Let's Play: Knights of the Old Republic II: Update 23: The Dark Side of the Force

[Soviet Heavy]

Hey Woodaba, between the two sith lords, which do you find more terrifying?

Just two? What about the others?

Spoiler: Dem Sith Lords

I mean, you've got the monsters of Malachor with Nihilus and Sion, each representing dark parallels of the Exile. Sion survived the cataclysm through the embrace of pain, while Nihilus turned to his hunger to survive.

And then there is Traya, and whoever she turns out to be. Kreis is her, but so if Atris by the end. There must always be a Darth Traya, and she can be more than one person, so long as the treachery continues.

 

[woodaba]

Hey Woodaba, between the two sith lords, which do you find more terrifying?

Spoiler

Nihilus. Sion just became too human by the end, especially on a female playthrough, for me to be truly terrified of him, though I still do find him very unnerving. And while you can beat Nihilus by breathing on him (which is totally the point, but I'll get to that when we come to it), there's just something terrifying about an incomprehensible force that devours life by the planetload, and doesn't even regard the existence of mere mortals. There's something very lovecraftian about him, and I eat that up. And then spit it back out in horror. Though of all 4 (really 3, but the last one is two different people), I think I like Atris-Traya the best, on a male playthrough at least, because of the relationship the characters have.

 

[Smiley Face]

On a practical side, explosions are harder to dodge than lasers, so avoiding setting them off seems a good plan. On the non-immediate ramifications... well, as many NPCs will delight in telling you, it's not good. So yeah, No Kabooms today.

 

[Soviet Heavy]

Hey Woodaba, between the two sith lords, which do you find more terrifying?

Just two? What about the others?

Shh...

In answer to your question, Gamptrak...

Spoiler

Nihilus. Sion just became too human by the end, especially on a female playthrough, for me to be truly terrified of him, though I still do find him very unnerving. And while you can beat Nihilus by breathing on him (which is totally the point, but I'll get to that when we come to it), there's just something terrifying about an incomprehensible force that devours life by the planetload, and doesn't even regard the existence of mere mortals. There's something very lovecraftian about him, and I eat that up. And then spit it back out in horror.

Spoiler

I prefer Sion myself. He hides behind his hubris, and I find the human element of him compelling. Nihilus was a force of nature, to be sure. But the rivalry between the two of them is great. In the Restored Content Mod, when Sion confronts Nihilus, you really see just how different the two of them are, and it is a great contrast. Nihilus can beat Sion without even lifting a finger, and just to spite Sion, he doesn't even bother to kill him.

But all this while, Sion has been the one launching attacks against the Exile, actively hunting him/her down personally, while Nihilus leaves the scheming to people like Tobin and his cabal of Sith Lords. Sion's need to be the best and his arrogance define him. He is the more flawed of the Sith lords, but to me, the more compelling.

 

[woodaba]

Alright, we've got our choice. I shall return soon with the next update.

 

[woodaba]

I really dislike the fact that "mr all powerfull sith lord" speaks with his mouth full, i never got why they choose to go that way... so Sion.

I prefer to think of it as He Who Shall Not Be Named is speaking some kind of Lovecraftian Old Tongue. Mortals literally can't comprehend what he's saying.

 

[AD-Stu]

I really dislike the fact that "mr all powerfull sith lord" speaks with his mouth full, i never got why they choose to go that way... so Sion.

I prefer to think of it as He Who Shall Not Be Named is speaking some kind of Lovecraftian Old Tongue. Mortals literally can't comprehend what he's saying.

I'm the same - I thought it was somehow cool that we mere mortals couldn't understand a word he was saying. I think it went really well with the whole facless thing as well. But we'll get to that, I suppose

 

[A-D.]

I really dislike the fact that "mr all powerfull sith lord" speaks with his mouth full, i never got why they choose to go that way... so Sion.

I prefer to think of it as He Who Shall Not Be Named is speaking some kind of Lovecraftian Old Tongue. Mortals literally can't comprehend what he's saying.

Actually, he's speaking Sith. At least thats how it is implied. If i recall correctly there is only one little hint about it via Atris in her Holocron Room, which are Sith Holocrons, hence Nihilus is actually speaking "Sithese", which is the fan-term for the language.

