Is it just me or

[Jobster]

is KOTOR2 not as good as the first one. I just could not get into it at all. I have played KOTOr1 through several times now and enjoy it everytime. The second version is let down, in my opinion, by a very dodgy story and even dodgier ending. Not the same atmoshere at all. I played it once and deleted it whereas KOTOR1 still gets run.

 

A patch seems irrelevant to me as I doubt I will ever play the game again.

[dufflover]

Lots of people like KotOR 2 better than the KotOR 1. I personally like KotOR 1 more than KotOR 2.

Have a read of the other threads similar to this and you'll get a good idea of the main reasons.

Here's a thread which may match the sort of discussion you want:

Thread: to all who prefer kotor 1 story

(this probably would've been better put in the Spoilers/Story forum, and there are lots of story discussion threads too)

[LadyCrimson]

For some people it's more a matter of which they played first, IMO.

 

I'm one of them. I bought Kotor1 after playing (and loving) Kotor2 and I just can't get into Kotor1. Sure, admittedly, Kotor1 seems a bit better voice-acting wise and story wise, but there's still plenty of irritations with it - like how I'm in the middle of a big fight and level up and suddenly the game pauses everything to tell me that "this NPC looks distant, maybe you should talk to him/her."

 

ARGH!

 

And Carth so far just seems...whiney - even as a female PC.

[Aishur-Rim-Nisheshu]

I like KoTOR 1 more than KoTOR 2: TSL and I blame myself.

 

I got koTOR only last May when all the hype had died and I was able to enjoy the game itself based on its own merits. I have never played a SW game before and truly enjoyed it.

 

As for the TSL, I was so caught up in it that I most probably set expectations that were too high to reach. Hence TSL was not that memorable in my books.

 

Had I played TSL first, before playing KoTOR I, I might have a different perspective.

[LadyCrimson]

Yeah, that's it exactly for me....no expectations about #2 at all...just bought it off the shelf, never played a SW game before, etc. so it felt like 'wow, this is cool.'

 

Although the first few hours I had a hard time motivating to continue because it was so different from my usual games. It actually reminded me more of a talky-Tombraider initially, because of the interface perhaps.

[Aishur-Rim-Nisheshu]

A friend of mine suggested that I should just stay off TSL for a while. maybe even an entire year before revisiting. That might help me appreciate the game more, which I think is true.

 

Besides the patch should be out by then! (Sorry bad joke).

[dufflover]

For some people it's more a matter of which they played first, IMO.

 

...like how I'm in the middle of a big fight and level up and suddenly the game pauses everything to tell me that "this NPC looks distant, maybe you should talk to him/her."

That is a pretty rare case. I haven't had it happen to me yet (although I'm sure you got many of these other small niggles with K1).

Remember that K1 will not have the improvements of K2 like weapon switching and stuff since those were "lessons" from KotOR 1.

 

It's like playing Jedi Outcast after Jedi Academy - argghh, no fancy pants acrobatics!

[Dragonforce]

i couldn't pick either one to be honest, both are better than each other in different areas for different reasons

 

as an rpg, KOTOR 2 is superior while KOTOR 1 was better rounded as a GAME

 

Thats why i felt more satisfied at the end of the first one, i truely feel kotor 2 could have been a vastly superior game in every area if it had been better thought out and implemented and the developers had an extra 3 or 4 months to actually FINISH the thing. I am so frustrated at what could have been when playing through it.

[Drakonnen]

i couldn't pick either one to be honest, both are better than each other in different areas for different reasons

 

as an rpg, KOTOR 2 is superior while KOTOR 1 was better rounded as a GAME

 

Thats why i  felt more satisfied at the end of the first one, i truely feel kotor 2 could have been a vastly superior game in every area if it had been better thought out and implemented and the developers had an extra 3 or 4 months to actually FINISH the thing. I am so frustrated at what could have been when playing through it.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

KOTOR1 was much better. The storyline was Epic, the twist was great, and the game lasted a good 40 hours or so.

 

KOTOR2 had a muddled storyline, no real sense of adventure or direction, and lasted just 21 hours for me, by far the shortest RPG I've ever played. Makes me feel ripped off.

