Mindhive

KOTOR Preview

Ok, so I finally got to play Knights of the Old Republic, aka KOTOR, renowned by some as the best thing since sliced bread. So far, I don't actually have much to say about this game, though I feel that the design team did a pretty solid job with what they had. They were told to make a "Star Wars RPG", and they did it, by the book. As decent programmers always do, they did not reinvent the wheel; instead, they took the old Black Isle-style AD&D engine (as seen in Baldur's Gate -- complete with that "you must gather your party before venturing forth" annoyance) and translated some of the terms into Star Wars lingo (f.ex. "healing potion" becomes "medpack", "crossbow" becomes "blaster rifle", etc.). They then converted three standard classes in a similar fashion (Fighter/Ranger/Thief becomes Soldier/Pilot/Scoundrel), with an option to dual-class to a spellcaster type later on (there are three different Jedi subclasses).

After that, the team slapped some technologically impressive 3d graphics on top of the engine, threw together some user interface (it's hard to use, but they were probably strapped for time at that point), and generated some pre-set characters that you'd be able to add to your party during the course of the game. As an afterthought, they also added some KOTOR-unique features, such as the "Lightsaber" weapon type and some mini-games, which (apparently) didn't take that much time to write. After the game engine and the AD&D logic were thouroughly tested, the team took the standard D&D plot and sidequests -- big bad world-dominating villain, rival gangs, imprisoned allies, etc., etc. -- and put them together in the sequence of increasing difficulty. From then on, it was just a matter of the box art and the marketing campaign.

So, KOTOR is not a bad game. The engine conforms correctly to D&D standards, the graphics, while uninspired, are good-looking, and all the standard plots/sidequests/items are there. And you even get to see lightsaber duels at some point. So, if you're looking for a "more of the same, but with lightsabers" type of experience, KOTOR is for you. I, however, have better things to do with my time, such as play games which are actually creative in some minor way, however minute such creativity might be.