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

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7.2 User Score:

Generally favorable reviews

Based on 31 critic reviews
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Based on 94 votes
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Game Info

Publisher: LucasArts

Developer: Obsidian Entertainment

Genre(s): Role-Playing Game, Third-Person Action

Players: 1

ESRB Rating: T (Teen)

Release Date: February 8, 2005

Summary

Beginning approximately five years after the events of the first Knights of the Old Republic, The Sith Lords takes players on an entirely new journey as they assume the role of what is believed to be the last Jedi in the galaxy. The game features a cast of memorable returning characters and sinister new villains. Using more than 30 new Force powers, players can turn weak-minded enemies against one another in combat with "Force confusion" or see through doors and view character alignment with "Force sight." Assigned to protect the Old Republic and the Jedi Order from the terrifying Dark Lords of the Sith, players must explore and battle through seven diverse worlds while being challenged whether to choose the light side of the Force or surrender to the lure of the dark side. [LucasArts]

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What The Critics Said

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

Worth Playing

The epic struggles of the universe are told in a cinematic, moving style. The interpersonal conflicts are brought out through rich dialogue and well thought-out storytelling.

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eToychest

On the other side of the presentation scale, the music is absolutely brilliant. The Star Wars films have set a high bar for any derivative material, but, thankfully, this game lives up to the challenge.

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Game Chronicles

Obsidian hasn’t strayed from a proven formula but they have added a few interesting and subtle touches that will delight RPG fans and Star Wars fan alike.

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Gamer's Hell

A masterpiece. It is more than a worthy successor to the original game, and it continues the strong tradition that Bioware started with an epic space opera of morality and thought provoking decisions that affect the lives of both individuals and entire cultures.

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GamePro

Make no mistake; this is the definitive version of KOTOR II.

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GameBiz

Well written, well composed, and full of imaginative ideas, if perhaps lacking a little polishing on the integration of those ideas.

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Play.tm

The quality of the characters, story and writing is the biggest draw as far as I was concerned and is certainly the game's greatest strength. The characters are full of quirks, idiosyncrasies and flaws, making them seem like realistic individuals rather than the tool of a games designer.

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Computer Gaming World

This is a very good follow-up to the best single-player role-playing game in years, and that's OK with me. KOTOR II is a big, often complex, mature piece of storytelling—and I'll take it over anything that's been onscreen with the Star Wars name in 25 years.

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Boomtown

With around 50 hours (if you play both sides) of immersive RPGing and several different possible conclusions for both Dark and Light side players, you’re getting good value for money. Just try not to sweat the ending too much.

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PC Format

An adult plot, new techniques to unlock your team's back-story, exciting levels and planets, divergent light and dark paths, and a black sense of humor all contribute to a nicely rounded RPG. [Apr 2005, p.94]

Computer Games Online RO

The game’s finale however left me a little disappointed, because it ends too abruptly, leaving behind more questions than answers.

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GameZone

While it falters a little on the technical front in terms of graphics, KOTOR 2 is a great game that takes the classic gameplay of the original game and expands it with a brand new story and 30 to 40 more hours of gameplay.

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Computer and Video Games

This was a feature of the first game, but here you can turn even the most peaceable follower of the Light into a bitter and twisted receptacle of evil. Kind of. [PC Zone]

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Game Over Online

Some of the magic wasn’t there this time, whether because KOTOR II is a sequel using a similar engine, thus removing the novelty of the game, or perhaps because Obsidian tried to do too much in the game, and the things that don’t quite work or that were cut out due to time constraints have a negative influence.

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IGN

More importantly, all these mechanics -- the moral slider, the influence system, combat, etc. -- are surrounded by a first rate story that's almost as mythic and fantastic as the films themselves.

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PC Gamer

Sith Lords tends to exaggerate the best features and few flaws of its predecessor. Its environments are still linear and some are less polished, but the combat, character interactions, and story are all terrific. [Apr 2005, p.62]

Jolt Online Gaming UK

Whether you’ve played the first or not, KotOR 2 offers a complete RPG experience – with a full bodied story, a good experience points system and combat that’s fairly satisfying.

