Dracomicron

I have to agree. I just finished the game, and I have to say that there was obviously a lot of love for this game on behalf of the dev team. It's rare when I finish a game and think to myself, "I need to know more...when's the next installment coming out?" Well played, sirrahs.

I was wondering that myself. Not even the Star Wars movies had much blood to speak of. I always get the impression that the ERSB folks don't actually play the games longer than a few minutes, and just kinda make stuff up based on what they've heard and what they think *might* be in there. You know, Icewind Dale had salsa-like gore when you chunked an opponent, so this game must, too...

Ah, the eternal debate tactic of "I don't care about that, it must not matter at all." Very well then. Carry on. Hey you other old-timers. Good to see ya.

You know, Planescape: Torment didn't use the exact AD&D 2nd Edition ruleset. that must've been a serious mistake, in your book. Here's the funny thing: In every gaming core book of every game, there's this section that details something called the "golden rule" -- All rules are subject to change on the whim of the game master to better fit his or her game. Bioware and Obsidian are our game masters for these outings, they decide what the rules are. If they feel their game would be better suited by a change in the rules, then that's their perrogative. There's room for shades of grey...most of a system might work for them, but some rules might have to go. Some might have to be added. I do this all the time when I'm running a TT or online RPG. Blindly adhering to rules lawyering is the mark of an immature gamer, or, with a game master, a distinct lack of personal confidence in one's own discretion for making changes. Reality check. There's a lot of money tied up in these games, and I think there's more than enough criticism over a "rushed job" for Christmas or whatever to prove that point. Obsidian and Bioware are companies trying to make quality product, but they're also trying to make a paycheck and please those who can pay those checks (in this case, LucasArts). There is an existing ruleset for Star Wars roleplaying, and it was a very solid move to use at least the foundation for the Star Wars CRPGs. I know these "sell outs" don't mean a lot to a gaming purist, but it's the way of the world, and shoving your head in the sand and complaining about a mote in your eye is counter productive. I'd have no problems either, but that kind of game doesn't sell copies in this market. See above. We want for these companies to continue producing the kinds of games we'd like to play; we have to give them concessions. The RPG genre is growing, but it's not huge yet (at least not in this country). Perhaps in time we will see more niche market games that make the purists completely happy, but that time is not now.

Hmm. Grand Theft Auto I and II were a top-down 2D games. Are you saying that GTA III and Vice City and San Andreas aren't Grand Theft Auto games because they're 3D rotating perspective games?

You know, it always facinates me when folks talk about what's a "real" RPG and what isn't. Technically, none of these things are "real" RPGs except for NWN when it's played online with a live Dungeon Master, and even then, you're limited by what the module you're playing gives you. What we should be talking about is something on the order of "satisfying roleplaying-like experiences." A combat dynamic doesn't decide whether something is a CRPG or not. Strict adherence to a rules system doesn't determine whether something is a CRPG or not...and, for the record, mindless adherance to a rule system is exceptionally foolish when it is to the detriment of a game. Heck, if we were going by d20 rules, the character would only be level 5 or 6 by the end of the game, I'm betting. Certain things, such as having choices that affect gameplay, and deep and interactive characters, can help in the roleplaying-like experience. Immersement in the story is a pretty important one, too. I think the KotOR games have that...

The music was, thematically, very in line with the Star Wars genre without being complete carbon copies. There's room in Star Wars for more than what we see in the movies. There's no reason that other stuff can't be appropriate...it's a big universe out there.

Passing judgement before its out is silly. Bethesda has done things other than the Elder Scrolls series; I'm sure they know what kind of games Fallout is known for, and will at least try to be true to the source material. If not...who knows, Morrowind with Guns might be amusing. I played Morrowind for quite awhile before moving on.

