LucasArts Officially Announces KOTOR II 51
Ares Halcyon writes "Today LucasArts officially announced Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords, the next chapter for 2003's award-winning Xbox/PC RPG. Set in the unique timeframe of the Old Republic, 4,000 years before Star Wars Episode I, KOTOR II: The Sith Lords features an all-new more perilous storyline, new character, classes, locations and force powers. As previously covered on Slashdot Games, the title is published by LucasArts and developed by Obsidian Entertainment, Inc. and is planned to be released for the Xbox and PC in February 2005." There's also a first preview of the sequel over at GameSpot, noting gleefully: "The array of Jedi powers available to you will be broader--you'll now have more than 30 which will include force confusion and force sight."
Yeesh. (Score:5, Funny)
"Looking back, the game's impact is probably close to the gaming equivalent of the first time one of our prehistoric ancestors discovered the benefits of fire. While this may sound like hyperbole, KOTOR can be seen as an impressive achievement on two levels."
That doesn't sound like hyperbole--it *is* hyperbole, and a ridiculous one at that. Does GameSpot pay so little that it can't find someone who writes better than that?
Re:Yeesh. (Score:4, Interesting)
Re:Yeesh. (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:Yeesh. (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:Yeesh. (Score:2)
Re:Yeesh. (Score:2)
Re:Yeesh. (Score:2)
Besides, if you open the script resources, you'll see a striking similarity between the scripting done on KOTOR and nwnscript.
So much for your winzip fallacy. Now you can invoke the name of your religion's saviour again and make some pityfully inadequate jab, or you can look at the bloody gam
Re:Yeesh. (Score:2)
Re:Yeesh. (Score:1)
Since we are talkign FPSs, it's not unlike the relationship shared by Unreal Tounement 2003 and Raven Shield. Are they the same game? Heavens, no. Do they share the same family of game engines? Hell, yes.
Now please, before you reply, take a moment to
Re:Yeesh. (Score:2)
Good but repetetive (Score:5, Interesting)
Also, once again. Its a jedi (or potential jedi) who is torn between light and dark and can go either way. Good idea, but its becoming cliche.
Well in any case, I won't judge it till its near completion. I liked KOTOR, but I hope they improve your options for making choices. Also, I would like to see a higher capacity for a romantic relationship in the game (it was pretty lame in KOTOR). Finally, more choices in locations to visit/ more in depth areas to explore. I felt somewhat caged in KOTOR.
I don't want to have to say, "this isn't the game your looking for" *waves hand* to people.
Re:Good but repetetive (Score:5, Funny)
Becoming? It's been cliche since 1977.
Re:Good but repetetive (Score:4, Funny)
Re:Good but repetetive (Score:4, Interesting)
Most scripted romances, whether in books, games, or movies, are pretty lame. It's really a function of the storyline. Most real-life romances don't just magically appear, they form from tons of little stuff that goes on all the time. But in a 2-hour movie you just don't have time to show enough of them for the romance to make sense. The very best movies show enough of those little things to suggest that others are going on offscreen, which can sometimes be enough to suspend your disbelief. But really, the only way to do it is to devote big parts of the plot to the romance, and it's tough to do that in the context of the greater story (saving the world, usually).
Re:Good but repetetive (Score:1)
Re:Good but repetetive (Score:2)
It's my turn! I roll the dice... only got a 4, guess that means no orgasm. Your turn!
Re:Good but repetetive (Score:2)
Sure, it's cliche, but because of this, you actually get to play KOTOR, and presumably KOTOR II as an evil bastard, which is a refreshing option in games. Why play as the good guy all the time?
KOTR and Jedi Knight should lead a SWG redesign (Score:4, Interesting)
I don't know about you but I'm an old school FPS from Wolf-3d [google.com] onward and would like some skill to be involved in any gaming situation I involve myself in. If I wanted a game of chance I would go down to the Greyhound bus stop and pick up a transient hippy whore to sleep with. Star Wars Galaxies [amazon.com] is something I enjoy on a rare occasion when I'm not neck deep in schoolwork but it lacks satisfaction when I kill something as it has a RPG combat system. Now that the lightspeed expansion [amazon.com] is on preorder and it is rumored to have "real dogfighting" I wonder if there will be that sense of accomplishment I got from Tie Fighter when I destroyed an allied bomber squadron, sigh.
