''Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords'' is a
role-playing video game
A role-playing video game (commonly referred to as simply a role-playing game or RPG, as well as a computer role-playing game or CRPG) is a video game genre where the player controls the actions of a character (or several party members) immers ...
developed by
Obsidian Entertainment
Obsidian Entertainment, Inc. is an American video game developer based in Irvine, California. It was founded in June 2003, shortly before the closure of Black Isle Studios, by ex-Black Isle employees Feargus Urquhart, Chris Avellone, Chris Par ...
and published by
LucasArts
Lucasfilm Games (known as LucasArts between 1990 and 2021) is an American video game brand licensing, licensor that is part of Lucasfilm. It was founded in May 1982 by George Lucas as a video game development group alongside his film company; as ...
. It is the sequel to
BioWare
BioWare is a Canadian video game developer based in Edmonton, Alberta. It was founded in 1995 by newly graduated Doctor of Medicine, medical doctors Ray Muzyka, Greg Zeschuk and Augustine Yip, alongside Trent Oster, Brent Oster, and Marcel Zes ...
's ''
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic'' and was released for the
Xbox
Xbox is a video gaming brand created and owned by Microsoft. The brand consists of five video game consoles, as well as applications (games), streaming services, an online service by the name of Xbox network, and the development arm by the na ...
on December 6, 2004, for
Microsoft Windows
Windows is a group of several proprietary graphical operating system families developed and marketed by Microsoft. Each family caters to a certain sector of the computing industry. For example, Windows NT for consumers, Windows Server for serv ...
on February 8, 2005, for
OS X
macOS (; previously OS X and originally Mac OS X) is a Unix operating system developed and marketed by Apple Inc. since 2001. It is the primary operating system for Apple's Mac computers. Within the market of desktop and lapt ...
and
Linux
Linux ( or ) is a family of open-source Unix-like operating systems based on the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released on September 17, 1991, by Linus Torvalds. Linux is typically packaged as a Linux distribution, which ...
on July 21, 2015, for
Android
Android may refer to:
Science and technology
* Android (robot), a humanoid robot or synthetic organism designed to imitate a human
* Android (operating system), Google's mobile operating system
** Bugdroid, a Google mascot sometimes referred to ...
and
iOS
iOS (formerly iPhone OS) is a mobile operating system created and developed by Apple Inc. exclusively for its hardware. It is the operating system that powers many of the company's mobile devices, including the iPhone; the term also includes ...
on December 18, 2020 and for
Nintendo Switch
The is a hybrid video game console developed by Nintendo and released worldwide in most regions on March 3, 2017. The console itself is a Tablet computer#Gaming tablet, tablet that can either be docking station, docked for use as a home video ...
on June 8, 2022. Like its predecessor, it is set in the ''
Star Wars
''Star Wars'' is an American epic film, epic space opera multimedia franchise created by George Lucas, which began with the Star Wars (film), eponymous 1977 film and quickly became a worldwide popular culture, pop-culture Cultural impact of S ...
'' universe 4,000 years before the events of the film ''
Episode I: The Phantom Menace'' and is based on the
d20 System developed by
Wizards of the Coast
Wizards of the Coast LLC (often referred to as WotC or simply Wizards) is an American publisher of games, primarily based on fantasy and List of science fiction themes, science fiction themes, and formerly an operator of retail stores for ga ...
.
The game uses the
Odyssey Engine
BioWare is a Canadian video game developer based in Edmonton, Alberta. It was founded in 1995 by newly graduated Doctor of Medicine, medical doctors Ray Muzyka, Greg Zeschuk and Augustine Yip, alongside Trent Oster, Brent Oster, and Marcel Zes ...
, which was originally used in ''Knights of the Old Republic''. Writing first began before the original ''Knights of the Old Republic'' was released, and development began in October 2003, after BioWare offered Obsidian their ''Star Wars'' license due to being confident in their previous work.
''Knights of the Old Republic II'' starts five years after the events of the first game and follows the story of The Exile, a
Jedi Knight who was exiled from the Jedi Order. During this time, the Jedi Order has been almost completely wiped out by the
Sith. The game begins with the protagonist waking up from unconsciousness on an
asteroid mining
Asteroid mining is the hypothetical exploitation of materials from asteroids and other minor planets, including near-Earth objects.
Notable asteroid mining challenges include the high cost of spaceflight, unreliable identification of asteroids ...
facility. After the player escapes with the help of their party members, they find the person who exiled them ten years ago, who sends the protagonist on a mission to seek out the remaining Jedi to fight against the Sith.
The game's critical reception upon its release was generally positive; praise was given to the story, characters, and writing, which were noted to be more grey than the original ''Knights of the Old Republic''. The game was included in the book ''
1001 Video Games You Must Play Before You Die
''1001 Video Games You Must Play Before You Die'' is a video game reference book first published in October 2010. It consists of a list of video games released between 1970 and 2013, arranged chronologically by release date. Each entry in the list ...
''. Particular praise was given to the character of
Kreia
Kreia is a fictional character and party member in Obsidian Entertainment's '' Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords''. She is a blind Force-sensitive who forms a "bond" with the player character, the Jedi Exile, through the ...
