Product Description
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Star Wars role playing experience with evolving characters
including humans, droids & wookiees.
.com
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Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic takes place just a few
years after the Mandolorian Wars, thousands of years before the
events in the Star Wars movies we know and love. Two Jedi, master
Revan and his apprentice Malak, led the Republic's forces to
victory and pursued the Mandalorians into deep space only to
return as Dark Jedi at the head of a huge fleet of Sith warships.
Only the Force powers of the Jedi Bastila prevented the Sith from
overwhelming the Republic's weakened forces. At the start of the
game Malak has usurped control of the Sith by betraying Revan and
has attacked the ship carrying Bastila and yourself. In true Star
Wars style, the game begins with a bang.
The storyline could have been a standard coming-of-age yarn but
is instead a genuinely interesting adventure told with humor,
compassion, and respect for the source material. Your character
has a mystical bond with Bastila, and the two of you share some
kind of connection to the Sith villains Darth Malak and Darth
Revan. The game's planet-hopping adventures are driven by your
exploration of these connections and how they relate to your
larger goal of discovering the source of the Sith's sudden fleet.
During your adventure you can explore side quests minor (such as
racing swoops or gambling) and major (such as uncovering the
fascinating back stories of your companions). Star Wars fans will
get a kick out of the rich lore introduced in the game,
particularly the Tatooine storyline that reveals the origin and
history of the Sand People.
Gameplay is an abbreviated form of Wizards of the Coast's d20
Star Wars RPG game system--anyone who has played Dungeons &
Dragons will be familiar with the abilities, stats, feats, and
bonuses in this game. The player creates a character as a member
of one of three starting classes (soldier, smuggler, scout) and
then later chooses a Jedi class (guardian, consular, sentinel).
Joining the player's character are other Jedi, warriors, thieves,
droids, a wookiee, and even a Mandolorian. Unlike the faceless
non-player characters of other games, each member of the
supporting cast has an intriguing history and even agenda. Up to
two of these other characters can join your character at any
time. Depending on who you chose to take with you, new dialogue
and even intra-party arguments come into the game (put the
Mandalorian veteran with the Republic patriot and you'll see
sparks fly). Combat is real-time turn-based, meaning the turns
are seamless but the player has the option of pausing the action
at any time to issue orders or direct any character to use a
certain Force power, ability, feat, or item.
Graphics range from adequate to exceptional. Building and
character models are not impressive--about what you get in GTA 3.
Lightsaber graphics and environmental effects (like waving grass,
clouds, and weather) bring the world to life. Battles are just
brilliant, with characters pumping out blaster fire at Jedi who
dash, dodge, and even deflect the bolts back toward their
assailants. Complete with sounds straight out of the movies, the
thrilling combat is pure Star Wars.
All in all, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic is a
masterpiece of Star Wars gaming. The pacing, balance of action
and dialogue, clever puzzles and quests, and loving attention to
detail have set the bar very high for role-playing games in
general and Star Wars games in particular. Consider this a
must-have game.--Mike Fehlauer
Pros:
* Captivating storyline
* Clever dialogue
* Star Wars feel
* True story and dialogue support for either Light Side or Dark
Side play
* Brilliant combat graphics
* Fascinating characters (the loyal--and homicidal--droid HK-47
is truly unique) Cons:* Occasional bugs in dialogue, movie
playback
* Cannot transfer equipped gear between characters while on your
ship
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From the Manufacturer
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Long before the Galactic Civil War, an epic drama begins. Engage
in this saga set in the Golden Age of the Republic - over 4,000
years before the first Star Wars film, when both Jedi and Sith
number in the thousands. With the Galaxy reeling from a recent
conflict with the Dark Lords, the ongoing battle between the Jedi
and the Sith rages on. Your actions determine the outcome of this
colossal galactic war - and your destiny as a Jedi.
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- You are a young Jedi Knight, charged with leading a group of freedom fighters across the galaxy.
- Recruit droids, humans, Wookies and other races to join your resistance group -- and train them in great mini-games like racing swoop bikes or manning turret s.
- Journey to dozens to unique locations, from the Wookie homeworld of Kashyyk to the Jedi Academy of Dantooine.
- Customizable and evolving characters keep the story fresh and the gameplay interesting -- especially when you have to choose between the Light & Dark Sides of The Force.