Seriously, if they give a good story this time that doesn't follow 8-bit JRPG structure and add some depth and challenge to the battle system it could definitely have the chance to stand up to the good Japanese rpgs this gen.
I'm excited to play KotOR2 even if it's only half the game KotOR was because KotOR was incredible.
But I have too many other games to play now. I plan to pick it up next year. I'm hoping it'll drop to $30 or even $20 by the time the PC version is released in March.
Seriously, if they give a good story this time that doesn't follow 8-bit JRPG structure and add some depth and challenge to the battle system it could definitely have the chance to stand up to the good Japanese rpgs this gen.
Such as a story that is not "You must go from the intro dungeon to the EARTH/WIND/FIRE/WATER temples and retreive the holy stone from each and then go the the final 2 dungeons and finish the game." I have no clue why a Western developer decided to use such a stale game structure for their big rpg and I'm really hoping KoTOR2 is a nice change from that.
Such as a story that is not "You must go from the intro dungeon to the EARTH/WIND/FIRE/WATER temples and retreive the holy stone from each and then go the the final 2 dungeons and finish the game." I have no clue why a Western developer decided to use such a stale game structure for their big rpg and I'm really hoping KoTOR2 is a nice change from that.
Ah, well for this year I'd say Shadow Hearts 2 and Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne. Both had very unpredictable story structures and interesting characters combined with really good battle systems which allowed customization and were reasonably deep (with SMT being the more strategic). I would throw Digital Devil Saga: Avatar Tuner in there but the story structure was more standard. Add Stelladeus if you're counting SRPGs.
While the excuse used to get the character to visit all the different planets was pretty cliche, the actual underlying plot, characters, and backstory were very well done in KOTOR for me.
This is being made by Black Isle studios (in their new form of Obsidian) the best RPG producers ever. Don't worry, this game is going to absolutely rule everything.
The funny thing was that KOTOR started out so incredibly slow that I almost put the controller down in disgust and returned the game. Then the game shifted to epic proportions of awesomeness, setup by the slow beginning that really makes you feel your character started out as a nobody and becomes one of the most badass Jedi ever.
I saw "the twist" coming from a good two planets away. The dead giveaway was
when the Star Map on Kashyyk identified my DNA, but said my "Light Side" behavior pattern didn't match the one on file. Therefore, I used to be Dark Side. Therefore, I used to be Revan.
I was already suspicious beforehand, though, just because
Revan wears a mask, which seemed like an obvious character design decision to disguise variations in player-created characters.
That said, it was a pretty good twist -- just hardly "out of nowhere." Of course, I guessed the twist in the Sixth Sense five minutes in the first time I saw it. Maybe I think too hard.
I also have to agree with Bebpo's analysis of the plot: the writing was fairly good, and the voice acting was excellent, but the core "collect all four star maps to advance!" had to be the Z-gradeiest plot structure this side of The Spirits Within. And don't get me started on how unbalanced the battle system was!
Obsidian/Black Isle has a habit of taking Bioware's engines and making much better games. I fully expect that KOTOR II will blow the first one away ... if people can manage to remove their Bioware-blinders. 2004 is also a much, much, much heavier year for AAA-grade competition than 2003, and the score may reflect that.
(Disclaimer: I really liked KOTOR and played through it both "paths"; that said, it's hardly the best RPG of 2003, let alone of all time.)
I saw "the twist" coming from a good two planets away. The dead giveaway was
when the Star Map on Kashyyk identified me, but said my "Light Side" behavior pattern didn't match the one on file. Therefore, I used to be Dark Side. Therefore, I used to be Revan.
I was already suspicious beforehand, though, just because
Revan wears a mask, which seemed like an obvious character design decision to disguise variations in player-created characters.
I also have to agree with Bebpo's analysis of the plot: the writing was fairly good, and the voice acting was excellent, but the core "collect all four star maps to advance!" had to be the Z-gradeiest plot structure this side of The Spirits Within.
And don't get me started on how unbalanced the battle system was!
Obsidian/Black Isle has a habit of taking Bioware's engines and making much better games. I fully expect that KOTOR II will blow the first one away ... if people can manage to remove their Bioware-blinders.
(Disclaimer: I really liked KOTOR and played through it both "paths"; that said, it's hardly the best RPG of 2003, let alone of all time.)
Twist or no twist, I don't think it's fair to hold KotOR's story against it. It's a Star Wars game through-and-through regardless of genre, and the story is very much Star Wars. Since Star Wars itself has never really been completely unpredictable nor non-standard and original, why would the best RPG based on it be? It simply offers a great experience for any Star Wars fan and I think those who feel the story needed "more" are pretty jaded.
No, but Planescape:Torment beats the everloving shit out of Baldur's Gate. BGII is quite good, but the first BG felt like my middle school buddy's D&D campaign: lots of ideas, sloppy execution, terrible writing. Ambitious, yes, but not any fun.
Also, Black Isle Studios made Fallout. Fallout > Baldur's Gate. I can prove this with a variety of charts and graphs.
No, but Planescape:Torment beats the everloving shit out of Baldur's Gate. BGII is quite good, but the first BG felt like my middle school buddy's D&D campaign: lots of ideas, sloppy execution, terrible writing. Ambitious, yes, but not any fun.
Also, Black Isle Studios made Fallout. Fallout > Baldur's Gate. I can prove this with a variety of charts and graphs.
I've seen gamespots video preview yesterday. This game is soooooo hot, halo2 doesn't stand a chance to become my GOTY 2004, no matter how good it turns out to be (just waiting for my UK LE ).
