sandman1347

Call me crazy, but that doesn't make sense to me. Here Reven has just risked his life to determine the outcome of a huge battle, and he just leaves because he doesn't want to be bothered? The outcome of the conflict between the Sith and the Republic is clearly not yet decided (as is evident by the fact that there is a jedi man hunt going on five years later) and Reven just walks away? What kind of character would he be to do something like that? He just put his life on the line to win this great battle, wouldn't he care who wins the war!? That would be like if Luke Skywalker left and decided that he couldn't be bothered after the Battle of Yavin 4!

Yeah, it just doesn't add up that the person who is directly responsible for bringing back the Sith and then either defeating them or cementing their rule (depending on how you finished the game) would be all but forgotten a mere half decade later. Someone made a reference to Darth Maul as an example of a character who played a significant role in only one Star Wars episode. The difference between Maul and Reven is that Maul was basically just a tool of the Emperor. He did not act of his own free will nor did he make any "decisions" that would impact the story greatly. Reven, on the other hand, makes the choices that ultimately determine whether the bad guys or the good guys will win. Darth Maul also gets killed at the end of Episode 1 if you remember (a circumstance that makes it difficult to play a future role).

no

I would certainly hope that Reven plays an important role in this game, even if he doesn't get a lot of face time. The game takes place only five years after the first KOTOR for the love of god! You mean to tell me that you would want for all of what transpired in the first game to be relatively insignificant after just FIVE YEARS!? Reven determined the fate of the galaxy, he/she should still factor in to the story. Maybe there is a much simpler way to avoid showing his/her face. We know that in the game you will be questioned to determine Reven's gender and whether he/she was LS or DS. After you know that you could simply depict Reven as a Jedi with his/her hood up (casting a shadow over his/her face), or a Sith Lord with a mask.

I was just thinking today that there are so many Star Wars games that have been released over the years and yet there is one thing that they have never gotten right; Jedi lightsaber combat. KOTOR did an amazing job of immersing you into the SW universe and Rougue leader captured space dogfighting excellently, but when it comes to the one thing that everyone thinks about when they think Star Wars, no one has done it right. Now I know you might be thinking, what about the jedi knight series? Those were good games, I liked them, but when it comes down to it, a fps control scheme is far from ideal when using non-projectile weaponry. The controls in that series are not nearly as precise or as satisfying as say, Ninja Gaiden or Devil May Cry or any of a dozen other sword fighting, action games that use a strictly third person control scheme. When I heard that Jade Empire was going to feature real time combat, I was both extremely psyched to play it and a little dissapointed that KOTOR, the game that paved the way for JE, was not going to benefit from this upgrade. Obviously it is too late now to implement something like this but I would like to hear what you guys think about the possibility of real time combat in future KOTORs. Would you prefer it to a more traditional rpg combat system? Would you like to see a new Star Wars action game?

Yeah, the lazer whip or saber whip or whatever is a lousy idea, but earlier in this thread someone proposed energy blade nun-chuks (an idea that was also quickly written off). These should not be included in the game or any of the movies in my opinion, but unlike the whip, they are not completely implausible. Imagine two light saber hilts connected by a chain or other sort of line. Now imagine that comming out of the other end of each of these hilts is a small energy blade. While this would undoubtedly be an exessively dangerous weapon to who ever weilds it, it could exist. There's a weapon like that in Ninja Gaiden on XBox only with steal blades instead of energy.

Yeah, it's a shame that Lucas basically ruined his own creation.

Yeah, that sounds pretty boring to me. Who wants to play an rpg in which your character doesn't become extremely powerful throughout the course of the game. If you're going to play as a soldier or scoundral or whatever for the entire game, then it would probably be best for it to be an action game of some kind.

It seems like it would be so easy to make something cool using this universe. I mean you have space soldiers and space cowboys and space samurai and all kinds of cool space stuff goin on. Some how, most people who've tried just haven't gotten it right.

I think the script writing and the direction are the most glaring weaknesses. Natalie, Hayden, Ewan; really all of the actors that have been cast are top notch but George just doesn't seem to be able to get the type of performances out of them that they are capable of. Even if he could, what kind of expectations could you possibly have with these mindless insults to our intelligence that Lucas calls scripts?