Could go on a page-long rant about the concept but im not going to. However, with Bob in general, i get the feeling that we will end up having a slightly neutral run, given that alot of the Game is not clear-cut like the first one was, and well it would make sense considering "Daddy" ;P

 

[woodaba]

[HEADING=2]Update 5: The Interlude[/HEADING]

Spoiler: MY GOD IT'S FULL OF EXPOSITION

Last time we left the Three Musketeers, we narrowly escaped from a mining base, destroyed the Robot that killed all the people there, looted his rotted carcasses, fought our way through an army of sith, Kreia got her hand cut off, and we partook in a terrible turret section. However, the Sith's ship, the Not-At-All-Ominous-Sounding-Harbinger, is in hot pursuit, and turbolasers and highly volatile asteroid fields don't tend to go over well.

"Keep your distance from those asteroids, Atton. This is your chance to prove that you're worthy of being our designated pilot. It's either that, or we feed you to T3. Dog Food's pretty scarce out here, after all. And I here them dogs love the taste of human flesh."

"I'm not a dog, you imbecilic meatbag!"

"Of course you aren't."

"Yeah, and then we'd burn horribly in nuclear fire. I guess you're still delirious from blood loss, but damn, woman. That idea sucks."

"Hmm. Our choices are die, or die. Wonderful. Atton, just stay the course. We'll get out of this yet. After all, they can't kill off the main character this soon."

"...does the word "Raiden" ring a bell?"

"Well, this is it. Dying with a bunch of meatbags. I can think of worse ways to die, I suppose. Oh wait, no I can't."

So, let's see the consequences of our decision. Will it be like Alpha Protocol, where choices are meaningful and change the direction of the story? Or will it be like The Walking Dead, where it's the same story but some characters might be wearing different hats?

Yep. Choice affects nothing but your conscience. Harbinger hits the field anyway...

...and Peragus still goes up in flames.

Peragus is a sticking point for fans and non-fans alike. Most people think it sucks. A boring, repitive gauntlet through repetitive enemies. But, the atmosphere and writing is great. I honestly think peragus would be great for a point-and-click like Gemini Rue (that game's awesome) or Blade Runner The Game (also awesome), but as an RPG where they have to dump robots in for you to fight? Not so much fun. But, I do like the planet overall. As I said, great writing, great atmosphere, and I can forgive a lot of things for those things. Plus, it's genuinely creepy, at least the first time you go through it. Not Eternal Darkness or Silent Hill 2 of constant unyielding terror, but more Majora's Mask-level underlying feel of unease.

That is, if you separate yourself from the fact that you play a super-capable Kung-Fu jedi.

Finally, we enter Hyperspace, and leave this place behind...forever.

Also, I guess we're in the time vortex now.

"I have a name, you know."

"I do. However, your name is stupid. Therefore, I reject your reality and substitute it with my own."

"You said the Harbinger was on it's way to Telos?"

"How did you know I was on board the Harbinger? I took great lengths to ensure that I would not be followed."

"I would hardly call the act of updating your Facebook status constantly claiming that you are in the Nar Shadda Red Sector an act of strategic genius. Besides..."

"That's an unusual set of coincidences."

"Also, the writers were lazy, and the Force is like crack for lazy writers."

"How come I don't remember any of this?"

"Then, how did we get to Peragus?"

"Hey, asswipes! It was me! Me! The real hero of this game!"

"Aw, shut up, you old hag. I could take you. In a fight. With me. And you. Come at me, bro."

"He says he repaired the ship and took it to Peragus."

"Sure, Bob. Whatever you say."

"Alright, Atton. I'll repair the ship. And then I'll kill you in your sleep."

"Kreia, why are these Sith after me?"

"But...I was exiled from the Jedi order. I'm not a Jedi anymore."

"But...last of the Jedi? That can't be true."

"What about the Jedi on Dantooine? And Coruscant?"

"Well, they were morons. So, yeah. Fuck those guys. But...if any survivors still live, we need to warn them."

"Then, how do we stop the Sith?"

"They're eager to fight us - I say we fight back."

"What do you mean?"

"The Mandalorian Wars were my choice."

"If we don't fight the Sith, then we sacrifice the Galaxy."

