Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords Updated Hands-On

Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords easily ranks among the most anticipated Xbox releases of the year. The original game was a role-playing-game highlight on the console when it was released for Microsoft's platform last year. Its winning mix of solid RPG mechanics and a near-stunning, and rarely seen, nonblasphemous use of the Star Wars license made for one of the most compelling Xbox games of 2003. The downside to the original's success was the large pair of boots it left to be filled by the next game in the series, which is now being crafted by Obsidian Entertainment...and not BioWare. Our previous looks at demos have shown a number of promising elements that have left us hoping for some proper hands-on time with The Sith Lords. Fortunately, we recently had the opportunity to enjoy some playtime with a work-in-progress version of the game, which let us get a feel for the start of the adventure. While the game doesn't appear to offer any massive improvements over the original, it looks like there's still going to be quite a bit to enjoy.

It's time to go crazy in the Star Wars universe yet again.

You'll start play in much the way you began the original KOTOR, so you'll create your character in the same multistep process as before, with the standard automatic set-up options for players who are eager to dive in and play. However, you'll have two options when you start playing. You can choose to play through a "prologue" that puts you in control of T3-M4, who wakes up (or, we suppose, comes online) on the Ebon Hawk after what appears to be either a wicked rave or a near-fatal battle that's left the ship trashed. Your task as T3 is to restore power to the ship and send it to Peragus Station, a nearby mining colony, before the occupants meet an untimely demise. This sequence brings you up to speed on the various systems for exploration, combat, and interaction in the game. If you choose to bypass the prologue, you'll wake up in a kolto tank (while wearing your Skivvies) on Peragus Station in a somewhat disoriented state. Once you're free of your watery home, you'll notice other kolto tanks with less-lively occupants. In fact, these occupants are dead, so you'll be, obviously, curious as to what the heck happened.

While we can't reveal much of the story's specifics, we can tell you that The Sith Lords has a heavier air of mystery to it than the original game. Not only is your character in the dark about a lot of what's going on around him, but also, you, the player, aren't completely in the know about your virtual self, either. You'll discover your character's history by interacting with other characters in the game, and you'll even shape it to a degree by the choices you make in the various conversation trees. Suffice it to say, your dude or dudette has quite a history. We can tell you that the main character is a lapsed Jedi and that much drama is in store for him or her because of this career choice. We can also note, as we have before, that your character will attempt to reconnect with the Force over the course of the adventure thanks to the aid of one of the members of your party, a Jedi named Kreia.

As before, this will all play out in light-and-dark-side flavors depending on how you choose to go through the game. Obviously, the light-side path will offer a warmer and fuzzier trail through the game that's heavier on feelings and sharing, while the dark-side path will yield plenty of attitude, ass kicking, and assorted acts of malicious violence. Your journey will take you to many new and interesting places, some of which you've seen before and some of which you haven't. You'll also be introduced to a colorful cast of characters, some of whom will join your party. For fans of the original game, characters such as the acid-tongued HK-47 will show up again to dispense words to live by. In HK's case, this usually means spouting various encouragements of murder. (We do applaud his consistency.)

Here we see R2-D2's great-grandfather having relations with a monitor.

So far, there seems to be more switching between characters in this early part of the game. If you play through the prologue, you'll control T3, and once you arrive at Peragus, you'll take control of your main character. Then, once you start to explore the station, you'll have to play some sequences as T3 while your main character waits on the little droid to succeed at his tasks. One especially nice touch to the story is that in lieu of using your save from the original game, you'll answer some questions early on in your exploration of Peragus when you meet Atton Rand, one of the first members of your party. These questions are specifically focused on determining what you did in the original game. Your answers will then shape the rest of your experience in The Sith Lords.