I will write this review from the perspective of someone who played--and loved--the original KOTOR, because if you don't have that point of comparison you will simply find this game stupendous in comparison to the large body of re-hashed garbage that forms the bulk of the videogame universe.

In comparison to KOTOR I, the story is in some ways better and in some ways not as good. The original KOTOR always had, to me, an episodic feel. It always seemed as though the game was simply stacking mission upon mission onto the main character in order to pass the time. In KOTOR II, the writers have done a better job of integrating the missions into the main story arc. Also, the worlds are bigger and more populated, giving them the game play a more open and unstructured feel. Also, a lot of the minor NPCs act more rationally and make more sense than in the original KOTOR.

That said, however, the main story arc is cryptic to put it kindly. Without giving anything away, a number of the main NPCs reverse their statements and strategies throughout the game in ways that I think were intended to be "plot twists" but that in the final analysis just don't make sense. These problems blossom into flat-out inconsistencies in the finale of the game, where a number of events occur for no apparent reason and with no apparent resolution, making me think that they were rushed to meet a Christmas release date and so just dropped some plot conclusions at the end that they didn't have time to finish. Also, I agree with any reviewers who found the final battles anti-climactic; in terms of difficulty and suspense, none of them matches up to Malak. Again, I am tempted to credit this to a rushed finish. Regrettable to say the least.

In terms of character development, the game is a big improvement over KOTOR I. There is no cap on progression. Let me say it again: there is no cap on progression. You can keep gaining experience and adding force powers until the cows come home. Also, they have added new prestige classes and powers that keep the progression interesting toward the end of the game; it wasn't until the very end that I felt I was just adding powers to add them.

In terms of difficulty, if you are an experienced KOTOR player, the "normal" difficulty level will be disappointingly easy.

In terms of game play, KOTOR II uses the same engine--hey, if it ain't broke, don't fix it.

But these complaints, such as they are, reflect merely the predictable gripes of someone who viewed KOTOR I as one of the best videogames of all time (in the pantheon with M.U.L.E., Wizardry, Civilization, the Ultima franchise and...Halo I). No sequel could have matched up. Buy this game.

• from

I loved the first Knights of the Old Republic, and continued to play through it many times even after beating the game. Yes it was that good!!! And this comes from a person who does not consider himself a gamer. The sequel Sith Lords adds a dose of polish to some of the rough spots from the original game, such as new Faces for the heroes, more choices and control over companions, and one of my favorites although a minor thing to some people. The Jedi robes look much cool then they did in the first game. Even more feats and Jedi powers have been added into the mix, and I am sure that everyone has their Can't Miss combonation that they choose EVERY time they play. I know i do!! The graphics are very nice, and the gameplay is simple for if i can master it then anyone can. it does take some practice and skill to acheive the right combo's of feats, skills, and powers so don't feel bad if you don't get it on the first play.

The story follows the first game, this game taking place 5 years after the original game (new players should really play the first Knights of the old republic first to get the full effect of some of the lingo, and special appearences from the previous game.) You are the last jedi, and of course the Sith are chasing you all across the galaxy, and you must use all of your abilities to either fight for the good, or the evil depending on your preferences. Though it does not carry the whopper of a plot twist that the original carried, and one of the few downsides of the game in my opinion. The story moves along very well in the beginning only near the end does it bog down a little bit in crosses, doublecrosses, and minor glitches in the game that left me puzzled with cut scenes that did not make sense such as the one scene where one character appears to kill another character but then all is forgotten once the cut scene has ended. I'm sure that you have read that the game ends on a bit of a downer, only due to the fact that i suspect that Kotor III is due out sometime, cuz the game literally leaves you hanging in space. Still it is an excellent game, for the Star Wars fan, and the casual gamer alike. Enjoy!!!

• from

I'm a big fan of action-adventure computer games, and I was intrigued by KOTOR 2: The Sith Lords. I heard a lot of great things about it and decided to buy it.

When I got home and started to set the game up, I had a few difficulties getting the game to launch. The only way I could get it to work was to disable the sound entirely. Later, however, I got the sound to work by installing new drivers for my sound card.