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GameSpot

It's remarkable that the game's quest is every bit as big and complex as the original's. On the other hand, some unsightly technical issues and a general feeling of déjà vu will probably prevent you from feeling as strongly about The Sith Lords as you did or still do about the first game.

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2404.org

The combat system, while boring at first, became much more appreciable once your party begins to grow in size.

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Game Revolution

Despite some slightly dated looks, the deep plot will draw you in and the near-invincible power will continuously tempt you to the Dark side. I can't make any promises for "Episode III," but The Sith Lords will not disappoint.

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My Gamer

It’s an effective sequel that makes the statement “If it isn’t broken, don’t fix it” ring true.

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PC Gameworld

there’s nothing new or innovative in this sequel and thus is merely a good RPG. Fans of the original will probably find the story enjoyable but will feel like they are just replaying "KOTOR" with a different story.

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GameSpy

As good as the storyline and basic gameplay are, there are more than a few issues that keep this game from reaching the bar set by the first KotOR. The first: bugs. There a lot of them; most are just annoying, but a few are deadly.

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Armchair Empire

While in many ways this is a good thing, the weaker storyline detracts from its overall enjoyability.

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Sydney Morning Herald

More new elements would have been welcome, but The Sith Lords is another epic and fascinating Star Wars adventure.

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Times Online

The visuals in this classy RPG are solid, while the level design and locations alternate between the inspired and the merely functional.

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Gamer.tv

Very much Star Wars but this time with a lot of added depth, care, and a complete absence of laziness.

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Detroit Free Press

But to get to all that good story, you're going to have to get past repetitive action and frequent bugs. If you experienced the combat in the first game, you'll find that it's almost identical this time through.

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ActionTrip

All I know is that the horrible performance, a few random crashes, and other minor bugs have severely diminished my enjoyment of an otherwise addictive and excellently written Star Wars RPG.

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GameShark

A really good RPG, but only if you’re part of the lucky minority that can run the game with none of the huge technical problems everyone else is suffering from.

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Thunderbolt

The interesting decisions and the gripping characters still manage to hook their addictive claws into the player and almost make it easy forget about the game’s many shortcomings. In this case, “almost” is good enough.

