Plano Skywalker

* at the beginning of the game, you chose a special skill. * also, there was decent dialogue. * in-game choices that affected the flow of the game (getting married affected the game in a significant way. * there was at least one stat (such as reputation) that could wax and wane. it was a not a numerical stat but a stat nonetheless. basically, what it did not have was: * numerical stats * leveling * class system

there were rumors (widely believed to be accurate) that the Xbox 360 would have 3 versions: lite (no hd), deluxe (with hd) and PC. That's right, the high end one was going to be, essentially, a multimedia PC that ran Windows and even had a keyboard and mouse. That high end model never made it into production. But here is the thing: I think it had alot to do with the next-gen DVD thing. The industry has not agreed to a standard yet. So, instead of paying Sony to use Blue Ray or instead of using the alternate format instead, MS decided to let Sony rush in where angels fear to tread and see how it goes. At some point, MS will choose sides if not come up with their own version (that seems to be able to read the other ones :D ). And then they will release a console that is also a PC and then crush Sony by price-dropping their low-end machines to ridiculous levels. My theory, anyway. Xbox 360 is next gen enough to get the other guy to jump too soon or let the market pass you by.

maybe open-ended action/adventure with heavy RPG elements?

it's all about role-playing....I agree that having a Jedi Knight running around with heavy weapons would be lame....BUT, what about Canderous types? he ain't using no lightsaber. what about multithreaded adventures when there is no Force sensitive in your squad? heavy weapons serve a purpose, yes, even in Star Wars. and I do want rideable vehicle like tanks.

another thing that could help justify it would be to have a new map (not just talking about Droid World). it wouldn't have to be anything too major....heck, it could even be the Yavin Space Station again because, chances are, a new map would not be integral to the story. by having an entire map that is only available in the Special Edition, that would help sell it alot as would a soundtrack and the other extras one might except.

oh yeah, and i would add a soundtrack cd to the list of extras such a package should have.

yeah, I doubt Lego sold better than TSL.

rocket launchers, repeater cannons, and flame throwers, (and rideable tanks) are a must!

yeah, bushes, rock piles, pieces of wall....anything (ideally) could be deconstructed (with the right amount of ordinance)

nothing wrong with the "area mines" of KOTOR 1 and 2. however, I would also like there to be "trip mines" like they have in Jedi Outcast. also, "demolition packs".....no need to hack away at a door with your lightsaber for 5 minutes (if you can't slice the lock)....just put a demolition pack on it and remotely detonate it....now they did allow mines to be used for this....but I'm talking about something that will put just about anything out of commission. this, of course, would require more environmental deconstruction in the game. and, portable sentry guns....those would be sweet. and, purchasable melee-oriented battle droids!

I think you have to have the protagonist path that most people can identity with...the "yellow brick road" HAS to be there if it is going to sell, IMO, anyway. The question, as I see it, is can you have a viable alternate path that is still related enough to the "main story" that it can be included in the same game? I think you can but it is basically two different games with (at least some) different maps and (ideally) dialogue trees. I would like to see more of that. What is an example? Let us say that, in Jade Empire, the alternate path was to play one of the lieutenants of Death's Hand. You are basically just trying to waylay the would-be hero. You might attack his family just to draw him out, etc. Yeah, that could work but not as the only yellow brick road, only as a secondary yellow brick road. Now, if we are talking about a pregen with a bad past, then it makes it a little easier to do but it also makes creates a tempation to just disguise the fact that there is only one path in the game.

I agree that such a package could not be full-priced. An example, perhaps, is Fable: The Lost Chapters. All it is is the Fable game with some extra content. It sells at Best Buy for $19.99. I would buy a Special Edition if it were so priced (and especially if it had a saved game editor and toolset).

