Back in 2003 BioWare delighted the video game world by creating a Star Wars game that was actually *good*. Knights of the Old Republic bulls-eyed one of the largest target groups in history by achieving a fine equilibrium: It had an abundance of Star Wars lore to appease the most hardcore of fans, but it was set four thousand years before the evens of the revered movies, requiring virtually no knowledge of them to enjoy its breathtaking story. Also, it had its RPG running behind the scenes, there to be appreciated by the tabletop gamer, or ignored by the action/shooter one. Everyone could get in, but few would get out without completing the enthralling adventure set a long, longer, time ago.
***The Game***
Before getting to the traditional Star Wars® intro, players first create their avatar. Gender, Looks and Name are pretty standard, but more RPG elements are up for configuration and selecting your Character Class is one of them. Your health, skill and feat progression depend on whether you become a Scoundrel, Scout or Soldier and makes for a slightly different game depending on what you choose. Points are then allocated to the six Attributes that reflect your character's physical and mental setup. Besides affecting things like how accurate and hard you hit, they also add bonuses, or penalties, to the various Skills you select next. Those govern your performance in non-combat actions, like hacking and repairing, with a high Charisma, for example, aiding the Persuade skill. Lastly we have Feats, special abilities that allow for improved critical hit chances, better evasion chances, more Hit Points and much more.
Thankfully, while Role Players will be interested in all these adaptations of D&D rules for the Star Wars universe, a "Select Recommended" button is available for players who couldn't care less and just want to get to the action.
The game starts with Sith Lord Raven's defeat at the hands of lady Jedi Bastila. His apprentice, Darth Malak, chose that minute to usurp his master's place and take control of the larger hostile fleet the Old Republic has ever seen in his plans for galactic domination. The scales of war are slowly tipping towards the Dark Side's favour and Malak knows that eliminating Bastila and her invaluable Battle Meditation, a Force Power that raises the capabilities of scores of her allies, will terminate any chances the Republic has to effectively fight back. He attacks the starship transporting her, of which *you* also happen to be a passenger; a seemingly innocuous trooper that just might hold the fate of the entire galaxy in his, or her, hands.
The first "level" that takes place inside the doomed starship serves as a tutorial of shorts, walking you through the various actions of the game, like talking, opening doors, repairing androids, lock-picking, quest tracking and, of course, combat. Whenever an enemy is encountered, the game "pauses", giving you time to compose yourself and put a few actions in queue. Strategic planning like so is available anytime during combat, allowing you to give orders like using healing items, throwing grenades and performing feats in advance to any of your up-to-three active team members.
However, "pausing" can be abolished completely and have battles happening in real-time and a quite faster pace.
Controls are extremely solid and little effort is required to cycle through enemies and queue actions like a pro after a few combat rounds. It is worth noting that you don't *personally* aim or slash. In standard RPG fashion, you select an action and a target and it's up to your character to adjust correctly and attack strongly, depending on the hidden "dice rolls" he makes. They are logged for your perusal, yet no one would blame you if you just appreciated the on-screen action.
Before meeting your first team-mate, Carth, and barely escaping exploding demise, you witness why someone would bring a sword in a gun fight. A Jedi and a Sith duel in a jaw dropping scene, with the best part being that this is how *every* in-game sword fight is treated. With pistols involving blatant standing around and firing a shot every once in a while, sabers are infinitively cooler, with parrying, clashing, dodging and all the works making for truly impressive combat. The actions do get repetitive through the, admittedly large, course of the game, but single-handed, two-handed and dual-wielding combat moves are all different, adding quite a bit more flavour.
The escape pods take you to the nearby planet of Taris, where your good-natured, yet sceptic, companion tries to find out as much as possible about Bastila and your mysterious self. As in every planet, you'll encounter a plethora of enemies, some friendly faces and ample opportunity to do good or evil.
Most of the game's quests are open-ended, typically featuring two alternate outcomes. A righteous one, like driving away a bunch of bullies that were picking on a slob; and a sinister one, like killing all of them on the spot. Even conversation choices affect your place in the Force, altering your abilities, the way people treat you and, ultimately, whether you'll save the galaxy… or rule it! Knights of the Old Republic is one of the precious few games that feature so contrary endings upon successfully completing the game, effectively doubling the playtime for the intrigued player.