##

"Yeah...she did seem well enough for someone who had just lost her hand."

"What are you talking about?"

"That's...odd."

"When did you get so sensitive?"

"I'm gonna check on her. Can you handle things up here?"

"Oh, sure. All I gotta do is type on my invisible keyboard for a couple hours."

With that done, we finally have free reign of our ship. It's been a while since KotOR 1, but our old girl, the Ebon Hawk, hasn't changed much.

We do find this interesting sight in the cargo hold. That's a familiar paint job...

We got a HK vocabulator from the charred remains of our friend back on Peragus, so we can install that.

That done, we continue exploring the rest of the ship, and run into T3, working on the engines.

"Hey, do you know where that HK droid in the Cargo Bay came from?"

"That didn't sound very convincing. Are you sure you don't know?"

"Oh, fine. Keep your secrets. Say, you look like you've suffered a heck of a lot of damage over the years."

"Wow, you certainly are making great use of your vast vocabulary today. How much damage?"

"So, you lost a lot of programs in your behavior core, in addition to the damage to your frame?"

"I'm sure you'll gain that skill back. I'm glad there's someone useful on this ship."

"I have decided that in the robot apocalypse, your death will be quick and painless."

"That's nice of you, T3. Thanks."

"Think nothing of it."

Continuing our exploration of our old ship, we come across the old spice compartment, only now it holds...

Jedi Robes! And Pazaak cards! And random chemicals! Perfectly normal!

Our exploration done, we head over to Kreia's chambers.

"Listen...when you lost your hand...I felt it too."

Conversations with Kreia are an influence minefield. There are SO many things you can say that piss her off. You can't be too nice. You can't be too nasty. And, above all, you can't try to help her, or she will bite your head off.

"If I felt the loss of your hand, what would have happened if you had died?"

"More extreme? It felt like my hand had been dipped in molten carbonite."

"By the way, I meant to ask, how the hell did you get away from Sion?"

"The Force did it."

"Ah, of course. Wait...are you saying that my life is tied to yours?"

"Then we gotta work together and try to be careful until we can fix this."

"How could this bond have happened?"

"It seems the force flows easily through us - when one of us manipulates the force to heal or strengten themselves, it will aid the other too."

It's a neat little mechanic, actually. It goes a certain way towards eliminating the issue in the first game where buffs only affected the caster, where Kreia or Bob can buff themselves, and the other will gain the benefit. Pretty cool, all things considered.

"When we were on Peragus, I could feel the force again."

"It was like a whisper...at the edge of hearing. Like it was coming from a great distance."

"Wait...what? The Jedi did this to me?"

"But, to cut someone off from the force, it is like losing all your senses at once."

"Um...Kreia..."

"What is it?"

"Your pants."

"What about them?"

"I...I think they're on fire."

"Pay that no mind."

"All right then, uh...there must be some way to reverse what the Jedi did."

"Slim is better than none."

"I will honor whatever training you offer."

"I'm gonna need all the help I can get. I would welcome whatever you can bring to the table."

"Can you recap what's happened since the Mandalorian Wars for the benefit of those who haven't played the first game?"

"Tell me about the Wars."

"The Jedi council were scared. They preferred to stand back and "assess the threat". Only a few Jedi had the courage to go into battle. Like me."

"And Revan and Malak refused to wait."

"Until we destroyed them...at Malachor V."

"Many Jedi died at Malachor V, and the conflict split the order."

"I felt them fall...war had consumed them."

"Didn't the Jedi Order try to stop them?"

"Then, how were Malak and the Sith defeated?"

"But what happened to Revan?"

It's not like Revan to leave unfinished business just hanging like that. What on earth has happenned to her?"

"So, Revan turned on Malak - to save the Republic?"

"Then we must do what we can until it can recover from the war."

If you take nothing else away from that conversation, remember that line.

"Perhaps the Republic may be better suited to stand on it's own. If we prop it up, it's only setting itself up for a bigger fall. If we do anything, we need to help the Republic help itself."

"Because I'm the last jedi?"

Shakespeare, eat your heart out.

"No pressure then. I need to know more about the Sith hunting us."

"There was another Jedi Civil War?"