Dogfighting in Galaxies? Not the droid you're..... (Score:3, Funny)
The visceral thrills you're looking for are likeley to be found here [gamespot.com]
Is Star Wars is doomed to be the christian rock of video games, i.e. pale imitations of already successful genres?
Re:KOTR and Jedi Knight should lead a SWG redesign (Score:1)
A lesser power (Score:1, Funny)
There's also Force Kin. Not used too often, it reverses the effects of circumcision.
Re:A lesser power (Score:1)
Re:A lesser power (Score:1)
its so funny how they tout as a wonderful new feature what are effectively just D&D spells like daze or true sight. put a "force" in front of it and its cause for a litany of sequels, when in reality you've just got a multiclassed fighter / wizard with a couple more spells.
unless they prove to me otherwise that the engine has been made a whole lot better, they should be selling this game as an "expansion pack" and at an appropriately discounted rate.
Re:A lesser power (Score:2, Funny)
I love it when I hear people say things like that. "Oh, it's just the same old game from 10 years ago, with new spells, characters, plot, backstory, graphics, sounds, and gameplay. I've seen it all before."
Bioware (Score:5, Interesting)
Hopefully giving development to former members of Black Isle will change this. I definitely enjoyed the endings to the Fallout Series and Planetscape Torment.
Re:Bioware (Score:2)
Re:Bioware (Score:1)
Yes but... (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:Yes but... (Score:2)
Re:Yes but... (Score:2)
Then obviously YOU haven't gotten pushed off the right ledge!
Re:Oh Good (Score:1)
Innovation is good and all, but sometimes people just want an improved version of a game they already liked.
Re:Oh Good (Score:2)
Just like your post.
Fun is key, not newness. (Score:1)
But irregardless, if the game is fun, it is fun even if there is nothing new.
I will never be buying a lucasarts game again. (Score:5, Insightful)
Frankly, after they cancelled sam and max 2, and fired their most brilliant set of (non-starwars) creative staff, I see no reason to buy a lucasarts game ever again. There was a very high artistic merit in the earlier lucasarts adventure games. I feel like this is lost in the constant re-hashing of starwars titles.
These days, the entire star wars universe seem to only be about milking the consumer.
Hell, they wont even sell me the stuff they own that I _want_ to buy! (read: friggin SE-only original trilogy starwars dvds) Im going to be forced to buy a bootleg, thanks to them.
Re:I will never be buying a lucasarts game again. (Score:1)
Um that would be "Frickin' Bioware" (Score:1)
Re:Who the fuck is Obsidian ... (Score:4, Informative)
Obsidian's not Bioware, but was instead founded by some people from Black Isle. Black Isle is the studio recently cancelled by Interplay. BI produced the greatest CRPG of all time - Planescape: Torment.
Hope that helps :)
RaviGreat (Score:3, Insightful)
Seriously, this really sucks. They cancel a great game [slashdot.org], lay off a load of people [slashdot.org]. But not to worry, there's always room for more Star Wars.
Re:Great (Score:2)
Re:Great (Score:1)
Wasn't LucasArts doing Sam and Max all themselves?
There is a huge difference between creating a game and publishing it.
Re:Great (Score:1)
But still, it seems to be that they're more comfortable dealing with Star Wars-related stuff than creating innovation in the game marketplace.
I can't believe that they're listening to the critics who shout "adventure games are dead!", because people shouted that, then Grim Fandango was a big success, then, a couple of years later we heard it again, and Escape From Monkey Island was a big hit. It just doesn't seem to make sense.
Re:Great (Score:1)
I wish they would stick to their guns and finish what they start. Sam and Max would have been an awesome game. So would another installment of Monkey Island...those will never get old. If it wasn't for the horrible graphics of the original, I'd still play that once and a while.