Kiiii's Arcade

The Batlord · 06-01-2015, 02:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LoathsomePete

I never played the Dark Forces games or the Jedi Outcast games, although I've heard the latter had really cool lightsaber combat.

You should totally go back and play Dark Forces 2. I don't know if it holds up by modern standards, but the live action cut scenes were awesomely cheesy (but still better than the new trilogy).

Key · 06-02-2015, 12:19 AM

Yes, i'm starting this whole thing off by talking about one of the best Star Wars games I have personally ever played. My first playthrough of this game was on the Xbox when it was released back in 2003, and i've recently played through it a few more times on the PC version, even though the PC version isn't as great of an experience as the Xbox version, mostly due to resolution issues. Anyway, what makes Knights of the Old Republic so great? Well, i'll go ahead and jot down a couple of things that really made this game the remarkable piece of art that it truly is.

First off, "RPG" grabs you by the neck and gets you excited right away, yes, I mean the term "RPG". When I first heard about this game, reviews told me that this would be a Star Wars themed role playing game, and I was automatically hooked. I mean, seriously. What could possibly be better than a Star Wars Role Playing Game, it really doesn't get much better than that. I remember back then when I first started playing this, I wasn't a huge fan of the "choose your own dialogue" setup that the game had, but over time I sort of grew to enjoy that type of play style more and more. It was unique at the time for me, and it was something I would just have to get used to. Along with that, the combat system was also something I would have to grow to enjoy more and more, and of course, I did. I found myself actually trying to creatively choose my attacks and figure out combinations that worked for my class, and that in itself was a lot of fun. A lot of learning was being done through my first play through because although I was sort of familiar with the role playing style of gaming, this one was certainly different than anything I had played before, but it was worth it.

The next thing I want to point out is how fantastic the soundtrack is in this game. I know I know, this is music related, but you can't expect me to talk about the best parts of this game and not mention at least some of the music, can you? You can? Well, i'll make it simple then. I want to talk about one song in particular that really stood out to me as being one of the best songs in the game. I believe I have talked about this one before, but it goes to the theme for the planet of Manaan:

The song captures pretty much everything you would need to know about this planet, with the water flowing and the waves crashing. You really get a feeling of calmness with this music, when your on the planet itself. Sort of lets you sit back and look out to the sky and just wonder what's beyond where you are. It lets you just take a moment to remember everything you've done throughout the game to get to the point that you are, whether you chose the dark side route or the light side route. I personally did a lot of reflection on this planet, and I did actually make some changes to my actions that I felt would fit my play style better during playthroughs. It's interesting how a simple calming song can do that, but it can.

Now, how could I talk about Knights of the Old Republic without talking about any of the characters? That's right, I can't. I'm going to talk about one in particular, because this one character always stood out to me as being one of the coolest designed characters in the game...

Yep, I chose Darth Malak. I think this has got to be one of the coolest looking villians I've ever seen in a video game, and that's mostly due to the fact that his mouth is basically covered permanently. I can't even imagine what it'd be like to have to live your life with your mouth permanently blocked off like that. Though, I suppose that's where ones anger can come from to get a better feel for the dark side, amiright? No? Ok, well I tried.

He's cool. He's certainly got the look of a sith lord that i'd imagine a sith lord character that i'd control would look like. I'd either go with that, or i'd do what Darth Revan does, and block off my face entirely, bringing on a mysterious look.

Knights of the Old Republic, in simple terms, is truly a remarkable game. It's not every day we get a game like this, and for it's time, it really set some new ground rules for games to come after it. I don't know exactly where i'd put this game on my list of favorites, but i'll tell you that it comes close to number 1 if I were to make a list for experiences i've had with games. Even though it's been a long time since my first play through, I still remember it like it was yesterday. I remember clear as day trying to figure out the right dialogue that would fit my play style whether I was going for the dark side or light side, and I can remember how I felt when I failed to choose the right choice. It wasn't easy back then. If you haven't played this game and you've been wondering if it's worth it? Play it. It's worth your time. You'll get so wrapped into the story and character development that you just won't know what to do with yourself.

The Batlord · 06-02-2015, 01:26 AM

My favorite part of that game was choosing to annoy Bastilla. There need to be more games where you can choose to be a dick your NPC friends.

Key · 06-02-2015, 09:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by The Batlord

My favorite part of that game was choosing to annoy Bastilla. There need to be more games where you can choose to be a dick your NPC friends.

That was probably the most fun when doing a dark side path, is trying to piss off your allies as much as possible. Of course, in the second game, that became a much bigger deal in terms of your relationship with your allies.

The Batlord · 06-02-2015, 09:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ki

That was probably the most fun when doing a dark side path, is trying to piss off your allies as much as possible. Of course, in the second game, that became a much bigger deal in terms of your relationship with your allies.

