Draxle

Get a girlfriend would ya... Buddy, did you not read my above statement? The 'get a girlfriend' arguement is as cliched as one can get. Perhaps in your part of the world, video games are still the domain of the socially introverted, but in my region, normal folks can still gather together and enjoy them. And though I don't really need to defend myself from this rather pointless banter, I believe I did point out that my girlfriend enjoys playing KOTOR almost as much as I do. Of course, I'm sure you'll next comment will then be to insult the appearance of said girlfriend or some other childish comment, so let's just skip that, shall we? Now, I would pose a question to you: if romance options in a video game only for those 'overly-emotional teenagers who are so socially inept that they'll never have friends beyond a computer screen,' why is it that romantic literature (and literature of the Romantic era) is still considered the classic standard to which all of our modern day visual and literary entertainment is measured against. I believe it's ironic that a person can stand around trashing romance story-lines and the people who enjoy them, and yet never realize the fact that many of the movies and television shows that person may enjoy are, in fact, directly or indirectly affected by the Romance writers of the previous centuries. Just something to think about.

I was partially expressing a worry about some peoples fascination with pixellated people and partially poking fun at you. Romances adds a nice touch to games, but unless the game is about the romance, it should take backseat (no pun intended) in deference of the main story. If "romances" are to be done well (which I didn't think they were in Kotor1), they require a lot of resources (scripting, writing, testing, voice acting etc.) which has a detrimental effects on those parts of the game that gets sacrificed for it. Oh, and Oh, I certainly agree that it should not be the 'focus' of the game... if that were the case, we might as well call it The Sims: Star Wars Edition. However, it seems that the general consesus is to lessen up the romance storylines to focus on "let's be friends" character building, which is something I'm opposed to. And yes, I will admit... I'm a hopeless romantic, which is probably why I'm passionate about this sort of thing. *shrugs* EDIT: Well, maybe not 'hopeless.' Also, to adress your comment over the 'fascination of pixelated people.' I think those gamers are more inclined to play a game such as Ninja Gaiden (saw a picture of the game's heroine ) with its outlandishly proportioned characters. I believe that, for most of us KOTOR-romance fans, the enjoyment is akin to that of romantic literature. It's thought provoking and inspiring, as opposed to something less high minded and more coarse.

And what, may I ask, is your standard for measuring a game? How many cool things you can do and how much stuff you can blow up? The fact is, few games offer the level of character development that KOTOR does, hence the reason it's a game worthy playing more than once. KOTOR is one of many RPGs in the field. However, none of the others have received the accolades and prestige, which logically speaks for the game's quality. See the link for details http://www.bioware.com/games/knights_old_republic/awards/ Ironically enough, most of the fan fics are written by females. As such, your snide comment would have been more accurate if you had used "All the little Juliets" instead. It would be prudent to have some background knowledge in the matter before making assumptions, you know. Sorry, friend, but you're really going to have to do better than the obsolete "girlfriend" arguement. Quite frankly, it's not only blatantly stereotypical, it's also woefully outdated, as video games have slowly begun to enter the mainstream. I could stand here and waste my time explaining about how my girlfriend enjoys playing KOTOR with me, but it would be silly of me to have to prove myself against such a silly counter-arguement. I would also like to ask that, if only single people are interested in 'romance' stories, as you seem to claim, how does that factor in with the various works and contributions made during the Romantic era? Why would it be that Shakespeare is considered one of the foremost play-writes of his time if he was only writing for sappy, love-sick squires that were deprived of their true loves, etc etc? Soft porn, huh? Are we playing the same game here? Or perhaps a 'fade-to-black' kiss is considered to be pornographic these days? I don't believe that requesting deeper and more involving romances requires anything that would be sexually explicit. Ironically enough, it would be a terrible sin if they were taken in that direction. Also, please note that I didn't say NPC interaction should be left to romance options only... I was merely stating that romances should be pushed to the way-side, as many (myself included) still feel that they are an important, perhaps even crucial addition to the game's enjoyability.