It's rather vague what she's actually talking about, after all, every bloody war in Star Wars could be summed up like that, but I think she's referring to the Great Schism, or First Schism, the first war where the Jedi broke into the Jedi and the Sith.

"But these Sith seem...different."

"The Sith on the Harbinger knew some Force techniques, but they were weak."

"He's not a fool...but he does seem odd to me."

Taking Kreia's advice, finally freed from the Coversation That Never Ends, we head to the cockpit.

 

[woodaba]

Spoiler: Part 2!

"For someone without much to say, she sure says a lot."

"I'm not so sure. My grandma spent her entire day reminding me how much of a failure I was, spent her entire life making racist comments about everyone who happened to pass by, and she lived to the ripe old age of 98. Unfortunately."

"I'd imagine our passenger's pretty old too. She might have been good-looking once, but it takes from hard living to make creases like that."

"Good looking? Are you that desperate?"

"Look, ease off on the insults. She got herself wounded trying to help us escape, remember?"

"Let's focus on getting to Telos for the time being."

"All right then."

"To what?"

"My lightsaber was taken from me...by the council."

This is a cool little bit of RP'ing, where you can decide what lightsaber you want your character to have used in the past. It doesn't affect things very much, or at all, really, but it's pretty cool nontheless.

"It was a double-bladed one. Fuck, there's got to be at least one interesting character with one of those."

"No, both the blade and the crystal were unique."

"Orange, like Husaq's sun."

"To be honest, I think having it would only telegraph my presence even more."

And so, we set off for Citadel Station.

No, not that one.

"Welcome to Citadel Station. I am SHODAN, your friendly neighborhood artificial intelligence. Please wait in the hangwr, while Citadel Security intercept your party."

I think we may be nearing crossover saturation point.

"Are we under arrest? I can't go back inside, man. My high quality posterior won't survive in the joint!"

"This outrageous. You don't have any evidence."

"Ugh, all right then. But I warn you, if my ass comes to any harm, I'm going to hold you personally responsible."

"Gah! What the hell happened to your face, Atton? I think you've had a stroke."

Some time later...

Meanwhile, at C-Sec...

"A force cage? This is ridiculous."

"So be it, but i'll remember this."

We go to sleep in an exceptionally uncomfortable position.

The door slides open, revealing a C-Sec officer.

"Let me out, and we'll see how disappointed you are."

"Uh, Atton?"

"Atton, I'm sure in Bizarro land goading your enemy on when you're hopelessly defenceless is an effective tactic, but we aren't in Bizarro land, funnily enough."

"ATTON! SHUT! THE! FUCK! UP!"

"We're in a TSF station. How do you expect to get away with this?"

"I don't think so. (puts on sunglasses) Your body's staying right here."

"Aw, Atton. I didn't know you cared."

I just realized: it looks like the Rick Santorum lookalike from Taris in K1 has returned to seek vengeance upon us...

"Wait, you're deactivating the Force Cages? You are the worst Bounty Hunter ever. Of all time."

Proving more sprightly than our would-be killer intended, we kick the ever-loving shit pout of him.

"Go for the eyes, Atton! Go for the eyes!"

And, almost instantly, the assassin falls.

"Man. This guy makes Casey Hudson look good at his job."

However, the Casey Hudson Fanclub has obviously detected our slight, and his rushing into his defence.

"Wow...this looks kind of...awkward."

"Atton did it!"

"Kreia did it!"

"Did I mention Atton?"

"He was an assassin, here to kill me. Good thing you're all so competent and on the ball about everything."

"I'm glad someone noticed only AFTER he tried to kill me."

"The best of your ability? Oh, that's very reassuring. Kreia? Atton? Everything's gonna be ok! I mean, they only let the one assassin in. I'm sure it was an honest mistake."

I adore the silence here. This game can be funny, when it wants to be.

"Just take me to my quarters."

And so, we leave C-Sec, and head over to our new quarters.

Next time: Wanton slaughter, space-hippies, EA, and Bob tries to flirt.

