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Game 25: Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords
I don't know why, but I've been having a strong urge to play a Star Wars game these past few weeks (maybe it's because the BR for TFA is coming out shortly). For me, that usually leaves me with either the Jedi Knight games (I was born a bit late to be able to properly appreciate Dark Forces, so I've mostly limited myself to Outcast and Academy) or the KotORs. I played both of these when they were newly released over 10 years ago, and while I like to play the first one by Bioware fairly regularly, it's been a while since I've given TSL a go. I think this has a lot to do with the fact that I know the original a lot better, so it makes for a more laid-back, controlled run.
Maybe it's for that reason that I decided to skip KotOR 1 and go straight to 2. I've owned the steam version for some time now, and I've even played it for a bit, but quite often, I can't seem to make it past Telos. In fact, whether I play 1 or 2, I rarely actually finish my games. I like to do 'perfect runs' in my RPGs, and sooner or later, the odd bug always screws things up. It's true that I could just use a savegame editor, but the frustration is still real.
For that reason, I decided to just play this time, without worrying too much about what I'm doing or whether I might be missing a quest or two, or not use the best build / equipment. I think that was definitely for the best, as it left me to just play the game, and in the end, I don't even think I did all that badly. It also gave me a chance to check out the restored content (I wanted to see what content had been cut, but I honestly couldn't really point to what parts weren't included in the retail version of the game).
Obviously, I know my way around KotOR, so, a few gameplay changes aside, I could handle myself from the get go. Still, despite how similar the 2 games are in many ways, I think it's their differences that are really interesting. To me, KotOR always felt like a more traditional space epic. It tells a tale of war and conquest, with the potential for a redemption story (which feels right at home in the Star Wars universe). All in all, fairly straightforward. TSL, on the other hand, is a little more subtle and insidious in the way it tells its story. There's no clear enemy until quite late in the game, and even then you get a fair amount of bait and switch in the antagonist department (although I feel that Kreia's true identity would have had a bigger impact on me if she wasn't so annoying throughout the rest of the game).
The moment-to-moment stuff in TSL is also a lot more nuanced. Whereas KotOR has a fairly straightforward light-dark dichotomy, with clearly 'good' and 'evil' choices and outcomes, TSL makes you think more about what you want to do. In the first game, some of the dark side decisions are so outright nefarious that I have a hard time picking them even when doing a dark side playthrough, but the light side choices are usually not a big deal. In TSL, however, I often found myself deviating from the purist way to a more moderate, pragmatic approach. This is obviously a big part of the story progression and the ultimate failings of the Jedi teachings, as well as the core message that all your actions, good or bad, have unforeseen, and often unintended consequences.
This higher degree of subtlety is also reflected in the companions for each game. In KotOR, most party members have a simple profile that you can adapt to when approaching them. Just pick whatever dialogue choice you think they might like to game the system and all should work out. With the exception of Bastila, there's not a lot of room left for character development, and progression happens along the typical Bioware lines of introduction - acquaintance - follower quest - intimacy / friendship with a potential love triangle thrown into the mix. The approach in TSL is again more careful and hidden. You're not given quest that push you to explore a companion's past or help them out of a conundrum, but the things you say to them, how you act around them, and the decisions you make about them ultimately give you a lot more flexibility. I was deeply impressed when I found out that it's possible to train Atton and the Handmaiden in the ways of the force. I think it's great that you're given more diverse relationships than just romantic partner or bro / gal, and that your influence can colour the way that your companions act.
In a sense, when I'm thinking about KotOR and TSL, I can't help but feel that many modern RPGs have taken a lot of planning and preparation away from the player. I don't mind reading through tooltips to come up with ideal party compositions both outside and in combat (oddly enough, some of the environments in TSL feel a lot like puzzles you need to solve, especially sequences with split party - eg the Peragus II mining facility, or everything leading up to and including G0-T0's yacht on Nar Shaddaa). Similarly, having to explore or talk to NPCs in order to complete quest objectives is often greatly simplified nowadays.
I probably would have finished this afternoon, but I got stuck because of a glitch keeping me from leaving the Ebon Gawk on Dantooine, so I had to look around for a solution until I managed to warp myself out using the developer console. I ought to be more annoyed by this kind of thing, but I kinda expect this type of oddity when playing an open RPG, and solving weird issues on PC is almost as fun as playing the game, itself.
All things considered, I'm very glad to have picked this back up again. I chose to do a light run this time around. I'm pondering adding a dark run, but it's probably for the best if I leave myself a bit more space for now. Originally, I intended to do a male / light and female / dark split to grab all the achievements, but I now really want to see what happens with the Handmaiden if you have a dark side alignment.