, with
GameSpy
GameSpy was an American provider of online multiplayer and matchmaking middleware for video games founded in 1996 by Mark Surfas. After the release of a multiplayer server browser for the game, QSpy, Surfas licensed the software under the GameS ...
naming her the best video game character of 2005. However, the game received criticism for being too similar to its predecessor in terms of graphics and gameplay systems, as well as being launched in an incomplete state.
Gameplay
''Knights of the Old Republic II'' is not a turn based game, but is a
role-playing video game
A role-playing video game (commonly referred to as simply a role-playing game or RPG, as well as a computer role-playing game or CRPG) is a video game genre where the player controls the actions of a character (or several party members) immers ...
played from a
third-person view
In 3D video games, a virtual camera system aims at controlling a camera or a set of cameras to display a view of a 3D virtual world. Camera systems are used in video games where their purpose is to show the action at the best possible angle; m ...
that features
pausable real-time
In video games and other games, the passage of time must be handled in a way that players find fair and easy to understand. This is usually done in one of the two ways: real-time and turn-based.
Real-time
Real-time games have game time progres ...
combat.
Combat and interactions with the environment and
non-player character
A non-player character (NPC), or non-playable character, is any character in a game that is not controlled by a player. The term originated in traditional tabletop role-playing games where it applies to characters controlled by the gamemaster o ...
s in ''Knights of the Old Republic II'' are based on the
d20 System as in ''
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic''.
The game starts with a character creation screen with several choices to make, and there is also an option of letting the game do it automatically.
There are 30 new
Force
In physics, a force is an influence that can change the motion of an object. A force can cause an object with mass to change its velocity (e.g. moving from a state of rest), i.e., to accelerate. Force can also be described intuitively as a p ...
powers, which are manifestations of the Force, in ''Knights of the Old Republic II''. Like its predecessor, the game has several
minigames
A minigame (also spelled mini game and mini-game, sometimes called a subgame or microgame) is a short game often contained within another video game. A minigame contains different gameplay elements, and is often smaller or more simplistic, than th ...
, including swoop bike racing and a card game called Pazaak. The interface has been streamlined from the original game and party management has been made easier; for example, the player can switch between two selected weapon sets in the menu.
As in the first game, the player can choose to align with either the light side or the dark side. Choosing dialogue options that are respectful and empathetic gives the protagonist light side points, while options that are egotistic and evil result in dark side points.
The combat of ''Knights of the Old Republic II'' is identical to its predecessor.
Several new
lightsaber
A lightsaber is a fictional energy sword featured throughout the ''Star Wars'' franchise. A typical lightsaber is depicted as a luminescent plasma blade about in length emitted from a metal hilt around in length. First introduced in the or ...
forms were added to the game. Each of them is useful for a different situation.
For example, one is best for enemies using blaster weapons, while another would be good for recovering from using Force powers.
The player can use a variety of melee and ranged weapons, including swords and firearms.
Fighting unarmed is also an option.
A new addition to the game is "prestige classes", add-ons to the Jedi classes that were established in ''Knights of the Old Republic''. They allow the player character to practice in lightsaber combat or Force powers, depending on player choice.
The player can travel with up to two party members at a time, who gain
experience point
An experience point (often abbreviated as exp or XP) is a unit of measurement used in some tabletop role-playing games (RPGs) and role-playing video games to quantify a player character's life experience and progression through the game. Experi ...
s at the same rate as the player character.
Equipment and perks for party characters can be selected for different statistical effects or abilities.
Players can
loot corpses and various environmental objects.
[ The protagonist also has the ability to "influence" their party members; by doing things that impress them, the player increases their influence with them.] Depending on the level of influence, party members may support the player character unconditionally or turn against the protagonist. The player can also exploit high influence by drawing party members to either the light side or the dark side, and some characters can even be trained to use the Force.
Synopsis
Setting
The game takes place five years after the events of ''Knights of the Old Republic'' and 4,000 years before '' Episode I: The Phantom Menace'', in a time when the Jedi
Jedi (), Jedi Knights, or collectively the Jedi Order are the main heroic protagonists of many works of the '' Star Wars'' franchise. Working symbiotically alongside the Old Galactic Republic, and later supporting the Rebel Alliance, the Jedi O ...
have been nearly exterminated by the Sith. The player's character, a former Jedi Knight exiled from the Jedi Order, is referred to as "The Exile" or "Jedi Exile". Throughout the game, the Exile restores their connection to the Force while, with the help of playable companions, setting out to stop the Sith. The player makes choices that turn the Exile to either the light side or the dark side of the Force, and they travel to six planets to either help or hinder the Republic's efforts to bring peace and stability to the galaxy.
New playable locations in ''Knights of the Old Republic II'' include Telos, Onderon and its moon Dxun, Nar Shaddaa, Malachor V, the Peragus Mining Facility, and various starships such as the hijacked Republic cruiser ''Harbinger'', the Sith cruiser ''Ravager'', and Goto's yacht orbiting Nar Shaddaa. Two planets featured in the original game, Korriban and Dantooine
The fictional universe of the ''Star Wars'' franchise features multiple planets and moons. While only the feature films and selected other works are considered canon to the franchise since the 2012 acquisition of Lucasfilm by The Walt Disney ...
