the best kotor?

[mur'phon]

I am thinking of buying either kotor1 or 2, and would like to know wich one people here think is the best. I was originally thinking of buying kotor2, but at my local game store, kotor1 costs 50 rand (around 10$) more than kotor2. Normally I would just compare demoes, but without any demoes to compare, I need you guys to tell me wich one is the best.

By the way I dont give a rats-ass about graphics, or replies along the lines of "kotor2 pwnz cuz its nwer u noob" So anyone got any good reasons why kotor1/2 is better than the other?

[Inyri]

You should really get the first one first, regardless of which is better, else you'll likely be somewhat confused. That said, I think the first is indeed better. They're both great games, though. I think most people will recommend you play them in sequence, regardless of which they like better. It makes both games far more enjoyable.

[Titanius Anglesmith]

I liked KotOR I better. And if you don't get K1 first, the K2 will make no sense.

[FiEND_138]

I prefer tSL, but as others have said it is best to play them in order.

[jonathan7]

See i prefered TSL, and I played that first and it all made sense to me, everything is explained ingame about Revan well enough so that you know whats going on.

[SilentScope001]

I prefer TSL as it is a more darker story, but buy both K1 and K2, so that you can understand what happened.

[tbl]

Please don't make me choose

[Balderdash]

My opinion in a nutshell ...

 

KotOR = better story and characters. Also has a more Star Warsy feel to it which is good.

 

K2: TSL = better graphics and somewhat improved gameplay (combat as well as some of the other features).

 

I'd say get the original, especially if you don't care at all about graphics.

[XoXoXAlexOxOxO]

i'd get kotor 1 if i couldn't get both. less buggy & more complete

[Titanius Anglesmith]

KotOR = better story and characters. Also has a more Star Warsy feel to it which is good.

 

K2: TSL = better graphics and somewhat improved gameplay (combat as well as some of the other features).

Hmm...true. In my last post I said I like K1 better, but I'm constantly changing my mind. I think they're equally good, but each has it's own strengths and weaknesses.

[Sir Vougalot]

I think KOTOR II would have been better had they finished the game. The first time I played it, as I played through the first two or so planets I thought, "Wow, this is much darker and so much better than the first one." But then as the game went on, things were left out and unexplained, it greatly let me down.

 

So, as of right now, I like KOTOR I better. When the TSL Restoration Project finishes their mod, I may like KOTOR II better. Basically, it had potential, but they ruined it by rushing the game's release.

[Ambrose]

I liked K1 better when I frist played it, but after getting spoiled by all the new interface features in TSL, I find it hard to enjoy as much as I did before I played TSL. To get the full experience, play K1 first, TSL second. TSL has better gameplay and a way more complex (and sometimes confusing) plotline, but in my opinion, nothing beats the traditional, archetypal, and direct approach to the K1 storyline.

 

I the way K1's plot is written better, because (as anyone who reads my fics will know) I enjoy classic stories, not behind the scenes masquerading and conspiring. In K1, the villain is big, blunt, mean, and nasty, good and evil are VERY clearly defined, you know who the bad guys are and what their ideals are, there's a damsel (not two, like in TSL, heh), and it all builds up to the final confrontation between master and apprentice. Nothing can beat the classic formula.

 

On the other hand, you don't know a damn thing about the villains of TSL, even toward the very end, and for the better part of the game you don't know who the villains ARE. You're not really fighting against anything solid, and there's no central ideal you're upholding. The black-and-white approach to good and evil is gone; there are many situations in which your actions will be questioned no matter which path you take. There' love triangles, betrayers, assassins, and generally dark behind the scenes stuff.

 

Some people like that more. Personally I prefer TSL as a whole just because there's better mods for it, the interface is better, and gameplay is more fun, but without question I like K1's storyline better.

 

The better/worse debate aside, there is no question that you NEED to play K1 before TSL.

[RedHawke]

i'd get kotor 1 if i couldn't get both. less buggy & more complete

To be honest and fair here, KotOR I was not a smooth and bug free game to play when it was first released, it took three patches to make it what it is today, TSL has only recieved one. Just some perspective.

[stingerhs]

if i absolutely had to choose, i'd go with TSL. the first game was definately a great game in its own right, but TSL improved on a lot of things that were introduced in the first game.

