I don't want to write a review or anything, but I felt like typing something of praise for the game, as I had such a great time with it. And I went on longer than needed, mostly about nothing in particular. But it was a fascinating title, and I'm thrilled to have had fun with a modern console videogame again.
First of all, whether the game is worth getting for you depends on a few things. Being a fan of the Star Wars universe is a big help as seeing the familiar areas and learning more about the history is great fun on it's own. The game takes place thousands of years before the movies, and doesn't have much similarity to either movie trilogy... combines the best of both, really.
But more important to consider as far as making a purchase is whether you can enjoy the text heavy conversations, and initially confusing battle system without being bored or annoyed enough to stop playing early on. There's also the unfortunate matter of the game having a relatively slow first few hours.
When I first started the game, I was somewhat disappointed myself. The initial planet of Taris was a relatively uninteresting place. The storyline was very limited, despite all the dialogue, and quests seemed to be of no importance to the overall storyline. Basically, mission after mission undertaken to find a way to rescue a Jedi you were separated from, and escape. You'll need some item, but first you have to bring something else to trade. But to get that thing, you have to help another character on an unrelated activity. You get the idea.
Taris was also somewhat disappointing visually. It's not the most interesting looking location, especially when compared to some of the beautiful places you'll explore during the course of the game. I had supposed that they focused more on gameplay than graphics, which is fine... but was quite surprised when I found every planet after Taris to be more detailed and nicer looking, and with less slowdown. Taris in the storyline isn't exactly supposed to be a paradise or anything, but still...
In any case, once you do leave the planet of Taris and go to the world of Dantooine, you meet the Jedi and become one yourself. And then, after some discussion and testing, are basically sent on a mission to find a way to defeat the Sith and save the galaxy. Sounded more than a little peculiar, but they actually had a pretty good explanation for sending someone with very little experience to do something so important. Caught me by surprise when it's revealed in the later part of the game, but looking back, I think I should've realized the secret sooner. There are hints scattered about.
Becoming a force user, after Taris, really opens the game up and makes combat exciting. There are many different force powers, light and dark, to learn. Lightsaber customization, and non-force based feats are available, too. There are some really great character possibilities to be planned, or you can play as you go and still have a powerful and unique Jedi or Sith. Fighting with Lightsabers and force abilities is more fun that using standard weapons for novelty alone.
The same kind of customizing is available for your party members on level up. And each gain experience points equally, so you don't have to worry about using them when you don't feel like it.
For those who don't like parties of all Jedi, there are several other playable haracters, including some interesting Droids, a Wookie, and some other more predictable non-Jedi characters.
The battle system is very much like those in the Baldur's Gate and Neverwinter Nights games for the PC. Don't seem to be as hard in general, but it's an unusual style for someone accustomed to traditional console RPG's to get used to.
Combat takes place in real time, but you can pause to issue new commands to characters, and then resume when ready. This is not an action RPG, as you never have direct control and all damage is determined statistically. Seeing the game in action, or looking at screenshots, it's quite hard to tell though, and some have gotten a false impression about how it works, I think. I wasn't really sure what it would be like, not completely, until I played for a while.
Anyway, most of the game falls into a pattern of going to a series of worlds, in whatever order you choose, to retrieve star maps to find the Sith. On each planet, you have to follow a main storyline to get the star map, but also gain access to many optional missions. Some geared to light side characters, some to dark, and some that don't affect your alignment either way. These side missions, and the variety of ways you can accomplish them, are some of the best parts of the game. And even the main quests can be completed in a variety of ways, depending on your choices.
Anyway, finding the maps leads you to one last planet and then to a space station for a final confrontation. Sounds a little limited, since most of the game consists of finding the maps and few other main goals. And I might have appreciated more surprises and locations than there were. But there's so much to do on each world that the game still has a very epic feel to it. So many little details put into everything... it's a title you can tell a lot of hard work went into.
You could easily spend 30 to 40 hours playing, and still want to go through it again as a different kind of character. As I'll do sooner or later. And it's tough to see both endings without doing so anyway.
The whole last section of the game is drastically different depending on your ultimate decision on whether to be a Jedi or a Sith. But you can act like a darksider from the very beginning, and earn darkside points. Or be like a true Jedi and earn lightside points. Or the neutral path, if you wish. Force moves that match your allignment take much less FP to use. A Sith can use force lightning much more effictiently than a Jedi, for example. And it's tough for Sith to use healing powers.
The many choices available in storyline and gameplay make the game fun and different with each playthrough, without it being overwhelming, as open ended games like Morrowind can be. Because despite all the choices, no matter what you do, you're still following a general game design that leads you to a final confronation with the enemy.
As for faults, aside from the problems experienced on the world of Taris, I was somewhat annoyed by the underwater location on another planet. Characters move far slower than necessary underwater, and there's nothing to do for the most part to distract you from the fact, except walking to the destination. There was really no need for the slow speed, as it annoys the player and has no effect on gameplay. I wouldn't be complaining if it didn't go on for 20 minutes or more.
The last part of the game gets a little repetitive, as it's really nothing but waves and waves of battles against Dark Jedi and Sith troops. The last boss battle had a couple of interesting aspects, but was still pretty easy and not very exciting to look at after all the build up.
