MovieChat Forums > Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II - The Sith Lords (2004) Discussion > How did this get a 9?

How did this get a 9?

posted 15 years ago by Hotwyre6
3 replies | jump to latest

There are two factors which make this number appear to be a non-critical evaluation of the game.

1. Poorly coded. There are an outrageous number of major bugs in the game. How many players have been stuck absolutely unable to continue the game because they didn't get their rep on Nar Shadaa up before a certain cinematic appears (trying to insert a warning without a spoiler here)? At best, a person who has a fresh game save from the arrival point on Nar Shadaa or earlier could at least begin from there, but its a major bug that should have been more rigorously eliminated. This is just one example of many, many flaws in the game.

Perhaps "poorly coded" is a bit unfair of a description, but whether it comes from the staff failing to make sure it was tested as it should have been, or if the coders just made some bad errors (my guess is the former) no game rated at 9 should ever have this many issues.

2. Continuity. There are instances in the game of things moving in a certain direction, and then... nothing. No more is said on the subject. This is, of course, due to the fact that much of the content was cut from the game, and it is one of the more sloppy and obvious truncations from any game in the past five years. I know most of the files that were removed have been released and are available now, but a major patch to the game released years later doesn't make up for the confusion at release.

As an aside, I hated much of the game for other reasons (for instance, you have no real choice in anything. **Spoilers** One example: the endings for dark and light side are almost identical, so unlike its predecessor, nothing you decide to do affects the fate of the galaxy). However, in trying to rate the game honestly, I gave it a 5, because those are personal issues and shouldn't impact a critical overview. I do feel, however, that those errors in the game are prominent enough to reduce the game to a mediocre rating, and the good things about it (which admittedly, are numerous) should elevate it even if a player hated it.

Anyway, I'm just curious why some gave this game a high score. I won't flame anyone for stating their reasons, just asking.

Fear is the Mind Killer

[–] bbqplatypus_318 15 years ago

I gave the game a 9 because it is, at heart, a quintessential Black Isle/Obsidian game. It's not about the gameplay (or even necessarily the plotting) but the writing. The writing makes up for any shortcomings - if Obsidian had been allowed to finish the game, KotOR II would have been BETTER than KotOR I. As such, you have dangling, unfinished plot threads because the bean counters at LucasArts wanted a Christmas release.

I actually didn't encounter all THAT many bugs (only one, really - and I was able to fix it).

Further, the less pronounced difference in endings (which I would NOT call virtually identical - in one you destroy a planet and in the other you don't, which I would think is pretty significant) is justifiable. There isn't a huge war going on - only a quiet, private one. Galactic conquest isn't the goal - regardless of whether you are Sith or Jedi. The goal is to pick up the shattered pieces of the past and rebuild.

Any game with a character as well-written, well-executed, and well-characterized as Kreia can't receive a low grade from me. Frankly, the errors you listed were the only reason why I didn't give it a 10. I noticed these problems, but simply didn't care about them nearly as much as you did.

One of the things I DIDN'T like about it was the title. It smacked of something insisted upon by executives. The truth is, the game isn't really about "the Sith Lords." It's about one person examining his/her past, and pondering their true nature and all that kind of stuff. It's actually a lot like Planescape: Torment. It's about as far a departure from typical Star Wars fare as you can get and still have it feel like Star Wars.

[–] Hotwyre6 15 years ago

Wow I checked back after a month on a whim, and what do you know?

Anyway, thanks for your response. I suppose if someone prefers the plot to the actual game play I could see a higher rating. My personal feeling is that a 9 for that reason is a little skewed, but it's just personal.

I also forgot to mention that the game was obsolete at release. It was unable to function with a 512 MB graphics card unless you seriously tweaked down your drivers and ramped up the accelerations of the game. For me that's utterly unforgivable, but I see now that the technical aspect is often secondary for many gamers. I still am surprised at this getting a 9, but at least I understand some of the reasoning.

Fear is the Mind Killer

[–] bbqplatypus_318 15 years ago

Yeah, I tend not to focus much on the combat in RPGs, since it tends to be (from my perspective at least) the least interesting part of the game no matter how hard they try to make it exciting. What interests me in RPGs are the story and the opportunities for role-playing (the chance to feel that you are actually playing "in-character").