Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic (series)

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The Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic series, often abbreviated as KotOR, is a comic book and an action RPG video game series based on the fictional universe of Star Wars by George Lucas. The first video game installment was developed by BioWare, while the second was done by Obsidian Entertainment per BioWare’s request.[1] They both, however, were published by LucasArts. The comic series was published by Dark Horse Comics.

Contents

[edit] Gameplay

The game's system is based on Wizards of the Coast's Star Wars Roleplaying Game, which is based on the d20 role-playing game system derived from the Third Edition Dungeons & Dragons rules. Combat is round-based; time is divided into discrete rounds, and combatants attack and react simultaneously. However, the number of actions a combatant may perform each round is limited. While each round's duration is a fixed short interval of real time, the player can configure the combat system to pause at specific events or at the end of each round.

The alignment system tracks actions and speech – from simple word choice to major plot decisions – to determine whether the player's character aligns with the light or dark side of the Force. In the first game, the player's speech and actions have no effect on their teammates. However, the player has influence over their companions in The Sith Lords, the player's actions determining not only what side the player is on, but their teammates as well. The influence the player has on another character can be minor, from converting a character from the dark side to the light, to something as major as teaching them the ways of the Jedi themselves. Influence can be lost, however, if the player makes an action inconsistent with past decisions, causing the player to pay very close attention before reacting in any way.

[edit] New introductions

[edit] Characters

Main article: List of Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic characters

[edit] Lightsabers and corresponding classes

See also: Lightsaber

The KotOR series introduces more than just new characters; it also introduces new lightsaber types and colours, as well as Jedi classes. One of the most notable colours would be yellow, as it is really the only new colour to represent a new Jedi class: the Jedi Sentinel. Other colours include silver, cyan, and orange.

Along with new lightsabers are new classes. As mentioned earlier, the Jedi Sentinel makes its introduction in the Star Wars universe. Unlike Jedi Guardians, identified by blue sabers and more fight-oriented, and Consulars, identified by green sabers and who choose to win their battles with words rather than swords, the Sentinel is identified by a yellow lightsaber and is balanced in both aspects of the former classes. “Gray Jedi,” or non-Jedi Force users, are introduced in The Sith Lords and are usually identified by purple or silver lightsabers. Gray Jedi normally tend to follow their own path as far as the Force is concerned rather than obeying the light or dark side.

Lastly, a new type of lightsaber is introduced: the short lightsaber. It is in all respects the same as a regular lightsaber, but shorter in length, as the name suggests.

[edit] Locations

See also: List of Star Wars planets

Several new planets make appearances in the series as major locations. These include, for example, Dantooine and Korriban, the locations for the Jedi Academy and the Sith Academy, respectively; aboard the Star Forge space station where the final battle between master and apprentice takes place in KotOR; and war-ravaged Telos and its orbiting Citadel Station. Travel between locations happens aboard the fighter Ebon Hawk, which is also a playable location, though no combat takes place onboard. A space station near Yavin is also playable location in the PC version of KotOR and is available to Xbox players via download from Xbox Live.

[edit] Video games

[edit] Synopsis

Four thousand years prior to the Star Wars films, Darth Malak – Darth Revan's apprentice – has unleashed a Sith armada against the Republic. Many Jedi, scattered and left vulnerable by Malak's aggression, die in battle whilst others swear loyalty and allegiance to Malak. The game opens with the player's character – whom the player can customize to be either male or female, though the gender is canonically male[2] – awakening aboard a doomed Republic capital ship with no recollection of his past. After escaping the ship and crash-landing on Taris, the player gradually gathers companions and pieces together his past while attempting to stop Malak's forces. To accomplish this, the main character and his companions search for Star Maps that together reveal the location of the Star Forge, an ancient space station that creates massive amounts of material for Malak.

The main character's actions and speech influence whether he aligns with the light or dark side of the Force. Depending on the character's alignment, he eventually reaches the Star Forge either to defeat the Sith (the light-side path) or to usurp control of the Sith from Malak (the dark-side path). A light-aligned character and his companions are hailed as saviors and heroes; a dark-side character stands before the remaining Sith forces as the new Sith Lord.