, are revisited, both with ravaged buildings and intensified problems. The ''Ebon Hawk
The following is a list of starships, cruisers, battleships, and other spacecraft in the ''Star Wars'' films, books, and video games.
Spacecraft appearing in the original trilogy
Death Star
The Death Star is the Empire's battle station which ...
'', the main character's ship in the first game, is also the player's transportation in ''Knights of the Old Republic II''.
Characters
The Exile's backstory reveals that the character served under Revan
Darth Revan, later known simply as Revan, is the player character of the 2003 role-playing video game '' Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic'' and its upcoming remake by BioWare.
A former veteran Jedi knight who lived during the Old Republi ...
during the Mandalorian Wars and ordered the activation of a devastating weapon in the climactic battle over Malachor V. The deaths that ensued created such a substantial "wound" in the Force
The Force is a metaphysical and ubiquitous power in the '' Star Wars'' fictional universe. "Force-sensitive" characters use the Force throughout the franchise. Heroes like the Jedi seek to "become one with the Force", matching their personal wi ...
that the character was forced to sever their connection to the Force to survive, and the Jedi Council ordered the character exiled from the Jedi Order. As the game progresses, the Jedi Exile rebuilds a connection to the Force and creates unusually strong Force Bonds with other characters and places, while unknowingly sapping Force powers.
Among the characters who join the Jedi Exile are Kreia
Kreia is a fictional character and party member in Obsidian Entertainment's '' Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords''. She is a blind Force-sensitive who forms a "bond" with the player character, the Jedi Exile, through the ...
, who acts as the Exile's mentor; pilot and former Sith assassin
Assassination is the murder of a prominent or VIP, important person, such as a head of state, head of government, politician, world leader, member of a royal family or CEO. The murder of a celebrity, activist, or artist, though they may not ha ...
Atton Rand
Atton Rand is a fictional character and party member in Obsidian Entertainment's 2004 action role-playing video game '' Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II - The Sith Lords''. Within the series, Atton is a human pilot encountered by the Je ...
; technician and Mandalorian War veteran Bao-Dur
The '' Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic'' series consists of '' Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic'' and '' Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II – The Sith Lords'', with the first game being released in 2003 and set 4,000 year ...
and his droid remote; the criminal droid G0-T0; and the Sith apprentice Visas Marr. T3-M4
The '' Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic'' series consists of '' Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic'' and '' Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II – The Sith Lords'', with the first game being released in 2003 and set 4,000 year ...
and Canderous Ordo
The '' Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic'' series consists of '' Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic'' and '' Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II – The Sith Lords'', with the first game being released in 2003 and set 4,000 year ...
(now identified as "Mandalore
Mandalorians are fictional people associated with the planet Mandalore in the ''Star Wars'' universe and franchise created by George Lucas. Their most distinct cultural features are their battle helmets, chest armor, wrist gauntlets, and ofte ...
"), both featured in the first game, also join the Exile's team. Other characters join the Exile's party under certain conditions. HK-47
HK-47 is a fictional droid in the '' Star Wars'' franchise. Introduced in the 2003 video game '' Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic'', he is an extremely efficient assassin droid constructed by Revan to assist them in hunting Jedi, until both ...
, who appears in the first game, joins the quest if the Exile collects and uses the parts necessary to reactivate him. Depending on the player's alignment, the Exile will either be joined by the bounty hunter
A bounty hunter is a private agent working for bail bonds who captures fugitives or criminals for a commission or bounty. The occupation, officially known as bail enforcement agent, or fugitive recovery agent, has traditionally operated outsid ...
Mira
Mira (), designation Omicron Ceti (ο Ceti, abbreviated Omicron Cet, ο Cet), is a red-giant star estimated to be 200–400 light-years from the Sun in the constellation Cetus.
ο Ceti is a binary stellar system, consisting of a varia ...
(light side or neutral) or by her rival, a Wookiee
Wookiees () are fictional humanoid aliens in the ''Star Wars'' universe, native to the forest planet Kashyyyk. They are distinguished from humans by their gigantism, hirsutism, and physical strength. The most prominent Wookiee is Chewbacca, c ...
bounty hunter known as Hanharr
The '' Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic'' series consists of '' Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic'' and '' Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II – The Sith Lords'', with the first game being released in 2003 and set 4,000 year ...
(dark side). Depending on the player's gender, the Exile will either be joined by Mical the Disciple (female Exile) or Brianna the Handmaiden
A handmaiden, handmaid or maidservant is a personal maid or female servant. Depending on culture or historical period, a handmaiden may be of slave status or may be simply an employee. However, the term ''handmaiden'' generally implies lowly ...
(male Exile).
The game features three main antagonists: Darth Traya, a mysterious assailant who remains in the dark through most of the game; Darth Sion
The '' Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic'' series consists of '' Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic'' and '' Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II – The Sith Lords'', with the first game being released in 2003 and set 4,000 year ...
