Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic was, and it still is, one of the best RPG ever. Can the sequel keep the statute?
Lets get one thing clear: The Sith Lords isnt better than the original. Althought, its quaIities are remarkable.
You start the game as an outcast jedi, exiled since the Jedi Civil War. With no conection to the force, the exile wanders around the space until the fate meets him. Basicly, your main task is to gather the last jedi to face a bigger evil that you can imagine.
As you can imagine, you will meet many characters during the game, and some of them will join your party. When it come to the story, we cant deny its potencial. All of the caracters in your party have a lot of charisma and personality, interesting backgrounds and even hidden secrets. For example, the first character you meet in the game, Kreia, is one of the most intringuing personages ever made in a videogame. All of this because of the excelence of the dialogues and vocal work.
On a global point of view, the storyline is one of Obsidians best, and longest as well, considering the number of side quests. Althought, we must refer that the story feels a bit rushed in the ending part.
As I said before, the gameplay is very similar to the original one, and, because of that, the fans wont have any problems at all. The combat is practically identic, but it seems a bit more unbalenced. The most relevant innovation is, no doubt, the influence system. This system is related to your relation with other characters of the party, wether they trust you or not. Your allingtment will please or displease yor companions and, by that way, change your influence over them. This may seem a bizzare addition, but it actually works out very good.
During the adventure, expect visiting some places that youve seen before. Korriban and dantoine are a reality, and some of the old characters and former companions as well. when it comes to nostaligy, this is a near-perfection title.
When it comes to the production values, this title wont impress. The graphics are to dated comparing to other recent titles and the soundtrack is to similar to the first game. But there are good this to notice as well. The animation work was improved, such as the level of detail. The voice work keeps the quality of the original Knights of the Old republic, so you can expect a great audio work. In the negative side, the loadings and bugs must also be refered.
We have to admit that The Sith Lords does not have the same quality as the original game. It may take advantage in the graphics and characters, but the gameplay is to familiar and the bugs are to much. But dont think that this isnt a good game. Actualy its not: its a great game. And, belive me, you shoudnt miss this instant classic, because if you liked the first the game, dont think twice about buying this one.
In the end, and besides its weak points, Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic 2: The Sith Lords is one of the best RPGs ever made, featuring a great cast of characters and an engaging story. I reccomend it to any RPG fan, or simply to those who would like to try something different from the common FPS and RTS games.
The Sith Lords is an amazing game with Obsidians signature. And they did an excepcional work.
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OVERALL
Graphics: 7/10
If the orginal had some failures, they only got worse.
Gameplay: 9/10
Similar to the original game, wich is not a bad thing. Some unbalenced combat.
Sound: 9/10
Good sound track, but sometimes to familiar. Excellent voice acting.
Longevity: 10/10
Open-ended quest, a lot of replay value. Many side quest, but some are unfinished.
Story: 10/10
Amazing cast of characters. Superb dialogues. Immersive storyline.