KotOR II - Sith Lords is in the Bargain Bin

[apoppin]

FINAL EDIT

i know everyone is into Oblivion . . . and that's why i spent most of Fri night and yesterday finishing KotOR II: Sith Lords . . . so i could give Oblivion all my gaming attention.

ANYway . . . KotOR II is a worthy successor to the original . . . . unfortunately it is MORE ambitious [with party member 'influence' and even more of a story] with a plot that is never really "tied up" neatly. . . . it leaves a LOT of questions and unfiulfilled quests.

Definitely, D/L the fan-made "fixes" . . . i saw no problems with them and they "complete" the story a bit better.

Are there plans for a KotOR III? . . . if so, sign me up.
:thumbsup::thumbsup:

***********SPOILERS*************

i "knew" the old witch would be the Final Boss and i stopped levelling her up . . . that final battle was tough [i probably quick saved 30 times and kept healing and regenerating powers while running away].

What was the D/S ending like? . . . i couldn't figure "where" or if it was too late by the time i faced Her and decided to kill her or offer mercy.

GOTO and the little Droid were left hanging . . . {i guess the little guy won and blew the Shadow Generators? . . . What did the Generators DO, anyway?}

And i NEVER got into the CAVE at Korriban . . . although i was strongly LS-aligned and on a really hi level, it said i never had enough power.








==============================
EDIT:

Starts GREAT!
:thumbsup:

it's like 'watching' a good book [come to life] . . . not like a movie

ANYWAY,

Gameplay Fixes was posted by Bateluer . . .

Anybody actually TRY them? they are labeled as "interim"

do they mess anything up?

?
=====================================

Finally . . . at CC for $21.99 [red dot sale on other nice games . . . Dungeron Seige II was $14.99 . . . i 'passed' in favour of this one].

i am d/ling patch 1.0b . . . any hi-texture packs or anything else to add?

as i remember, ranged weapons were crap in KotOR I . . . are there any differences i should look for or strategy i should aim for? [3 Jedi Masters were UNbeatable in the Ending]

And can you do L/S and D/S the same way? kind of straddle 'the middle' until forced to choose [and thus get 2 endings].

Comments?

 

[flashbacck]

Only thing I remember, is thinking all the patches in the world wouldn't fix the number of bugs in that game

 

[Miklebud]

It's still a decent game. Not as good as the original, but I still enjoyed it.

 

[Nebor]

When it first came out it was too buggy to be playable. I was pissed. They released several patches. By the time they came out with one that made it playable, I was dissappointed. The game isn't as good as the first one.

If you can play it without much trouble, it's definitely worth playing. But probably only about half as good as the original.

 

[Dethfrumbelo]

Obsidian never actually got the chance to finish the game because Lucas Arts wanted the Xbox version out before Xmas. It starts out pretty well, slowly unfolding, then suddenly collapses into a rushed non-ending with lotsa loose ends. Darker characters and story than the first, more adult-oriented. For that price, it's still worth it however, if you liked the first. In truth, I actually liked the 1st third to half of Sith Lords better than the original, but after that it was a letdown seeing all the potential disappear.

 

[Bateluer]

LucasArts really screwed over Obsidian, like Dethfrumbelo said. You can see real talent in the game, and its fun in the beginning. Then it sort of falls apart with so many loose ends and plot holes it isn't funny. If you don't have the right party member in your active group at the right time, you miss vital parts of the storyline, which already has gapping holes. By the time I got the end of the game, I was pretty lost.

There are a few 3rd party projects that aim to restore much of the dialogue and quests that Obsidian never got a chance to fully integrate. See the link below.

http://www.team-gizka.org/index.html

 

[Fingolfin269]

I personally thought it was just as good as the first one. It gave up a bit as far as the story goes but it had some features that made it easier to play than the first one. BTW, I played it on Xbox so didn't really have any bug problems to contend with and water down my opinon.

 

[apoppin]

Originally posted by: Bateluer
LucasArts really screwed over Obsidian, like Dethfrumbelo said. You can see real talent in the game, and its fun in the beginning. Then it sort of falls apart with so many loose ends and plot holes it isn't funny. If you don't have the right party member in your active group at the right time, you miss vital parts of the storyline, which already has gapping holes. By the time I got the end of the game, I was pretty lost.

There are a few 3rd party projects that aim to restore much of the dialogue and quests that Obsidian never got a chance to fully integrate. See the link below.

http://www.team-gizka.org/index.html

thanks [and thanks for all the replies]

have you actually used these fan-made mods and patchs? Are they reliable? [i know the ones used for Thief/DE are awesome]

Any special strategy i might consider that is different from the first?

 

[apoppin]

Starts really good.

This time i have an x850xt [i used a 9800xt for KotOR] and can play at 10x9 with maximum AA/AF . . .
:thumbsup:

finally . . . anyone actually used these fan-made mods and patchs? Are they reliable?

 

[bunnyfubbles]

Just like the first one the melee weapons are better but they've changed some things around, the game really is more complex with what you can do, and they have made ranged weapons pretty useful.