The Sith Lords takes place five years after the events of Knights of the Old Republic,[1] in a time when the Jedi have been nearly exterminated by the Sith. The player's character – a former Jedi Knight exiled from the Jedi Order, canonically female[3] – is referred to as "the Exile" or "Jedi Exile." The Exile was a servant under Revan who ordered the activation of the devastating mass shadow generator that caused so many deaths to the point where she (or he) was forcibly stripped of all connections to the Force and removed from the Jedi Order. Throughout the game, the player's character restores a connection to the Force while, with the help of their companions, trying to stop the Sith.

[edit] History

[edit] Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic

Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic (often abbreviated as KotOR) is the first installment in the Knights of the Old Republic series. KotOR is the first computer role-playing game set in the Star Wars universe. The game was released on the Xbox on July 15, 2003 in North America and on September 12, 2003 in Europe. The PC version was released on November 19, 2003 in North America and on December 5, 2003 in Europe.

[edit] Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords

Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords (KotOR II) is the second installment in the video game franchise. The game was released on the Xbox in North America on December 6, 2004, in Europe on February 11, 2005, and in Australia on February 15, 2005. The PC version was released in North America on February 8, 2005 and in Europe on February 11, 2005. Per request as to have time to deal with other matters, BioWare, the original developer, handed over the job to Obsidian Entertainment.[1]

In addition to technical changes – such as more combat animation and interface scaling – The Sith Lords includes several drastic changes from the original game's features.[4] As mentioned earlier in the gameplay section, the player’s actions now affect not only the player themselves but their teammates as well. The player can also teach some teammates the ways of the Jedi. The player also has more diversity when upgrading items, and can even create certain items, such as computer spikes and explosives, themselves.

In a similar way the player’s actions and alignment with the light or dark side affects their teammates (both a teammate’s alignment and who teams with the player in the first place), gender is also a factor when it comes to companionships and gameplay in general. In addition the appearance (due to choices) also affects your teammates. For example, choosing a female character teams the player with Mical the Disciple, while being male teams the player with Brianna the Handmaiden, though the gender is canonically stated to be female.

[edit] Sequel plans

Nancy MacIntyre, LucasArts' vice-president of global sales and marketing, said that the Old Republic series will not be left behind.[5] However, neither LucasArts nor Obsidian have announced anything regarding the possibility of a sequel's development.

An Official Xbox Magazine speculation that BioWare is working on Knights of the Old Republic III was debunked by BioWare employees who stated on their official forums that they "are not currently working on KotOR 3" and "if [a sequel is] being done, it's certainly not being done by us."[6][7]

On October 30, 2007, LucasArts announced that it will be working with BioWare "to create an interactive entertainment product." Though not many details have been released, LucasArts president Jim Ward, had this to say, "LucasArts has a deep commitment to developing compelling stories and characters for the unique medium of interactive entertainment, and we have been searching for a developer that shares this value. We found this in BioWare." [8]

On February 13th, 2008, several websites (including Kotaku and IGN) announced that EA had confirmed Knights of the Old Republic III, with BioWare as the developer. All of the sites making this announcement cited a slide from an EA investor presentation (which simply listed "KOTOR" next to BioWare) as their source. It was later explained on BioWare's forums by community coordinator Chris Priestly[9] that this slide does not list upcoming titles but rather lists titles already existing in the developer's portfolios, and that the mention of "KOTOR" is actually in reference to the original Knights of the Old Republic game.

[edit] Comics

The first issue of the "Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic" comic book series.
The first issue of the "Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic" comic book series.

The Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic comic book series takes places around 3,964 BBY, the Sith era, approximately eight years prior to the story of the video game series. The publisher and publishing company for all issues are Mike Richardson and Dark Horse Comics, respectively. Art work was done by Brian Ching, while the series’ script was done by John Jackson Miller. Each issue was released monthly.

[edit] Synopsis

Zayne Carrick, a young Padawan training at the Jedi Academy on Taris, is given one last chance at capturing a notorious Snivvian smuggler Marn "Gryph" Hierogryph, which will allow him to be promoted to Jedi Knight at the academy graduation ceremony the very same day. After numerous hurdles along the way, Zayne manages to capture Gryph, but is late to the graduation ceremony. Upon arriving back at the academy, Zayne is horrified to find the Jedi Masters, his own included, standing before the slain corpses of his fellow Padawans. Instinctively, he flees from the scene with Gryph and the two are soon framed for the murders. With no other option, Zayne must now learn the ins and outs of being an outlaw, with Gryph as his mentor, hoping to stay alive long enough to clear his name and discover the reason why the Jedi Masters murdered the academy students.