One quick question before I leave you: what would you have done in the situation Bob was in, at the very beginning of the update? Taking out the karma meter, would you have done the same thing? Or would you have done the opposite? If i'm honest, I think I would have went the other way. I know Peragus' destruction has serious far-reaching consequences, but we didn't (and still don't) know that at the time, and as far as we were aware, everyone in the facility was dead. It probably would be the more appealing option to me. But, what about you guys/gals?

 

[sage42]

I would have left the station intact, if only because it could have bee inhabited again, life could have kept on going for the station if not the workers.

 

[Evolutionary High]

Just finished the Jedi Enclave scene, now that was one of the best moments ever in gaming. The dialogue right there just shook me to the core, that was stronger than the Revan reveal, that was 100% character development, great dialogue, and didn't have to go for a shocking twist.

But I think I screwed up the game a little. I wasn't able to enter the Korriban secret tomb because I wasn't heavily aligned with either the LS or DS side...I'm guessing I won't have a chance to enter it again huh.

Also didn't get Kreia's backstory or her relationship with Revan and Atris, nor HK-47's, nor Hanharr's, nor Handmaiden's. That sucked, I'll have to play it again differently one more time.

I was surprised at how much dialogue, I mean real dialogue HK-47 has in this game, it's not just "kill this meatbag" stuff, it's actual real philosophical stuff about Revan, which was just awesome.

 

[woodaba]

Just finished the Jedi Enclave scene, now that was one of the best moments ever in gaming. The dialogue right there just shook me to the core, that was stronger than the Revan reveal, that was 100% character development, great dialogue, and didn't have to go for a shocking twist.

It's my favorite scene in video game history. Avellone was talking out of his ass when he said that KotOR 2 had no big twist like KotOR 1: that's one of the best twists in ANY medium, let alone video games.

I was surprised at how much dialogue, I mean real dialogue HK-47 has in this game, it's not just "kill this meatbag" stuff, it's actual real philosophical stuff about Revan, which was just awesome.

I'll never forget HK's definition of love.

 

[AD-Stu]

I would have tried to navigate the asteriod field - call it one of those "likely death vs certain death" things...

And LOL, I'd completely forgotten there was a Citadel Station in this game too!

 

[The_Lost_King]

If I were Bob, I wouldn't blow up Peragus. I would feel so guilty for destroying such an important gas station. Destroying it pretty much kills Telos, so yeah.

 

[woodaba]

[HEADING=2]Update 6: Atton Rand: Neck Snapper for Hire[/HEADING]

Sorry for the lateness on this one, the screenshots came out all dark, and when I went back and redid the play, they were the same. Sorry for the inconvenience, I'll look into trying to get it fixed for next time.

Spoiler: It's beginning to look a lot like Life Day...

Last time, we fought off an assassin and were brought by the incompetent TSF to our new digs, an apartment we are currently confined to.

Bob: "I feel so much safer."

Bob: "Don't worry, Atton. My fists of fury will make mincemeat out of any would-be Assassins. So, how long are we going to be staying here?"

Bob: "What's the hurry, Atton?"

Bob: "What do you think, Kreia?"

And so, we rest, which, according to this game, is meditating in an uncomfortable-looking position on cold steel floor.

However, before we can get to sleep, we are rudely interrupted.

Bob: "What? What is it?"

Bob: "What does he want?"

Bob: "Great. All right, I left my Pazzak deck on the Ebon Hawk, so I've got nothing better to do. Send him in."

Bob: "What does Chodo want with me?"

Bob: "No, but I have a feeling you're about to tell me."

Yeah, if you're taking plants and animals from other worlds to colonize this one, that isn't going to work. There is a very good reason why my Zoo planet on Spore became extinct in a couple of hours. But then again, this is Star Wars, where "Space Magic" is a completely legit excuse for stuff like this.

Bob: "Again, no."

Because when I think ecologists, I think of Hammerhead Sharks with legs.

As those of you who played K1 or read the last Let's Play will know, Telos was blown to all hell by the Sith, an act that basically triggered the Jedi Civil War. The last game seemed to indicate that Saul Karath was the one who did it, but as we'll see, the truth is a little murkier than that...

Onderon was heavily featured in the Tales of the Jedi comics. I'll discuss it in detail later on.

Bob: "How?"

Bob: "Why the hell would Czerka do that? For the Evulz?"