, an undead Sith Lord who once served under Exar Kun
This is an incomplete list of characters from the ''Star Wars'' expanded universe, now rebranded ''Star Wars Legends''. The accompanying works were declared non-canon to the '' Star Wars'' franchise by Lucasfilm in 2014.
This list applies '' ...
in the Great Sith War (as seen in '' Tales of the Jedi''); and Darth Nihilus
The video games '' Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic'' (2003) and '' Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords'' (2004) features a large cast of characters noted for its diversity and is the subject of significant discussion ...
, a Sith Lord whose physical being was destroyed due to his immense affinity to the Force. These three Sith Lords are leaders of a loose affiliation of warriors and assassins leftover from Darth Malak
The '' Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic'' series consists of '' Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic'' and '' Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II – The Sith Lords'', with the first game being released in 2003 and set 4,000 year ...
's empire from the previous game. In between the events of that game and this one, the Sith have launched a largely successful genocide campaign against the Jedi Order. Another major antagonist is Atris, a former member of the Jedi Council whose unethical efforts to thwart the Sith come into conflict with the Exile.
Plot
While hiding on the ''Harbinger'', a Republic cruiser, the Exile is sedated by an HK-50 assassin droid to be delivered to a crime syndicate called the Exchange, who have put out a bounty on live Jedi. The Exile is rescued by Kreia, with whom the Exile forms a Force Bond, and the droid T3-M4 on the ''Ebon Hawk'', and the three flee the ''Harbinger'' as it is hijacked by a squad of Sith assassins. However, their ship is damaged during the escape by the ''Harbinger''s gunfire, and they eventually arrive at the Peragus Mining Facility. Teaming up with smuggler Atton Rand, the group escapes to the planet Telos IV. While hiding out on Telos, they encounter Atris, a surviving member of the Jedi Council who sentenced the protagonist to exile ten years prior. After settling a dispute regarding the Exile's past sentence, Atris forms an uneasy alliance with them, instructing them to seek out other surviving Jedi in order to rally against the Sith. The Exile then travels to four worlds to find reclusive Jedi Masters and either beg for their aid or kill them in revenge for being exiled, depending on player choice. As the Exile continues their journey, they are joined by several individuals in their quest.
After finding all the Masters, the Exile travels back to Dantooine
The fictional universe of the ''Star Wars'' franchise features multiple planets and moons. While only the feature films and selected other works are considered canon to the franchise since the 2012 acquisition of Lucasfilm by The Walt Disney ...
and learns that the countless deaths at Malachor V resulted in the Exile unconsciously giving up their connection to the Force, which then became the teachings of the new Sith. If the player aided the Jedi Masters, they prepare to strip the Exile of their Force connection permanently, as the Masters fear that these teachings could result in the actual death of the Force, but Kreia reveals herself to be the former leader of the Sith and murders them all in retribution. If the player killed the Jedi Masters, Kreia attacks the Exile and leaves. Tracking Kreia to Telos, the Exile fights and defeats a corrupted Atris, from whom it is learned that Kreia plans to strengthen a massive "wound" in the Force made ten years prior. This "wound" had been created by the Exile during the Mandalorian Wars, when they activated a gravitational superweapon, the Mass Shadow Generator, in order to end the battle on the planet Malachor V, causing mass death and destruction. Before following her to Malachor V, where Kreia had since rejoined the Sith as Darth Traya, the Exile stops a Sith invasion of Telos, defeating one of Traya's former apprentices, the Sith Lord Darth Nihilus. On Malachor V, the Exile is separated from their companions and fights through hordes of monsters on the planet's surface and the inhabitants of a large Sith Academy who survived the cataclysm. On the final floor of the academy, the Exile kills the Sith Lord Darth Sion and confronts Darth Traya in the planet's core.
The Exile defeats the Sith Lord, but before Traya dies, she delivers a prophetic vision of the future pertaining to the player's companions and the worlds that were visited over the course of the story. Depending on the Exile's alignment, they either order the destruction of Malachor V, escaping before it is destroyed, and travel into the Unknown Regions in search of Revan (light side), or remain on Malachor V as the new Dark Lord of the Sith (dark side).
Development
''Knights of the Old Republic II'' was developed by Obsidian Entertainment
Obsidian Entertainment, Inc. is an American video game developer based in Irvine, California. It was founded in June 2003, shortly before the closure of Black Isle Studios, by ex-Black Isle employees Feargus Urquhart, Chris Avellone, Chris Par ...
and published by LucasArts
Lucasfilm Games (known as LucasArts between 1990 and 2021) is an American video game brand licensing, licensor that is part of Lucasfilm. It was founded in May 1982 by George Lucas as a video game development group alongside his film company; as ...
. It is the sequel to BioWare
BioWare is a Canadian video game developer based in Edmonton, Alberta. It was founded in 1995 by newly graduated Doctor of Medicine, medical doctors Ray Muzyka, Greg Zeschuk and Augustine Yip, alongside Trent Oster, Brent Oster, and Marcel Zes ...
