I liked Kotor2 better than the first game in terms of the improvements they made to it. THe forms, conversational influence according to ur characters's abilities and force powers. What I loved/hated was the combat animations.
Now, if u guys just hit pause everytime ur character makes a swing, u'd realise that they actually made quite an effort to make the combat look good. The animation looked good, in short. However, the reactions to ur character's swings are often not in sync, or in accordance to ur character's attack, vice versa, when the enemy attacks u, ur character often reacts using the most absurd blocks or moves that do not dodge the blow. *BUT the combat recognises as the blow being dodged or blocked*
2nd Gripe about the combat. Its too bloody static. Basically, what happens is, u see enemy, enemy sees u, u run towards each other, and stand in front of each other and swing away, occasionally twisting trying to dodge blows. Now, it really doesn't hurt to be more mobile, like occassionally doing a backflip while an enemy lunges, or stepping to the side and into a forward to score a critical hit to an enemy's back. And it doesnt hurt if they add in some special attacks for the different saber styles (like jedi academy), eg. The butterfly for the saberstaffers, or some spinng dual saber lunge. Obsidian can really research some kung fu films to get an idea on how ppl REALLY fight with weapons. These special stunts don't have to happen all the time, but at least give the players the option to FEEL really cool when fighting.
3rd Gripe. Whatever happened to using the force to fling a coke can at someone? Some interactive environments would really help. Like Force Push some object into the average next door sith assassin or Dark lord. Even have some really cool force battles so that the Jedi Masters or Sith Lords can look cool, instead of letting the guardian type characters steal whole the show.
Okay, I have to say this, but Kotor2's main plot was weak. And it was so because it literally gave away Kotor3. But the sub plots was pretty fun. Especially when u realise that even the big bad darth exile helped Onderon to overthrow the republic, he inadvertantly stabilised the planet and help it become stronger and untouched by war for a while. The force works in mysterious ways... even manipulating the darkest action, for good. Sounds a bit biblical eh?
Anyways, Perhaps it might NOT be a good idea to have Revan and Exile as player' characters but as NPC's instead. It would be cool to start out as padawan instead, going by the normal route. The new player character must then choose to be influenced by either a Neutral Revan, (i would think Revan was a bit swayed by the old man in Kotor1), or a Dark Exile. (Logically speaking, a Goody two shoe jedi exile would probably not have made his way to rendezvous with Revan, as being a finally enlightend patient jedi, he would seek to aid in reestablishing of the jedi council). And finally, because Powerful Jedi is pushing for neutrality, another powerful for dark, it would make being Light a personal choice for the player, allower the player to make radical decisions, that are "Light." Finally, being good can be cool... at last. Of course, allow the player to sway these 2 UberPowerfulJediMasters to the Light.
But i guess, Kotor 3 has to finally kill the gender issue. Simple, Make Revan male, and exile female. Of course, all of us players will be whining, "BUT I WAS A GIRL WHEN I FIRST PLAYED KOTOR!" The history of the plot isn't totally important, cos sure as hell, in kotor3, Revan or exile won't have any of the uberweapons and equiptment they got in the previous games, so why complain about the gender issue? Lets just enjoy the plot and carry on with the game.
Cut scenes and cinematics. It just doesnt cut it now.... I mean, 2 guys who don't see eye to eye, stand 20 ft apart, talk, then clashes, then backs off, talk and clashes again. Whatever happened to those obscenities and unpleasantries that can be uttered in a crucial saber lock? Or while the cut scene is showing some combat? Heck, u can even make these "action-animated" cutscenes conversational, like saying something that would Piss/please Darth Sion off in a saberlock, then it determines the
outcome of the cutscene. Is it impossible to do?
I believe Kotor3 has the potential to blur the line of adventure games, and really turn it into an adventure that would leave gamers talking for time to come. Just playing kotor and kotor2 has given and set for me so many standards that I would WANT in a game. And seriously speaking, it has set the bar for the games I purchase.
It has been a long post. But i've still got tons of ideas, and things that I hope to see in the next kotor. So thats all for now.
Oh... another thing... I WANNA SEE A WOOKIE JEDI!!
Jedi Knight, Zaphael
