A rough diamond in the rough .... thanks Lucas Arts

Great was the joy when it was announced in 2004, Lucas Arts was planning a successor to the excellent RPG Kotor. A downer but there was already then recorded. After Bioware wanted to concentrate on their former project "Jade Empire", which was until then relatively unknown studio Obsidian awarded KOTOR II. As such, they have really done a great job, but fell to the greed of the Publishers victim of it preference deliver a half-finished game, but still large abzukassieren in the US Christmas shopping season. For fans of the series KOTOR II is an ambivalent experience, but more on that later.

The last Jedi in search of itself
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That one in Kotor II no longer controls Revan, made sense. Too many players had their very own (anti-) heroes tinkered figure and even though Revan was defined in Star Wars Canon as well and male, it just would have been too difficult for obsidian, a complete and credible story from the compulsions to tinker. The player controls the 'Exile', the supposedly last Jedi in the galaxy who had served in the Mandalorian Wars with Revan as general and who was isolated for its failings by the Council of the Jedi from power. At the beginning of the game he drives unconscious aboard the Ebon Hawk and is brought on board a vessel Republican. When the Exile finally awakens on the mining colony Peragus in a bacta tank, he discovers that the colony is deserted. Obviously the droids ran amok and the player hits a very early stage on two of his back a total of 9 companions. An old, opaque Jedi named Kreia and Atton crooks are at when searching for his ship to one side.

The story in Kotor II is a strength of the game. Although it has a simple action, which would be typical for Star Wars, dispensed, the familiar feel of its predecessor creeps. The story suggests one immediately under the spell (despite the fact that the introduction planet is Peragus the weakest of the entire series). Again and again beat metaphysical and philosophical dialogues with Kreia, which turns out to be a real teacher to Beech. By the fate of the exiles eventually decide the fate of the galaxy and often the good way is indistinguishable from the way of the Sith readily. Players will experience a balancing act on both extremes and Obsidian succeeds, a complicated story to tell so captivating that the player himself in his companions never know if he can trust you and what motives drive them to accompany the Exile.

The companion - old friends and new faces
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At the basic system of the Party nothing has changed. Again, the player can take two of his companions, while the others remain on the Ebon Hawk. Kotor players are the two droids T3-M4 (which now may include thanks to the story and dialogues as a full member) and the sadistic assassination droid HK-47 sound familiar, being HK-47 much to the chagrin of the player only on the half is the play time available when you have collected all the parts for him. Even some variety is good, because depending on whether you play male, female, light or dark, a different companions will join. Servant of the Light can look forward to the bounty hunter Mira (Sith receive the psychopathic Wookie Hanharr), while men take a Echani warrior (women the disciples) in the group.

KOTOR II comes up with a new feature: the influence system. Finally, the actions also affect the reactions and actions of the companion. Yes even remain dialog options barred one, you should not have so far been collected by the player sufficient influence behavior and last but not least, the companion develop all in the direction of that claim, the player and influence. Light Jedi pull companions with much influence on the bright side of the Force, while a low impact drives the companion on the opposite direction. The impact system is very well done and is doing in terms of the mysterious story sense. The player is never clear who plays with open cards and the system makes it the players even impossible to detect anything from the game after 2 passes.

Despite the influence of the system figures usually remain behind those of Part I. Although the developers different and very successful interactions and dialogues have built between the fellows who run as cut-scenes on the Ebon Hawk and they contribute to the tension, it has Obsidian not managed to breathe the NPC's with life, although individual figures like the blind know very pleasing Sith Visas or Mandalore. Man has waived a personal side-quest and also the end of the characters is a disappointment, but more on that later ..

Hardly innovations, much tried and tested
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RPGs are a complicated matter, and its development is often costly and time consuming. Time is something that the developers apparently did not have, because except for the influence system, an improved inventory system and the fact that you can tinker from objects upgrades for weapons, armor, or laser swords now, which is decomposed at workbenches falls, a barely appreciable novelty on. But this is not necessarily bad, because the predecessor has done almost everything right. Again, the way the Sith is expressly permitted and then let the many quests to solve at least two ways. It is gratifying that in KOTOR II is not always so clear distinction between light and dark side and the game with some quest paths comes up, the solution is not obvious and truly so even discovered something new at the 3rd or 4th passage ,

To spice up the character classes something you have built so-called prestige classes that are not much more than the continuation of the basic classes of Kotor I basically. With a 75% alignment with the light or dark side and at level 15, you may opt for the ultimate in class, including: Jedi Masters, Sith Lord, the Jedi Weapon Master and Sith assassin. The planet architecture has great parallels with the first part, again two worlds are linearly determined (weak Minenkolonie Peragus and Telos, the homeworld of Carth Onasi) before the player in his search for the last Jedi in the urban smugglers' paradise Nar Shadaar , the Mandalorian camp goes on Dxun and to Onderon. And Dantooine and Korriban are again one of the party, which Korriban, perhaps the best Planet of Vorgaängers in the second part unfortunately mutated to a 30 minutes zero Quest Pass. Points can KOTOR II, however, with the villains. Darth Malak was already a worthy rival, waiting to play, as the title promises, with 3 Sith Lords on, including Darth Nihilus, a fearsome and gigantic figure that hardly seems human.

Technical Kotor II - An incomplete game
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A successor looks worse part, as the released 1.5 years ago predecessor, is also not often come across me. Since time was short, took over the Obsidian Aurora engine, which already came with its predecessor and NWN used by Bioware. The planet architecture is not quite as successful. Where Taris and Manaan yet translated visual exclamation mark in the predecessor, the graphics already in early 2005 tore the release no one from the stool. There have been added no new animations. So all in all rather disappointing. Acoustically the title is still a house number, even if the soundtrack is no longer sounds quite so overwhelming. The synchronization is still unbelievable for a PC game, and this is doubly important, because the game draws its appeal from the story, and thus from the dialogues and interactions, and in the story I want to dig deeper again:

Since Lucas Arts made pressure to get the game as a blockbuster even on the lucrative US Christmas market, Obsidian was forced to cut back just at the end of the content of the game. There is no solid, it even goes so far that the hitherto compelling story completely lose the ground below their feet. Nothing makes more sense and there remain only questions left. The last 5 hours of play acting clumsily cobbled together and all the good ideas and all the good approaches that had at hand the development team for the end, and that should be the figures nochmas culminate in a grand finale, fizzle out mercilessly.

But there is still hope: All the rasugeschnittene Content is currently gripped by 'Team Gizka' in a patch. Although the release date is not fixed yet, but they are already very far. That this is at all possible, they owe to the fact that even did not have time to take the cut content from the retail version. The patch is actually authorized by LA, that's the least they can do.

Conclusion:
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KOTOR II is about 35 by 40 hours of play a worthy successor of the perhaps best RPGs of the past 10 years, even if it seems sometimes more like an add-on. More Force powers, a captivating and mysterious story, new items and prestige classes, a great setting, an influence system and a wealth of quests are the strengths of the title. Even without the missing end of the game would have been inferior because of weaker companions and planet its predecessor. However, the last 5 hour game is a joke and had the game almost cost the fourth star. Would have been just because I geforstet himself a little after the cut content, I know that the end even succeeded. In no case is this Obsidian imputable, lying a remarkable debut. The content patch (also available for the German version) is Kotor II safe (at last) an RPG hit.