First of all, whether the game is worth getting for you depends on a few things. Being a fan of the Star Wars universe is a big help as seeing the familiar areas and learning more about the history is great fun on it's own. The game takes place thousands of years before the movies, and doesn't have much similarity to either movie trilogy... combines the best of both, really.
But more important to consider as far as making a purchase is whether you can enjoy the text heavy conversations, and initially confusing battle system without being bored or annoyed enough to stop playing early on. There's also the unfortunate matter of the game having a relatively slow first few hours.
When I first started the game, I was somewhat disappointed myself. The initial planet of Taris was a relatively uninteresting place. The storyline was very limited, despite all the dialogue, and quests seemed to be of no importance to the overall storyline. Basically, mission after mission undertaken to find a way to rescue a Jedi you were separated from, and escape. You'll need some item, but first you have to bring something else to trade. But to get that thing, you have to help another character on an unrelated activity. You get the idea.
Taris was also somewhat disappointing visually. It's not the most interesting looking location, especially when compared to some of the beautiful places you'll explore during the course of the game. I had supposed that they focused more on gameplay than graphics, which is fine... but was quite surprised when I found every planet after Taris to be more detailed and nicer looking, and with less slowdown. Taris in the storyline isn't exactly supposed to be a paradise or anything, but still...
In any case, once you do leave the planet of Taris and go to the world of Dantooine, you meet the Jedi and become one yourself. And then, after some discussion and testing, are basically sent on a mission to find a way to defeat the Sith and save the galaxy. Sounded more than a little peculiar, but they actually had a pretty good explanation for sending someone with very little experience to do something so important. Caught me by surprise when it's revealed in the later part of the game, but looking back, I think I should've realized the secret sooner. There are hints scattered about.
Becoming a force user, after Taris, really opens the game up and makes combat exciting. There are many different force powers, light and dark, to learn. Lightsaber customization, and non-force based feats are available, too. There are some really great character possibilities to be planned, or you can play as you go and still have a powerful and unique Jedi or Sith. Fighting with Lightsabers and force abilities is more fun that using standard weapons for novelty alone.
The same kind of customizing is available for your party members on level up. And each gain experience points equally, so you don't have to worry about using them when you don't feel like it.
For those who don't like parties of all Jedi, there are several other playable haracters, including some interesting Droids, a Wookie, and some other more predictable non-Jedi characters.
The battle system is very much like those in the Baldur's Gate and Neverwinter Nights games for the PC. Don't seem to be as hard in general, but it's an unusual style for someone accustomed to traditional console RPG's to get used to.
Combat takes place in real time, but you can pause to issue new commands to characters, and then resume when ready. This is not an action RPG, as you never have direct control and all damage is determined statistically. Seeing the game in action, or looking at screenshots, it's quite hard to tell though, and some have gotten a false impression about how it works, I think. I wasn't really sure what it would be like, not completely, until I played for a while.
Anyway, most of the game falls into a pattern of going to a series of worlds, in whatever order you choose, to retrieve star maps to find the Sith. On each planet, you have to follow a main storyline to get the star map, but also gain access to many optional missions. Some geared to light side characters, some to dark, and some that don't affect your alignment either way. These side missions, and the variety of ways you can accomplish them, are some of the best parts of the game. And even the main quests can be completed in a variety of ways, depending on your choices.
Anyway, finding the maps leads you to one last planet and then to a space station for a final confrontation. Sounds a little limited, since most of the game consists of finding the maps and few other main goals. And I might have appreciated more surprises and locations than there were. But there's so much to do on each world that the game still has a very epic feel to it. So many little details put into everything... it's a title you can tell a lot of hard work went into.
You could easily spend 30 to 40 hours playing, and still want to go through it again as a different kind of character. As I'll do sooner or later. And it's tough to see both endings without doing so anyway.
The whole last section of the game is drastically different depending on your ultimate decision on whether to be a Jedi or a Sith. But you can act like a darksider from the very beginning, and earn darkside points. Or be like a true Jedi and earn lightside points. Or the neutral path, if you wish. Force moves that match your allignment take much less FP to use. A Sith can use force lightning much more effictiently than a Jedi, for example. And it's tough for Sith to use healing powers.
The many choices available in storyline and gameplay make the game fun and different with each playthrough, without it being overwhelming, as open ended games like Morrowind can be. Because despite all the choices, no matter what you do, you're still following a general game design that leads you to a final confronation with the enemy.
As for faults, aside from the problems experienced on the world of Taris, I was somewhat annoyed by the underwater location on another planet. Characters move far slower than necessary underwater, and there's nothing to do for the most part to distract you from the fact, except walking to the destination. There was really no need for the slow speed, as it annoys the player and has no effect on gameplay. I wouldn't be complaining if it didn't go on for 20 minutes or more.
The last part of the game gets a little repetitive, as it's really nothing but waves and waves of battles against Dark Jedi and Sith troops. The last boss battle had a couple of interesting aspects, but was still pretty easy and not very exciting to look at after all the build up.
"I will do this. Nothing in my life matters except this. No moment in my life exists except this moment. I am born in this moment, and if I fail, I will die in this moment. - Raistlin