's ''Knights of the Old Republic'', and it uses the same Odyssey Engine
BioWare is a Canadian video game developer based in Edmonton, Alberta. It was founded in 1995 by newly graduated Doctor of Medicine, medical doctors Ray Muzyka, Greg Zeschuk and Augustine Yip, alongside Trent Oster, Brent Oster, and Marcel Zes ...
as the original game. BioWare suggested that Obsidian should be offered the ''Knights of the Old Republic'' license due to their familiarity with Obsidian's past work and the good relationship between the two developers, as well as due to finding LucasArts' development schedule for the sequel to be too tight. The game was released in PC and Xbox
Xbox is a video gaming brand created and owned by Microsoft. The brand consists of five video game consoles, as well as applications (games), streaming services, an online service by the name of Xbox network, and the development arm by the na ...
versions, but due to the Xbox version being released two months prior to the PC version, it has multiple unfixed bugs.
Development of the game began in October 2003. The overview of the game's story was originally drafted before the first ''Knights of the Old Republic'' was released, after which it saw many revisions and also some major redrafts. In preparation to write ''Knights of the Old Republic II'', lead designer Chris Avellone
Chris Avellone is an American video game designer and comic book writer. He worked for Interplay and Obsidian Entertainment before working as a freelancer. He is best known for his work on role-playing video games such as '' Planescape: Tormen ...
tried to learn as much about the ''Star Wars
''Star Wars'' is an American epic film, epic space opera multimedia franchise created by George Lucas, which began with the Star Wars (film), eponymous 1977 film and quickly became a worldwide popular culture, pop-culture Cultural impact of S ...
'' universe as possible. He read many books, guides, modules, and graphic novels, and the Obsidian team also relied on the first ''Knights of the Old Republic'' and the original ''Star Wars'' films for inspiration. Avellone said that Obsidian recognized one of the things that made ''Knights of the Old Republic'' great was the story and the companions, and that they tried to expand upon this by adding more depth to them.
''Knights of the Old Republic II'' uses the same d20 System as the first ''Knights of the Old Republic'' with some changes, and the level cap has also been removed. For the most part, the team didn't want to redo any of the design elements from the first game, as they felt that there was no need to change anything that had already proved successful; instead, they opted to look for areas that could be improved and expanded upon them in a way that retained the base style of ''Knights of the Old Republic''. Obsidian put much work into the game's graphics, including the appearances of non-player characters. Other technological improvements include the lighting and weather effects, in addition to increasing the level sizes. ''Knights of the Old Republic II''s lead artist was Aaron Meyers; he decided which people would join the art team after looking through "tons of applications, resumes, and demo reels", and he said that he was pleased with the number of people who wanted to work for Obsidian. Meyers also complained about the short deadline the development team had to deal with. Obsidian's COO
COO or coo may refer to:
Business
* Certificate of origin, used in international trade
* Chief operating officer or chief operations officer, high-ranking corporate official
* Concept of operations, used in Systems Engineering Management Process
...
, Chris Parker, said that the schedule set for the development team was "extremely aggressive", and that the team felt a lot of pressure because they were "making a sequel to the game of the year
Game of the Year (GotY) is an award given by various award events and media publications to a video game that they feel represented the pinnacle of gaming that year.
Events and ceremonies
British Academy Games Awards (BAFTA Games Awards)
...
for 2003".
For the music, the development team felt that symphony orchestra would work best for ''Knights of the Old Republic II''. The musical score was composed by Mark Griskey
Mark Griskey (born 1963) is an American composer for video games such as '' Marvel Heroes'', '' Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords'', and '' Star Wars: The Old Republic'' as well as several titles for ''Disney Publishing Wor ...
, who developed music and themes for characters and places, including the Jedi's theme, Darth Sion
The '' Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic'' series consists of '' Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic'' and '' Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II – The Sith Lords'', with the first game being released in 2003 and set 4,000 year ...
's theme and Darth Nihilus
The video games '' Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic'' (2003) and '' Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords'' (2004) features a large cast of characters noted for its diversity and is the subject of significant discussion ...
's theme (which both have many similarities with the Emperor's theme from ''Return of the Jedi''). He also created a theme for the main character, which is heard occasionally when the player experiences internal conflict. The ~55-minute score was recorded by the Sinfonia Orchestra in Seattle
Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest regio ...
. The opening crawl utilizes the version of John Williams
John Towner Williams (born February 8, 1932)Nylund, Rob (15 November 2022)Classic Connection review ''WBOI'' ("For the second time this year, the Fort Wayne Philharmonic honored American composer, conductor, and arranger John Williams, who wa ...
' main ''Star Wars'' theme that was re-recorded for the prequel trilogy.
When Obsidian was preparing to present ''Knights of the Old Republic II'' at E3 2004
E3 (short for Electronic Entertainment Expo or Electronic Entertainment Experience in 2021) is a trade event for the video game industry. The Entertainment Software Association (ESA) organizes and presents E3, which many developers, publisher ...
