Ivan the Terrible

"Meaningful sacrifices"? Yoda just dies of old age. Han Solo gets frozen in carbonite....for a little while. At the end of the third movie, all the main good guys (Luke, Han, Leia, Chewbacca, and the droids) are all not only alive and kicking, but celebrating a completely one-sided victory while being watched approvingly by the smiling ghosts of the only dead major good guys in the movies. The only big sacrifices come from Kenobi and Vader, the first of whom lets himself be killed with the only major repercussions being, apparently, that he's blue and transparent while holding long conversations with people. The issue of Vader is thus the Big One, the real sticking point....and given the difference in roles for Vader and Revan, I simply don't think it compares unless you ignore the original films and get into the prequels, which I think KOTOR largely ignores in favor of what attracted so many people to the series in the first place. Thus, Bioware's choice not to go that route can be attributed to more than just 'ignorance' or 'cowardice'; it can be attributed also to a conscious desire to remake the feel of the first film, and causing the main character (who, if you're playing a solid Light Side character, is about as guilty of Revan's crimes as Dr. Jekyll is guilty of the actions of Mr. Hyde....perhaps even less so, since the present Revan isn't even responsible for his condition) to die gruesomely pursuing his redemption isn't exactly the sort of ending that fits the mood.

A good thought, but I never recall them lying about Malak turning against Revan at any other point. The rage I understand; the 'vengeance' doesn't add up. How do you 'avenge' the death of someone you happily murdered? Saying Malak is fueled by 'vengeance for his master's death' makes no more sense than saying Darth Vader is fueled by his lust for vengeance against the one who killed Obi-Wan Kenobi.

A stretch, considering he was just talking about Revan being killed and no other Master is mentioned for Malak. Not a big deal, but an eye-rolling moment.

Let's face it: even though it was a very entertaining game, KOTOR was also overflowing with plot holes and inconsistencies. Depending on the character asked, the Sith either retreated into their Empire and are now resurgent or these Sith are a whole new group formed by Revan and Malak. Ask Master Vandar about Malak and he'll tell you that 'Hate and vengeance for his master's death' are driving Malak down the Dark Side....when Malak was the one who tried to kill his master. The Sith are supposed to be hunting Bastila tirelessly, and yet you can wander freely about Taris with Bastila in your party holding a double-bladed lightsaber right past Sith troopers without them batting an eyelash. So this is the thread for those moments; the times when 'little things' cropped up which didn't all-out destroy the game, but certainly came across as annoying and poorly thought out. Which ones stick out most to you?

Nope. No Krath in KOTOR 2. I'm pretty sure MCA has mentioned it somewhere.

Juhani. Every time we talked I felt like breaking out the world's tiniest violin. How overdramatized can you get. And her sidequest was awful. She runs into the guy who helped destroy her homeworld, killed her father, and bought her as a slave. I was half-expecting to hear that he was manning one of the guns when the Sith pounded Taris into rubble, and that he stole candy from her crib as a child. It didn't help that he talked about the 'lesser, non-human species' when he was a freaking Twi'lek.

I haven't read the comics, but I was under the impression that the Mandalorians fought for Exar Kun. There's a Juhani dialogue that mentions it (something like the Cathar had fought the Mandalorians during the war with Exar Kun, and knew they could expect no mercy if they lost.) So, out of curiosity, who are the 'grunts' of Exar Kun's war to conquer the Republic in the comics?

True...but then the Sith do the same thing with the Jedi during the movie time period. I guess a galaxy in which all of one side or the other are actually completely destroyed doesn't provide much drama. In this case, though, I'm thinking more along the lines of the actual Empire; i.e. the soldiers, ships, and planets which fuel a war effort. If the Sith had still held any planets after Exar Kun was killed, I don't think the Republic would have just stopped and let bygones be bygones.