When I first started playing the game, I was totally bored. Where was my robe and lightsaber? I was carrying a wimpy plasma torch and I ran into some weird droids.

But the longer I played the game, the more I liked it. I got to fight really cool enemies, use awesome weapons, and wield amazing Force Powers like Shock and Force Whirlwind.

I got a large party after a few levels and I managed to get control of some cool warriors like Bao-Dur, a hero from the Mandalorian Wars, as well as Atton Rand, an outlaw recently escaped from prison.

Overall, I thought this game was really, really cool and worth every penny of the $38 I paid for it. The graphics and sound are awesome and the movies are great.

I was a little leary of the game after reading some of the reviews, but once I started playing it I realized that if you play it on a powerful computer, you don't have to worry about long loading times or crashes.

• from

First of all I have had no problems with my copy of KOTOR II, after about 15hrs of game play.
This game really suprised me since it wasn't created by Bioware that developed the first KOTOR. The Bioware creation of KOTOR I was great and I didn,t expect the sequel to match it's greatness. To my pleasant suprise this game is even better than the first!
I have a hard time putting down my controller to sleep. The quality of voice acting is good and there is plenty of interesting dialog in this game.
This game is a must for anyone how enjoyed the first installment and be prepared for some long gaming sessions once you load this baby up.

• from

I think this is going to be great, but too bad for them they cant get game of the year. Halo 2 is beter, but this would win if it wasnt for halo,2 which is the greatest gift that heaven has ever granted upon the world. I know that no game will ever beat a halo game, and the only game that will ever beat a halo game is a sequel. It is also like that for KOTOR, which is a different kind of game, and great in its own right. KOTOR 2 Will rock. THats all/.

• from

I love this game. Do you hear me? Love It!

Rent it first, but then go buy it.

• from

as i said about the first game kotor 2 is still one of the best rgp games for the xbox. the bew story is close to episode 3 from the movies. the jedi are in shamble and the sith are in power. but you are the last of jedi. so they thought. you do find some familier faces from the first game. like master vrook,tmo4,revans battle droid,bastila,carth,and thats about it. only the droids are in your party though. what is new about the game that you can influence your party members. so you can bring them to the light or the dark. but be warned... if your going to get them on yopur side you have to do things they think is right. some charitable acts will influence some but others will want to be brute force. also you can influence them when your talking to them. influenceing them does pay off. by getting them to trust you more they will tell you things. this will also bring more force points ect. this one other then the first had that you can train some members of you party to becom jedi or sith. depend on your path. also the new classes have changed. for the path of the light has 3 classes. jedi master gives you better influence on you rparty members and have more force power. and also can give party members stronger by using force points. be advised it onlys last for a limited amount of time. jedi weapons master lets you upgrade your 2 weapons fighting and upgrades on other fighting states. the jedi watchmen is for the stealth types. the sith marauder can enter afury inflicting more damage then before. it almost like the jedi weapons master buy better. the sith lord does just about the same but can weaken you foes by using force points. i can't rember what the other one is but its the same as the jedi watchmen. the sith lords are sheer amazing. the one has cracks through all his body because he thrives on pain. the other leeches on planets to feed his hunger for the force. and the last one is a surprise. well the game is great and the twists are perfect a must have like the other.

• from

YES THIS game ROCKs

BUT

it has SERIOUS frame rate issues

wow

the grafics suk

although the story was OK

its feels like Dejavu

oh well

obsidian couldhave done better

huh

• from

Although KOTOR 1 was one of my favorite all time games (and still is), as soon as I heard the news that Bioware was not going to be the ones developing KOTOR 2 I develped a strange repulsion that kept me from the game. In fact, I was so disgusted that Bioware was not going to be making KOTOR 2 that I managed to ignore the game for 5 years since its release.

I finally gave in and got the game about 3 weeks ago and finished the game playing light side and am eager to see on my next playthough how the story pans out when you play dark side. Please! Do not make the same mistake I made and blow off the game just becaue bioware didn't make it. The game is very good regardless of who made it. Don't deprive yourself of this wonderful Star Wars adventure.

