Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic

UPC: 023272319755

Platform: Xbox

Publisher: LucasArts

Developer: BioWare Corp.

Category: Role-Playing

Style(s): Third-Person 3D RPG

Synopsis: The first role-playing game based in the Star Wars universe finds players controlling a three-party team from a third-person perspective. The setting takes place 4,000 years before the formation of the Galactic Empire, where the Jedi and Sith number in the thousands and are embroiled in a war that could upset the balance of the Force. Players choose a male or female human character to begin the game, with three classes initially available: scoundrel, scout, and soldier. During the adventure players will meet with a wide assortment of races, including humans, droids, Wookiees, and Twil'leks, with nine additional characters able to join their party. The journey will span seven worlds as players ultimately decide on a path of good or evil, from the confines of the Jedi Academy on Dantooine to the forests of Kashyyyk, the Sith realm of Korriban, and the desert planet of Tatooine. Developer BioWare moves away from the interface used in its Baldur's Gate series to create a new turn-based combat system using the 3D engine. Players will also be able to ride a swoop bike to earn cash rewards, fend off enemy ships from behind a gun turret, and participate in other events, such as an original card game loosely based on blackjack, that offer a diversion from the main storyline. As players grow in ability during the course of adventuring, whether it's by completing quests or through the rigors of combat, they can return to their main vessel, the <i>Ebon Hawk</i>, to train, build custom weapons, or to swap members in and out of their party. The <i>Ebon Hawk</i> also serves as the primary means of transport between worlds. Knights of the Old Republic is exclusive to the Xbox console at the time of its release, with a PC version of the game available in November 2003. Both games feature interfaces and settings unique to the platform on which they appear. Those with an Xbox Live connection will also be able to download bonus content, including additional worlds, characters, and quests. ~ Scott Alan Marriott, All Game Guide

Package Contents: Registration Card

Controls: Joystick/Gamepad

The full-color manual offers details on character customization and the many different weapons types, powers, and skills featured in the game. There's not room for much else, however, so character bios, world descriptions, and story elements are missing. ~ Scott Alan Marriott, All Game Guide

While there could have been more variety in some of the faces, the character models are all well animated. The true star of the show is the environment, which varies significantly from planet to planet. The backgrounds are filled with activity. ~ Scott Alan Marriott, All Game Guide

