What Didn't Work
The gameplay for Knights of the Old Republic was functional but clunky. It just didn't fit the feel of Star Wars. For those unfamiliar with tabletop roleplaying games, KotOR used a stripped down version of the d20 Star Wars RPG which is a slightly modified version of Dungeons & Dragons 3rd edition. D&D 3rd Edition, and all its derivatives, (often referred to as the d20 system) have their roots in simulating medieval fantasy combat. It wasn’t built for blaster pistols. A system built for the video game artistic medium would have worked better. No tabletop RPG was ever meant to playout in real time, or semi-real-time, depending on the game’s settings.
KotOR’s d20 roots also mean that melee characters are more advantageous than characters using ranged weapons. I’m not just talking about light sabers here. Giving any non-Jedi a Vibro blade, and the feats to go along with it, make for a more effective combatant. It doesn't feel Star Wars-ey to see a mass sword fight between the player's party and a group of NPC’s. Ranged weapons aren't useless, there are one or two parts where some sort of ranged attack is needed, but they are the suboptimal choice, in the long run.
SIDE NOTE: West End Game's D6 based Star Wars RPG is widely considered the best Star Wars Tabletop RPG of all time.
KotOR’s d20 roots also mean that melee characters are more advantageous than characters using ranged weapons. I’m not just talking about light sabers here. Giving any non-Jedi a Vibro blade, and the feats to go along with it, make for a more effective combatant. It doesn't feel Star Wars-ey to see a mass sword fight between the player's party and a group of NPC’s. Ranged weapons aren't useless, there are one or two parts where some sort of ranged attack is needed, but they are the suboptimal choice, in the long run.
SIDE NOTE: West End Game's D6 based Star Wars RPG is widely considered the best Star Wars Tabletop RPG of all time.
Another issue arising from KotOR’s D&D/d20 roots is how it turns abstract ideas like hit points (vitality in KotOR) into literal applications. A good explanation of the abstract nature of HP in D&D is how 10 points of damage are applied to a character with 100 HP, one with 30 HP, and one with 5 HP. The 10 points of damage to the 100 HP character could represent a near miss, where they raise their shield at the last moment to deflect an arrow. For the 30 HP character, 10 points of damage is a serious wound (took an arrow to the knee), but they’ll live. For the 5 HP character, it’s an arrow through the heart and lungs or otherwise on death’s door. It’s not uncommon to see two characters standing in the open, about four meters apart, exchanging blaster fire, and literally hitting one another multiple times before one of them goes down.
Star Wars Trope Fatigue was already becoming a problem in 2003, and it showed here. A weakened Republic is on the verge of collapse (like it always is), the Sith have risen in power and seem unstoppable (again), and this time they have a super weapon against which there is no defense (another one? where do they keep getting these things?) It’s still a good story, but it relies heavily on these well-used plot go-to’s.
Star Wars Trope Fatigue was already becoming a problem in 2003, and it showed here. A weakened Republic is on the verge of collapse (like it always is), the Sith have risen in power and seem unstoppable (again), and this time they have a super weapon against which there is no defense (another one? where do they keep getting these things?) It’s still a good story, but it relies heavily on these well-used plot go-to’s.
If you haven't played Knights of the Old Republic, you really should. Clunky gameplay aside, the game is worth your time.
The only other problems are minor. The side quests inherent to video game RPG’s feel a little out of place against the backdrop of saving the galaxy, but they are still fun. There are also a few good or evil choices that are a little melodramatic but not distractingly so. Star Wars is at its core a story of good versus evil, with very little gray area. Even unaligned rogues like Han Solo and Boba Fett eventually went on one side or another.
If you haven't played Knights of the Old Republic, you really should. Clunky gameplay aside, the game is worth your time. For Star Wars fans, it has the best story of anything made since The Empire Strikes Back.
Verdict: Still Awesome, even after all these years.
Verdict: Still Awesome, even after all these years.
by Kell Myers | |