With all due respect, I must say that I most forcefully disagree with this statement. Although the building of friendships and loyalties is important, and should be a factor in the NPC interaction, I believe that the romance aspect of KOTOR is, hands down, the single most influential aspect of the game's storyline. I know that, for me personally, it was the incredible effect the romance storyline had on me that made me want to keep playing KOTOR again and again and again. In all honesty, it was the romance that made KOTOR really worth playing. It injected a potent spice into a tried-and-true save the galaxy type of adventure. At the risk of sounding like a fanboy, I will come forward and say it: when my character was able to bring Bastila back from the dark side and have her actually say those magic words "I love you, too. With all my heart,".... well, that scene gave me shivers. It was powerful, powerful stuff, and it's what really made me sit back and go "WOW" after the final credits rolled across the scene. To remove or lessen the romances in KOTOR II would be to deprive the game of one of its most crucial and powerful elements. While the intent in doing such may be good, I think that, for many fans, the romances and their wonderful complexity are really what make KOTOR stand head and shoulders above the crowd. For proof of that statement, just look at all of the KOTOR fan fictions that have been made... virtually -all- of those center on the various aspects of the romances. I think that, if anything, instead of lessening romances in favor of more mundance "let's be friends" situations, I think KOTOR II should have -more- romances. Maybe even give us multiple romance options in the manner of Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn, and then have those characters fight it out for the main characters affection. That would be very interesting, methinks. So, to reiterate, I believe that removing or lessening KOTOR's wonderful romances would be very detrimental. If anything, the focus should be to expand, expand, expand!

I really think the romances need more focus, personally, not less.

No he didn't. He made about 10% and took credit for the rest... Opus, you do realize I was being sarcastic when I said that, right?

Correct me if I'm wrong... Isn't the Sith about not doing what the force dictates, but to use the force as the Sith sees fit ? Since they are hardly a religious movement, they are more like an Oligarchy than a Theocracy. Doh! You're right... you're right. I concede the point to thee. An oligarchy would be more appropriate than a theocracy. In my defense, it's very late right now, and I've replaced my blood with carbonated soft drinks... so my thinking process has been slowed to the pace of a common tree sloth. But yeah, you're right.... I don't know what I was thinking... most likely, I wasn't, heh heh

Drakron, you silly person! George Lucas made EVERYTHING. He planned all of these things... the Sith, the Jedi, the Mandalorians, Darth Revan, Episode I... he had this all planned from the very start of Star Wars back the good ol' 70's. </sarcasm> On a more serious note, I'm personally going to go with the idea that the Sith are more a composite of several structures including, but not limited to, Social Darwinism, Fascism, and a dictatorship. A theocracy might also work, since the Dark Side of the Force essentially dictates what the Sith do.

Here's my thoughts on the issues presented: On Kotor vs. Kotor II KOTOR 1 will always hold a special place in my heart as it's the original of the series and the first truely brilliant Star Wars RPG (maybe even the only SW RPG, I don't keep track of these things). As such, it will live on forever as the classic... the standard to which all other SW RPGS (and RPGs in general) will be measured against for years to come. Nothing will ever be able to topple that status. However, I believe that KOTOR II will surpass its predecessor in many aspects. KOTOR was purely and uncontestably brilliant, but there were flaws. Hopefully, Obsidian will be able to take up the project right were Bioware left off and improve the minute flaws to make a truely amazing game (hint: make a more satisfying ending ) However, though KOTOR II may be the more powerful of the two, no ammount of improvements can ever take away from that certain thrill that the original of the series provided. And I'm ok with that. As for this debate over being a Jedi... well, Star Wars isn't -totally- about being a Jedi... but why in the name of all that's cheese would you play a game titled Knights of the Old Republic if it wasn't focused on Jedi Knights? Such things defty the standards of logic... but that's just my opinion. *shrugs*