The road to the spectacular finish might also differ, thanks to the many side-quests that aren't integral to the main storyline and it's up to the player to decide if he is to deal with them at all. A good natured character might decide not to take any assassination missions and the less thorough gamer could unintentionally miss quite a few of the more hidden missions. Completing them at some point is greatly recommended however, as they all greatly spice up the game with lore, background and trademark BioWare humour.
Each of the 9 companions you'll amass during the game has its own "quest" of sorts. For some, a few conversations might do the trick, while others require a number of your skills to be put in good use before they uncover their very colourful stories. They are all very interesting and immerse you even further in the game's fantastic world.
Even avoiding all sidetracking, there is no shortage of newsworthy events. Before leaving Taris in a stolen ship originally used for smuggling, you'll crash a party, save a Wookie's life, buy a couple of droids, infiltrate high-secruty Headquarters and swoop-race to win a Jedi as a slave. Recognising the events were beyond the capabilities of an ordinary human, the freshly rescued Bastila guides your newly acquired Ebon Hawk to the Jedi Academy in Dantooine.
In a place reeking of Star Wars history, rigorous training and a couple of trials eventually fulfil a fan's dream, with the main character building his own lightsaber and becoming a Jedi. The Jedi Classes are treated much like the original Classes, with Sentinels excelling in the use of the Force, Guardians in combat and Sentinels lying in the balance between the two.
As a Jedi, the player is given access to Force Powers, magic-like abilities that look pretty awesome even if you are completely unfamiliar with them. Like Feats, you are given free choice in exactly what powers you acquire each time you level up, although bonuses and penalties are applied when using Powers from opposite sides of the Force. Light-side characters will find it more difficult to Force Choke enemies they encounter, while Dark-side players can Heal less frequently, for instance.
The whole planet is available for familiarization with your freshly awakened abilities, as feuding families, envious murderers and lonely housewives will look upon you for help. Most importantly, at the Jedi Counsel's request, you'll start retracing Raven and Malak's steps. Both were respected Jedi, but defected to the Dark Side as they delved deeper into the mysterious path you too will have to follow…
It's a path that will take you to 4 different planets, all filled with interesting puzzles, intriguing allies and worthy adversaries, as the storyline twists and shocks you every step of the way to the grand showdown. Each planet is gloriously diverse, even while following the same skeletal structure of quests and action. Given my organic meatbag status, any attempt to go into more detail is more likely to diminish the experience, so let it just be said that the rest of the adventure is equally stellar and sets an example of storytelling at its best.
There are three "Mini-Games" in Knights of the Old Republic. The first is a rather raw homage to the original Star Wars and the only part of the game in danger of not being enjoyable to non-fans. As you command the Ebon Hawk from planet to planet, fighter crafts might appear and you take control of the laser turret to eliminate them. It doesn't happen frequently, but one time is more than enough for nostalgia to kick-in and any more can be tiring, given its very simplistic nature.
Pazaak is a card-game resembling Black Jack; the twist being that you build your own deck, with cards that can add and/or *decrease* your total score, in the effort to get as closer to 20 as possible, without being "burned. Swoop-racing has you running at frantic speeds in short circuits, trying to beat other racers' times and features some nice side-quests to go along.
***The Successors***
"Knights of the Old Republic II: Sith Lords" was developed by friendly company Obsidian, in a game that eliminated the few flaws of the original, added a couple new elements, polished the graphics and was actually enjoyable even without playing the first. The sequel, however, couldn't have possibly been more innovating than the predecessor and it would be difficult to have as powerful a story. Indeed, the original remains as the definitive starting point, especially since playing it adds to the experience of the second instalment. Rumours abound that a third is currently in the works.
BioWare's own "successor" to the 2003 Game of the Year looks to be the upcoming Mass Effect. While it is set in a unique galaxy, free of Star Wars, the game will undoubtedly have an abundance of stars, as well as wars, and carry a lot of KotOR at heart.
***OVERALL***
Knights of the Old Republic is compatible with Xbox 360s, *but only after updating with Xbox Live*. If you do have the means to play it, it is a crime against humanity not to take it out from the discount bin it currently lays, as it is worth full price even without the picture-perfect visuals and fast loading times of contemporary titles. It pioneered many techniques extremely popular today and even though they were eventually surpassed, the game itself never was. Showcasing rare storytelling, greatly solidified by impeccable voice acting, music and sound effects, Knights of the Old Republic is a gaming milestone accessible to anyone.
Ye Olde KotOR 