Bob: "That's not what I asked. I can understand why they would want the restoration contracts, because then they could own the planet, but why would they let them fall into disrepair?"

"How did they take the Restoration Zones?"

Moza: "Our resemblance to Hammerhead Sharks is purely coincidental."

Bob: "So, what do you want me to do?"

Bob: "Heal me?"

Bob: "I'll think about it. Now, get out. I need my beauty sleep."

Atton: "I wouldn't count on it."

And so, we rest, but soon...

Bob: "SON OF A *****!"

Bob: "Who the hell is this? If I find you, you little punk, I'm going to snap your neck in two."

Bob: "Kreia, do Robots have necks?"

Kreia: "Not as such, no."

Bob: "Shit."

Bob: "What does she want?"

Bob: "Alright."

Bob: "Why are you calling me, strange woman with square tattoos?"

Bob: "I don't recall him threatening me."

Bob: "No, I didn't see anything like that."

Bob: "I am a very influential person. I have high influence scores with both my companions."

"How are Ithorians in the way of things?"

If this was Kotor 1, this is how this would have been presented.

Ithorians: "We're saints, and if you side with us, you'll save Telos if you side with us"

Czerka: "We're completely evil bastards who eat babies, you'll fuck over Telos if you side with us"

But that isn't how it's presented. Sure, Czerka is obviously up to illicit activities, and there is a clear Light/Dark choice. But the right choice is a little more vague than that. I'll talk about this more later on.

Bob: "So, what kind of work are we talking about?"

Bob: "I'll come by when I can."

We do indeed hit the hay, and we're actually successful. While Bob is asleep, Atton and Kreia start gossiping.

Atton: "Ooh, well. The snark is strong with this one, it seems. You must listen to the force, Atton, for it will tell you that you are a fool. Ooooh!"

Kreia: "...what are you doing?"

Atton: "Ooh...random gibberish...something about conflict...ooh..."

Kreia: "Stop that."

Atton: "Ooh...you must believe in the heart of the cards, Bob...ooh..."

Atton: "I know what you mean. The only way to get stronger in this game is to help random assholes and murdering people."

A few hours later, Dol Grenn and his TSF buddies bare into the room.

Bob: "Why is the Republic sending it's own ship?"

Bob: "How long will I have to stay?"

Bob: "Is the Ebon Hawk still impounded?"

Bob: "What about T3-M4?"

Bob: "You know that from experience?"

Bob: "What do you think, Kreia?"

Bob: "Stay or leave, we need a ship. Let's go find the Ebon Hawk."

And so, we finally step out to explore Telos.

We've got a lot to see and do on this world, but I want to start off by showing you one of the weirdest scenes on Telos. While exploring the other apartments on Telos, going into other people's houses and taking their stuff, y'know, standard RPG stuff, we are accosted by this gentleman.

Bob: "Just looking around."

Bob: "Sorry, I just figured...seeing as I was the hero of this game..."

Bob: "Well, when you put it that way..."

Bob: "Hey! I'm Bob Bindo, ************! I don't have to take that shit from you!"

Bob: "...oh, it's on now. Put 'em up."

And so, we beat the crap out of him. Everything goes swimmingly, until...

Bob: "ATTON! What the fuck? Did you just snap his neck?"

Bob: "You don't know what came over you? What the fuck! Are you telling me that we could be walking down the road, fine as dandy, and then you could just *snap* and fucking kill us all? Christ, Atton. You're nuts."

Atton: "I...I..."

Kreia: "You are implicit in this as well, Exile. If you kept your fury and kleptomania in check, this would not have happened."

Bob: "And what would you have done?"

This is Kreia calling out the nature of "evil" choices in so many games. 9 times out of 10, they boil down to being an amoral psychopath who eats babies. Evil can be so much more than that. She's basically saying that you don't have to the Joker if you want to be evil: you can be Lex Luthor too, and games that don't have the option to choose your flavor of evil should go to their rooms and think about what they've done.

Bob: "Eh. I guess you're right. But, it's Atton's insanity that screwed us over big time."

And, weirdest of all, we actually get influence with Atton for that. That's right, murdering some random sap gives us Influence with the Han Solo Wannabe. That's...something.

We set off on our quest to find the Ebon Hawk and our gear, leaving the Apartment Module for Entertainment Module 081.

