Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic

aka: KotOR, Star Wars: Caballeros de la Antigua RepĆŗblica, Xingji Dazhan: Jiu Gonghe Wushi
Moby ID: 9734
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Description official descriptions

Four thousand years before the events depicted in the Star Wars movies, the political and ideological situation is not much different from what we have seen in the prequel trilogy: the Republic and the Jedi Order are fighting against two powerful Sith lords, Darth Revan and his apprentice, Darth Malak. It is said that the former was successfully defeated by the Jedi, and that Darth Malak betrayed his mentor and is planning to take on the Republic by himself. His aggression is so successful that some Jedi have decided to join his ranks. A seemingly ordinary soldier of the Republic is traveling aboard a space ship that is attacked by Darth Malak's minions. Narrowly escaping, the soldier meets a female Jedi named Bastila, one of those who have fought Darth Revan in the decisive battle. With her help, the soldier must learn to become a Jedi, stop Darth Malak, and discover the truth about his or her own past.

Knights of the Old Republic is a role-playing game that uses the Star Wars D20 rule system, which is similar to the 3rd Edition of Dungeons & Dragons. Character development and combat are handled similarly to BioWare's previous RPGs such as Baldur's Gate series. Combat engine follows similar "real-time with pause" rules. There are only three active combatants on the player's side (as opposed to six in Baldur's Gate). Several characters join the party and can be switched at the player's will.

Eventually, the protagonist will have to train at the Jedi academy to earn a lightsaber and force moves. Force powers include stun, force pull (which pulls opponents or objects toward the player-controlled character), the Jedi Mind Trick, which persuades people to see things the player's way, and many others. The player has various weapons at his or her disposal, from the lightsaber to blasters, grenades, ion rifles, etc.

Throughout the game, the player will visit many Star Wars locations that appeared in the movies, such as Kashyyyk, the homeworld of the Wookiees, the desert planet of Tatooine, and others. Interacting with characters in various ways and performing side quests influences the protagonist's stand with the forces of Light and Darkness. The player can turn the main character into a flawless Jedi, a ruthless Sith, or anything in between. Some of the player's choices influence major events that occur within the storyline.

Spellings

  • ę˜Ÿé™…å¤§ęˆ˜ļ¼šę—§å…±å’Œę­¦å£« - Simplified Chinese spelling
  • ę˜Ÿéš›å¤§ęˆ°ļ¼ščˆŠå…±å’Œę­¦å£« - Traditional Chinese spelling

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Credits (Xbox version)

293 People (246 developers, 47 thanks) · View all

Reviews

Critics

Average score: 92% (based on 122 ratings)

Players

Average score: 4.0 out of 5 (based on 337 ratings with 18 reviews)

Spectacular. One of my top 5 of all time.

The Good
The 3rd Edition D&D works flawlessly in this game. The developers clearly took their time considering all the amazing breadth available in 3e but selected that which would most augment how they wanted the game to work. It IS boiled down, probably to increase accessibility to multiple audiences, so D&D purists might have issues with only 3 character classes and 3 jedi "occupations", as well as only having a couple dozen feats and spells. That said, it is my opinion that the distillation of complex (and even confusing to me) D&D rules down only helps the game and never hinders it. Graphically it is excellent, though recent releases such as DX:IW or Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell look better.

Environments are unique, expansive, and immersive. Visual effects are extremely well done (a great example is the Jedi Guardian's "force jump" ability). Player models are reasonably well varied, though by the end of the game, you've seen them all...twice.

The sound is excellent throughout. I recommend playing it (as I do all games) on a good set of expensive stereo headphones and discarding speakers all together. The original score (thank you!) is compelling and suitable in all the environments, and the sound effects are great. Voice acting is superb, probably the best voice acting I've heard in any genre.

