Are KOTOR and The Sith Lords worth it if...

[Ihateregistering1]

So, probably due to TFA coming out, it has reignited a lot of my love for Star Wars. Even though I like the movies a lot, I REALLY love the KOTOR universe. I like the fact that it generally has a more grim feel to it, and I really love the fact that the whole Jedi/Sith thing is much less black and white than the films' "JEDI GOOD, SITH BAD!!!" set-up.

So shockingly, despite my love for this time period, I never actually played through KOTOR or KOTOR 2: The Sith Lords. Due to the fact that they've been out for so long, I already know what the big 'twist' in KOTOR's plot is.

So, basic question: even though I already know the big twist in KOTOR's plot, and the games themselves are pretty dated in terms of graphics and UI, are they still worth a playthrough? I only ask because my game backlog is bad enough, so the idea of jumping into 2 very long Bioware RPGs is a big hurdle at this point.

 

[s0denone]

The Sith Lords is from Obsidian, not Bioware, and is easily the better game, provided you install the community patches.

I would say both are worth to play at least once, but TSL is much better and if you're struggling to set off time for one, let alone two games, I would recommend that over the initial installment of the series.

 

[distortedreality]

Yes, both are worth it. I replay both every year or two, and they are still enjoyable. Obviously, make sure you get the restored content mod for KoToR 2.

 

[Rabish Bini]

Yes both are definitely worth it. But for me, The Sith Lords is the finest piece of Star Wars media ever made, doubly so provided you play with the TSLRCM mod and have finished the first one. Just don't expect a flawless game, it's riddled with bugs and was completely unfinished in its vanilla state, with a third act that has problems that even the restored content mod cannot fix.

 

[Elfgore]

Totes worth it. Out of five of the Star Wars games I consider "amazing", both of these guys are in it. The first game is just a blast in general, decent plot, fun characters, and just a darn good game. The second game gets a little more serious, but is still just as fantastic. As others have said as well, make sure you get the restored content mod and the Droid planet for the awesome levels to continue.

 

[spartandude]

In my opinion they both fantastic games. KotOR I is a fantastic Star Wars story and is one of the best games Bioware has ever made. Although I also think it's biggest weakness and strength is that it's just every Star Wars movie combined.

The Sith Lords on the other hand (and yes this is just my opinion) is the single greatest game ever made. And no I am not exagerating that, it's my all time favourite. If you like good narratives, interesting characters and something that is both Star Wars and different you will want this. (ofcourse i do advise playing the first before the second, as someone who played II before I i was a little lost the first time and you want the restored content mod.)

 

[The Madman]

I'd say they're definitely worthwhile, but then the only way to find out for sure is to play them yourself. Not like either Kotor 1 or 2 are expensive these days either so it's not too much of an investment to make.

Totes worth it. Out of five of the Star Wars games I consider "amazing", both of these guys are in it. The first game is just a blast in general, decent plot, fun characters, and just a darn good game. The second game gets a little more serious, but is still just as fantastic. As others have said as well, make sure you get the restored content mod and the Droid planet for the awesome levels to continue.

Not sure I agree fully with that last bit about the Droid Planet. Maybe it's improved since I last played it, but M4-78 was just such a slog when I last tried it. Very obvious fan-made with lots of open spaces and needless back & forth quests that failed to really advance the plot in any meaningful way while also dragging the main plot to a screeching halt just when it was getting intense.

Again I haven't tried it in a while, sometime in 2013-14ish while it was still in beta, but still I can't imagine it's changed that much. Still a damned impressive mod but maybe something I'd recommend for a second playthrough whereas the Restored Content Mod is pretty much mandatory even for a first playthrough.

 

[DoPo]

Again I haven't tried it in a while, sometime in 2013-14ish while it was still in beta, but still I can't imagine it's changed that much.

Played KOTOR 2 at that point as well. And yeah, the droid planet wasn't that interesting. Actually not bad per se, but yeah - a lot of pointless back and forth. Mostly padding, but it wasn't entirely useless - it filled in some stuff. Could have been hell of a lot shorter or something. Heck, it might have been a cutscene.

There was another fan made quest that was very obviously fan made as it didn't quite fit with the rest of the game. Actually, wasn't even internally consistent. It was the Jedi student on Tatooine. That one was bad, but at least was over quickly.

 

[fix-the-spade]

So, basic question: even though I already know the big twist in KOTOR's plot, and the games themselves are pretty dated in terms of graphics and UI, are they still worth a playthrough?

Yes, because like a lot of Bioware games, they're as much about the characters in them as the over arching plot.

However, with KoTOR2 you absolutely must install The Sith Lords Restored Content Mod (TSLRCM), without it it's quite a good game, with it it's a great game.

 

[NinjaTank56]

You shouldn't have much problem beating it. I'm pretty sure it's actually kinda short for a Bioware game. Like all the other games they made in that era, it's a simple matter of figuring out which order to go to each planet, so you don't have to fight the hard/annoying bosses first. Thinking back, KotOR I and II were the only Bioware games I've actually finished.