[ShadowPaladin V1.0]

KOTOR1 was much better.  The storyline was Epic, the twist was great, and the game lasted a good 40 hours or so.

 

KOTOR2 had a muddled storyline, no real sense of adventure or direction, and lasted just 21 hours for me, by far the shortest RPG I've ever played.  Makes me feel ripped off.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

You mean you didnt see the twist coming from a mile away?

 

I think you might find that finishing KOTOR II in 21 hours is the reason you didnt know what was going on.

[Drakonnen]

I think you might find that finishing KOTOR II in 21 hours is the reason you didnt know what was going on.

 

Spare me your BS condescention.

 

I did every single plot and subplot, and explored all the conversation with all my allies.

 

Its not a question of "not knowing what was going on" (where you got the from I have no idea), but of the storyline being muddled and rather sucky.

 

As for the KOTOR twist, sure you expected it, but it made for a much better storyline than this one.

[GhostofAnakin]

KOTOR1 was much better.  The storyline was Epic, the twist was great, and the game lasted a good 40 hours or so.

 

KOTOR2 had a muddled storyline, no real sense of adventure or direction, and lasted just 21 hours for me, by far the shortest RPG I've ever played.  Makes me feel ripped off.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

Either you were really (and I mean REALLY) slow in KOTOR I, or you exaggerate the game length of both games to make your point.

 

Because KOTOR I took me (looks up old save games) 35 hours first play thru, then every subsequent play thru was 25 hours or less. KOTOR II took me 42 hours first play thru, then 28 hours or less for each subsequent play thru.

 

In other words, they're basically the same length. Or even if KOTOR I is longer (which I doubt), it isn't by more than maybe 2 or 3 extra hours. In your example you try to make it sound like KOTOR I was 2 times the length of TSL, which just isn't the case.

[draakh_kimera]

I played both games without, and prefer KotOR II. The first one I'd never heard of before I played it, and I thought it was pretty good. The second one I followed quite closely, but I didn't really have any expectations of it. KotOR II was easier and less polished, but to me it was the better game. As for story, both of them got pretty old to me after the 2nd to 3rd playthrough, but if I had to choose, it'd be KotOR II.

[ncr]

Oh no, here come the fanboys!

[GhostofAnakin]

Oh no, here come the fanboys!

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

Oh no, here comes the troll!

[FaramirK]

Oh no, here come the fanboys!

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

Oh no, here comes the troll!

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

..I love this forum.

 

I've played KOTOR lots, and I usually take 30-45 hours, because I do all the sub-quests, play mini games alot and explore everywhere, as well as take my time enjoying the scenery and taking screen shots.

 

KOTOR 2, I'm sure, can be rushed through in 10 hours or fully appreciated in 40-50. I'll play KOTOR 2 just because I have a good imagination and love the KOTOR universe.

 

I thought Phantom Menace was sub-par, but I still enjoy watching it (and own it), simply because its part of the greater story.

[LadyCrimson]

That is a pretty rare case. I haven't had it happen to me yet (although I'm sure you got many of these other small niggles with K1).

 

No it's not...at least it hasn't been for me. Almost every single level-up I've gotten it. I guess my timing of gaining a level in the middle of a fight has been bizarre or something, but it's really raelly annoying.

[WyvernNZ]

I really enjoyed playing KOTOR and completed as a Scout/Guardian Dark Sider. The game was very well put together as all of Bioware's games are. The plot progressed at a great pace and the twist was well thought out. I suspected but didn't expect it, if you understand that.

 

I am finding that KOTOR 2 is better in some regards. I love that you can use opposing force powers and have your CHA minimise the penilties. I also like the fact you can switch weapons and really dig some of the new force powers.

 

The main problem I am having with KOTOR 2 is that it seems to be rushed. By this I don't mean that the game feels unfinished but that it seems that everything happens too fast and you are rushed along without understanding everything that is happening. It reminds me a bit of Max Payne, how the game seemed shorter because it felt that you had to do everything in a hurry. I played through the first time as a sentinal and became a watchman with no overall understanding of what is happening. I got too confused and wasn't even a quarter of the way through. It seemed everything was happening too quickly.