, they tried to fit as much information as they could, saying that it would need to be a duration of 30 minutes as it was the only E3 event it would be showcased at; however, due to the limited time frame, they would have to cut it down to a five- to ten-minute presentation. During this time, none of the level
Level or levels may refer to:
Engineering
*Level (instrument), a device used to measure true horizontal or relative heights
*Spirit level, an instrument designed to indicate whether a surface is horizontal or vertical
*Canal pound or level
*Regr ...
s Obsidian designed were ready to be shown, so they picked three levels and put them through a schedule to finish them on time. The demo
Demo, usually short for demonstration, may refer to:
Music and film
*Demo (music), a song typically recorded for reference rather than release
* ''Demo'' (Behind Crimson Eyes), a 2004 recording by the band Behind Crimson Eyes
* ''Demo'' (Deafhea ...
was finished a few days before the event, and the game was presented in May 2004. The first trailer for ''Knights of the Old Republic II'' was later unveiled in July 2004, and the official website was launched in October.
When looking back at ''Knights of the Old Republic II'' in a 2013 interview, Avellone said that because of LucasArts forcing Obsidian to finish the game in a short time frame of 14 to 16 months, the game ended up being in an "unfinished" state. However, Avellone said that Obsidian was at fault for this due to not cutting out enough things; he noted that all minigames should have been removed, and also said that there were too many in-engine cutscene
A cutscene or event scene (sometimes in-game cinematic or in-game movie) is a sequence in a video game that is not interactive, interrupting the gameplay. Such scenes are used to show conversations between characters, set the mood, reward the ...
s. Obsidian's co-founder, Feargus Urquhart
Feargus Urquhart is a Scottish-American video game designer and CEO of Obsidian Entertainment.
Career
Urquhart is best known for his work at Interplay Entertainment, particularly as leader of Black Isle Studios, Interplay's internal role-pl ...
, said that the game was originally going to be released in 2005, but it was later moved up to December 2004 after E3; according to him, Obsidian had to choose between "geting
Ing, ING or ing may refer to:
Art and media
* '' ...ing'', a 2003 Korean film
* i.n.g, a Taiwanese girl group
* The Ing, a race of dark creatures in the 2004 video game '' Metroid Prime 2: Echoes''
* "Ing", the first song on The Roches' 1992 ...
in trouble or geting
Ing, ING or ing may refer to:
Art and media
* '' ...ing'', a 2003 Korean film
* i.n.g, a Taiwanese girl group
* The Ing, a race of dark creatures in the 2004 video game '' Metroid Prime 2: Echoes''
* "Ing", the first song on The Roches' 1992 ...
it done". Due to this, several cuts had to be made; one of the most major was the droid planet M4-78, which was entirely removed from the game after the 2004 E3 event when the team realized that they wouldn't be able to fit it into the schedule. M4-78's designer, Kevin Saunders, explained that he moved assets from that planet to Nar Shaddaa's yacht level in order to complete it on time, which was prior also likely to be cut from the game.
The Xbox version of ''Knights of the Old Republic II'' went gold
Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au (from la, aurum) and atomic number 79. This makes it one of the higher atomic number elements that occur naturally. It is a bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile met ...
on November 23, 2004; it was later released on December 6, 2004 in the United States, and the PC version was released on February 8, 2005. In Europe, the game was released simultaneously for both platforms on February 11. The game was later re-released in August 2012 on the digital distribution
Digital distribution, also referred to as content delivery, online distribution, or electronic software distribution, among others, is the delivery or distribution of digital media content (media), content such as Sound recording and reproductio ...
platform, Steam
Steam is a substance containing water in the gas phase, and sometimes also an aerosol of liquid water droplets, or air. This may occur due to evaporation or due to boiling, where heat is applied until water reaches the enthalpy of vaporization ...
, and in January 2015 on GOG.com
GOG.com (formerly Good Old Games) is a digital distribution platform for video games and films. It is operated by GOG sp. z o.o., a wholly owned subsidiary of CD Projekt based in Warsaw, Poland. GOG.com delivers DRM-free video games through its ...
. On July 21, 2015, OS X
macOS (; previously OS X and originally Mac OS X) is a Unix operating system developed and marketed by Apple Inc. since 2001. It is the primary operating system for Apple's Mac computers. Within the market of desktop and lapt ...
and Linux
Linux ( or ) is a family of open-source Unix-like operating systems based on the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released on September 17, 1991, by Linus Torvalds. Linux is typically packaged as a Linux distribution, which ...
versions were released along with new support for Steam Workshop
Steam is a Digital distribution of video games, video game digital distribution service and storefront by Valve Corporation, Valve. It was launched as a software client in September 2003 as a way for Valve to provide automatic updates for their ...
and other Steamworks features, controller
Controller may refer to:
Occupations
* Controller or financial controller, or in government accounting comptroller, a senior accounting position
* Controller, someone who performs agent handling in espionage
* Air traffic controller, a person ...
input, and modern widescreen
Widescreen images are displayed within a set of aspect ratios (relationship of image width to height) used in film, television and computer screens. In film, a widescreen film is any film image with a width-to-height aspect ratio greater than t ...
resolutions up to 5K. Backward compatibility
Backward compatibility (sometimes known as backwards compatibility) is a property of an operating system, product, or technology that allows for interoperability with an older legacy system, or with input designed for such a system, especially i ...
for the Xbox One
The Xbox One is a home video game console developed by Microsoft. Announced in May 2013, it is the successor to Xbox 360 and the third base console in the Xbox series of video game consoles. It was first released in North America, parts of ...
was announced in April 2018. An iOS and Android version was released on December 18, 2020.
