KOTOR 2 Review

For a Sith Lord who can destroy all life on a planet with the power of his mind, he's pretty weak

Whilst it's fairly easy to forgive the slow start, and grin and bear the technical issues because of the quality of the script; the ending is unforgivably farcical, and is perhaps the single most unrewarding conclusion to a game in recent history. The manner in which the finale is executed is nothing short of laughable.

It's a fool who goes looking for profundity in a Star Wars game, but I was at least expecting some closure, especially after the game has spent the best part of 40 hours hammering home how each choice can have unforeseen consequences for you and the people around you. Instead, what you get is a ludicrously unbalanced final confrontation, followed by a stupefying fortune-cookie ending and a listen to the Star Wars theme (which is presumably meant to make you feel better). It's like the scriptwriter's dog ate the final chapter of the script, and his six-year-old daughter filled in the blanks, the end sequence feels so out of place to the rest of the game.

Some enterprising fans have hacked into the game's dialogue files, and discovered that this absurd finale wasn't what Obsidian originally planned. Instead of a Planescape-esque conclusion, which would have made use of the Character Influence system incorporated into the game, it's quite clear that Lucasarts' moneymen have pulled rank and enforced a sunnier ending, possibly to ensure a pre-Christmas Xbox release in the US.

The quality of the 20-hour section between the plodding start and the preposterous ending is easily 9/10 territory

Knights of the Old Republic 2 could have been the most intellectually challenging and best-written RPG since Planescape: Torment. The quality of the 20-hour section between the plodding start and the preposterous ending is easily 9/10 territory. Regrettably, the multitude of technical issues and the sheer anti-climax of the conclusion almost completely ruin any satisfaction you'll take from the game. Had it not been for the short development cycle, and the imposition of an ending that feels like a creative cop-out (clearly intended to set things up for a sequel), this should have been one of the finest RPGs ever made. Instead, I feel KotOR 2 can only go down in history as one of the most disappointing missed opportunities for greatness in recent years. If reviews are game buying guides, then this one comes with a huge caveat emptor - beware the buyer!