kalimeeri

The Operative's last speech suggests that unknown members of Parliament could be PO'd enough to go after Serenity's crew for their actions on Miranda. Malcolm Reynolds is a wild card--resourceful and unpredictable. While he has no great ambition, he is not exactly a threat to their power; but they could easily perceive him that way. I would expect that a continuation of the story would head in that direction; and in that case, it's very likely that Book's past might be explored. Since Parliament is located on the core worlds, Inara, with her contacts, would be invaluable--and we might learn a bit more about her, too (such as why she left). She is also known to be traveling on Serenity; attacking or threatening her friends might bait a nice trap.

No, I agree with you about Atris. I doubt she was even a factor in Revan's decision. But Kreia makes specific mention of Bastila in the endgame, criticizing a little (about Revan's failure to even try convincing her to let it go, and 'she was always a strong-willed one'). And as we've seen, Bastila was poking around in T3's programming--I don't think it's beyond her to either do it herself or find someone who could. A large block of unaccessible or encrypted memory is hard to miss, especially if she was specifically looking for it so she could follow. Aside: It should be noted that HK was also a threat because of his ability to mimick other voices.

Leave it alone or change it, it makes no real difference as long as the mechanics are intuitive, non-intrusive, and flexible enough to accommodate different playing styles. Combat is useful for character leveling and for breaking up large chunks of exposition; and it is a part of the storyline, since this is a time of war. But it is not a substitute for content. Just please no 'arcade-type' sneaking/button-mashing/jumping/simon-says puzzles before you can progress in the game (as many recent 'adventure' games have done). No skill is involved in knee-jerk reaction or memorization, and unless they're skippable especially on replay, they detract from the game.

Agreed. But I don't think T3 actually 'knows' any longer; that part was selectively memory wiped, to prevent folks from doing what Atris did (downloading the information in his memory banks). If Revan went so far as dismantling HK-47, he would not have missed the possibility of the wrong person hacking in. The 'back door' was the locked navicomputer, which was probably a calculated risk. So Revan didn't want anyone to know where he'd gone--or rather, he didn't want 'just anyone' to know. He could easily have wiped T3's whole memory and programmed T3 just to return home, but he didn't. And T3 protests very strongly when Bao-Dur suggests a routine memory-wipe. Why? I think we're missing a piece of Revan's plan--a piece that Kreia just might fit into, although this isn't certain. T3 is waiting for certain conditions to be satisfied.

In places where multiple party members can get inf, I've had to kick everyone else out of the party except the desired NPC, sometimes even use that person as the spokesperson (Exile will kick in with the appropriate questions). Then it will finally trigger. Happened with getting inf with T3 at the Akkere trigger point in my last game.

I agree, as obligatory maze puzzles go, this one was pretty simple. Obsidian probably knows many RPG players don't appreciate mazes. But it is a use for Force Sight.

It is a 'logical' connection rather than one printed in black and white. One of the things that I appreciate about CA's writing is that he generally doesn't hit you over the head; but in this instance I think he put a bit too fine a point on it. After all, if there was nothing to be discovered about Kreia's identity, why so many dialogue lines devoted to it? To Arren Kae? It certainly wasn't for Handmaiden's sake. In the ending as we know it, it really makes no difference; it only rounds out character motivation. But then it isn't the end that counts, it's the journey.

On topic ... Nihilous was able to resurrect a wrecked ship from Malachor V and fly it. Exile's powers flow along the same lines, so it's possible that even if the EH was damaged, it could be 'flown' until repairs were made. Should be plenty enough power left in the exploding bits of the planet to tap into.

Actually, yes, in the tunnels of the Jekk Jekk Tarr it allows you to see through the doors to where the mines are placed (and to follow them in the right direction without stumbling around). It also lets you identify Atris' malfunction. Other than that I haven't experimented with it much.

