Sequel Suckage
Why lord?
Why dost thou take such heavenly goodnes as XBox 2003 Game of the Year winner ‘Knights of the Old Republic’ and follow it with games lie KOTOR2?
Generally game sequels tend to follow movie rules, if it isnt by the same director / team that did the first outing then you’re in for a bad show, or at least a tough ride.
The game uses the same engine so it still looks and feels much the same with the addition of a fews new player options (Lightsaber forms, Force channeling powers etc) but it suffers from something I never normally have to complain about, a total lack of coherent story.
All the way through KOTOR I felt as if I was a part in a bigger plot, a plot that was devloping around me, and then towards the end, a plot that I drove myself. This is how good storytelling is done, see Half Life and its sequel for other strong examples.
Sadly KOTOR2 just never got it right. The story was mildly interesting but there was never that sense of ‘the fate of the galaxy hangs on you’ possibly because everybody kept telling you that the fate of the galaxy did indeed depend on you.
The Jedi, Sith, third way divide was never properly explored and the characters (Particularly those force aligned) spouted so much nonsensical, vague philosophy that it actually got in the way of plot revelation. There were one or two really good moments, but nothing on the level of the first game.
I thing KOTOR2 is also a good example of how important sound and music is to a title. The one big thing missing from KOTOR2 were the grand sweeping instrumentals of the first game, and indeed the movie series. You get standard ‘in combat’ music but the recognisable Starwars themes, by now programmed into your subconcious, were never apparent.
Somehow the game failed to tie off loose ends, whilst creating more. I know there’s supposedly the possiblity of a third but please goodness, don’t let Obsidian make it.
My final gripe, and something thats been getting on my tits more and more recently (Lord of the Rings, Star Wars empire at war and now KOTOR 2) endings.
Why, when playing a cinematic game which includes cutscenes and dialogue, are there no decent endings? I dont want a fifteen minute finish (Although it would be nice) but in a game, tied to a movie franchise and with such massive plots, the crappy <30 second ending you get which makes no sense and finishes nothing is awful.
For games with great endings, see Marvel Ultimate Alliance, fantastic. It’s long, its detailed and it takes acount of every decision made telling you the consequences of your actions throughout, masterful.
Kotor, a game based on moral choices and do/don’t scenarios, does nothing of the sort, allowing you some dialogue options and then some crappy ending sequence, less than ten seconds long. After 60+ hours of playing, that’s bitterly dissappointing.
I’ll post a proper review at some point if I can be arsed.
January 4th, 2008 at 3:10 pm
Firstly my experience (although I’ll agree with you for this game) is that game squeals tend to buck the general film rule and are better than the previous one. Although anyone that had heard me rant about simcity will know thats not always the case.
With the case of Kotor 2 it seems to be rushed, in fact there is a lot of content, that is in the game and just not accessible, although a number of mods for the pc version will let you access it. So I figure for the most part we can put this one down to publishers rushing games out.
Also don’t forget you have to have actually played it for the 60hours or so it takes to complete to notice that it’s crappy. Bearing in mind most games are around 6 hours long things days and few players will play the longer ones beyond the 10-12 hours mark it’s unsurprising how many games suddendly drop in quality at this point.
January 4th, 2008 at 4:33 pm
I think we’re of the same mind on this one, I did notice lots of ‘dead ends’ parts of the level that you simply couldnt get to or objects that seemed never to be used etc.
Looking at it you’re right about the ‘rush job’ angle, but even the original KOTOR suffered from the ending problem, whatever your ultimate alignment.
I’m always annoyed when a game dev team creates a title as solidly good as KOTOR throughout, past the 12 hour mark as you mention, but then weaken the whole experience they’ve plugged thousands of man ours into with crappy game endings.
Still, have you played the new bioware 360 offering, Mass Effect? And when are you gracing 404 with your review of dwarf fortress?