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What Our Users Said

The average user rating for this game is 7.2 (out of 10) based on 94 User Votes

Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

Master Boredom gave it a7:
Forced. Knights of the Old Republic II suffers, in short, from being in the shadow of it's predecessor's brilliance. When the former not only brought to life the Star Wars world better than any previous game, but also managed to combine PC RPG stats and dice with Console RPG storytelling, it did so almost unexpectedly. KotOR threatened to be far less than the sum of its parts, and when it turned out to more, much more, its success was guaranteed. Unfortunately, that first game, but for a few tiny control issues, really didn't leave much to be improved upon. Taking up the motto of "If it ain't broke, don't fix it", the developers subsequently created something that feels more like a hefty expansion, rather than a true sequel. New story, slightly altered levelling up system, but all within the same shell. Unfortunately, the game fails to match its predecessor on several of these levels. Firstly, the combat and skill related section of KOTOR II lacks the balance of the first game. Certain fights in the first game were genuinely difficult, and frequently your choice of skills and party members only opened doors at the expense of others being shut. In contrast, from the outset of KOTOR II, it is easy to have a party capable of accomplishing everything and kicking ass to boot. A carefully constructed jedi is quite capable of destroying even the toughest enemies on their own, and several of the other party members (or yourself, if you choose) can cover ALL of the skills needs you'll ever have, while remaining quite combat capable. The satisfaction of levelling up becomes muted as the game wears on, and towards the end begins to feel rather meaningless. Secondly, the interactions between your fellow party members and yourself, while still a cut above most rival games, never reaches the brilliance of the first game. Ultimately, despite the game's efforts, the brilliance of Bastila, Carth and Mission is not replicated, and instead we end up with characters who range from the flat to the outright dislikeable. This is coupled with a well intentioned system of converting followers to the light or dark sides, which while a promising idea ultimately serves to replace rather than support the "it looks like something is bothering ____" of the first game. Rather than developing, the game instead seems to pour all the character's stories into initially accessible paths and abandon them for the endgame. Indeed, the game also includes a rather bizarre continued conflict between two NPCs that might well not feature in the player's plans. Finally, the story itself borders upon weak, though it likely suffers again from the impact of its predecessor here. The pacing of the game, certainly, is poor, and the game seems to drag for large periods without any injection of urgency or a strong wider goal. When the endgame does approach, it is thrown on almost unexpectedly. This combines with the game's enemies, who, after appearing deeply menacing when we first meet them, and radiating a sense of power, proceed to fall like bowling pins so quickly at the end, that you're left expecting revivals that do not come. This is a shame, because while characters like Darth Malak and Darth Revan (KotOR) might have been impossible to best, the game initially appears to have matched them. Frankly, KotOR II's concepts deserve far better than the game delivers. It isn't all doom and gloom, though. The sensation that this is KotOR 1.5 will probably be welcomed by most, and although the game doesn't match it's predecessor, you would be hard pressed to accuse KotOR II of being the cash-in it might have been. Some of the dialogue is genuinely brilliant and there are many pleasing little concepts in the storyline. And it is another replication of those wonderful star-wars worlds, which is always appreciated. My final gripe with the game, concerns the way the story progresses from it's predecessor. It would have been nice if the game could have absorded some details of what happened in the player's previous outing, but instead we have a hotch-potch amalgamation of the potential light/dark paths ventured last time around. Indeed, given the options available in the previous game, it is disappointing to see a story told where the actions of my character seemed completely contradicted. The ending, in particular, is very unsatisfying, and seems to cater for only one path of play. Frankly, the story of the second game is best ignored when thinking about the series. KotOR II remains an acceptable RPG romp, but fails to deliver to the level of it's predecessor. Ultimately, it fails to reach the benchmarks in gameplay, story and characterization of the first game, and though fans will welcome the extension of the series there is no doubt that it will take more to acheive the success of the first game.

Kris K gave it a4:
The game crashes quite frequently. The story was chopped mostly due to the production being pushed out the door too fast. Definitely not as good as the first one.

David W gave it a1:
This game is like a chocolate with a center composed of crude oil. It looks great from the outside but once you bite down you realize how disgusting it actually is - not to mention how sick it will make you feel after you swallow it. Seriously, it seems great with all of these plot threads and detail at first, but in the end neither the plot nor the subplots are resolved. I was surprised when the ending credits rolled because I was certainly expecting something to pull together at least some of the missing pieces - but sadly there was a BRIEF cutscene that didn't make any real sense and then BLAM - THE END. Then I realized how badly the gameplay had deteriorated during the second half of the game was not going to overcome by a solid ending - and realized that I had been had by this sad sham of a game. I certainly will not buy future LucasArts products as a result.

[Anonymous] gave it a3:
This game had such promise but it ultimately fails to deliver. By continuing the story from the first KOTR, this game has a strong backbone. The game play and options can make you feel lonely at times but the RPG elements of leveling up your Jedi or Sith make up for it. This game falls apart with a patchwork narrative and unsympathetic characters lead to a confusing and emotionless ending. Story elements from the best characters were removed, some plot lines and quests end without resolution, and the main supporting actors give no explanation for their actions.

Nick C. gave it a9:
By far one of the best star wars games ever. played many times through because every time it seems different.

John M. gave it a9:
An extremely fun game. People who have no imagination just think of it as "clicking the enemy and the computer does the work" Its a good game. You just have to have a good computer.

Jeremy E. gave it a6:
A very unworthy sequel to the original. The gameplay was much improved, with all the item creation aspects being really pretty dang cool. And the graphics and such were pretty much exactly like the first, so I didn't really have any problem with that. The problem was that while the first game delivered an incredible story, this one barely had any story whatsoever. By the end of the game, I felt like the story had been put in place by a group of kids doing a school project or something. It was such a disappointment to see the KoToR legend almost certainly killed in this way.

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

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