Along with several official patch
Patch or Patches may refer to:
Arts, entertainment and media
* Patch Johnson, a fictional character from ''Days of Our Lives''
* Patch (''My Little Pony''), a toy
* "Patches" (Dickey Lee song), 1962
* "Patches" (Chairmen of the Board song) ...
es, a notable fan-made
Fan labor, also called fan works, are the creative activities engaged in by fans, primarily those of various media properties or musical groups. These activities can include creation of written works (fiction, fan fiction and review literature), ...
mod
Mod, MOD or mods may refer to:
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* Modesto City–County Airport, Stanislaus County, California, US
Arts, entertainment, and media Music
* Mods (band), a Norwegian rock band
* M.O.D. (Method of Destruction), a band from New York City, US ...
called The Sith Lords Restored Content Modification The Sith Lords Restored Content Modification (TSLRCM) is a fan volunteer effort to reinstate or recreate unused content for the 2004 video game '' Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords'' and fix a vast number of technical issues ...
or TSLRCM serves as an unofficial patch
An unofficial patch is a patch for a piece of software, created by a third party such as a user community without the involvement of the original developer. Similar to an ordinary patch, it alleviates bugs or shortcomings. Unofficial patches do no ...
by fixing around 500 remaining bugs, along with restoring most of the content that was cut from the game. There were also methods found by the community for improving compatibility on modern PC operating systems.
Reception
Commercial performance
According to The NPD Group
The NPD Group, Inc. (NPD; formerly National Purchase Diary Panel Inc. and NPD Research Inc.) is an American market research company founded on September 28, 1966, and based in Port Washington, New York. In 2017, NPD ranked as the 8th largest mar ...
, ''Knights of the Old Republic II'' sold 458,000 copies in North America during the month of December 2004. It entered their chart for the month at number 11, and at number 3 on the Xbox-only chart. After its North American release on Windows, it debuted at number 2 on the PC chart for the month of February. In the United Kingdom, the game debuted at the top of the weekly chart, beating Blizzard Entertainment
Blizzard Entertainment, Inc. is an American video game developer and publisher based in Irvine, California. A subsidiary of Activision Blizzard, the company was founded on February 8, 1991, under the name Silicon & Synapse, Inc. by three graduat ...
's much-anticipated online game ''World of Warcraft
''World of Warcraft'' (''WoW'') is a massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) released in 2004 by Blizzard Entertainment. Set in the ''Warcraft'' fantasy universe, ''World of Warcraft'' takes place within the world of Azeroth ...
'', which was released in the same week. Eurogamer reported that in the UK ''Knights of the Old Republic II'' sold much more in its first week than the first game, which the website speculates was helped by the former's simultaneous release on Windows and Xbox in PAL regions, as opposed to the latter's initial Xbox-only release. During 2005 alone, the Xbox version sold more than 60,000 copies in the region.
By early 2006, ''Knights of the Old Republic II'' had sold almost 1.5 million copies. Its sales in the United States alone reached 1.275 million by 2008.
Critical reception
''Knights of the Old Republic II'' was met with positive reception upon its release; on Metacritic
Metacritic is a website that review aggregator, aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted arithmetic mean, weighted average). M ...
, it has an aggregate
Aggregate or aggregates may refer to:
Computing and mathematics
* collection of objects that are bound together by a root entity, otherwise known as an aggregate root. The aggregate root guarantees the consistency of changes being made within the ...
score of 85/100 and 86/100 on the PC and Xbox versions respectively, indicating "generally favorable reviews" according to the site. IGN
''IGN'' (formerly ''Imagine Games Network'') is an American video game and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa distri ...
said that there is a bulk of pressure involved with developing the sequel to a game from a different developer which won several "Game of the Year
Game of the Year (GotY) is an award given by various award events and media publications to a video game that they feel represented the pinnacle of gaming that year.
Events and ceremonies
British Academy Games Awards (BAFTA Games Awards)
...
" awards, and that Obsidian delivered. The review also said that it will not disappoint fans of the original game and that it is mostly similar to it in terms of the model. ''GamePro
Gamepro.com is an international multiplatform video game magazine media company that covers the video game industry, video game hardware and video game software in countries such as Germany and France. The publication, GamePro, was originally la ...
'' praised both the first and second ''Knights of the Old Republic'' and said that the second game continues the series' tradition of not fixing what is not broken. GameSpot
''GameSpot'' is an American video gaming website that provides news, reviews, previews, downloads, and other information on video games. The site was launched on May 1, 1996, created by Pete Deemer, Vince Broady and Jon Epstein. In addition ...
echoed this statement, also saying that both the good things and the shortcomings from the first game are present in ''Knights of the Old Republic II''.