There's an interaction between Mandalore and Kreia on Dxun that told me who he was immediately. It seemed clear as day. Drac

Thank you for the welcomes, folks. I posted up through IWD2 or thereabouts, so it was a couple years back. I've been playing chat-based RPGs of late, and running a few as well (mostly Demon: the Fallen and Orpheus). I left right about when Interplay went down the hole. Hooray for Bethesda picking up FO3 rights...hope they can do it justice... Drac

I'm not through with the game yet, so I can't say whether the ending is good or bad, or if people just aren't "getting it". I can say that the game is very, very good. I have had very few technical problems...three times since I got the game it's frozen between levels, and there have been a couple other spots where secondary NPCs didn't recognize quests resolving (but never in any way that prevented the quest from being completed). So far the story beats the original KotOR, as do the complexity of the playable characters. The game theory behind setting the backstory as consistant with the player is rock solid, as well. They're both excellent games, and I think people have to remember, when comparing the two games, that you shouldn't be saying Bioware is better than Obsidian or vice-versa based on this outing because Bioware probably would have never been in a position to design KotOR in the first place if it wasn't for Feargus and the Black Isle people who now work for Obsidian...any one who cares to remember the original Baldur's Gate, Bioware's first game, will know that it was...a flawed outing at best. Comparatively, The Sith Lords is much better, but the two groups have been drawing ideas and technical advancements from each other for a very long time, so it really isn't a fair comparison. In my mind, each group specializes in a certain area...Bioware does solid gameplay and genre-bulding, while Black Isle/Obisidian are the guys with the great story ideas and dark complexity. Which is better for the "Empire Strikes Back" of the KotOR series? Personally I find the latter are, but that doesn't take anything from Bio. Drac

Good fun. And I resent being called "old." "Wizened," perhaps. "Hoary," definitely. Almost certainly "grizzled." But not old. Drac

How unfortunate for you. You should have downloaded the alternate tougher boss battles made by Dave Gaider. Cheerio. Drac

I am the bullet in the gun. I am the needle in the vein. I am the hand that holds you down. I control you. Or, more accurately, I'm Dracomicron. You must have missed my self-aggrandizement earlier. The ages roll on, but ever is there Dracomicron, or one of his incarnations. Or maybe not. Drac

Nice to see you, too, Grom. I almost missed your "Low Int, High Wis" antics. Almost. Aw c'mere you big lug. Drac

The forum posts have grown strange and jagged in their countenance since I left. Or perhaps I'm just behind the times. Ah well, I'll just console myself by rebuilding this robot... Drac

Well yeah. I didn't do darkside things when it wasn't in character to do them...roleplaying is about playing a characater, right? Not about just amassing points... The game, through Kreia, actually tutors the palyer through this very well...you can be a Sith Master but not indulge in pointless evil. Drac

Volourn, Phosphor...good to see you well. Any sign of the devs hanging around here anymore? Maria...not sure what to make of that. Drac

Some shameless self-aggrandizement: I, who was once known as Draconis on the Bioware and Black Isle boards, who had a cult dedicated to him and subsequently lost it, who inspired the inclusion of the Wild Mage in Throne of Bhaal, as well as a level boss of my same name, have returned, or, more appropriately, arrived at the new destination of my old friends in their grand new adventure. Now I am a little older and wearier, no longer am I named Draconis, but Dracomicron. I have purchased an X-Box for the sole reason that I heard Feargus and his intrepid crew had a hand in Knights of the Old Republic 2...I have bought every one of their games on the day that they came out ever since Planescape: Torment. And I must say that, once again, I have not been let down. While other startup RPG game companies have faltered in their infancy and adolescence, Obsidian has started off strong. I am proud of their achievement...though I have not yet finished the game, I am about four planets in, and have very little bad to say about the game and quite a few nice things. As in the first game, the graphics are very nice...the addition of flowing robes was a definite plus. The Dark Side options are fantastic...I'm playing a Sentinel/Sith Assassin, and I have been able to cause untold havoc in the galaxy without resorting to just being a brutal thug. Item creation and customization are things I've long been a proponent of. The NPC party member interaction is very fluid; I especially enjoy Kreia's wise but sinister council. The flexibility of the plot, allowing for variations based on motives, is rare in the industry...but not for this group of designers, of course. I got flashbacks to Planescape: Torment when I am presented with options for choosing my own destiny and, indeed, my very nature. On the down side...It seems that the game could have used a little more QA testing, because the battles are almost universally on the easy side...though that might simply be a side effect of going Dark Side and settling every battle with repeated Force Storms, Emperor-style. I also question the increased customizability of lightsabres...don't get me wrong, I love having a pair of vibrating, ion charged death machines in-hand, but did we really need MORE incentive to use lightsabres? Over all though, I am proud of Obsidian and their freshman effort, and am looking forward to buying more of their games in the future. Dracomicron Formerly Draconis, The Master of Deception