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What is so special?


greggomonkey

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Now I just finished a full play through of KOTOR and upon realizing later this evening that it was over 10 years old It had little effect. Despite having all the modules memorized and much of the dialogue worked out, it still has a sort of beauty to me. The games have always been something that is more than what they were created for to me.

They taught me things, made me consider the morality of the universe, along with many other things.

 

So here is my question.

What is it about these two games that makes them so special, so endlessly re-playable, to you?

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While I don't find them all that replayable (simply because I refuse to put another 24+ hours of my life into a single game more than once - there's so many other things out there to experience), but I think they're so special because they were one of the first games where choice really played a HUGE role in the outcome.

 

When you get down to it, choice is the #1 theme of Star Wars, so it was a natural fit in the universe, and I think that because the backstory/universe was already there, it was really easy for the developers to make a great game around that already existing lore.

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It was my first RPG

Its Star Wars

The Story

Its set in the Old Republic

Heavily influenced by, and included aspects of my favorite comic series, Tales of the Jedi

Revan

Darth Malak

Saul Karath

Bastila Shan

Carth Onasi

Canderous Ordo

Mission Vao

Zaalbar

Jolee Bindo

Juhani

HK-47

T3-M4

The Rakata (A massive addition to the continuity and History within the GFFA)

Taris

Dantooine (Jedi Temple)

Kashyyyk

Manaan

the Leviathan

Korriban (The best version so far)

The Unknown world

The Star Forge

 

It's basically the game that made me a gamer, before that I'd just bought consoles for the generic tie-in Star Wars games, since then I have played mainly on PC, and it spawned an 8 year run with Star Wars Galaxies, and a day one subscription to the Old Republic.

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While I don't find them all that replayable (simply because I refuse to put another 24+ hours of my life into a single game more than once - there's so many other things out there to experience), but I think they're so special because they were one of the first games where choice really played a HUGE role in the outcome.

 

When you get down to it, choice is the #1 theme of Star Wars, so it was a natural fit in the universe, and I think that because the backstory/universe was already there, it was really easy for the developers to make a great game around that already existing lore.

 

I would agree with this, I would usually not play them all the time. It always seems that I come back to them at some point. A game that requires this many hours is not something that you start just for a good few minutes of gameplay.

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For me it's not really that it's Star Wars that makes me come back to them. It was the major reason why I got into them and it's still one of the reasons why I like it so much. But in the end, that's not why I keep coming back. I had to think for a minute why I do, then, and the reasons aren't really different from why I keep replaying other games (it's a small bunch, really: Republic Commando, The Longest Journey & Dreamfall): they have great characters (HK-47, Kreia, Scorch, April Ryan, etc.) and interacting with them, even though you know all the lines already, is always a treat. Also, the locales you get to explore are so special they're etched into your mind and draw you back in when you suddenly think of them. For me personally, the ocean view on Manaan, the eery Peragus, the creepy abandoned ship in Republic Commando, Casablanca in Dreamfall, those are the places I love coming back to.

 

What makes them so special for me as a gamer, though: KotOR for introducing me to RPGs and TSL for being my personal favorite game ever.

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First reason I got Kotor, was it got Star Wars labeled on it. I was a fan of Dark Forces, my first shooter and SW game. I played Fable and some other more action focused and less RPG games. So when I found out about this SW RPG thing. I had to get it.

 

Like most fellow gamers/ forum dwellers I got hooked by the characters. The enjoyment I got in actually thinking I was talking to these digital persona. Further enjoyment by finding out what they would say next. How they would respond to my own, allthough silent anwsers. And the idea, if I had choosen another response, they would say something differant. Making me curious to replay the game to see what happens when I do something differant.

 

And then there's the story, the planets and the gameplay. I can't count how many times I replayed both K1 and TSL. I lost hours on these 2 games, no small part ofcourse since I like to mod them.

 

Thing is, I find that both games have aged rather well. Sure the graphics aren't that awesome anymore, but it's less jarring then say, replaying Dark Forces.

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It's hard for me to quite articulate, but I guess KotOR was really my first game experience where I felt immersed in the game. I had never played an RPG before, so it was extremely interesting and I loved the dialog, inventory, and quests. The planets in KotOR 1 were fabulous, I enjoyed all of them very much. Also the replay value of it was huge. Different genders, classes and choices allow for a vastly different gaming experience. But what really hooked me was the mods!

 

Oh, I remember back in 2007 when I downloaded all of RedHawke's mods, those were some of the best in my mind. And someone made an Uzi mod. I was in awe that you could make such a personal contribution to the game. So I knew that I had to learn how to mod also. And that's what made me love KotOR so much.

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Have not played in quite a while.

 

Yeah I think the stories and character interactions were what made it. Also, you start in both games as an 'everyman' and become a hero that would not otherwise exist.

 

TSL has also given me a bit of admiration for the "lookback" style of adding content and filling in blanks. I used to think it was just shoddy storytelling but now I realize it's an exercise in creativity and is responsible for twists in just about every twist in a long running series that occur I have come to like or at least remember. I like TSL, plot holes and all.

 

It's nostalgia I suppose. I'm to the point in my life, now, that I don't care about new vidya so much anymore. Now at my permanent age of 29 for the rest of my life, I have

 

1) to make room for other things. I want to work for myself, which means a real commitment.

 

2) I'm chasing other things now that I have wanted to do.

 

3) I have social skills and I'm tired of being detached from people around me who actually give a damn, and giving off the 'beta as f***' aura.

 

4) Health problems demand I change lifestyle unless I want to end up a diabetic, mutilated amputated mess, despite not being overweight.

 

 

So all that in mind, I keep what I cherish most. The KOTOR games stand out as some of my better memories which I care to keep. Spend enough time away from what you love between each time you indulge, you never feel unsatisfied and never really get sick of it.

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I mostly love the characters (especially HK-47)...

Also love the level designs (Manaan, M4-78, Telos IV)...

Finally, the dialogues... I literally memorised every line HK spoke out and that also helped me improve my English quite a bit, both in grammar and vocabulary... I can actually say that I was way ahead of everyone in english class just because of KOTOR:)

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I mostly love the characters (especially HK-47)...

Also love the level designs (Manaan, M4-78, Telos IV)...

Finally, the dialogues... I literally memorised every line HK spoke out and that also helped me improve my English quite a bit, both in grammar and vocabulary... I can actually say that I was way ahead of everyone in english class just because of KOTOR:)

 

That's awesome - always great to see something like a video game helping to improve a person overall!

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I'm not the cutscene/dialogue/tutorial skipping kind of guy. I always watch them fully the first time in video games and afterwards if I replay it I will skip sometimes, but with KOTOR it's different. I love the characters so much that literally no matter how many times I play it I never get tired of hearing what the NPC's and especially the main characters have to say. It's one of those games where if I stopped playing and decided to give it another go a decade later, I would probably remember the majority of what people say. The game just really took me in and still does to this day.

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