 

i'm still convinced that if OE had more time to put out the story they had orginally planned, TSL would definately be everyone's choice here. but you live with what you get, and it seems that controversy is all a lot of people want to focus on.

[Kas'!m]

KOTOR III will be.

[Jediphile]

That's a really tough question. I truly like the plot in TSL, but also feel that the game itself was harmed greatly by the rushed production schedule. So considering the released versions of the games, I'd tend a bit more towards K1. I also like Revan better than the Exile, but the plot is definitely better and more original in K2 IMHO, so had it been completed, TSL would have been my favorite. Jolee and Bastila were great characters in K1, but Kreia is far better written in K2, so TSL would win there too. Very close call, but I'm leaning towards K1 due to its more complete condition.

[The Architect]

IMO, K1 is overrated. It was a stereotypical black and white, good vs. evil Star Wars story with lame characters (apart from Jolee, Canderous and HK-47). Instead of creating an evolving story, BioWare seemed to write it around a single plot twist that you could see coming from a mile away (I figured it when I saw the second vision on Taris just after you meet Bastila).

 

When you speak with the Jedi council on Dantooine, if you still didn't figure out that you were Revan by then, well...umm...you should of. BioWare gave you enough hints. They practically spelled it out for you if you ask me. It’s difficult for me to believe that some people were surprised to find out that they were Revan. I’d also like to point out that the ‘Bastila falls to the DS’ plot twist was very obvious too. Anyway, moving on.

 

The characters were basic archetypes (the Jedi with ethical issues, the soldier with a dark past) and so on, with completely dull personalities. Besides, a lot of people don’t realize how much BioWare plagiarized the story in the OT.

 

There would be no Ebon Hawk without the Millennium Falcon. There would be no Vandar without Yoda. There would be no Malak without Vader. There would be no Zaalbar without Chewbacca. There would be no Star Forge without the Death Star. There would be no plot twist in K1 without the plot twist in TESB. The list goes on.

 

The story was simple, safe, predictable, very linear, unoriginal and never strayed from the old Star Wars rumblings. Sure, as fun and interesting as it was to play K1, it is an overrated game, as the story isn’t some brilliant thought provoking classic tale like some people make it out to be.

 

All it was, was just straight forward Star Wars. But that was alright for me, since I never was expecting K1 to have some breath taking plot and characters. I was expecting it to be entertaining and interesting, which is how Star Wars should be. So it didn’t disappoint me.

 

We got something different with K2. It breathed something fresh into the Star Wars universe. K2 delved into what defines the force, it questioned the teachings of the Jedi and the Sith, and explored the ‘grey philosophy’. The LS and the DS were examined in a much more deeper, mature way than how it was cartoonishly portrayed as in K1. More distinct shades of grey = thumbs up from me. It also had Kreia, such a deep, well written character who was awesomngly voice acted. She IMO, is by far the best EU character in Star Wars.

 

Aside from the catastrophe ending, the story in K2 was much more compelling as you came to learn more and more as you continued your adventure. K2’s story had more layers to it, and didn’t rely on an entirely too obvious and overrated plot twist to carry the story.

 

The story and the writing were leagues beyond K1’s. However, logic would tell you that a completed product is better than a semi-completed one, which is how K2 ended up. As much as I hate to say it, K1 is the better game IMO. If K2 was also a completed product, if it was finished the way the devs wanted to finish it, then there’s no way in hell that I would of said K1 is better.

 

I’ve always got the impression that the story, the writing and the characters in K1 were designed for a young audience, say people who are 13 years old and under, whether as K2 was designed for a more mature, older and intellectually adept audience.

 

One more thing. In K1, every little aspect of the plot was dumbed down and spoon fed to you. That was annoying. In K2, sure, the devs didn’t want every issue to go unresolved (the whole cut content deal), but you were required to think more and explore for yourself to uncover the answers to questions that you had on your mind, instead of the answers being handed to you on a silver platter, like in K1.

 

The bottom line IMO is:

 

K1>The semi complete K2 we all got

K1<The completed K2 that we should of got

[The Sith'ari]

I’ve always got the impression that the story, the writing and the characters in K1 were designed for a young audience, say people who are 13 years old and under, whether as K2 was designed for a more mature, older and intellectually adept audience.