I'm not even talking about being evil. At least with Bastilla, I seem to remember there being three basic response types: Light side, Dark side, and Light side but irritating. I'm a third option kinda guy.

The Batlord · 06-02-2015, 11:39 AM

Oh, and are you aware of the Knights of the Old Republic comics? They came around back in '93, and were probably the first time the pre-original trilogy Star Wars universe was ever explored. It's supposed to take place thirty years before the first KOTOR game (4000 years before A New Hope), and a lot of the stuff from the comics gets name dropped in the game. Like the whole Sith War that happened before Revan's time? That's what that was about.

I think I'm gonna do a bit on that in my comic journal.

Key · 06-12-2015, 01:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by The Batlord

Oh, and are you aware of the Knights of the Old Republic comics? They came around back in '93, and were probably the first time the pre-original trilogy Star Wars universe was ever explored. It's supposed to take place thirty years before the first KOTOR game (4000 years before A New Hope), and a lot of the stuff from the comics gets name dropped in the game. Like the whole Sith War that happened before Revan's time? That's what that was about.

I think I'm gonna do a bit on that in my comic journal.

Didn't mean to ignore this question. I just saw it. But yeah. I'm familiar with the comics existence but I've never been a comic book kind of guy. That's cool to know though I may want to try to find them though as your description of them has piqued my interest.

The Batlord · 06-12-2015, 12:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ki

Didn't mean to ignore this question. I just saw it. But yeah. I'm familiar with the comics existence but I've never been a comic book kind of guy. That's cool to know though I may want to try to find them though as your description of them has piqued my interest.

I also meant to mention that I was actually talking about the Tales of the Jedi series (Knights of the Old Republic was just the name of the first story arc.) There is a newer Knights of the Old Republic series though.

Key · 06-13-2015, 12:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by The Batlord

I also meant to mention that I was actually talking about the Tales of the Jedi series (Knights of the Old Republic was just the name of the first story arc.) There is a newer Knights of the Old Republic series though.

Both of those sound pretty awesome.

Key · 06-02-2015, 09:23 PM

Throughout the Star Wars video game franchise, there have been a few times that I was just caught by surprise at how good they have portrayed force powers in game form. Some of them are better than others, but I have always found it cool how developers have found a way to incorporate such a cool concept as the force through video games. Here's some of my personal favorites:

Force Lightning (Force Unleashed)

Don't get me wrong, I think both KOTOR games did a great job at portraying what Force Lightning is, but I feel like I had a lot more fun with that particular force power in the Force Unleashed series. I know there's a popular opinion that the Force Unleashed games aren't that great, but I got a lot of enjoyment out of them, and yes, that includes the second game. The force powers portrayed in that game is a big reason for my enjoyment. I just love the power you felt when you pushed an enemy away with force push, jumped up into the air, and force lightning'd the crap out of your enemy, as portrayed in the picture above.

Force Crush (Kotor 2)

I always felt it was very well done in the way it was portrayed in this game, because it made you feel like you had the upper hand, and being on the dark side of the force, you'd definitely expect to have the upper hand in cases such as the one portrayed above. Here's a preview if you're interested:

Spoiler for video for force crush:

^As the title suggests, yes, Force Crush can definitely be ridiculously OP.

Certainly one of the coolest force powers you learn as a sith lord, i'm sure.

Throw Lightsaber (Batllefront 2)

This particular force power has been portrayed through a number of Star Wars games, but the one I loved the most was how it was portrayed in Battlefront 2. I remember fond moments of finally being able to play as a jedi or sith, and reeking havoc on the enemy whether it be through lightsaber throws or force powers. I just loved running towards an enemy, throwing my lightsaber at them to get the final blow, and seeing it woosh back into my hands for me to do it again on the next unfortunate being that stood in front of me. Loads of fun was had playing as the jedi and sith in these games. I'm excited to see what the next installment of the Battlefront series will do with that.

That's it for now....

...don't worry, there'll be a part II.

