I didn't intend to play Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic this week. In general the recent upswing of momentum that has bought Star Wars to the fore of popular culture has soured me on the whole Star Wars Universe... Yet earlier this week I found myself reading a LTTP on Mass Effect and it made me want to revisit that fantastic Space Opera RPG series. unfortunately my PS3 is packed away in another state. So my attention turned to the only option I had availiable... KotOR for IPAD
Lions and Tigers and Revans Oh My
What initially struck me booting up the game again was how many options you have in the character creator. You can choose between 2 genders, 3 Classic RPG classes, then 3 remixed versions for force powers and finally 3 choices of Alignment (Jedi/Sith/Neutral) Which gives you a total of 54 different permientations on how to play.
I usually choose to play as a Light/neutral Female Revan. As it is by far the best experiance from a storytelling perspective. But I will touch on that later.
It Feels Just like Star Wars... but yet still Origional
One of the first things you immediately notice in KoTOR is how Bioware does an exceptional job with its world building. It understands that Star Wars is a universal story and that its OK to hit many of the same beats as the Origional series providing these characters experience them in a new way. KoTOR starts out with your Star Ship being boarded just like a New Hope and Ends With the destruction of a Star Forge that is half Death Star half Reaper from Mass Effect. Yet the journey feels authentically its own. Something built upon the strength of its individual characters something that truely shines through when you play as a Female Revan
What makes these characters so special?
ultimately this story about saving the universe isn't about saving the universe. It's a personal story about the lives of the most important people in the universe and everything is motivated on that personal level. You aren't Fighting Darth Malak to save the universe. You are fighting your lifelong friend who tried to kill you.
Why Female Revan is the best way to play
It humanises the Three most important characters, and adds value to most of the minor characters
Darth Malak is Revans Life long child hood friend, but always a step behind. it creates a romantic subtext to all of his interactions. He was the Nice Guy best friend who had to check his ego when he wasn't physically stronger then her, and ultimately this resentment boils over and Malak attempts to Kill Revan at the start of the game.
Bastilla Shan: the young woman who is your sexy Jedi fantasy as a male, now becomes your mirror image. She's you if you were 20 years younger and ultimately what happens to her is the catalyst for your redemption not whether you blow up the Star Forge or not. The first time I played the game I ended up killing Bastila after being unable to find the right conversation option to save her and the win felt like a loss. Thankfully this time I was able to Convince Bastila to join the switch sides and come home. It was incredible.
Carth Onasi: Carth isn't great. Actually he's pretty annoying. He's supposedly this great solider on a quest for revenge, but he tends to be the character thanklessly questioning your decisions. Normally I'd play as a character uninterested in romance, or try and unlock the Bastila romance dialogue tree. But thanks to a GAF post on gender inequality and a problem with guys empathising with female characters I decided to try and flirt with Carth. If the baggage of you being responsible or the death of his wife wasn't enough to tank the relationship. Carth being overbearing and needy definitely would. I can see why women were so happy to romance Garrus is Mass Effect 2. Carth is also surprisingly sexist. Something that I've never noticed before.
This is especially apparent when you are talking with Canderous who despite being a tough manly man, still manages to treat you with respect. I found myself enjoying the conversations with Canderous and Jolie more this playthrough then I ever had previously.
I didn't spend much time with Mission, Juhani or the two droids this game.
Zalbar is Wookie Thor/Simba which is fun for 5 minutes.
Something I'd never noticed before
KoTOR really seeks to deconstruct what it means to be good. It doesn't just assume that the Jedi are good and the Sith are evil. It's a game that's truely a product of the modern era where purely Good characters are finding themselves in positions opposite that of their respective authority figures. This is best exemplified by Jolie's ramblings on the nature of love and how a lack of passion led to sterility and not true good was really powerful and sort of snuck up on me.
Thanks for reading to the end. Anything else you want to say
The soundtrack is incredible. i will never not love listening to binary sunset
Thanks for reading.
Lions and Tigers and Revans Oh My
What initially struck me booting up the game again was how many options you have in the character creator. You can choose between 2 genders, 3 Classic RPG classes, then 3 remixed versions for force powers and finally 3 choices of Alignment (Jedi/Sith/Neutral) Which gives you a total of 54 different permientations on how to play.
I usually choose to play as a Light/neutral Female Revan. As it is by far the best experiance from a storytelling perspective. But I will touch on that later.
It Feels Just like Star Wars... but yet still Origional
One of the first things you immediately notice in KoTOR is how Bioware does an exceptional job with its world building. It understands that Star Wars is a universal story and that its OK to hit many of the same beats as the Origional series providing these characters experience them in a new way. KoTOR starts out with your Star Ship being boarded just like a New Hope and Ends With the destruction of a Star Forge that is half Death Star half Reaper from Mass Effect. Yet the journey feels authentically its own. Something built upon the strength of its individual characters something that truely shines through when you play as a Female Revan
What makes these characters so special?
ultimately this story about saving the universe isn't about saving the universe. It's a personal story about the lives of the most important people in the universe and everything is motivated on that personal level. You aren't Fighting Darth Malak to save the universe. You are fighting your lifelong friend who tried to kill you.
Why Female Revan is the best way to play
It humanises the Three most important characters, and adds value to most of the minor characters
Darth Malak is Revans Life long child hood friend, but always a step behind. it creates a romantic subtext to all of his interactions. He was the Nice Guy best friend who had to check his ego when he wasn't physically stronger then her, and ultimately this resentment boils over and Malak attempts to Kill Revan at the start of the game.
Bastilla Shan: the young woman who is your sexy Jedi fantasy as a male, now becomes your mirror image. She's you if you were 20 years younger and ultimately what happens to her is the catalyst for your redemption not whether you blow up the Star Forge or not. The first time I played the game I ended up killing Bastila after being unable to find the right conversation option to save her and the win felt like a loss. Thankfully this time I was able to Convince Bastila to join the switch sides and come home. It was incredible.
Carth Onasi: Carth isn't great. Actually he's pretty annoying. He's supposedly this great solider on a quest for revenge, but he tends to be the character thanklessly questioning your decisions. Normally I'd play as a character uninterested in romance, or try and unlock the Bastila romance dialogue tree. But thanks to a GAF post on gender inequality and a problem with guys empathising with female characters I decided to try and flirt with Carth. If the baggage of you being responsible or the death of his wife wasn't enough to tank the relationship. Carth being overbearing and needy definitely would. I can see why women were so happy to romance Garrus is Mass Effect 2. Carth is also surprisingly sexist. Something that I've never noticed before.
This is especially apparent when you are talking with Canderous who despite being a tough manly man, still manages to treat you with respect. I found myself enjoying the conversations with Canderous and Jolie more this playthrough then I ever had previously.
I didn't spend much time with Mission, Juhani or the two droids this game.
Zalbar is Wookie Thor/Simba which is fun for 5 minutes.
Something I'd never noticed before
KoTOR really seeks to deconstruct what it means to be good. It doesn't just assume that the Jedi are good and the Sith are evil. It's a game that's truely a product of the modern era where purely Good characters are finding themselves in positions opposite that of their respective authority figures. This is best exemplified by Jolie's ramblings on the nature of love and how a lack of passion led to sterility and not true good was really powerful and sort of snuck up on me.
Thanks for reading to the end. Anything else you want to say
The soundtrack is incredible. i will never not love listening to binary sunset
Thanks for reading.