Plot is compelling, though I recommend playing the game for at least 1.5 hours at a time, or it can feel disjointed, simply because there are a multitude of tasks to complete, and each takes time. There are numerous, non-fetch sidequests to do. KOTOR really stands out in the quality of its sidequests, which are not numerous, but are well designed. Be prepared for puzzles in the main plot line and on the side. I had trouble with them, but they're likely only of average difficulty. What I'd say makes this game so much better than just about any game i've played in the past 5 years is the small things. Like how in cutscenes your facial features reflect your force alignment. Or the way fight-scenes look almost like action games, but are based on your basic die-roll. Or the relationships the NPC's in your party develop. Or the way you can customize your lightsabers. Or The moral flexibility that occurs throughout the entirety of the game (excluding certain key decisions). I could go on.

The game is fundamentally excellently designed and executed, yet it's the minor additions that really make it stand out. I can't stress this game enough.

The Bad
Blasters are underpowered, especially against jedi. Repetitive facial models for NPC's. Not enough lightsaber colors! Inability to engage in unprompted violence against NPC's.

The Bottom Line
A must play. I refer any people considering this game to read PC gamer's review or the one on gamespot.com.

Windows · by Marty Bonus (39) · 2004

Powerful this one is.

The Good
It is a dark time for the Republic. The Jedi heroes of the Mandalore War have fallen to the Dark Side. The Sith have taken over the Outer Rim worlds and their armada approaches Coruscant. Every day they add fallen Jedi to their numbers. Every day more planets fall to them; more races are enslaved. High above Taris, the ENDAR SPIRE, a Republic capital ship, is falling before DARTH MALAK and his Sith Fleet. Republic escape pods trace meteoric trails against Tarisā€™s skyline. Itā€™s up to you to make it on to one of those escape pods, find BASTILA, a Jedi Knight whose Battle Meditation may turn the tide against the Sith, and get her through the Sith blockade back to the Republic.

Such begins Knights of the Old Republic, the first computer role playing game set in the Star Wars Universe (though it is a port of the Xbox game). KOTOR has three starting character classes for the human male or female character and three Jedi classes after your character is trained in the ways of the Force. With a game lasting considerably longer that the two trilogies combined, Bioware has created a rich gaming experience blending traditional arcade elements, story driven role playing, and challenging third person combat.

KOTOR is based on the 3rd edition of AD&D, meaning that while your character is attacking something, behind the scenes the computer is busy rolling virtual dice to see if you are hitting, how much damage you are doing, and checking to see if you are making your saving throws. KOTOR includes the traditional AD&D attributes with their relevance adjusted for Star Wars (i.e. Wisdom affects your command of the Force). Your character also acquires skills (like persuasive speech and computer hacking) and feats, which are largely combat centered. The feats determine the type of armor you can wear and the kinds of weaponry you are proficient with. Finally, once you enter Jedi training, your character can add Force powers, like Heal or Choke and strengthen them as you gain levels of experience.

When I first heard that a Star Wars RPG was making its way to the PC I expected the game would play out from an isometric view point. I would have been pleased with that, but KOTOR is a stunning (if limited) 3D game played from a third person perspective. The limitation comes from a camera which moves 360Ā° along the x-axis, but only has a limited y-axis. What you can see is beautiful. KOTOR contains over five worlds to explore from the lush forests of Kashyyyk to the ocean world of Manaan. These worlds contain ambient life, large populations, and vivid scenery.

As you might expect, exploring these worlds often leads to combat. Combat in KOTOR is real-time, turn-based. Clicking on an opponent activates your characterā€™s default attack. Using the HUD above the enemy allows you to cue a wider variety of attacks including special feat-based ones (like a Sniper attack), grenade attacks, or Force Powers. There are many weapons to be found: the clumsy, random blaster, the elegant lightsaber, thermal detonators, and the more visceral vibroswords. There are also many armor options, biomechanical implants, personal shields, and various useful equipment items for you and your party, including armor and weapon upgrades.

If any element stands out in KOTOR, it has to be the characters in your party. Every character has depth and a detailed back story: murderous droid, renegade Wookie, fallen Jedi, and more. They react with each other, offer their insight on the gameā€™s developments, and flesh out the gaming experience. Unlike most CRPGs, these guys are far more than pack mules or cannon fodder.

I should probably wrap this section up by saying that the music and sound effects in this game are top notch, including hours of the best voice acting Iā€™ve heard. This is vitally important in KOTOR, since so much is determined by conversation. I think the conversation options in KOTOR are the strongest example of role playing in the game. You customize your character far more by determining what to say, than by assigning points to specific attributes.

