Why were the cut scenes cut

[FreeBaGeL]

I just finished my first play-through of KOTOR 2 and -- like many most likely -- headed here afterwards to find out if that was really it (the first time I saw the ending I thought I had a buggy copy of the game that was missing some files for the ending or something).

 

There were also several points throughout the course of the game where I just kind of said to myself "huh?" as things just didn't add up and/or were not explained.

 

Through some brief searching around here, I've found that much of this actually *should* have been explained/further developed, but scenes were for some reason cut from the game that left some major plot-holes. I've listened to a big handful of the .wav files containing dialogue from these cut scenes as well.

 

In listening to them, some of them seemed like pretty important stuff that could've surely solved some of the major plot problems that are evident in the game, so my question in simple form is why were these cut out?

 

Was it a space issue? Time?

 

If that is the case that it was somehow related to development restrictions, why in the world would they choose to cut out important scenes that left major plot holes (and a major sense of no real accomplishment at the end of the story), rather than cutting out some rarely-used side-quest or some of the less meaningful cut-scenes/dialogue in the game? From what I heard of the dialogue, A LOT of the loose ends could've been tied up with in a relatively limited amount of space/time when compared with the scope of how incredibly many cut-scenes and how much dialogue exists in the game that really serves very little purpose. Why not cut out something more meaningless rather than sacrificing major parts of the main storyline?

 

Or is there some more deeply seeded reason that I'm missing here?

[Shadowstrider]

There are many posts and differing views on the topic. I believe the prevailing one is that Obsidian had a deadline and tried to squeeze more into the game than time allowed.

[Darkkender]

There are many posts and differing views on the topic.  I believe the prevailing one is that Obsidian had a deadline and tried to squeeze more into the game than time allowed.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

 

As you said plus if any body ever payed attentionto a few of the pre-game release interviews alot of the interviews stated in different fashions that they were going for more of a open ended Empire strikes back type of ending. That way it takes into account different endings based on your choices. Much like the beginning of the game does with your perspective on Revan.

 

While there is much debate on the potential of Kotor 3 and who the main character will be. My take is this, I doubt highly they will use Revan as the main character in Kotor 3. They may use the Exile but I find that slightly unplausible as well. Where would that leave us? Well with a really open ended ending to K2 we have potential for any number of storylines to be produced without the sequal going in a specific direction. If they had given a more finite ending to K2 they likely would have handed a yet unwritten script for K3 to the audience and said here you go here is our next story no surprises in store.

 

I will not deny the first time I played my response was "WTF!" but after playing again multiple times it makes much better sense and everytime I play I pickup tidbits I missed before that give the ending more definition while remaining really vague. The ending doesn't really come together untill you've played the game more than once. The reason I say this is because when you play it more than once in different means you try it in different ways and new options open up and provide clarity where once was complete confusion.

[Calax]

I've always heard time because of their requirements from Lucasarts to put it out quickly. The RP is trying to make things right (see the sticky at the top). but until they do we just have to wait and hope that Lucasarts gets their head back in the game.

[Via Caltha]

As you said plus if any body ever payed attentionto a few of the pre-game release interviews alot of the interviews stated in different fashions that they were going for more of a open ended Empire strikes back type of ending.  That way it takes into account different endings based on your choices.  Much like the beginning of the game does with your perspective on Revan.

 

Just completed KOTOR2 for the first time today. Glad I'm not the only one who saw parallels with TESB, in that we have a rather unsatisfying ending with several loose threads waiting for a third instalment to bring things to a conclusion. (Or eight conclusions, depending on LS vs. DS in all three games - and variations on these as well.) I'm seriously hoping KOTOR3 does do this - 2 resembles the middle of a trilogy too much for it not to be one.

 

Or maybe I'm just being an optimist. We won't know for a while.

[Jediphile]

I agree that K2 was always intended to an open "Empire Strikes Back" sort of ending. I do not agree, however, that it has one.

 

Where ESB did end open with several plots unresolved, it did tie off that part of the story. Compare that to the end of K2, where we have severel unfinished plots, such as:

 

The Goto vs. Remote sequnce - what happened there?

 

What happened to the Exile's friends - they all went *poof* once you hit Malachor...

 

The Bao-Dur transmission could be taken as if he died. Did he?

 

What happened to the Force Bond between the Exile and Kreia? They say it could be lethal to the other if one of them died, and yet she dies at the end with no explanation of how this is no problem to the Exile.

 

 

This is all different from ESB in that it was clearly defined at the end of that story what had happened and what was yet unresolved. At the end of ESB I was thinking "gee, I wonder what happens next...". At the end of K2 it was more along the lines of "WTF?"

[RevanRedefined]

There are many posts and differing views on the topic.  I believe the prevailing one is that Obsidian had a deadline and tried to squeeze more into the game than time allowed.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

That was what I was led to believe.

[Heckur]

... so my question in simple form is why were these cut out?

 

Was it a space issue?  Time?

 

If that is the case that it was somehow related to development restrictions, why in the world would they choose to cut out important scenes that left major plot holes (and a major sense of no real accomplishment at the end of the story), rather than cutting out some rarely-used side-quest or some of the less meaningful cut-scenes/dialogue in the game?...

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

They had a deadline to catch. And if you are short on time, you cut out things that aren't complete yet, and you leave things in that are already made.

 

So those "important scenes that left major plot holes" were probably not scripted/tested yet, and those "rarely-used side-quest" were.

[ProgenitorHK47]

[quoteJ

The Goto vs. Remote sequnce - what happened there?

 

If you go lightside HK-47 and the HK-51 blast the crap out of G0-T0

 

What happened to the Exile's friends - they all went *poof* once you hit Malachor...

 

Your companions confront Kreia in the Traya Core and fail, branches from there to the Atton's torture and death scenes, Atton attack Disciple, and Brianna attacking Visas.

 

The Bao-Dur transmission could be taken as if he died. Did he?

 

*Shrugs* Mabye he was back with T3 repairing the Ebon Hawk.

 

What happened to the Force Bond between the Exile and Kreia? They say it could be lethal to the other if one of them died, and yet she dies at the end with no explanation of how this is no problem to the Exile.

 

Blame this on M4-78's cut. Master Vash was supposed to explain that force bonds can break when one of the two fall to the dark side.

[darthbass123]

i didnt know about some these. thanks

[Jediphile]

Yes, but all of this is cut content - none of it is in the game, and my point was that this was rather confusing.

 

Bao-Dur's fate is a mystery, though. Nothing I've seen in the Cut Content discussion have shed light on what happened to him, and Kreia notably avoids talking about him when telling the Exile about the future of his companions.

[dufflover]

I agree.

K2 = huh, rrrriiigggghhhtt, wtf!?!

ESB = what next?

 

The idea that the ending is supposed to ESB style like that is a pretty crummy excuse. They may have gone for ESB style ending but that was not it. If they had all those little questions answered then maybe yes.