I think Exile felt her injury because of his unique talent, and that Kreia knew of it and used it against him so that he was forced to take her along. Exile was able to bond easily with all sorts, and since Kreia had been his master, it was simple. But Exile wasn't aware of either fact. Kreia 'masked' herself to all who had known her (including Exile). She denies tampering with his mind, but he knew her as Jedi, after all; she wanted all of her past with regard to the Order hidden, and needed to start over with a blank slate. Kreia had seen everything she (never) wanted to see, and may have been physically ill. As a Jedi, she wanted to leave something lasting behind, something good. As a Sith, she wanted to die with honor, in battle, rather than just withering away. She is both--and she was so powerful few could touch her. Exile was the perfect solution. He was a successful student, her greatest accomplishment, and this was his final exam. I believe she tried previously with Sion and Nihilous, and failed. They became the enemy because of it, but they did an excellent job of mopping up the 'old' Jedi that Revan had missed. And then she had Exile mop them up. I disagree that Revan and Exile were polar opposites. Kreia taught Revan, and the fact that she respects him so much shows that he embraced her way of thinking. Revan also studied bonding in depth; maybe he wasn't as naturally gifted at it as Exile, but with study and practice, he could do it. That was apparently the key to whatever he went to fight. The Force aside, Kreia's motivation is to save the galaxy--and Revan--and Exile is her only hope. I'd guess she 'sees' more about Revan's situation than she lets on. As for whether we will see her in the last installment, I doubt it, because of the theme of 'sacrifice'. (A Jedi's life is sacrifice; Revan sacrificed himself to unify the Sith; etc.) Regardless, she was an important and influential figure in the resurrection of a new Jedi order.

Wrong. Insults and arrogance are her coping mechanisms ... but the lady doth protest too much. She's using every trick she can think of to rationalize away her feelings. She would so go for that, HM and Visas be d**ned, except she's afraid of getting too close--to anyone, but particularly to Exile. She fears giving up control, which is a real possibility because of the 'force' of his personality.

I'm one of the few who actually didn't mind Peragus, I guess. It gives a good working knowledge of the game, some XP, a couple of puzzles to work out ... and it doesn't feel like it dragged on too long. I remember when I played K1 for the first time I began to think Taris was all there was to the game--such a relief to find out it wasn't, and I still enjoy watching it get blown up. The people and politics have no redeeming qualities, and I only got to swoop-race once. (Knowing that cat-woman was from Taris makes me dislike her even more!) Taris seems comparable in complexity and length to Nar Shaddaa; I just think that placing such a heavyweight at the beginning of the game bogs the K1 story down a bit. The plot doesn't even get rolling until Ebon Hawk takes off. Same goes for Peragus, but it's a small space station--you never lose sight of the goal, which in both cases is to get off the rotten rock. But sadly, there's no way to skip Taris.

You have to be really careful if Nar Shaddaa is your first planet, or you haven't talked to Handmaiden much before Visas shows up. Happened to me in my last play-through; my Exile was pretty wimpy Consular and got his butt beat trying to spar with HM, so I decided to gain a few levels before trying it again. Went to Nar Shaddaa, ran into Visas ... and talked to her. That one conversation put Visas ahead of HM in influence; HM got all grouchy, went into a hen party huddle with Kreia, and never would talk to me after that. For the rest of the game. No Jedi, not ever. I don't think much of (holier-than-thou) HM in general, take her along only when it's strictly necessary to gain influence, but she was really annoying after that. But I must say she did a great job of dusting/tidying up Ebon Hawk while the rest of us were out saving the galaxy.

Worth it. Considering that you're going to spend $xxx on any 2 gb, and that flaky memory can really mess you up, name brands really do make a difference. I'm partial to Corsair--the company has awesome tech support and a lifetime warranty that they stand solidly behind. No matter how old the RAM is. XMS is some serious stuff and very fast, built for overclocking. But at stock settings, there isn't a perceptible difference with Corsair's ValueSelect (which is a bit less expensive, can be pushed a little, and still has the warranty.) If money is an issue and you don't plan on high-end overclocking, you can't go wrong with that. In general, just do buy any ram packaged in pairs for dual-channel, and if you have a board that has 4 DIMM slots, don't plan on populating them all. Even though the capability is there, some chipsets don't like it.