It promised to be a match made in heaven, or at least in a galaxy far, far away. The company largely responsible for bringing the hardcore RPG back into the mainstream would be developing a game for Xbox, and said game would be set within the Star Wars universe. The developer? BioWare, a Canadian company founded by a group of doctors who were die-hard role-playing fanatics. The game? Knights of the Old Republic, an original story taking place 4,000 years before the rise of the Galactic Empire. While the title's underlying structure will be familiar to Baldur's Gate players, the 3D engine, storyline, and characters will have Star Wars fans atwitter with anticipation. Fortunately, this promise has been delivered in Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic. It is not Final Fantasy with droids and blasters, but rather a serious role-playing game closely based on the concepts introduced in BioWare's most recognizable franchise. Combat offers a mix of turn-based and real-time control, with players free to move or to switch characters at any time. Once an enemy is in view, which is based in part on a character's awareness rating, the game pauses so players can plan out their strategy. Options include using a character's standard attack with equipped weapon(s), his or her special powers or feats, and/or items such as energy shields, grenades, and medkits. Individual attacks are then carried out by the computer using a traditional dice-based system that factors in such variables as dexterity, weapon type, strength, armor, and more. While these numerical results are available for display, most will prefer to watch the sequence of events play out in glorious 3D on the television screen. The third-person perspective is done so well, a player's initial reaction is to try and directly control the action by squeezing the shoulder button or using the analog stick to twirl a lightsaber. Yet the combat system gives the game a sense of realism and authenticity that could not have been achieved if players moved their characters based on reflex alone. Once you get used to the flow of combat, you'll begin to appreciate the amount of graphic detail used to portray each world and encounter. A Jedi's dexterity and reflexes play out by characters automatically ducking, jumping, or swaying to the side, while incoming laser blasts are deflected with skillful precision. Conversely, those lacking in dexterity will find the same laser or melee attacks hitting their characters and causing damage. Jedi classes are particularly fun to watch, as glowing lightsabers hum, clash, and twirl with such ferocity and rhythmic beauty, you may never want to use characters proficient with mere blasters or rifles. While the battles are a sight to behold, the majority of the game has players walking or running throughout equally amazing environments. The developers did not skimp on detail in any area. Ships appear in the skyline for no other purpose than to amaze, and players who open up docking bays, for example, can watch as massive spacecraft fly in the hangar to reload cargo and then blast off again. Steam billows through vents, light shines through trees, and tiny security drones dart through the air after pausing to scan the area. Players can run across the combed desert of Tatooine as the planet's twin suns bear down from overhead, and notice sand kicking up and swirling in the wind. A massive Sandcrawler looms in the background while dewbacks, banthas (whose lumbering steps cause the controller to rumble), and rontos are a few of the beasts players will encounter. Players may not know the names of specific species or creatures, but they will recognize most from the films, and each converses in its trademark dialect with subtitles appearing along the bottom of the screen. The worlds are filled with pedestrians, aliens, and droids -- some just meandering about, some leaning against a wall in thought, or others engaged in heated arguments with one another. All can be approached for conversation. From the Baldur's Gate series, players get the same degree of character customization, journal entries to organize quests, and experience that rewards combat as well as performing skills or advancing the storyline. Quests are often dependent upon who is in your party at a given time, and players can communicate with party members to delve deeper into their backgrounds. Dialogue trees are as important an element in Knights as they were in Baldur's Gate, with many response choices to help shape one's character. And the most interesting feature from Baldur's Gate, party reputation, perfectly translates to Dark Side (negative) or Light Side (positive) points. In truth, the move from fantasy to sci-fi is not as dramatic as one would initially think. Instead of crossbows, characters use blasters or rifles; while one game has robed wizards who cast lightning as a spell, another has robed Jedi who use lightning as a Force power. If the underlying structure borrows heavily from Baldur's Gate, the narrative -- not surprisingly -- borrows heavily from the Star Wars films. Fortunately, the developers seem to understand everything that makes this universe so rich and compelling. A number of familiar elements are touched upon as homage, with many surprises along the way. The game opens with a dramatic assault on a starship carrying one important female member of the Republic. Sound familiar? Other elements include smarmy rogues, duplicitous aliens, spunky heroes, a large walking carpet, and yet another Darth who sounds like he's speaking through a window fan. The <i>Ebon Hawk</i> is essentially the <i>Millennium Falcon</i>, an old, long forgotten Jedi Master lives as a hermit, and players are saddled with not one, but two droids: a humanoid that speaks in many different languages and a small unit that communicates in beeps and whistles. The twist is that the characters often behave completely differently from their cinematic counterparts. The game is so much more than combat or getting from point A to point B. Players will undergo training to become a Jedi, help solve a murder investigation by interviewing suspects and doing background checks, act as a trial lawyer who must defend a client in front of alien judges, and much more. Players will hack into computer systems, solve logic and mathematical puzzles, and spend time playing cards. Characters will have to deal with a stowaway on board their vessel, find a way to stop small creatures from multiplying on the ship (the quest is called "The Trouble with Gizka," in a whimsical nod to Star Trek's tribbles), or engage in one-on-one duels for fun and profit. The game explores the idea of Jedi being the equivalent of police officers who are looked upon with reverence among certain alien species, and contempt among others. Players must decide whether or not to follow the path of the Light or Dark, with the former being a more arduous task. It's not easy to settle conflicts without violence, refuse to accept rewards, or to pay an exorbitant fee when there's always the option to Force Persuade a caretaker to offer his or her services for free. The Dark Side lets players have fun with the dialogue and presents its own set of interesting options: the character could become a member of a secret bounty hunter guild, for example, whose requirements are to make each assassination look like an accident. While Knights of the Old Republic is entirely addictive, there are some small complaints. There are no beasts to ride or vehicles to use as transportation while traveling across planet surfaces, the party is limited to three at any given time, and there's no multiplayer support. The pathfinding AI is not perfect either, and it's possible that players will find themselves trapped in a corner and unable to back up because the two other characters are blocking them in. This is a minor hassle, of course, since players can switch control to another character at any time. Another gripe is that, unlike in Morrowind, players don't improve abilities by repetition, so it doesn't matter how many times one tries to open a door; if the skill level is too low, it won't budge, and skills can only be increased while leveling up. Perhaps the biggest complaint is that there's a desire for more -- more worlds, bigger worlds, more side quests -- but that's going to happen with any great game. BioWare has set the bar for future Star Wars role-playing games, console or computer. The game will take roughly 40 hours to complete, and there are several different quests, plot developments, and features that will be missed the first time through. Considering the two distinct endings based on how your character uses the Force, the support for downloadable content via Xbox Live, and the extensive customization options for each character, it is a game that more than lives up to its rich heritage. If you're a fan of Star Wars or just love a great role-playing game filled with memorable characters, story, and dialogue, Knights of the Old Republic is a must-have title. In a franchise that has seen more bantha poodo than a Tusken Raider on cleanup detail, Knights of the Old Republic draws you into the Star Wars universe like no other title before it. ~ Scott Alan Marriott, All Game Guide

While the game doesn't offer the complete freedom of a title like Morrowind, there are numerous side quests and party-specific interactions that will likely be missed the first time through. Players can also experience the game as a member of the Dark Side or the Light. ~ Scott Alan Marriott, All Game Guide

The music, a mix of original compositions woven together with John Williams' soundtracks, is perfect, as are the sound effects. The voice acting is not consistent at times, but it's well above average. The females seem to be more natural actors than the males. ~ Scott Alan Marriott, All Game Guide

The swoop racing and space shooting sequences are not as exciting as they could have been, but the rest of the game is extremely addictive. Players will fight Dark Jedi, confront a rancor beast, disable computer systems, and more. Weighing choices during conversations is paramount to one's character development during the game. ~ Scott Alan Marriott, All Game Guide

the game requires Joystick/Gamepad.