The Bad
In spite of all KOTOR has going for it, KOTOR comes off as an unpolished gem. This game is already racking up Game of the Year nods, and definitely deserves it, but doesnā€™t make the leap to ā€œBest Game Everā€. First off, this release is buggy. There are a few typos, some crashes, and interesting quirks that motivate the player to save frequently.

Here are some other nitpicks: Aliens speak to you in their native tongue with the translated dialogue appearing in subtitles. This is great even though it seems that each species has the same looping dialogue. However, their speech tends to go on longer than it should. While not everyone reads at the same speed, it would be nice if the designers had either cut some of the alien soundtrack down or used more dynamic visuals during the dialogue scenesā€”added interesting camera angles, made the characters more animated while they spoke, etc.

Minigames. KOTOR has three types of minigames found throughout the game. The first one you experience is Pazaak, a card game closer to Blackjack than Sabacc. I think elements of Pazaak will always be problematic, but playing it could be more fun if the characters you played against taunted you, if you could actually see people turn over cards (attempt to read their expressions, etc), or at the very least, print the name of the person you are playing against instead of just having ā€œOpponentā€ written over their deck of cards.

The other two minigames: swoop racing and a space combat turret sequence, are arcade games you run into while playing KOTOR. While I enjoyed these games, at certain points you have to beat them to advance in the game. RPGs shouldnā€™t require great dexterity on the part of the player, so Iā€™d call making these minigames mandatory a misstep.

If thereā€™s one thing that didnā€™t ring true in this game itā€™s the setting: 4000 years before the movies. Iā€™m not familiar with the Expanded Universe, but I expected a more primitive setting than the one found here. Familiar names like Organa and Fett kept popping up. Sith ships looked similar to Imperial capital ships. Maybe Iā€™m wrong, but think about Earth 400 years ago, let alone 4000.

Finallyā€¦ well KOTOR is an RPG, but itā€™s scripted such that your character has to be human and become a Jedi (thereā€™s a level capping issue I donā€™t even want to get into). It would be nice (in a sequel) to have the chance to play the game as a nonhuman and a non-Jedi. I think more adaptability would redraw the line between RPG and Third Person Action/Adventureā€”a line that seems blurred in KOTOR.

The Bottom Line
At one point in KOTOR, your character is presented with a hypothetical situation: You are the commander-in-chief. You have intercepted an enemy transmission. In five days, one of your cities will be attacked. In ten days, the enemy will exhibit a critical weakness allowing you to defeat them. Do you alert the city, letting the enemy know youā€™ve intercepted their plans or do you let your city get destroyed so you can beat your enemy? While this situation is hypothetical, it is similar to the choices your character will have to make throughout KOTOR.

KOTOR is an action-packed RPG, with worlds full of scum, villainy, valiance, and nobility. The story is focused, gripping, and poignant. I highly recommend this game.

FYI: I completed the game in a little under 36 hours.

Windows · by Terrence Bosky (5397) · 2003

"Strike Me Down And I Will Become More Powerful Than You Can Possibly Imagine"

The Good
A Star Wars RPG seems only natural. However it would be years before we ever would get one. It must have been the late 90ā€™s when it was rumored that LucasArts was shopping around the idea. Star Wars fans every where were horrified when it was being whispered that Squaresoft would make the game. Nothing came of this until years later Bioware announced that it was working of such as game for Microsoftā€™s new Xbox. Would it be the game Star Wars fans have been anticipating?

In Star Wars: Knights Of The Old Republic, you make your PC, to suit your styling. From the get go you can be a Soldier, Scoundrel, or a Scout. Set about 10,000 years before the films it is quite a different galaxy than that of the films. As the game opens the ship you are on is under siege from the Sith. After an initial game tutorial you are thrown into action. From here the ship crashes on the planet Taris. You along with new companion, Carth Onasi, most find the Jedi Knight Bastila. The plot thickens as you rescue the Jedi, and must stop the Sith invasion of Taris. And the Sith Lord Malak.

