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Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic (KotOR) is a role-playing game developed by BioWare and published by LucasArts. It was released for the Xbox on July 15, 2003, for Microsoft Windows on November 19, 2003, and later for Mac OS X. KotOR is the first computer role-playing game set in the Star Wars universe. The sequel, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II The Sith Lords, was developed by Obsidian Entertainment at BioWare's suggestion as BioWare wanted to focus on their own intellectual properties.
game's system is based on Wizards of the Coast's Star Wars Roleplaying Game, which is based on the d20 role-playing game system derived from the Third Edition Dungeons & Dragons rules.
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Quotations
(after the Handmaiden confesses her worry for his safety) It's a good thing she didn't, or you'd have torn the galaxy apart in revenge.
(Upon faliure of repair to his memory) AHHHHH! WHAT ARE YOU DOING, REMOVE THE ARC WRENCH, REMOVE THE ARC WRENCH!!!!!.... MEDIC!
...Sometimes swirling Force is just swirling Force. It gets all us old Jedi excited at our age so we go 'Oooo, destiny!'
Bah! I don't want to talk about this anymore! My jaw aches!
But from now on you can just think of me as any other non-Jedi in our little group - with a light saber. And Force powers.
Children with lightsabers. Not Jedi, I think. (Malachor V cut content)
Encyclopedia
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic (KotOR) is a role-playing game developed by BioWare and published by LucasArts. It was released for the Xbox on July 15, 2003, for Microsoft Windows on November 19, 2003, and later for Mac OS X. KotOR is the first computer role-playing game set in the Star Wars universe. The sequel, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II The Sith Lords, was developed by Obsidian Entertainment at BioWare's suggestion as BioWare wanted to focus on their own intellectual properties.
Gameplay
This game's system is based on Wizards of the Coast's Star Wars Roleplaying Game, which is based on the d20 role-playing game system derived from the Third Edition Dungeons & Dragons rules. Combat is round-based; time is divided into discrete rounds, and combatants attack and react simultaneously. However, the number of actions a combatant may perform each round is limited. While each round's duration is a fixed short interval of real time, the player can configure the combat system to pause at specific events or at the end of each round.
The alignment system tracks actions and speech—from simple word choices to major plot decisions—to determine whether the player's character aligns with the light or dark side of the Force. Generosity and altruism lead to the light side, while self-serving or violent actions will lead the player's character to the dark side, which will alter the character's appearance, turning their eyes yellow and their skin gray and scarred.
Non-combat interaction with other characters in the game world is based upon a dialog menu system. Following each statement, the player can select from a list of menu responses. The dialog varies based on the gender of the main character.
Story
The game takes place 4,000 years before the rise of the Galactic Empire. Darth Malak, a Dark Lord of the Sith and Darth Revan's former apprentice, has unleashed a Sith armada against the Republic. Malak's aggression has left the Jedi scattered and vulnerable; many Jedi Knights died in battle and others swore allegiance to Malak. The game opens with the player's character, whom the player can customize to be either male or female awakening aboard a Republic ship under attack by Malak's forces.
After escaping the ship, the player's character gradually gathers companions and pieces together his or her past while attempting to stop Malak's forces. While taking refuge at the Jedi Academy on Dantooine, the group discovers a "Star Map" and learns of the "Star Forge" -- the probable source of Malak's military resources. But the Star Map is ancient and its files corrupted -- the group can only access a portion of the map's memory. The Star Map mentions other planets across the galaxy - Manaan, Tatooine, Kashyyyk and Korriban, and the group surmises there might be similar Star Maps on those planets that will help them piece together more information about the Star Forge. In searching for these maps, the main character's actions and speech influence whether he aligns with the light or dark side of the Force.
Characters and locations
Eventually joining the main character's quest are the Jedi Bastila Shan, Jolee Bindo, and Juhani; pilot Carth Onasi; Mandalorian mercenary Canderous Ordo; assassin droid HK-47; the Twi'lek teenager Mission Vao and her Wookiee companion, Zaalbar; and utility droid T3-M4. Antagonists include bounty hunter Calo Nord, crime boss Davik Kang, Sith Admiral Saul Karath, Sith apprentice Darth Bandon and Darth Malak.
Action takes place on the planets Tatooine, Dantooine, Kashyyyk, Korriban, Manaan, Rakata Prime, and Taris; aboard the cruiser Endar Spire and Saul Karath's Leviathan; and on the Star Forge space station. A space station near Yavin is a playable location in the PC version of the game and is available to Xbox players via download from Xbox Live. Travel between these locations happens aboard the freighter Ebon Hawk, which is also a playable location.
Anthologies
The game was re-released as part of the Star Wars: Best of PC collection in 2006 as a limited release. The collection is no longer in production, but still available in stores.
Known Issues
There are reports that the game does not properly function on Windows Vista. Due to the age of the game, the issue has not been addressed by the developer; however, there are several player-made fixes for the Vista bugs located on tech-support forums.
Critical reception
The general critical response was extremely enthusiastic. KotOR won numerous awards, including Game Developers Choice Awards' game of the year, BAFTA Games Awards' best Xbox game of the year, and Interactive Achievement Awards for best console RPG and best computer RPG.
KotOR has seen success as the game of the year from many sources including IGN, GameSpot, Computer Gaming World, PC Gamer, GMR Magazine, The Game Developers Choice Awards, Xbox Magazine, and G4. According to the review aggregator Metacritic the PC version received an average score of 93 based on 33 reviews.
Interactive Achievement Awards awarded it for Best Story and Best Character Development. IGN gave KotOR additional awards in Best Sound (Xbox category), Best Story (PC category), Xbox RPG Game of the Year 2003, PC RPG Game of the Year 2003, Xbox Game of the Year 2003, PC Game of the Year 2003, and Overall Game of the Year 2003 across all platforms. In 2007, IGN listed it at #27 on its list of the Top 100 Games of All-Time.
At the 2004 Game Developers Choice Awards, HK-47 won the category of
"Original Game Character of the Year". In 2007, the plot twist in KotOR was ranked number two in Game Informer's list of the top ten video game plot twists of all timeand number 10 on Screwattack's "Top 10 OMGWTF Moments".
The game is also part of The Xbox Platinum Series/Classics for sales in excess of 1 million units.
The Los Angeles Times listed Knights of the Old Republic as one of the most influential works of the Star Wars Expanded Universe.
One of the criticisms of the game is that it can involve extensive back-tracking. That is, the player has to make frequent, time-consuming, in-game trips back to a previous locations along passages that have already been explored and cleared.
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