Name the last truly great Star Wars game? You’d have to cast your mind back a long, long time to a galaxy far far away when LucasArts were able to turn out quality games based on our favourite trilogy as easily as Becks can curl one into the top corner. So, is Knights of the Old Republic a return to form for Star Wars games? Damn right it is.

As you’d expect from an RPG the game first tasks you with fleshing out your characters stats, feats and mannerisms, which will be second nature to most gamers. Once you’ve chosen your character the game opens with you being awakened from your slumber by an anxious officer who informs you that the ship is under attack from the Sith who are searching for a female Jedi by the name of Bastila. Before you know it you’re winding your way through the ship trying to find the Jedi before the Sith do.

Although not immediately obvious with the initial plot strands being no more than a ‘save the girl’ kind of scenario Knights of the Old Republic soon turns into an adventure unlike any Star Wars game before it. Aside from being the first ever Star Wars RPG, the game also gives players a chance to play through an age in Star Wars mythology which has never really been covered before as the game is set some 4000 years before any of the films.

However, despite being set earlier than any film the main plot will be fairly recognisable to fans of the films. The baddie is as usual an evil Jedi hell-bent on world domination whilst you play a young rookie who may or may not have force power within him. In order to topple the dark Jedi’s idealistic dream you have to assemble a motley crew of fighters who all have their own strengths and weaknesses. You even get to fly around the universe in a ship, which is probably the fastest piece of junk in the world.

Despite it’s obvious parallels with the films this is in many ways a very good thing as it gives players the chance to realise that they are playing within the Star Wars universe even if it is in a time which none of us really knows much about. In many ways the characters, locations and plot twists that play out through the game make it not only one of the best Star Wars games but indeed one of the best stories told within the Star Wars universe since the original movie trilogy.

However, it’s as a game, and an RPG game at that, not a film on which Knights must be judged and initially it seems shallow and lacking in the depth we’ve become accustomed to from Bioware. The starting options for the characters are limited and there doesn’t appear to be much depth to the characters, which you create.

However, after a few hours playing time you soon begin to realise just how much there is to do even before you start training as a Jedi and make the inevitable decision as to whether to follow the light or dark path through life. Indeed, there are tons of optional quests available to you that run parallel with the main storyline as well as being literally hundreds of inventory items, which you can use, trade or sell.

Ultimately, it’s the characterisation in the game and the manner in which the story is told which sets the game apart from its competitors. Graphically, it’s fantastic. Enough said. The dialogue and voice acting is a league above every other game ever made ever and it’s this, which really draws you into the world. For example, initially you’ll find yourself wanting to push some of your colleagues of a cliff and into the hungry mouth of a Rancor until you take the time to talk to them and learn more about them. Not only do you then realise that your initial judgements were wrong but it also brings a degree of emotional impact to the game.

Thankfully, the action bits are just as much as fun as watching the cut-scenes and is now a fairly standard RPG procedure the combat is done in real-time whilst allowing you to pause the action whenever you see fit to issue new commands.

If you choose the right feats as you gain more experience you can use special skills such as Sniper and Rapid Fire to take out your enemies from a distance or you can make use of various swords and blades and take on the enemy with Melee skills. As well as all this you can activate shields, throw grenades and even use medipacs as and when you see fit. Obviously, the combat isn’t as cut and thrust as that found in Jedi Academy yet in many ways the fact that you can sit back and watch the combat play out makes it more satisfying when your tactics are pulled off successfully.

In terms of a gaming experience KOTOR is about as good as it gets. In fact it’s damn near impossible to fault. As has been already mentioned the presentation is perfect from the voice acting, through graphics, interface and even the familiar score.

Not only this but it’s an even better experience than its console counterparts due to the interface being mouse driven and a joy to use. If you really have to pick (and this is nit-picking in the extreme) then it would’ve been nice to be able to zoom in a little more and have more control over the camera but likewise it could be argued that this might just have complicated the game more. One slight word of warning though the game’s gorgeous graphics are going to need a pretty hefty machine if you’re going to want to get the best out of the game.

The only other slight downside is the lack of a multiplayer mode but in Bioware’s defence they have said right from the outset that they would be solely concentrating on the single player game and when the game’s as good as this that decision is wholly justified. Ultimately, Bioware have given us not only the best RPG experience there is, but also one of the gaming highlights of the last 5 years and definitely the best Star Wars game since the mid 90’s. Take note George, this is how you construct a Star Wars product.

95%

Nigh On Perfect

Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic Review

95%