KOTOR1 on Xbox definiately had crap ranged weapons, but the PC version with the Yavin space station add on introduced some pretty damn good ranged weapons.

 

[apoppin]

Originally posted by: bunnyfubbles
Just like the first one the melee weapons are better but they've changed some things around, the game really is more complex with what you can do, and they have made ranged weapons pretty useful.

KOTOR1 on Xbox definiately had crap ranged weapons, but the PC version with the Yavin space station add on introduced some pretty damn good ranged weapons.

What Yavan Station "add on"?
:Q

i pretty much eschewed Ranged weapons in KoTOR.

and how are the fan-based mods? reliable? add anything really useful without screwing up the game?

{i have found some fan based mods are horrible - others, like those for Thief and DE are top notch}

 

[StrangerGuy]

The plot sucked so hard that I didn't replayed it after the first playthrough, plus you become so overpowered in late game that it is not even funny.

 

[homercles337]

Originally posted by: Miklebud
It's still a decent game. Not as good as the original, but I still enjoyed it.

Yea, i agree. I never did finish KOTORII though. It just couldnt hold my attention...meh, what was i talking about?

 

[jjones]

Bleh, played it through one time and promptly uninstalled it. Original was better.

 

[DefRef]

I liked KOTOR2, but it did feel rushed and half-assed toward the end. Build up your Force Storm power and you'll kill rooms full of people in two zaps. Neat!

When they do a KOTOR3, they MUST give you your lightsaber right out of the gate, none of this "wander around for 15 hours across 3 planets getting pieces" crap.

 

[apoppin]

Anybody actually try the gameplay fixes?

. . . i don't want to mess anything up . . . nor do i want to try them late

 

[fierydemise]

I played through once, got really pissed and put it aside until the restoration project (above linked) finish their work, the planet hopping is far better then the first but the ending is rushed and you won't know what happened. The characters are good, influence is great as are the new force powers, dialogue and backstory are well done but I don't know how many times I had to replay sections because the game would crash, and alot of quests are glitched. The dialogue that wasn't included is really good and when its all done it'll be a very fun game but its not worth it now, too much of a letdown.

 

[apoppin]

Originally posted by: fierydemise
I played through once, got really pissed and put it aside until the restoration project (above linked) finish their work, the planet hopping is far better then the first but the ending is rushed and you won't know what happened. The characters are good, influence is great as are the new force powers, dialogue and backstory are well done but I don't know how many times I had to replay sections because the game would crash, and alot of quests are glitched. The dialogue that wasn't included is really good and when its all done it'll be a very fun game but its not worth it now, too much of a letdown.

did you play with the Official Patch? . . . i understand it was almost completely UNplayable before that?

From what i see, the interim "fixes" are pretty minor . . . but appear to add to the story and make some choices actually work.

i am actually playing the game - 6 or 7 hours into it - and just wondered if i should install them - or not.

 

[fierydemise]

Originally posted by: apoppin
did you play with the Official Patch? . . . i understand it was almost completely UNplayable before that?

From what i see, the interim "fixes" are pretty minor . . . but appear to add to the story and make some choices actually work.

i am actually playing the game - 6 or 7 hours into it - and just wondered if i should install them - or not.

I played the game just a little after it came out so no I didn't see the officail patch, but I doubt they added story choices because I know they issued a statement saying they wouldn't be restoring the cut content. I wouldn't call it unplayable but I had to play sections of Nar Shadda so many times, and I know I suffered crashes in other areas too but Nar Shadda was the worst offender, if you haven't played Nar Shadda yet install the patch or you will be ready to put your fist into your moniter when it crashes in a random stop for the umpteenth time

 

[apoppin]

Originally posted by: fierydemise

Originally posted by: apoppin
did you play with the Official Patch? . . . i understand it was almost completely UNplayable before that?

From what i see, the interim "fixes" are pretty minor . . . but appear to add to the story and make some choices actually work.

i am actually playing the game - 6 or 7 hours into it - and just wondered if i should install them - or not.

I played the game just a little after it came out so no I didn't see the officail patch, but I doubt they added story choices because I know they issued a statement saying they wouldn't be restoring the cut content. I wouldn't call it unplayable but I had to play sections of Nar Shadda so many times, and I know I suffered crashes in other areas too but Nar Shadda was the worst offender, if you haven't played Nar Shadda yet install the patch or you will be ready to put your fist into your moniter when it crashes in a random stop for the umpteenth time

UNpatched, KotOR II is UNplayable. . . . i understand it doesn't crash now . . . but misses some story line and choices.

i am just wondering if anyone has used the interim fan-made "fixes"

?

 

[shortylickens]

I am afraid I just dont understand all the problems you folks have.
While the story may have been lacking, I thought the game itself was far superior to its predecessor.