GameSpy
GameSpy was an American provider of online multiplayer and matchmaking middleware for video games founded in 1996 by Mark Surfas. After the release of a multiplayer server browser for the game, QSpy, Surfas licensed the software under the GameS ...
compared the game to ''The Empire Strikes Back
''The Empire Strikes Back'' (also known as ''Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back'') is a 1980 American epic film, epic space opera film directed by Irvin Kershner from a screenplay by Leigh Brackett and Lawrence Kasdan, based o ...
'' from the original ''Star Wars
''Star Wars'' is an American epic film, epic space opera multimedia franchise created by George Lucas, which began with the Star Wars (film), eponymous 1977 film and quickly became a worldwide popular culture, pop-culture Cultural impact of S ...
'' film trilogy in that it is the best of the series in terms of story, and also said that the game has the best story in a video game since '' Planescape: Torment''. 1UP.com
''1Up.com'' was an American entertainment website that focused on video games. Launched in 2003, ''1Up.com'' provided its own original features, news stories, game reviews, and video interviews, and also featured comprehensive PC-focused conten ...
wrote that Obsidian surpassed the original ''Knights of the Old Republic'' in terms of the writing, saying that the plot is more consistent, the dialogue is edgier and the moral choices are more significant; ''Computer Gaming World
''Computer Gaming World'' (CGW) was an American computer game magazine published between 1981 and 2006. One of the few magazines of the era to survive the video game crash of 1983, it was sold to Ziff Davis in 1993. It expanded greatly through ...
'' agreed, writing, "your decision making, as you pursue a light or dark path, is more ambiguous, with more unexpected consequences". ''Eurogamer
''Eurogamer'' is a British video game journalism website launched in 1999 and owned by alongside formed company Gamer Network. Its editor-in-chief is Martin Robinson.
Since 2008, it is known for the formerly eponymous games trade fair EGX ...
'' said that compared to the original game, ''Knights of the Old Republic II''s plot is "far more grey". The review also said that planets are "better developed and paced". GameZone wrote that the game is a "Must Buy" for people who like well-written characters and story.
The combat was generally well-received, with some reviewers noting that it is mostly unchanged from the original ''Knights of the Old Republic''. GameSpot compared the combat from the first ''Knights of the Old Republic'' to the second, saying that it is not well-balanced in both; however, the reviewer wrote that it helps the combat remain spontaneous. GameZone said that the combat is not changed from the first ''Knights of the Old Republic'' to the second, but that this is a good thing since the combat in the original was enjoyable. IGN praised the game's AI, saying that it is easy to control the main character alone without controlling the party members. GameSpy's reviewer, on the other hand, said that he encountered problems with the combat AI that were not present in the original ''Knights of the Old Republic''.
GameSpot criticized ''Knights of the Old Republic II''s graphics, calling them "lackluster". GameSpy's reviewer felt that the game's graphics were disappointing, calling them "a little dated" and "half-baked". The reviewer further criticized the graphics for looking the same as they were in the first game of the series, saying that they could only be considered "good" during the release of that game. GameZone said that the game looks exactly the same as the original ''Knights of the Old Republic'' and that it does not compare to the majority of mainstream games released at the time. GameSpy called the music in the game "excellent"; however, the reviewer noted that some of it is re-used from the first game of the series. The GameSpy reviewer also said that while the majority of the voice-acting is good, there are "a few more examples of bad voice-acting" than in the first ''Knights of the Old Republic''. GameZone said that the "top-notch" voice acting complements the game's very well-written dialogue, and also praised the game's sound effects.
The game was criticized for its glitch
A glitch is a short-lived fault in a system, such as a transient fault that corrects itself, making it difficult to troubleshoot. The term is particularly common in the computing and electronics industries, in circuit bending, as well as among ...
es; several players reported having problems with pathfinding
Pathfinding or pathing is the plotting, by a computer application, of the shortest route between two points. It is a more practical variant on solving mazes. This field of research is based heavily on Dijkstra's algorithm for finding the sh ...
bugs. 1UP.com's reviewer condemned ''Knights of the Old Republic II'' for having the same bugs and technical issues as in the first game, saying that his party "still had a tendency to warp and skip around the map at times", and he also criticized the pathfinding in the game. GameSpy said that the game's bugs are "hard to forgive", and that these issues did not occur in the first ''Knights of the Old Republic''. In a different article, GameSpy said that the game is incomplete, and attributed this to its rushed deadline.
GameSpy called Kreia the best video game character of 2005, saying that she was "easily the most intriguing, complicated, enigmatic, well-designed and nuanced character in a video game this year". The game received runner-up placements in ''GameSpot''s 2004 "Best Role-playing Game", "Best Voice Acting", "Best New Character" and "Best Game Based on a TV or Film Property" award categories across all platforms. In 2010, the game was included as one of the titles in the book ''1001 Video Games You Must Play Before You Die
''1001 Video Games You Must Play Before You Die'' is a video game reference book first published in October 2010. It consists of a list of video games released between 1970 and 2013, arranged chronologically by release date. Each entry in the list ...
''.
References
Footnotes
Citations
External links
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