I'd say this game is an improvement over just about every aspect of KOTOR 1 besides story. Anyone who played the original KOTOR knows how awsome the story is for KOTOR 1 and how it would be very hard to contend with, but don't let this be an excuse to avoid it as KOTOR 2's story is still very much enjoyable.

Bottom line: Despite not having been developed by Bioware as KOTOR 1, Obsidian has crafted their own masterpiece.

• from

This game is delightful the choices of dialouge are great you can turn most conversations in to hillarious situations. There are so many options to what class of sith you would like to become if you go down the dark side, or what class of wimpy jedi you would like to become if you choose the light. Either way the game is great, and if you become a sith lord and get the power to perform a "force Crush" on your opponent you are very lucky... Give this game a whirl!

• from

I recently finished the predecessor to this game, the wildly popular Knights of the Old Republic and was eagerly anticipating embarking on "Sith Lords". I have not been disappointed! While I had few complaints about the original, subtle upgrades and refinements to the menus and overall gameplay in KOTOR II surprised and delighted me.

I had hoped that this game would be at least as interesting as the former and so far it has been. As an avid fan of D&D and various other manual RPG's for many years, I find the streamlined "behind the scenes" dice rolling a nifty switch. I enjoy the array of gear and universe items and I am entertained by the graphic account of what happens during combat. Both of the KOTOR's are veritile in their compromise between realtime and turn-based play allowing players to be as "from the hip" or point-by-point calculating as they would like during combat. With all this going on, it still manages to be "Star Wars-ey" for us goofy fans who like that creative Lucas touch in our simulations ,shooters, RTS's, and now even RPG's. I hope to see many future installments of the KOTOR series. In the meantime, I hope this review helps you to decide either way.

• from

This game is as good as it sounds. The deal I got from the shipper was great and the game arrived in excellent shape.

• from

Different websites say that it comes out in December but this website says Febuary. It was anounced that it was goint to come out in Febuary but they are way ahead of schedual and now people(games sites) are saying before christmass. It has it at christmas for ebgames. Does anyone know what is going on.

• from

This game is one of the greatest games I've ever played, right next to the first one. This one took me even longer to beat, but that made it much more enjoyable. This game is different than the first, which is in a way good. In the first you had to figure out a lot of logic things, but in this game its mostly battle strategy. The graphics are again, amazing as is the length of the game. The ending really wasnt a suprise, but still was great. I wish they would come out with a third.

• from

If you love KOTOR (Knights of the Old Republic) you will love this. Might be because this is KOTOR 2. It has the qualities that we loved from the last game. However, there are a few changes. For one I have not noticed any dialogue between my party while traveling. All dialogue between party members is now done on the Ebon Hawk. Workbenches now creat items as well as customizing them. Skills have more use now because they are used to create better items in the workbench. Speaking of customizing lightsabers are now much more customizable with 5 slots for upgrades. Party memebers gain or lose influence points depending on how you treat them and if they agree with you. The more influence you have over them the closer their alignment is to yours and also other benefits may arise.

Well I think you must've heard plenty of good things about this game, but here are a few things I didn't like. The biggest of which is the ending. Don't worry I won't give it away. Suffice to say that it was highly anti-climatic as well as being a cliffhanger. In fact it is anti-climatic in a few more areas other than the ending. However, the story was still engaging if you can follow it. It is a bit cryptic at times and confusing, but if you could follow Metal Gear Solid 2 you can follow this. Another big problem is that it is glitchy. I didn't have any problems, but I've heard many others complain about it. Especially those with modded Xboxes. The romance options in this game never really come to fruition. Except for one, there never seems to be any resolution to the romances. Also you do not get your lightsaber until a good long way into the game. This wasn't a problem to me and added a sense of importance to obtaining one. Also lightsabers are much more powerful than in the first so it makes sense to make them rarer.

Despite all that this game is great! It is definitely worth buying if you are a fan of Star Wars and the first game. The quests are new and interesting. There are quite a few moral dilemmas. Not much if any of the quests from the previous game were recycled. Which is a good thing...

• from