kefka

I'm ambivalent about Jolee - sometimes I like him; sometimes I hate him. I killed him on the temple and never hesitated for a second, so I guess I didn't like him enough to care. He was more interesting than the other NPCs though.

No word on Jolee yet. The only confirmed character is T3. It's also possible that HK-47 returns. That's all we know so far. I don't expect them to reveal too much this early. Wait for E3 (may 12-14) there might be some new info then.

It this day and age, it is. Now, if they don't want to change the game machanics, leave the normal screen alone, but if you're going to insert a first person viewing mode, let's have one that is actually serves it's purpose, shall we ?!? I agree, but if they aren't going to create situations where it's necessary to look around I don't see the point. It's not an engine problem I think. You can't even jump six inches over small obstacles in Kotor, so how come you can leap through the air with Force Jump? Weird. However, they've already stated we will be able to use free look in third person, and can already look around (tho limited) in first person, so the problem seems to be solved. We'll see.

Secret of Mana 2 has some great music, considering the limitations of the SNES. I can still remember the tracks from that game, and it's over 2 years since I last played it. Same for Final Fantasy 6 and 7. Just wouldn't be the same without the music.

I agree.

I tend to agree with Gorth. Kotor2 will be a great game but I don't expect it to be revolutionary. From what I've seen so far though, there's a lot more imagination on display. However, you're still limited by what the engine is capable of and the constraints set by the publisher. And what would revolutionize the genre anyway? I think you'd need a great leap in technology before that is possible. A go-anywhere, do-anything kind of game, with unlimited interaction.

heh, that's true. cheats that make Kotor harder are fine. Kotor2 will probably be much tougher, tho.

Well, this Mark Grisky doesn't seem to have a great track record, but I did read a few reviews of Gladius' music which suggest he's a capable composer. I'm going to look on the bright side and hope for a fantastic score. Soundtracks are very important to me, whether in movies or games. I can't get into a game if the music is lousy or just background noise. Music can enhance the atmosphere tremendously. Likewise, a score which is dull and repetitive is not going to encourage me to play the game. Some of the very best music is in RPGs. I have a list a mile long of awesome RPG music. I can't imagine playing them without those tunes, and I'd hate for Kotor2 to have a bad score.

I'd prefer no cheats. The temptation to use them is always there. Morrowind was ruined for some people because of that. The user is to blame of course, they should have more willpower, but I think if the option is there most will use cheats. That sounds like the best method if they do include them. There were? hmm, you learn something new every day.

Don't get me wrong, I'd like free look with full 360 views, but it's not really necessary from a game perspective.

The locked camera didn't bother me too much. There's no real need to look up or down in Kotor, other than to admire the scenery. If the game had a functional requirement for free look, like FPS, that would change of course.

You must not have played many games then. Kotor's inventory system is pretty bad but is by no means the worst. Some are truly hideous in both design and ease of use. It's only in recent years that 'filters' have become an expected feature. Before then they were a total mess with every item you collect on one huge screen, with no way to organize them. A key or letter used the same space as a gigantic piece of heavy armor. Yep, those were the days - no magic/gem bags, scroll cases, arrow quivers, etc. We take that for granted now. The datapad problem really needs to be fixed though. That was a disgrace

I prefer to think of what will go right than what could go wrong.

It's unlikely they'd include Telos and not use either Carth or Dustil. So I think one of them will return - probably Carth. His last act was inglorious leaving Mission to her fate, so here's his chance to make amends. 1.Carth and Bastila will return. 2.HK-47, Canderous, and Bastila I want to return. hey, Bastila appears twice. Sweet!

I hope you can become a true Sith because that was a let-down in the first game. I'm not exactly sure what to do with heal, but at present having 3 Jedi in a party makes combat ridiculously easy. You're never in any danger most of the time, and even if the party is near death just a few quick heals and you're as good as new again. Either make it far more expensive to cast or just remove it from combat entirely.

I meant Jedi NPC, of course. No one is forcing you to keep them around if you feel they're too strong. An all-Jedi party is going to cruise through the game without a hitch, and droids don't even need medpaks. There are also weak party configurations to consider. Let's say you don't choose cure/heal, and then use Mission and Carth as your NPCs. Just how many medpaks will you require to keep them alive? A lot more than a Jedi + droid group and way, way more than all-Jedi. Treat Injury isn't weak, Heal is overpowered. Nerf that first. btw, you don't have to be a Jedi in Kotor2. You start as a Jedi, but you can build your PC as a Sith (DS powers) in preparation for the prestige classes.

You answered your own question. Force cure/heal does make Treat Injury useless, I agree, but what if you don't want a Jedi around? When I play darkside I never take cure, and you can't always rely on drain life/death field. Getting the most out of medpacs is important. However, that leads to another, more serious problem - Kotor is so easy that you don't need much healing to begin with. On the star forge I had something like 50 life-support kits and god knows how many medpacs... never used even a fraction of them.

Wow, I'm surprised that Halo 2 is leading - and by a considerable margin. I'm not sure which to vote for. I'll have to think about it...

The turret game is optional now which is good news, but it is also extremely repetitive. "Incoming fighters" was the most dreaded piece of dialog in Kotor - worse than anything Malak said. I knew what to expect. Their formation was exactly the same, make them unpredictable. Pazaak is fine. More cards, not having to play first every time, the tournament idea, are a few ways to enhance Pazaak. not sure what else though. Swoop racing is decent but it does need more variety. Just heading straight down the track moving left and right is not that impressive. More twists and turns if possible, and definitely swoop upgrades. Taris duel arena is the best 'minigame', better than all the others combined.

My anticipation for Kotor2 just went up a notch with those words.

He repairs the Falcon's hyperdrive at the end of the film, allowing them all to escape the Executor. He also opens the docking bay door to reach the Falcon.

I was disappointed too, but for some reason I can't stop playing that damn game... It does have an addictive quality despite all the shortcomings. I even liked the OC. :ph34r:

LEGENDARY!!! with or without squirting boobies.

side-quests are the usual method for extending game time. You can sail through Kotor in under 20 hours if you focus on the main story, but by taking your time and doing every quest possible you can squeeze out 40+ hours.

I didn't say 'early in the game', I said not long after the revelation, which is not exactly 'early' since there's only one more star map to find - then it's off to the Rakata homeworld. But I understand your point about falling/redemption - however, as that usually relies on a single decision, it's never a gradual process at all. It can happen anytime. So why not at a time when it still matters from a gaming perspective?