Later in the game you train to become a Jedi Knight. More specially you can be a Jedi Guardian, Sentinel, and Consular. Each has pros and cons, as well as there own light saber color. Donā€™t like the assigned color? Than you can change it later.

During your travels to follow in Revan and Malakā€™s footsteps and gain the ā€œStar Mapsā€. You will gain the aid of 9 others. And travel to 7 worlds and other places. You can also complete side quest for your self and companions. Including a love quest with the lovely Bastila. If you are a female it is with Carth.

You can choose to follow virtue and the light side, or succumb to the evil of the dark side. Two ends reflect your choice as well as the fates of your party.

The game plays as we have come to expect from an RPG. You explore areas, talk to NPCS and fight. Gain experience, level up, all that good stuff.

Combat is unique. Not unlike other Bioware games like Baldurā€™s Gate, the combat is turn based in real time. And also based on a dice roll. You have more options here. You can attack, try for a critical attack, a flurry, or power attack. You can use items, and defend. And Jedi can use force powers. Such as heal, force push, and many others. The combat can also be paused at any time. You can also set up a queue of attacks, and what not. You can also switch to the other two in your party at any time.

The fights look more real compared to that of Baldurā€™s Gate. With characters always in motion. Unlike in most Console RPGS, except maybe Skies Of Arcadia. The combat is also quite fun. More so when battling Sith.

There are also great mini-game including an outer space dog fight!

Thanks to the raw power of the Xbox, this is one good looking game. The inhabitants of the galaxy look realistic. As well as otherworldly when necessary. The areas are all well designed. If a little small. The facial features are astounding. As are the light effects of clashing light sabers.

The Music is pure Star Wars. With tunes directly taken from the films. As well as new music from Jeremy Soule. The composer behind Icewind Daleā€™s epic score, as well as that of Morrowind and Oblivion.

The voice actors do an amazing job. And there are quite a few famous VO actors here. The sound effects are taken directly from the legendary films. And still sound great.

The Bad
The restrictions of using a dice roll are evident. And special attacks are pretty much useless against regular foes.

Many areas seem tiny. They could have been bigger. There is a plot twist midway in the game that is quite lame. And another bad one towards the end. Why Bioware?



The Bottom Line
Overall this is easily the one of the if not the best Star Wars games out there. It is also on the PC. Star Wars and RPG fans could do worse than this epic set along time ago in a galaxy far far away.

Xbox · by MasterMegid (723) · 2006

[ View all 18 player reviews ]

Discussion

Subject By Date
KotOR for teh cheaps! Should I? Slug Camargo (583) Oct 4, 2009

Trivia

1001 Video Games

Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic appears in the book 1001 Video Games You Must Play Before You Die by General Editor Tony Mott.

Development

  • Bastila Shan's character was originally meant to be Vima Sunrider, a Jedi from Dark Horse Comics' Tales of the Jedi series. The name Bastila was originally meant for Juhani's character. Eventually, it was decided to create a different character rather than use Vima Sunrider. The new character was named Bastila, while the other character who bore this name was named Juhani.
  • Master Vrook Lamar is voiced by Ed Asner, of Lou Grant fame.

Endings

There are two different endings, based on the choices your main character makes. A third, funny ending can be accessed by pressing a button combination just before the final confrontation with Darth Malak.

Inconsistencies

Despite the nature of Hutts seen in the Star Wars films and various literature, none of the Hutts met in Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic is a kingpin of organized crime, and most have almost nothing to do with criminal activity at all.

Juhani

When the player first meets the female Jedi Juhani, they can choose whether to turn her back to the light side or kill her. When doing the latter, the player will have a showdown with another female Jedi who claims to be her lover (she also makes an appearance later in Korriban in which she makes a final attempt to avenge her lover). Furthermore, when playing as a female character and taking her with, she will occasionally flirt with the player in classic Baldur's Gate II fashion and, by the end of the game, confess to have romantic feelings (which the player can return). These two females are thus the first homosexual characters in the Star Wars universe.

Juhani is actually a boy's name in Finland and Estonia.