Only one comment--because I agree that lines have been drawn, and people have chosen their sides with equal justification. Myself included :D . I don't believe that Disciple's 'forgetfulness' necessarily means masking who Revan's next master was. I don't think that's important. It's the time period that is. He 'conveniently' forgot details of what happened to Kae; all he can remember is what everyone else does--that she went to war and 'died'. I don't think there's any doubt that there was some kind of intervention. Disciple is an historian and a detail person, and even he implies that it's unusual that he doesn't remember. I think he (formerly) knew something that would have put this argument to rest forever, sort of like T3 regarding Revan's whereabouts. So it's all Disciple's fault for having a weak mind. HA!

You've got some talent, Baley. Proud o' ya. Keep writing.

Hmmm. Radeon. Try adding: Disable Vertex Buffer Objects=1 to the 'Graphics Options' section in your SWKotor2.ini file. Worked a charm for both games on my 9600XT.

Sony's pricetag is a big deterrent, IMO. I think it will be a slow-starter. Yeah, there are lots of folks who will buy it for their kids (or themselves) because it's the latest and greatest. But I don't think that's enough to gain back what they've sunk into it, and to counter the lead that XBox has because it's already on the shelves. If they're not careful, Bluetooth could even become the next Betamax. Unless they come up with a 'huge' new game, folks like me are likely to stick with their trusty PS2 for a while, maybe even pick up a reconditioned XBox to play a couple of those games. If I were Sony, to get a running start I'd be looking to port over a classic like FFVII (with updated graphics) with an already-established fanbase.

Going to Korriban and suddenly finding my PC standing all alone on top of the clouds (or in the twilight zone) ... saying 'hello?' in a very small voice. Getting really really stuck in the wall around the back of the platform on Telos without having saved after the battle. Not being able to kill that annoying little girl (Sasha?) being held captive by Visquis. Come on, that too would have been a lightside action because I'd be saving some poor slaver from a fate worse than death. But probably the most aggravating is realizing that your quest won't ever complete because you didn't do steps a,b,c, and d in exactly that order ... when you've already saved over your previous save. A couple examples are the mercenary quest and the entire Nar Shaddaa area..

I don't pre-order any more--first because while Amazon offers good deals on pre-order, several times I've ended up getting the game after most other folks have nearly finished it; and second, because most games these days disappoint. It almost forces you to read the reviews, just to be sure what you're getting into. When it comes to mindless button-mashing sequences, that's where we part ways. I'm almost willing to take a shorter game that is replayable from a story aspect, instead of one where I'm too frustrated to finish at all.

The Final Fantasy VII stuff is in fact very direct sequel-ish. Before Crisis and Crisis Core are set prior to the happenings in FFVII, using some of the same characters and showing the events that led up to the original game. Advent Children is set two years after the game, Dirge of Cerberus three; but both continue the FFVII story. Cerberus is a third-person shooter and is scheduled for release in the US in August. Graphics and modeling are on a par with the Advent Children generation. There's something to be said for continuing a tradition that works. I think that people who play the FF games do so because they like the common elements, similar to people who look to Bioware for certain common traits. And it's easy to see why Square is so loyal to the FF trademark--it saved their company.

Sadness. I've gotten leery of buying new titles; don't play MMORPG, and dislike button-mashing action sequences (in an adventure game? Come on!). Until NWN2 comes out, I'm just watching and not buying. I'm hoping developers get off that kick--stop trying to be so 'innovative' or copycat someone's weird idea that just happened to sell. But if not ... I have a ton of great games that deserve a replay. And for their sake alone I'm even more reluctant to upgrade hardware.

I don't care which media the game is on. Sure, I'll cuss a little bit when I have to restore back to a save that requires the previous CD, but 5 minutes later I've forgotten all about it. 'Most' publishers minimized disc-swapping in multi-CD sets--although I do seem to remember one that was divided into 'areas' of the continent. And yes, that was a major pain. But it didn't keep me from playing.

I just played through GF on my WinXP machine (2400+) and didn't notice a problem with that particular puzzle. A couple places I had to use a gamepad to navigate, though.

Think 'Freelancer' and watch a couple more eps. It is very good. I particularly like the action/consequence aspect of Whedon's writing, but that only develops over time, as do the characters. I don't care for cowboys, but I do buy into the common-folk side of space settlement. Phasers cost money; and not everyone is a starship commander.