On the subject of KotOR II, IMO it's not actually the best game ever. While the combat was Improved, none of the events that happened in that game made any sense, and all the characters either didn't ask any questions, or gave really cryptic explanations. I consider myself above average in terms of Star Wars lore, and I think I understood less once I beat the game. It didn't help that it didn't let me pick an ending (because of a bug I guess?). However, I didn't play with the restored content mod, so maybe that would've helped.

 

[Fappy]

They're both worth it, but I would for sure play Kotor 1 before Kotor 2. The latter has a brilliant central narrative but suffers from a lot of issues ranging from poorly balanced progression/force powers, boring stretches of gameplay (Starting zone, Telos and Nar Shadaa), party bloat with underdeveloped characters, and a lot of cut story content. The restoration mod is supposed to fix some of that, but I haven't finished a playthrough with that mod yet so I can't say how much it fixes.

Kotor 1 is an all around solid game/story with very little to criticize.

 

[-Samurai-]

I'd say they're definitely worth playing. The rest of the story is still good, and the mechanics have aged fairly well, in my opinion.

However, if you're looking for good saber combat, I'd play Star Wars Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy. The story is meh, but the combat is very fun, and can be played multiplayer with bots(the online game is likely dead) and there are a HUGE amount mods available.

 

[Lightspeaker]

KOTOR is amazing. A couple years back I bought it on Steam on sale and started playing it.

And kept playing it.

And then five days later after ten hours of playing a day I finished the game. >_>

Story is great, gameplay is solid. Its an all-round excellent experience. I really absolutely cannot recommend it high enough.


KOTOR2 is okay. I've actually never finished it despite starting it three or four times. I kinda felt the characters were weaker than those in KOTOR and never took to the story as much as I did with KOTOR. Its important to note that KOTOR2 is Obsidian. And Obsidian have had a habit of generally making more intricate and deeper stories than other companies (indeed, the story of KOTOR2 is more complex than that of KOTOR) but being pretty horrible at actually constructing a game. You basically NEED fanpatches to make a number of their games playable and KOTOR2 is no exception, especially with regards to cut content. You absolutely must use a content restoration patch with it.

 

[Sigmund Av Volsung]

Kotor I is a good primer, but Kotor II is significantly better.

I am biased, since I have a fondness for Obsidian and because I played II heavily in my childhood, but it has honestly never diminished in quality. It is the sole work of Star Wars related fiction that actually rejects the light/dark dichotomy and shows you how they are ultimately flawed and equally as dangerous as one another. A friend of mine called it a critique of Star Wars philosophy, and that's basically how the game plays out.

There's also the fact that Kotor II has more fleshed out characters that are interesting beyond the standard Bioware party lineup that is Kotor I, as well as the desolate atmosphere.

To put it simply, I firmly hold Kotor II to be superior. With the TSLRC mod out as well, there is no reason not to try it if you like games with good writing, strong story and Star Wars. Kotor I is a much more pulpier affair, and is incredibly simplistic, but it too has some great moments. However, II will always be the 'Strikes Back' to me, and many others.

EDIT: they're also not particularly long. Both last about 20-25 odd hours, and the UI is simple enough to understand once you get into it. Both are full 3d, so there's no Planescape Torment levels of readjustment required to get into them.

 

[Zhukov]

They've aged atrociously in every way. And they weren't exactly cutting edge when they were new.

If you can adjust to that and you love all things Star Wars enough to overlook basic flaws then there's some fun to be extracted.

Plus they're dirt cheap nowadays. You could probably grab both for a tenner.

 

[Fappy]

They've aged atrociously in every way.

Eh, I wouldn't say everything has aged poorly. The story/characters won't blow you away but they're far better than most games today. Also, if you're a fan of d20 tabletop systems building characters is fun. Yeah, it's an unbalanced mess, but it's still fun.

 

[DoPo]

Also, if you're a fan of d20 tabletop systems building characters is fun. Yeah, it's an unbalanced mess, but it's still fun.

And if you're not a fan, that's also fine - play the most wizard class in KOTOR2 and enjoy curbstomping all opponents because you're OP as fuck. I can't exactly remember which class had the advantage in 1 - it might have been the warrior that advanced into Jedi warrior. It was the simplest to build, at least.

 

[Fappy]

Also, if you're a fan of d20 tabletop systems building characters is fun. Yeah, it's an unbalanced mess, but it's still fun.

And if you're not a fan, that's also fine - play the most wizard class in KOTOR2 and enjoy curbstomping all opponents because you're OP as fuck. I can't exactly remember which class had the advantage in 1 - it might have been the warrior that advanced into Jedi warrior. It was the simplest to build, at least.

Yeah, in the only playthrough I ever finished of Kotor 2 I was a full lightside Jedi Counselor and it was a cakewalk. AoE force stun + spam Force Wave = everything is dead. Sure, I could have been darkside and used Deathfield, but that's just overkill.

I would agree that Jedi Knight was the best class in Kotor 1. If you went single saber with a strength/power attack build you were basically unstoppable. I used this build in my Luke + R2D2 run (player & T3 for skillmonkeyness only) and the only fight I struggled on was the Darth Bandon Korriban fight, which is a lot harder if you are an idiot like me and fight him on the hardest planet to fight him on. I had T3 kite him around with his flamethrower while I killed all of the dark jedi adds one-by-one.

I could have killed the last boss with my eyes closed using that build. Can't hax Will save against a power attack!