References

Naturally the game features numerous references to the Star Wars movies: * The line "My name's [your character's name], I'm here to save you", which is what was said by Luke Skywalker when saving Leia Organa. * Mission Vao says "I have a bad feeling about this" at least twice. This is an homage to a repeated line in each of the Star Wars films. * Probable ancestors of characters seen in the films can be seen in this game or are at least mentioned in literature. Examples include: Galduran Calrissian - Probable ancestor of Lando Calrissian, Cassus Fett - Probable ancestor of Jango and Boba Fett, Komad Fortuna - Probable ancestor of Bib Fortuna, Admiral Forn Dodonna - Probable ancestor of General Jan Dodonna. The wealthy Organa family is also mentioned early on in the game. * T3-M4 and Ebon Hawk are modeled in part after R2-D2 and the Millennium Falcon respectively. * Darth Malak was modeled in part after Darth Vader. The game programmers wanted to create a Dark Lord of the Sith who would instill images of Vader's character without being a near-complete carbon copy. Malak was given a cybernetic vocal implant, and the rest of his body was left alone. * On Taris, the player has a goal to capture Bendak Starkiller. Starkiller was the name that Lucas originally wanted to use for Luke before changing it to Skywalker.

Secrets

Some droids are doing the robot dance. They pivot at the waist and jerk their arms in a style that emulates the popular 80s dance.

Awards

  • 4Players
    • 2003 ā€“ Best Console Game of the Year
    • 2003 ā€“ Best Console Role-Playing Game of the Year
    • 2003 ā€“ Best PC Role-Playing Game of the Year
    • 2003 ā€“ Best Console Story of the Year
    • 2003 ā€“ Best Console Voice Acting of the Year
    • 2003 ā€“ Best PC Voice Acting of the Year
  • Computer Games Magazine
    • March 2004 - #1 Game of the Year 2003
  • Computer Gaming World
    • March 2004 (Issue #236) ā€“ Game of the Year
    • March 2004 (Issue #236) ā€“ Role-Playing Game of the Year
    • March 2004 (Issue #236) ā€“ NPC of the Year (for HK-47)
    • March 2004 (Issue #236) ā€“ Best Story of the Year* GamePro (Germany)
    • February 13, 2004 - Best Xbox Game in 2003 (Reader's Voting)
  • GameSpy
    • 2003 ā€“ Game of the Year
    • 2003 ā€“ Xbox Game of the Year
    • 2003 ā€“ #3 PC Game of the Year
    • 2003 ā€“ PC RPG of the Year
    • 2003 ā€“ Xbox RPG of the Year
    • 2003 ā€“ Xbox Game of the Year (Readers' Vote)
    • 2003 ā€“ PC RPG of the Year (Readers' Vote)
    • 2003 - Best Music of the Year (PC)
    • 2011 ā€“ #16 Top PC Game of the 2000s
  • GameStar (Germany)
    • February 13, 2004 - Best PC Game in 2003 (Reader's Voting)
    • February 13, 2004 - Best PC RPG in 2003 (Reader's Voting)
  • Golden Joystick Awards
    • 2003 - Xbox Game of the Year
  • PC Gamer
    • March 2004 - Game of the Year 2003
    • April 2005 - #19 in the 50 Best Games of All Time list
  • PC Games (Germany)
    • Issue 02/2004ā€“ Best Adventure Game in 2003 (Readers' Vote)
  • PC Powerplay (Germany)
    • Issue 06/2005 - #10 Likeable Secondary Character (for HK-47)

Information also contributed by MegaMegaMan, PCGamer77, piltdown man, Rabbi Guru, Scott Monster and Zovni.

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Contributors to this Entry

Game added by JPaterson.

Macintosh added by Corn Popper. iPad added by GTramp. Nintendo Switch added by Rik Hideto. Windows added by Trunks. Xbox One added by Kennyannydenny. Android added by Kabushi. iPhone added by LepricahnsGold.

Additional contributors: Rebound Boy, Unicorn Lynx, Indra was here, Zack Green, Apogee IV, Zeppin, Paulus18950, Cantillon, Patrick Bregger, FatherJack, Evolyzer.

Game added July 16, 2003. Last modified February 16, 2024.