Sorry

I just have to get this off my chest. Bear with me this might get long. I personally can't help but hope that George Lucas himself never makes another Star Wars movie. I hate to say it but the series' glory days are well behind it and its legacy is somewhat tainted by the uninspired prequels. Don't get me wrong, I fell in love with the "Galaxy far far away" years ago like the rest of you, but I won't pretend that the latest flicks hold a candle to the originals (epecially episodes 4 and 5). Lucas is something of a control freak, and that has ultimately proven to be the series' demise. In ep. 4 and 5 he collaborated with other creative people such as the great noir writer Leigh Bracket to create films that were ground breaking and characters that were memorable. By ROTJ, he had already begun to cut others out of the collaborative process as is evident by the drop off in quality. Who didn't find it a little bit ridiculous that the Ewoks could defeat a platoon of freakin storm troopers!? The new films have similarly anoying problems too. I for one, found it a little absurd that in the middle of that intense battle in the arena between the jedi and the droid army, Padme is standing there (without a light saber to deflect lasers, mind you) not only miraculously not getting shot, but not even taking cover! Now I'm all for making her a strong character but to have her able to fight on the same level as the jedi is a discredit to the prowess of the entire order, much like the Ewoks, storm troopers scenario. This is George's problem. He comes up with some truly great ideas but he also comes up with some bad ones. Without anyone to bounce these ideas off of or to solicate new ideas from, this series has become a disturbing and uncensored look into the mind of George Lucas complete with "Jar-jar" and "Anny." I mean come on, the future baddest dude in the galaxy and he's got people calling him Anny for god's sake! I have come to accept the fact that the Star Wars that I fell in love with was a colaborative effort in which several people, led by George Lucas, created something truly magical. It has since become a one man show that has lost the character developement and storyline that were the backbone supporting those impressive special effects. We no longer care about the characters, nor can we identify with them. In the originals, there was the hay seed farm boy with dreams of a bigger life, the hot shot smuggler who was in it only for himself in the beggining, the brave, young, slightly naive princess with the weight of the world on her shoulders. In some way we could identify with each one of these characters and it was amazing to see how by the end of the trilogy they had all changed. Luke was now a stoic and wise Jedi, Han was a patriot and a leader, and Leia was now possessed of a confidence and wisdom that comes only through experience. What do these new characters do for you? Anything? Nothing for me. Anakin is so poorly cast that it's funny. Both Jake Loyd and Hayden Chritiansen are poor choices. They don't scare me! It's that simple. Anakin's little temper tantrums in Ep. 2 remind me of a 15 year old when his parents won't let him stay out past curfew (complete with cracking voice). Speaking of visual effects, is it just me or does anyone else think that the special effects in the prequel trilogy have been missused? The combat in the first trilogy (particularly light saber combat) was excellent for its time (admit it, that fight in Ep. 4 between Vader and Obi-wan looks like two old men fighting with their canes now). Here's the problem, two decades later the fighting is almost identical. Ep. 1 had some nice sequences with Darth Maul and the Yoda thing was cool in Ep. 2, but on a whole the prequels saber fights have been tame at best. I mean that fight between Anakin, Obi-wan, and Tyrannus looked like something I could film with my brothers camera and a G5. Compare the combat between heroes and villains in Star Wars to that of other recent films like the Matrix, Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon and Spiderman. Do you see what I mean. Why not use some of these expensive effects to make the battles seem fiercer and faster as though these beings were actually capable of super human abillities (which they supposedly are). Instead, Lucas will bombard you with digital imagery during a freakin diologue sequence! You'll see two people talking out on a balcony and there'll be ten million dollars worth of special effects flying by in the background. Can anyone say allocation of resources. And what about space battles? There has yet to be one great space battle in these new films! Granted I've heard that there will be one in the third episode but I mean it's STAR WARS for god's sake, where are the battles out amongst the stars?! The scene with Anakin in Ep. 1 was ridiculous. How can a child with no training operate a fighter jet. None the less it doesn't hold a candle to the battle of Yavin 4. Has George fogotten the series' bread and butter? To conclude, I do hope that there are future Star Wars films. It is the greatest fictional universe ever created. It's like a playground for a truly creative mind to work wonders with. With an imaginative script (complete with unexpected twists and emotionally charged scenes) and a creative director, there is no limit to the awesomeness that could ensue. That being said I hope that George Lucas himself is not permitted to come within 500 yards of the set of these films. This series, like the Matrix started off groundbreaking and awe inspiring, creating a universe of infinate possibilities and has since become a cookie-cutter, product selling, uninspired franchise that you would love to see someone else take over.

Oh and also: 4. Would you like to see more Star Wars films after this trilogy is complete?

I'm intersted in hearing anyone's views on either of the following. 1. How do you feel about the prequel trilogy so far as compared to the original trilogy? 2. Which storyline do you like better, the prequels' or KOTOR's? 3. If (like me)you have been disapointed with EP. 1 and 2, do you think that it's possible that the third flick could save the trilogy. Please explain yourselves. Thank you.

Well that sort of plays into my true gripe with this grat game and that is the fact that you're enemies do not change based on how you play. Think about it, you fight through the same levels and against the same people whether you choose to be the good guy or the bad guy. Thats not likely the way it would actually go. In direct response to your requset, I would say that you could have a lot more freedom in how you finish the game. Maybe you could choose to take Malak down for your own reasons, or maybe you could choose to ally with him to get what you want. There are infinate possibilities really. I think the whole point of anything EU is that it allows other creative minds to approach the Star Wars universe and think out of the box instead of being shackled to George Lucas's personal vision.