 

The bottom line IMO is:

 

K1>The semi complete K2 we all got

K1<The completed K2 that we should of got

 

Agreed.

 

But K1 isnt' really That unoriginal to me. Though there're resembling counterparts in the OT, characters like Jolee, Bastila and Revan are indeed quite exciting for me. And if one doesn't think too much of what's gonna happen, I believe it's not hard to keep oneself ignorant of his "true identity" in the game until the right moment comes.

 

And it's important that Revan as a character, his depth is enhanced by what's revealed in K2. He becomes a more original character because of wht I know of him from K2, the fact that he may not have actually "fallen", that he chose the dark side just to confront a greater evil. That's why I feel that one should indeed play K1 first, then K2, so that the latter can act as a supplement to the first and thus enhance the overall appeal of the series. If one plays K2 first and get to know all about Revan, the novelty of K1 may be lost when it's played later.

[FiEND_138]

@ the Architect...

 

Perhaps some of that should have been in a spoiler tag. Just saying, by the sounds of it the TC hasn't played either, ya know?

[Ambrose]

I agree with Architect's assertions, the only difference between our views is that I like the classic archetypal story.

 

OT > PT

K1 story > TSL story

 

The above are just my opinion though, because both really just boil down to personal preference in literature.

 

if i absolutely had to choose, i'd go with TSL. the first game was definately a great game in its own right, but TSL improved on a lot of things that were introduced in the first game.

 

While this is true, if you play K1 first you don't know what gameplay features you're missing. Which is why I think it's essential to play K1 first; you'll enjoy it more because you won't already be used to the fancy new features of TSL. Plus you'll understand everything better if you play them in sequence.

 

And to be perfectly honest... I think Taris is a far better way to introduce someone to KotOR than Peragus.

[Diego Varen]

I agree with The Architect about KOTOR, since I prefer TSL to KOTOR, but I do like them both. Although Ambrose has a point about Taris being a better opening planet than Peragus.

[mur'phon]

Mur'phon walks up to the architect and says.

Thank you mr architect for revealing the plot in k1 *smacks him with newspaper*

And thank you for revealing a lot about k2 *smacks harder*

Tho I think I'll agre with you when sometimes in the far future I play both, I think you didnt have to reveal that much *smacks some more for good measure*

That aside, I realy dont like black&white stories, I find them predictable and unrealistic, give me one black&white conflict after ww2. Still most people apears to belive that playing k1 will make playing k2 much more fun, so I think I'll buy k1. But keep posting, it helps me alot.

[Vaelastraz]

Get Kotor I first. And it is the better game too.

 

Kotor II might have had the potential to be a better game, especially story wise, but they ruined that potential with an uncomplete rushed game, and a few very lame ideas, which according to some (like me xD) don't fit...

And the story is not all that "breathtaking" like some people here claim...

 

Anyway, I suggest you purchase Kotor I before you get Kotor II. Experience the old Republic right from the beginning - trust me that's better.

 

EDIT:

 

You don't like black&white stories? I wonder why you are interested in star wars then, after all Starwars is the ultimate black and white story...

[Jediphile]

Get Kotor I first. And it is the better game too.

 

Kotor II might have had the potential to be a better game, especially story wise, but they ruined that potential with an uncomplete rushed game, and a few very lame ideas, which according to some (like me xD) don't fit...

And the story is not all that "breathtaking" like some people here claim...

 

Now, now. That's a matter of opinion. Obviously you have every right to yours, but then so does everyone else, and none of us gets to be the final arbiter of which game is better. We only get to say what we all think.

 

Anyway, I suggest you purchase Kotor I before you get Kotor II. Experience the old Republic right from the beginning - trust me that's better.

 

I agree, so get the Tales of the Jedi comic books first

 

Seriously, that is the real beginning of the Old Republic, which the games were subsequently founded on.

 

EDIT:

 

You don't like black&white stories? I wonder why you are interested in star wars then, after all Starwars is the ultimate black and white story...

 

Only in the original film, if you ask me - "Empire Strikes Back" definitely took it all up a notch or two. And personally I think that's what made the series into a classic.

[Vaelastraz]

Of course it is my opinion but since everybody else mentioned their's I thought I just do the same...

 

Oh and (imo) episode 5 is black and white. It is my favourite episode too though.

But compared with other science fiction star wars is very Black&White.