 

The influence thing is also something I don't quite get. I understand you can influence some party members to become Jedi and you can get some background info, but really, what for? Does it really advance the plot it that person becomes a Jedi or if you can make Mandalore nice??????

[Fenyx]

yeah,I also got the feeling that everything ingame happens a bit too fast,so half of my first walkthrough I havent a clue wtf is going on around me,trying to catch up with storyline (if there is any) ....

[Taran'atar]

Hmmm. In my experience, the "you should talk to this NPC" moments only occur at certain points on the maps, most of which are nowhere near hostiles.

 

Anyway, on topic: I'd say that the first KOTOR was better. In general, the characters are more likeable and easier to identify with. The storyline was more complete and coherent.

 

KOTOR 2 wasn't bad either, just not as good as it's predecessor. While some of the characters were interesting, I didn't get into them like I did the first cast. The storyline left too many loose ends and too many plot holes. It's true that a lot of the plot holes are filled in by in-game dialogue, but the coherence of the story is too dependant on the player putting all the pieces together, which is fun to a certain extent, but doing it this much is just tedious.

 

TSL wasn't without it's strengths over the first one though. It did have a far better antagonist in Darth Traya and to a lesser extent Darth Sion. I enjoyed the moral ambiguity of many of the characters and situations, it made the setting and people seem more real in a way. I also liked how they reconciled the two endings of KOTOR 1, which I thought was well done and far more creative than establishing one ending and/or PC gender as the official one.

[dabise]

KotOR2 was my favorite in regards to the story and influence.

 

 

However, for everything else KotOR1 was better and the story to KotOR1 wasn't far behind the KotOR2 story.

 

I have this feeling I missed a bunch of the KotOR2 story though. I noticed that if my party members weren't within a certain distance when i did something their dialog wouldn't fire.

This happened to me on Dxun with the bomb dude

 

 

I ran through the same part 4 times from the same saved game when I noticed that I missed a conversation. (I was seeing every LS/DS option I could get from that encounter) and I'd say the same thing and do the same thing 4 times and only got the conversation with Handmaiden 2 out of the 4 times. The 2 times I didn't was because she was slightly farther away from me.

 

What really cheesed me off was that it was an INFLUENCE conversation. Has this happened more than once when my party members were lagging behind me and I hit a conversation trigger? Maybe I missed some important story triggers?

[FaramirK]

I like the fact that in both games, you can do the most planets in any order, and visit them again anytime. Much better than the "Chapters" in NWN. Bauldur's Gate was sort of a mixture of the two.

[Hildegard]

K1 was one of my favourite games ever, K2 certainly wasn't....and I'll explain excatly as I said in my poll:

 

Personaly I didn't like much K2, it wasn't bad but it just wasn't what I expected and hoped for....

 

What I really liked about K1 was the atmosphere....the star wars atmosphere that was simply remarkable and was rearly encountered in any game....and the players recognized that and that is why it was named a 2003 game of the year by many..

 

I'm sorry but in K2 I didn't have that "feeling" that I had during K1..... most of the time while I was playing K2, and especially in the end, I just found emptiness and dissapoitment as a result of developers lack of style and talent needed to get the job done that was blinded by nothing but profit which often, if not always, happens to the sequel of a game...

 

Some will not agree with me.... but don't get me wrong, K2 is not a bad game and it does have certain advantages and improvements in comperison with K1 in terms of interaction with other characters and the whole influnce thing and other no less important things and details....

 

But that is just that.... what they improved and enhanced in K2 where just details in comperison with the things that it desperately needed in order to be as good and successful or even better then K1....

 

By my opinion K2 primarily lacked a depth in the story, the unique star wars feeling - that I had in K1, K2 story was just too superficial, unfinished, kind of

"empty".....

 

How ironic the main character of K2 - The Exile was described as:

a hole and a wound in the force that drew the ones strong in the force.....

I think that K2 is a hole and a wound in the star wars storyline with the goal of drawing nothing but MONEY from us players eagerly "hungry" for a good game, doublecrossed by LucasArt and by most of the people that had to do with the development of K2....maybe I am a little bit exaggerating and some, perhaps many, won't agree....but ladies and gentlement when I finished playing K2, after the game and that awfull ending I just pictured myself with the sign above my head - SUCKER!!!