is The Act Man signing out… PEACE!
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