I just installed it on my new system a month ago and it ran great with NO patches at all.
(DFI nForce 4 DR-Expert
sckt 939 A64 3200
2x512MB OCZ PC3500EB
eVGA 7800 GT with the 81.98 forceware
WinXP SP2)

It also ran fine on my last system, with only the first patch.
(DFI nForce 3 250gb
sckt 754 A64 3400
1x512MB Mushkin PC2700
X800 Pro with Catalyst 5.11
WinXP SP1)

OK, I take it back. The story was totally lame compared to the first one.
But the improvements were excellent. A menu that scaled with the resolution, being able to make 4 of your members Jedi, Master Jedi classes for the main character, and super upgraded ranged weapons, breaking down of useless junk to make better junk. All these things make the old game feel unplayable.
Now if they could just make a KOTOR III with either the D3 or HL2 engine life would be sweet.

 

[apoppin]

Originally posted by: shortylickens
I am afraid I just dont understand all the problems you folks have.
While the story may have been lacking, I thought the game itself was far superior to its predecessor.

I just installed it on my new system a month ago and it ran great with NO patches at all.
(DFI nForce 4 DR-Expert
sckt 939 A64 3200
2x512MB OCZ PC3500EB
eVGA 7800 GT with the 81.98 forceware
WinXP SP2)

It also ran fine on my last system, with only the first patch.
(DFI nForce 3 250gb
sckt 754 A64 3400
1x512MB Mushkin PC2700
X800 Pro with Catalyst 5.11
WinXP SP1)

OK, I take it back. The story was totally lame compared to the first one.
But the improvements were excellent. A menu that scaled with the resolution, being able to make 4 of your members Jedi, Master Jedi classes for the main character, and super upgraded ranged weapons, breaking down of useless junk to make better junk. All these things make the old game feel unplayable.
Now if they could just make a KOTOR III with either the D3 or HL2 engine life would be sweet.

if they could just take their time with KotOR III - without having to rush it . . . the gfx are probably good enough. Of course, it looks pretty good at 8xAA/16xAF right now @ 11x8 using my x850xt. . . . a lot better than KotOR ran on my 9800xt with minimal AA/AF.

anyway, often the Driver Revisions take care of the bugs . . . it's the 'lost content' i am looking for.

anyway, i'll try the 'fixes' myself and report back.

since no one seems to know.

 

[apoppin]

Updated

i know everyone is into Oblivion . . . and that's why i spent most of Fri night and yesterday finishing KotOR II: Sith Lords . . . so i could give Oblivion all my gaming attention.

ANYway . . . KotOR II is a worthy successor to the original . . . . unfortunately it is MORE ambitious [with party member 'influence' and even more of a story] with a plot that is never really "tied up" neatly. . . . it leaves a LOT of questions and unfiulfilled quests.

As far as i could see, you didn't need the improvements - i rarely broke down items or upgraded seriously . . . and still won my battles easily . . . plus "influence" seemed to go nowhere in places that didn't "fit in" with the [rushed] plot.

Definitely, D/L the fan-made "fixes" . . . i saw no problems with them and they "complete" the story a bit better.

Are there plans for a KotOR III? . . . if so, sign me up.
:thumbsup::thumbsup:

i plan to REplay K-II, Sith Lords when the Fan Made "expansion" is finsihed and also Strongly D/S . . . probably about the time i finish Oblivion
:roll:

***********SPOILERS*************

i "knew" the old witch would be the Final Boss and i stopped levelling her up . . . that final battle was tough [i probably quick saved 30 times and kept healing and regenerating powers while running away].

What was the D/S ending like? . . . i couldn't figure "where" or if it was too late by the time i faced Her and decided to kill her or offer mercy.

GOTO and the little Droid were left hanging . . . {i guess the little guy won and blew the Shadow Generators? . . . What did the Generators DO, anyway?}

And i NEVER got into the CAVE at Korriban . . . although i was strongly LS-aligned and on a really hi level, it said i never had enough power.

 

[Dethfrumbelo]

DS ending shows Kreia being thrown into the abyss, and the main character remains at Malachor.

I think you'll like Gothic as well. Gothic 3 will be out this fall, and looks amazing. The Gothic series has a cohesive story and interesting characters, unlike TES, which tends to be generic by comparison. If you like a story-driven game, Gothic is the best in this regard of any recent RPG out there IMO. The only downside for some is that they find the control scheme to be awkward and the game a bit too difficult. The english voice-overs aren't the best (German developer primarily releasing to European market). Hopefully they'll do a better job with voices in #3.

 

[apoppin]

thank-you! . . . it;s gonna be a long time before i play again as DS . . . certainly after the fan made expansions are completed and probably after Oblivion.

KotOR gave me a 'taste' of RPGs . . . something a hardcore FPSer like me could stomach and then come to love . . . i doubt i could have the patience for Oblivion if i had not played KotOR first.

ANYway, i am totally in AWE of Oblivion . . . and if it took me 6 weeks of playing KotOR [very part time, after work and a few extra hours on the weekends] - it looks like more than 4 months for Oblivion!
[for 'single player expeience', RPGs are great entertainment value compared to FPSes]