At the beginning of Jedi Outcast, you discover that Kyle Katarn severed his connection to the Force to avoid falling to the dark side. At the beginning of the game, he is just a mercenary working for the New Republic. I believe it was in an expansion pack for Jedi Knight I: Dark Forces II that Kyle's (almost) fall to the dark side is covered. So Jedi Outcast has backstory for Kyle because of the first game and, especially, the expansion pack.

welcome back, indeed.

basically, LA is *developing* less Star Wars games in-house. Jedi Outcast, for instance, was developed outside. as long as the quality is good, I don't see a problem with having multiple SW titles going at the same time. the problem is that, for a number of years, SW games were not that good.

ice planet = yes Hoth = no only because continuity (IIRC) has the person Hoth (who the planet is named after) living several centuries after where KOTOR is in the timeline right now. but an ice world? absolutely Naboo? I don't see why not. I really enjoyed it being in the Obi-Wan game...very immersive maps...lots of waterfalls.

from a console perspective, I like the idea of certain powers already being mapped to the buttons...Force Push, Force Pull, Force Throw, and Throw Lightsaber should be the default mappings, IMO. however, I do like the idea of being able to change what effects are mapped to which buttons. because, in a KOTOR game, you will undoubtedly have more feats and powers than you can have mapped at any one time (at least on a console controller).

I think Salvatore is really a "world builder" more than anything else. He used Drizzt to kind of round out his novels. But, somehow, he caught lightning in a bottle. Anyway, as tired as I am of the "amnesia trick" and its variations, I think a CRPG in which you play an amnesiac Drizzt would be a "slam dunk" title, even for the PC market.

as far as playing a non-Force user in the SW universe (as in non-Force-user endgame), I am all for it but, I agree, it is not KOTOR. IMO, that would be better suited for Galactic Civil War (movie era) time. Republic Commando explored this a bit with a squad-based FPS in which you play a "super" clone commanding lesser clones against the Trade Federation droids. they should do a third person RPG like that...you are not a Force-wielder....you have the SW classes to choose from at character-creation time: Soldier, Scout, etc. Basically, you are a bounty hunter and you get to choose whether to work for the Republic or the Trade Federation. the fact that it is in the movie era would help sell the concept to the masses. KOTOR *needs* the Force to sell itself to the larger audience out there.

well, one would think that ship designs would change over time, for aesthetic reasons if nothing else. however, one of the things about this franchise is that technology is more or less a constant, with very few breakthroughs....basically, because man has pretty much "maxed out" technology.

I would disagree somewhat with your use of "Chaotic Evil". Although that can be taken in different directions, I think the kind of sociopath the DSer is somewhat forced to play in these games is actually "Lawful Evil", like Malak. the "seducer" is actually chaotic. yes, we desparately need more chaotic dialogue options and not just for the evil player. some LSers like to keep their true intentions somewhat veiled as well, for strategic purposes. there are a few major things that need to be done with alignment and how it relates to dialogue. more chaotic options is on any short list.

the Obi-Wan game is good but could have been much better....I don't know, maybe I'm letting the fact that I'm playing one of the stars of the franchise cloud my judgement but it is not too bad. the lack of good cinematic cutscreens is not really excusable for a console game and the dialogue is flat (none of it user-defined)...the NPCs very flat. some of the cutscreens have so few textures that it looks like concept art. it is, however, 3rd person (over-the-shoulder, actually) which I generally prefer to first person and you do get to go to some Core Worlds, which is one thing a number of forumites have been thirsting for in the KOTOR games. where it does shine is in the action....button-mashing just cannot compare to gingerly moving the right analogue stick to control the lightsaber. also, I like the way Throw Lightsaber is handled...you actually get to steer it and, if you don't steer it, you may not hit anything. it also has swimming, which not all Jedi games have. it also has a really good "Z-axis" with well-implemented "rock climbing" and thief-like cable crawling. and you can commandeer sentry guns, etc. the bottom line is that, while it may be half a game, it is the half that KOTOR needs.

for those looking for some 3rd person Jedi action (outside the KOTORs), I would recommend the Obi-Wan game. it is twitchy as all get out and frustrating at times but it is also alot of fun. it shows how you can have a "real lightsaber" and still have combat be extremely challenging. and you get to go to Coruscant, Tatooine and Naboo (pretty map) and you get to dual Mace Windu (as part of your trials...it is not a death match or anything). the game is, however, Xbox exclusive.

good point but then Battlefront II is doing that as well now. basically, the Battlefront series is crowding out the JK series. therefore, JK needs to evolve.

before there was Revan, there was Jaden, a unisex name for a pregenerated PC. anyway, maybe they could keep the first person perspective and add some KOTOR-style dialogue and stats. I think that could work.