I wouldn't try to read too much into what Canderous says. In regards to the Sith coming to the Mandalorians with an offer, I think he's referring to Exar Kun rather than the present. And as for the Sith Empire retreating into seclusion, I think that's one of the biggest errors in the game; there was no Sith Empire between the fall of Exar Kun and the rise of Revan and Malak. The ancient Sith Empire was long dead, and Exar Kun's brief reign was brought to an end by the Republic, who I can't imagine would simply stop and let the Sith regroup.

By appearances, humans are the dominant species in the Star Wars galaxy. I mean, consider it; the Empire had a policy of racism against all non-humans, and yet still managed to rule the entire galaxy and man all of those fleets of Star Destroyers, Super Star Destroyers, Death Stars, yada yada yada, etc. etc. etc. Thus, it's only fair to assume that humans are such a prolific and powerful species that they can keep the rest of the races of the Galaxy subordinate without the whole fabric of society collapsing.

The Empire Strikes Back was easily the most effective of the original trilogy. It was also the darkest. I think there's a direct correlation.

True. But he was funny. It's just he was extremely one-note.

HK-47 saving anyone without Revan's explicit orders seems awfully out of character. Why would he root for or help an Organic Meatbag to defeat a droid of his same model?

Guess the sabers have it.

One of the most entertaining battles in KOTOR 1 for me was facing those Mandalorian raiders on Kashyysk without a weapon in my hand (they only appear when they face unarmed opponents) and then not even bothering to equip my lightsaber when they came into view. My character just used insanity, then Force Choked 'em all to death. Poetic Justice, baby.

On the one hand, I really want to see those lightsaber styles and the development of my skills as I advance in levels. Thus, I'm tempted to play Guardian. On the other hand, I really would like to have lots of skills and high mental attributes so I can see all the nifty little stuff sprinkled throughout the game by Obsidian for those with high stats/skills. I want to have a high Awareness AND Persuasion AND Repair, dangit! And on yet another hand, I really would like to see all the nifty Force powers added to the game, and having a Force-based character also makes it easier for me to justify dumping tons of points into Wisdom and Charisma while letting physical stats atrophy. Plus, the Consular has sentimental value for me given that it's what I virtually always play in KOTOR 1, and frankly, I would enjoy being an official Jedi Master by the end of the game. Sooo...ehhh....am I alone? Anyone else indecisiveness about what to pick?

That's what my gut tells me.

In a game with combat this easy, the fighting abilities of my companions are usually last on my list when deciding whether to place them in my party. Worrying about combat in KOTOR is like worrying about the College draft for a Nerf football team.

What does it matter? They all get killed soon enough anyway.

No hate here. I'm amongst those fervently waiting for any pitiful scrap of information he may deign to throw to us, and I'm certainly certainly not implying that Chris Avellone should stop posting these threads. I'm just noting that nothing draws attention like a Lead Designer-posted thread on a gaming board. He could talk about just about anything and get a sizeable response. On the subject of Zaalbar, he was second only to T3-M4 in being an undeveloped, uninteresting character in the first game. 'So, Zaalbar, have anything to say about yourself?' 'Nope.' 'Have anything to say about this planet?' 'Nope.' 'Could you help me with a problem?' 'Nope.' Even on Kashyyssk he felt like an empty shell. I mean, he spends the majority of the planet locked up in Chuundar's tent, and when it comes to the final confrontation you actually have to decide for him whether he'll support Freyyr or Chuundar. What a tool. Let's hope 'Big Z' is staying in retirement and we get a new wookie with something resembling personality.

I think whatever Chris Avellone decides to ramble about here is going to turn into a dozen-page thread. So if you've been looking for a forum to talk about that strategically-placed boil that's been worrying you, Mr. Avellone, you've found the right place.

The most deliciously evil act of such twistedness in the first game was getting Zaalbar to kill Mission. If Bioware, of all companies, can add that to their game, then I have few fears for similiar acts of extreme, twisted evil in a sequel designed by the successor company to Black Isle.

All that might mean is that the people who wield them will be rarer as well. Hopefully no more 'Sith and Jedi as expendable cannon fodder' stuff this around.