We make our way towards the TSF HQ, but we come across this little scene on the way.

Bob: "What's going on here?"

Bob: "Is this true? What's your side to this?"

Bob: "No. I think you should leave now."

Bob: "You asked for it."

Bob: "Hey, Atton?"

Atton: "Y-yes?"

Bob: "You have my permission to snap these people's necks. This is the kind of situation where it is allowed."

Atton: "O-Ok..."

Bob: "Kreia! Now is not the time for dancing!"

"Oh no! I'm being absorbed into the building! Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo..."

Bob: "Why are they allowed to do this?"

Bob: "In that case, you should leave, in case their friends come looking for them."

Bob: "I don't need it. Get outta here."

Bob: "There. I think that karmically balances out Atton murdering that guy."

Kreia: "One of these days, there's going to be a problem that's not going to be able to be solved by killing."

Atton: "Don't be ridiculous, Kreia."

We continue towards the TSF base, no further distractions impeding our progress.

 

[woodaba]

Spoiler: Part 2!

If there's one thing I generally dislike about this game, it's the environments. Don't get me wrong, some are just as stunning as the ones in KotOR 1, but too many of them are just...dull. The environments of the first KotOR were often brilliant, a testament to creativity, and that not every space-faring civilization has to live in a grey building. Unfortunately, KotOR 2's environments seem lacking in comparison. Look at Telos, for example: there's nothing really unique about Citadel Station. Manaan in the first game had a very sleek, almost organic aesthetic, one that fit the characteristics of the Selkath. There's nothing interesting about Citadel Station. It's just bland and grey. Hell, the other Citadel Station in that other Sci-Fi game is a hell of a lot more unique looking than this.

We arrive at the TSF HQ soon enough.

Bob: "Lt. Grenn said to come here to get the Ebon Hawk and the rest of my stuff out of impound."

I don't know why, but there's something incredibly sinister about that shot. Calling it now: this droid is one of the titular Sith Lords.

Bob: "...what?"

Atton: "..what?"

Kreia: "Hmph."

Bob: "...gone? What do you mean, gone? HOW DO YOU LOSE A FUCKING SPACESHIP?"

T3-M4: "Yes! I've finally ditched those meatbag suckas. Time for Nar Shadda! I hear they have some extremely fine female Protocol Droids."

T3-M4: "Oh. Fuck."

Bob: "You really are the most incompetent police force in the galaxy, you know that, right?"

Droid: "We pride ourselves on it, sir."

Bob: "I'm sure you do. Can I at least get my gear back? Or did you lose that too?"

Bob: "Was there anything in the system about my ship?"

Bob: "What the hell am I supposed to do now?"

Atton: "Just what I was thinking."

Bob: "Tell me about the Exchange."

Bob: "If you know all that, why don't you go shut them down?"

Droid: "Because shut up."

And so, we leave the TSF HQ thoroughly pissed off, though with our gear intact, and decide to hit the local cantina and get drunk.

We start by chatting up some ladies at the bar.

Bob: "What's your name, sweet stuff?"

Bob: "Wait...what? No woman can resist my ass. It's patently impossible! She's a witch! Or a villain. One or the other."

We nary get another step before some else accosts us.

Bob: "I'm no Jedi. Just a bitter middle-aged man with telekinetetic powers and a short fuse. And you're lighting it, pally."

Bob: "Do you have a reason to be spouting this crap in my face?"

Bob: "Someone with an inflated view of himself?"

Master of completely ludicrous and impractical clothing too, it seems. Yowza.

Bob: "She's right. Mess with me, and you're mincemeat. Then Atton here will snap your neck like the psycho he is."

Atton: "...I'm never going to live this down, am I?"

Bob: "Nope."

There's not much else to do in the cantina at the moment. We will be returning here, but not right now. There's also a Swoop Racing circuit, like in the first game, that you can begin here. However, it's entirely optional, and while I skipped the swoop racing for the last game, let me know if you want me to do it. We head back to the apartment modules, and pay a little visit to Czerka HQ.

Bob: "I'm here to see Jana Lorso."

Bob: "Thanks. What can you tell me about Czerka?"