[edit] History

[edit] Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic - Commencement

Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic: Commencement is the first story arc in the comic book. The arc consists of six issues; the first issue was released on January 25, 2006, while the last was released on June 28, 2006.

[edit] Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic - Flashpoint

Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic - Flashpoint is the second story arc in the comic book series.

[edit] Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic - Reunion

Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic - Reunion is the third story arc in the comic book series. The arc consists of two issues, the first issue released on December 27, 2006 and the second released on January 10, 2007.

[edit] Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic 0 - Crossroads

Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic 0 - Crossroads is a comic flip-book included in the Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic/Rebellion 25¢ flip-book, released on March 1, 2006.

[edit] Reception

The general critical response of Knights of the Old Republic was extremely enthusiastic. KotOR won numerous awards, including Game Developers Choice Awards' game of the year, BAFTA Games Awards' best Xbox game of the year, and Interactive Achievement Awards for best console RPG and best computer RPG.[10] KotOR has seen success as the game of the year from many sources including IGN, GameSpot, Computer Gaming World, PC Gamer, GMR Magazine, The Game Developers Choice Awards, Xbox Magazine, and G4TV.[10] Interactive Achievement Awards awarded it for best story and best character development.[10] IGN gave KotOR additional awards in Best Sound (Xbox category), Best Story (PC category), Xbox RPG Game of the Year 2003, PC RPG Game of the Year 2003, Xbox Game of the Year 2003, PC Game of the Year 2003, and Overall Game of the Year 2003 across all platforms. G4TV's game review show X-Play picked KotOR as the second "best game ever" since the show began.[citation needed] The game is also part of the Xbox Platinum Series/Classics for sales in excess of one million units.[citation needed] In 2007, a story twist within the game was ranked number two in Game Informer's list of the top ten video game twists of all time.[11]

The Sith Lords was generally well received by fans and critics alike. Mirroring the success of the first game, The Sith Lords has garnered over thirty-five "Game of the Year" awards.[12] The game received high marks from major reviewers - 8.5/10 from Gamespot, 4.5/5 from Gamespy and 93% from IGN. Based on 30 professional reviews, Metacritic gave the game an average rating of 85 out of 100,[13] compared 93 for Knights of the Old Republic.[14] The game was however criticized for being incomplete due to a rushed deadline.[15]

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b c Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords Developer Interview 2. Gamespot. Retrieved on 2007-08-22.
  2. ^ Chee, Leland (2005-07-13). Holocron continuity database questions. Star Wars Message Boards. “If needed, a definitive ending is chosen . . . Another example is the decision to make Revan a male character.”
  3. ^ Wallace, Daniel (2006-06-27). The New Essential Guide to Droids. Del Rey. ISBN 0345477596. 
  4. ^ Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords Developer Interview 2. Gamespot. Retrieved on 2007-08-22. Event occurs at 2:56. "...as you increase the resolution in the game, the interfaces will scale the same way"
  5. ^ Campbell, Colin. "There's More to Lucas Than Star Wars, You Know", BusinessWeek, 2006-11-22. Retrieved on 2007-02-17. 
  6. ^ Xbox-Scene (2007-03-13). "Official Xbox Mag's 5 Games Being Kept Secret". Press release. Retrieved on 2007-06-19.
  7. ^ Chris Priestly, James Henley (2007-03-06). OXM Officially announced KOTOR 3. BioWare forums. Retrieved on 2007-03-06.
  8. ^ LucasArts and BioWare Corp. to Create Ground-Breaking Interactive Entertainment Product. lucasarts.com. Retrieved on 2007-11-29.
  9. ^ Chris Priestly dispels the rumor that a recent EA report confirmed KotOR3. BioWare Forums. Retrieved on 2008-02-14.
  10. ^ a b c Critical Acclaim. BioWare. Retrieved on 2007-03-30.
  11. ^ Game Informer Issue #168 April, 2007
  12. ^ Obsidian game information. Obsidian Entertainment Inc..
  13. ^ Overview over Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords (PC) ratings. Metacritic. Retrieved on 2007-06-29.
  14. ^ Overview over Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic (PC) ratings. Metacritic. Retrieved on 2007-06-29.
  15. ^ Dixon, Craig (2005-03-04). KOTOR2: The Incompletion Controversy. TheForce.Net. Retrieved on 2007-09-07.

[edit] External links

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