Can you name one character who is not neutral who is as powerful as those two? Me neither. While what you say holds true for the movies, in the game you can be neutral. I just think that if they are going to make that an option, then they should flesh it out as much as the light or dark side choices. The first time I played through the game, I played it light side and was floored by the experience. Then I tried dark side which made the game seem new all over again and was also a great experience. Then I tried to see what would happen if I did not take a side and I was disapointed by the way that the game clearly wasn't designed with this kind of freedom in mind. At the end of the game, you must choose between the two established sides. There is no alternative. I think it would be interesting to see someone from the Green Party win.

Here's the thing. That so called penalty that is applied to light side or dark side characters is never a factor. This is so because as a light side character, you wouldn't use dark side powers and viceversa. Why would you when you can be equally effective without them and they are actually draining your force points so fast that they hurt you more than they help. With that out of the way, we know that by the end of the game you get a -5 bonus in your force powers as either a light side or dark side jedi. I think that something should be done to give some kind of bonus to a neutral character so as to make him/her as effective as the extreme characters. As for the ending: you would not just not finish the game and sit around playing cards all day. Have you ever considered the possibility that you might determine the fate of the universe without taking sides with either faction. Now that would be a truly open ended experience.

It took me about 34 hours to beat the first time through (doing most of the side quests). Now I can finish it with all side quests complete in about 25 hours (skipping dialogue, which I hate to do). I don't think you want this game to be much longer than that. Unlike final fantasy and many of the popular Japanese rpgs, this game gives you a reason to play through it again and again. That being said, you want it to be a complete story and a satisfying game, but not too lengthy. Maybe just a little bit longer.

Palpatine was perhaps the most crafty and secretive of all the Sith Lords because he took and maintained control of the galaxy without anyone knowing that the Sith were in power. That being said, if the EU is to be considered valid, the old Republic Sith were far more powerful beings than Palpatine. Naga Sadow and Exar Kun were even depicted as being able to create demons and monsters through using the force and could create mass illusions (like an entire fleet) that even the jedi could not see through. The jedi of that time also possessed greater power as they had abilities such as battle meditation that could effect large groups of people (not just one person at a time like Obi-wan's mind trick). Even so, I don't think it's fair to lump the movies and the EU into one pile. I think the nature of comics and video games, for example, is such that the characters become more powerful than you are likely to see in any movie. The EU writers have free reign to come up with whatever concepts they please and do not have to be concerned with George Lucas's actual intentions regarding the story. If I had to pick the most powerful jedi and Sith from the movies I would say Yoda and Sidious respectively. They are the eldest members of their order and exibit the most complete knowledge and control of their side of the force. Anakin is certainly not the most powerful. The whole tragedy of the story is that he could have been the greatest jedi ever but he was turned to the dark side and made into Palpatine's pawn before he ever fulfilled his promise.

Neutral characters gain nothing by not being penalized. If you are a light side character, you use strictly light side force powers so as to maximize your effectiveness. If you wanted to play the game using force lightning and choke, then you would play as a dark side character. In that way, whichever side you choose, you get a bonus in the force powers that come along with it. But, if you choose not to take a side, you get no bonus what so ever. I'd like to see that change. In fact you could not even truly be neutral in the original KOTOR. You had to choose between the Jedi and the Sith. There were only two possible outcomes to the game; a light side ending and a dark side ending. In The Sith Lords, I'd like to see an option for actually playing through the game without being counted among either order and without being penalized for your independence.

Thats an interesting idea. Instead of the dark or light side powers, the neutral character could gain a bonus in the use of universal powers such as speed and push to illustrate a more complete understanding of the force. Good one.

First let me say that the original KOTOR is my favorite XBox game and that I can't wait for the sequel. This series is the best thing Star Wars to come along since the 80's. That being said there is one aspect of the game that I would like to see changed. In KOTOR, you are supposed to have the freedom to play the game any way you want and the ability to achieve tremendous power regardless of which path you take. The game does not quite deliver on this promise, however, because the only way to become truly powerful is to choose a side. As you progress through the game, if you go to the extreme of either light side or dark side, then you recieve a tremendous discount in terms of how many force points it takes for you to use the corresponding force powers. If, on the other hand, you choose not to take a stance with the established sides but rather to walk your own path, you recieve no such bonus. It's as if you are being punished for not falling in line with either the Jedi or the Sith. Now I agree that it should be more simple early on in the game if you simply pick light side or dark side and run with it, but by the end of the game, I think a middle of the road character should gain some of the same force advantages that the extremists get as a reward for taking the harder path. Maybe if the extreme light or dark side gets an 8 point discount then the middle of the road guy could have a 4 point discount. It would have to be a little less because he/she would have the added advantage of being able to weild powers from both sides of the force. As it stands now, it does not pay to play KOTOR as a neutral character and that is a shame.