B4D4: "We also have a Video Games arm known as Electronic Arts. The Graveyard of Video Game Companies We Killed is located on site, in case you want to check it out."

Bob: "Maybe later."

Atton: "Ah, here's where the Code Monkeys work on sequels to established franchises in order to rid all creative thoughts from their brains."

Employee: "Sir, I've been working for 36 hours straight now. Can I at least phone my family, tell them I'm all right?"

Supervisor Grunka: "I have a whip, Alenko. I'm sure you won't want me to use it."

Bob: "Huh. A Grunka on Citadel Station. This sounds familiar."

Ignoring the invisible code monkeys slaving away, we go and meet Jana Lorso.

Bob: "Y'know, I would actually be rather forthcoming towards you, given your politeness, if not for the fucking creepy Sith statues behind you. Seriously, woman. What the hell? Anyway, you mentioned work. What kind of jobs have you got for me?"

Bob: "What do you want me to do?"

Bob: "Wait, you want me to steal the Ithorian's droid? That's kinda...scummy."

Kreia: "Are you forgetting the incident earlier when you broke into a man's home, robbed him of all his things, then killed him in cold blood?"

Bob: "Correction. I robbed him of all his possessions, beat him within an inch of his life, and then Atton killed him in cold blood. Very different. Besides, this is a monolithic corporation we're talking about! These guys never do anything shifty! Ever!"

Bob: "I'll have to think about it. What do you have to say about the Ithorian's complaints?"

Y'know...

She's kinda right.

As we'll soon see, the Ithorians don't actually care too much about making Telos viable economically. They want to restore the planet. A noble goal, certainly, but the Republic is in dire straits as it is. Revan/Varen and the Jedi Civil War practically destroyed the Republic, and it's only barely hobbling around on one foot. While a successful restoration of Telos will aid the Republic in the long run, it may end up killing it in the short term, if the project is as expensive as we're being led to believe it. There's every chance the Republic could pull through, but can we really take that risk? Czerka is obviously evil, obviously up to something, and yet, they may actually have the better short-term solution for the Republic. Of course, it will undoubtedly come back to bite the Republic in the ass later, but it at least assures there actually will be a Republic.

Bob: "The Planet's own resources?"

Bob: "See you later, Lorso."

Jana: "Farewell, Mr. Bindo. Be sure to check out our upcoming title, Medal of Honor: Beaters of Dead Horses."

That done, let's head over to hear the contrasting point of view.

Bob: "Moza set me here to speak with Chodo Habat."

The Ithorian compound is quite a depressing as EA Telos. it's got everything a hippie would want: plants, fountains, weed by the bucketload, and...erm..."free love rooms".

Chodo doesn't even have sinister Sith statues!

Atton: "...ah, crap. This sounds like it's gonna be one of those Jedi discussions, where you whine about disturbances in the force and crap like that. I'm gonna smoke some hookah with the other Ithorians."

Bob: "You do that. Try not to snap any necks while you're there!"

Atton: "Bob, say that again, and the audience will reach through the screen itself to make you shut up."

Bob: "Of course they will. So, Chodo, you sensed my arrival?"

Bob: "Moza said you could heal me. What does that mean?"

Bob: "I once felt the force, yes. And it is slowly returning."

Kreia: "Indeed. Nothing comes without a price."

Bob: "I'd like to hear your perspective on the matter."

Bob: "Why would the Telosian government allow this to happen?"

Bob: "What do you intend to do?"

Bob: "Vanished? How?"

REMEMBER THIS. THIS IS IMPORTANT. THERE WILL BE A TEST LATER.

Bob: "I'll think about it, Chodo."

Alright, this is the main choice for this world. Do we side with:

-The Ithorians, a bunch of space hippies who are more focused on restoring Telos to full life than making it economically viable. Probably better in the long term for the Republic, though it is a very expensive process. The Light Side choice, because it is the most optimistic and the most clear-cut good one

or,

-The Czerka Corporation, a monolithic corporation with ties to slaving operations that's most focused on making Telos economically viable. Probably better for the Republic in the short term, but Czerka are probably going to screw them over at some point. The Dark side choice, because it is the more cynical and sinister choice.

You have until friday to choose. Decide the fate of the galaxy!