06-02-2015, 12:19 AM	#2 (permalink)
Key . Join Date: Dec 2010 Posts: 13,153	Yes, i'm starting this whole thing off by talking about one of the best Star Wars games I have personally ever played. My first playthrough of this game was on the Xbox when it was released back in 2003, and i've recently played through it a few more times on the PC version, even though the PC version isn't as great of an experience as the Xbox version, mostly due to resolution issues. Anyway, what makes Knights of the Old Republic so great? Well, i'll go ahead and jot down a couple of things that really made this game the remarkable piece of art that it truly is. First off, "RPG" grabs you by the neck and gets you excited right away, yes, I mean the term "RPG". When I first heard about this game, reviews told me that this would be a Star Wars themed role playing game, and I was automatically hooked. I mean, seriously. What could possibly be better than a Star Wars Role Playing Game, it really doesn't get much better than that. I remember back then when I first started playing this, I wasn't a huge fan of the "choose your own dialogue" setup that the game had, but over time I sort of grew to enjoy that type of play style more and more. It was unique at the time for me, and it was something I would just have to get used to. Along with that, the combat system was also something I would have to grow to enjoy more and more, and of course, I did. I found myself actually trying to creatively choose my attacks and figure out combinations that worked for my class, and that in itself was a lot of fun. A lot of learning was being done through my first play through because although I was sort of familiar with the role playing style of gaming, this one was certainly different than anything I had played before, but it was worth it. The next thing I want to point out is how fantastic the soundtrack is in this game. I know I know, this is music related, but you can't expect me to talk about the best parts of this game and not mention at least some of the music, can you? You can? Well, i'll make it simple then. I want to talk about one song in particular that really stood out to me as being one of the best songs in the game. I believe I have talked about this one before, but it goes to the theme for the planet of Manaan: The song captures pretty much everything you would need to know about this planet, with the water flowing and the waves crashing. You really get a feeling of calmness with this music, when your on the planet itself. Sort of lets you sit back and look out to the sky and just wonder what's beyond where you are. It lets you just take a moment to remember everything you've done throughout the game to get to the point that you are, whether you chose the dark side route or the light side route. I personally did a lot of reflection on this planet, and I did actually make some changes to my actions that I felt would fit my play style better during playthroughs. It's interesting how a simple calming song can do that, but it can. Now, how could I talk about Knights of the Old Republic without talking about any of the characters? That's right, I can't. I'm going to talk about one in particular, because this one character always stood out to me as being one of the coolest designed characters in the game... Yep, I chose Darth Malak. I think this has got to be one of the coolest looking villians I've ever seen in a video game, and that's mostly due to the fact that his mouth is basically covered permanently. I can't even imagine what it'd be like to have to live your life with your mouth permanently blocked off like that. Though, I suppose that's where ones anger can come from to get a better feel for the dark side, amiright? No? Ok, well I tried. He's cool. He's certainly got the look of a sith lord that i'd imagine a sith lord character that i'd control would look like. I'd either go with that, or i'd do what Darth Revan does, and block off my face entirely, bringing on a mysterious look. Knights of the Old Republic, in simple terms, is truly a remarkable game. It's not every day we get a game like this, and for it's time, it really set some new ground rules for games to come after it. I don't know exactly where i'd put this game on my list of favorites, but i'll tell you that it comes close to number 1 if I were to make a list for experiences i've had with games. Even though it's been a long time since my first play through, I still remember it like it was yesterday. I remember clear as day trying to figure out the right dialogue that would fit my play style whether I was going for the dark side or light side, and I can remember how I felt when I failed to choose the right choice. It wasn't easy back then. If you haven't played this game and you've been wondering if it's worth it? Play it. It's worth your time. You'll get so wrapped into the story and character development that you just won't know what to do with yourself.

06-02-2015, 09:23 PM	#10 (permalink)
Key . Join Date: Dec 2010 Posts: 13,153	Throughout the Star Wars video game franchise, there have been a few times that I was just caught by surprise at how good they have portrayed force powers in game form. Some of them are better than others, but I have always found it cool how developers have found a way to incorporate such a cool concept as the force through video games. Here's some of my personal favorites: Force Lightning (Force Unleashed) Don't get me wrong, I think both KOTOR games did a great job at portraying what Force Lightning is, but I feel like I had a lot more fun with that particular force power in the Force Unleashed series. I know there's a popular opinion that the Force Unleashed games aren't that great, but I got a lot of enjoyment out of them, and yes, that includes the second game. The force powers portrayed in that game is a big reason for my enjoyment. I just love the power you felt when you pushed an enemy away with force push, jumped up into the air, and force lightning'd the crap out of your enemy, as portrayed in the picture above. Force Crush (Kotor 2) I always felt it was very well done in the way it was portrayed in this game, because it made you feel like you had the upper hand, and being on the dark side of the force, you'd definitely expect to have the upper hand in cases such as the one portrayed above. Here's a preview if you're interested: Spoiler for video for force crush: ^As the title suggests, yes, Force Crush can definitely be ridiculously OP. Certainly one of the coolest force powers you learn as a sith lord, i'm sure. Throw Lightsaber (Batllefront 2) This particular force power has been portrayed through a number of Star Wars games, but the one I loved the most was how it was portrayed in Battlefront 2. I remember fond moments of finally being able to play as a jedi or sith, and reeking havoc on the enemy whether it be through lightsaber throws or force powers. I just loved running towards an enemy, throwing my lightsaber at them to get the final blow, and seeing it woosh back into my hands for me to do it again on the next unfortunate being that stood in front of me. Loads of fun was had playing as the jedi and sith in these games. I'm excited to see what the next installment of the Battlefront series will do with that. That's it for now.... ...don't worry, there'll be a part II.