Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords (PC, 2005)

This game seems to be good, but if you try to use it under Vista and Windows 7, you will have to do some patching.

The automatic patching program included in the game does not work. You need to download the patch from lucusartsgames.
Then, you need to download a "Vista fix" from filefront.
http://www.filefront.com/​9398284/TSL-Windows-Vista-Fix/
Find the Knights of the Old Republic 2 section and download that or the game won't launch.

Next, you need to set all the .exe files in the game directory in Program Files to Windows 2000 compatibility mode.

Finally, the SecurROM copy protection may malfunction. Forcing you to download a crack from gamecopyworld that may or may not be considered legal in your jurisdiction.

Finally, if you have an ATI Graphics card or chipset, you will need to add a line under "[Graphics Options]" in the swkotor2.ini file. Insert a new line under the line that reads [Graphics Options]" to say "Disable Vertex Buffer Objects=1" without the quotes.

Once all those steps are taken care of, the game will work under Vista and Windows 7. A bit more startup overhead, but well worth it.


I haven't gotten past the beginning, but I thought I'd use my review to forewarn people about Vista so they know how to get the game to run. I'm not sure if I can include links in the reviews, so I left allusions to where to get the patches that would survive a fanfiction dOt net filter.

Knights of the Old Republic II: the Sith Lords is a title that will seem very familiar to anyone who played the original KOTOR. The problem there lies in the fact that it's almost TOO similar.

Despite coming out a few years later, the graphics are identical to the first installment. KOTOR II takes this a step further because if you played the original, you will recognize some of the map locations. Particularly caves and fields are dead ringers for the original, making the game feel rushed in places. The controls are also a bit clumsier than KOTOR, which doesn't really make sense for a sequel to take steps backward in gameplay.

The cast of characters is expanded from the original, but some of the weaker characters really aren't worth playing. For example: three playable droids and a tech specialist? Karth and Bastila do make cameos, but aren't playable. Hey, at least you get a wookie and a Jedi assassin.

Some old favorites are back as far as force powers go, choke, lighting, insanity, lightsaber throw etc. There are also some new spices thrown in to look forward to (watch out for force crush, whew man). There's also an interesting option where your character can select force persuasion as a power, which leads to extra dialouges in conversations (think "these aren't the droids you're looking for"). In one instance, again on dark side, I remember talking a guy into jumping off a bridge, thinking that the landing will be much softer that way.

Many of the rewards for in game activities, particularly if you play dark side, come in the form of money, or credits in the Star Wars world. I found this to be frustrating because, unlike KOTOR, there is nothing to buy at the end of the game to make all the side quests feel worth while. No super light saber crystals or juiced up armors, and there are no advantages to having more money than God at the end of the game.

The plot also leaves something to be desired. Like KOTOR, you wake up in a strange place with no memories or who you are or how you got there, and the plot revolves around an all to familiar journey of self discovery. This game lacks the sense of purpose that the first one had, and most of the game is just flying to different worlds with no real explanation. There are choices between good and evil, but neither greatly affect the outcome. Not to give anything away, but it's hard not to see the ending coming from the very first opening sequence.

All in all this was a fun game, but not nearly as quality an experience as the first one. If you've played KOTOR and are itching for more, I would give this game a try, otherwise just stick to the original.

If you played KotOR 1, I recomend you play this one too. The play style is much the same. The only thing they added are some new force powers. Aside from that, the controls, UI, and actions are basically all the same.

The story in this one is much different than the last, although the last one does tie into this one. Depending on certain answers you give to questions about what happened in the last game, certain things will be said/heard later on.

One of my favorite parts about this one rather than the first was the ability to influence your crew. I thought this was a great additino. By doing things, evil or good, you gain influence or lose it with members of your crew. ALso, your alignment greatly affects theirs as well. Some you can even teach to be Jedi, with enough influence. This aspect of the game makes it very apealing throughout the entire plotline.

The major drawback to this game is the conclusion. The story just kind of builds up throughout the game and then meanders on to the end. And the ending itself is a huge let down.

If you liked KotOR I would play this for sure. If you haven't, then I would still recomend it, though less highly.

The excellent Bioware title, KOTOR I, was really a spectacular game. I recommend it for any fan of the Star Wars genre. In KOTOR II - they tried to improve on the original - and came very close to succeeding - with more and better features such as being able to influence your party members, creating new items, more item possibilities, new combat styles, etc. A few things however detract from this mission - 1. Bugs! Save often in different places and be prepared to get stuck for no reason. Graphics often bug out as well - and that is with the patch, which is an absolute necessity. 2. Weak ending - play the whole game on difficult - that is the only way any of it is at all challenging. 3. Story is not as strong as Kotor I and at times can be a touch contrived.

All that said - if you have the patience for all that - there is a lot to like about KOTOR II - in many ways it is even more replayable than KOTOR I.

This game by far exceads the first one i love them both i like the story lines the way u can make choses on wich way u want ur charecter to go u can be light or dark on dark side u can become a sith master or a sith marauder and light u can be a jedi watchmen or master each class has its own special abilitys the charecters and all the things u do keeps u guessing and thats what i like in a game.