First off, I'll try to keep this away from the mainstream of other online reviews which I'm sure a lot of you have already read. I'm going to focus on the game engine and some of the nuances I've already encountered.
The KoToR game engine itself is quite parallel to the 3E rules of DnD, and ironically (or perhaps not so given it's a Bioware product) bears a remarkable resemblance to Neverwinter Nights.
Character creation is near identical to NWN. Abilities yield the same bonuses or penalties at the respective attribute level and bear the same costs to raise an abilitiy by a point during character creation. Skills are determined by class + int. bonus and feats/level are determined by class. The game has reflex, fortitude, and will saves, DC checks for skills and jedi power; ad infinitum, the rules make it feel like a Neverwinter Nights expansion. As a satisfied customer of Bioware's NWN product with many many hours invested, the learning curve for me personally was very small.
Once you choose a class during character creation, forever will it dominate your destiny.
i.e., to say, you won't have the freedom to pick whatever class you want during the levelling up process. If you start out as a soldier, you'll continue to level up as a soldier unless at a point during the game you become a jedi, which, as far as I can tell (6 hours of play) isn't guaranteed. The game features three classes:soldier = fighter
scout = ranger
scoundrel = rogue
The only character I've made so far is a soldier and I did receive a bonus feat at level 1. Not sure if the scout gains two weapon fighting at level 1 (there are three levels of this feat, parallels ambidexterity, TW fighting, Improved TW fighting of NWN sort of; in fact most feats have three levels) and I don't see the scoundrel gaining bonus feats like evasion and others since they don't seem to be present. Either way, I'm just pointing out more NWN similiarities.
The interface is where PC gamers will probably be turned off should you dare to try the console version of KoToR. I suppose it could be labeled as clunky. Example: In NWN, there are two windows above the quick slots toolbar, one for conversation, and another for combat rolls, experience acquired, monies gained, journal updates cues, etc. In XBOX KoToR, you have to pause the action to pull up such windows and then use one of the buttons on the controllers to flip back and forth between the conversation window and the game info window. It doesn't really bother me, and this sounds nit-picky, but it's often the small things that can really turn a gamer off from a game.
Overall though, Bioware crafted a fairly easy to manage interface given the complexity of the game while limited to the use of a console controller. All of the options one would consider concerning feedback and auto-pause are all present. The journal is well done, and the character record and character inventory pages are comprehensive and organzied.
I could see inventory of items becoming a problem at later stages of the game. While not overwhelming, it does get congested as inventory is kept as party inventory; additionally, items equipped on characters do not show up in the party inventory which could lead to a lot of bouncing around. I'm not really certain though if this will be any more inconvenient than our days of exchaning items back and forth through our characters in BG2. There are some nice filters on the inventory page like showing only usable items or quest items. Encumbrance has no bearing on the game which doesn't bother me one bit and so far I haven't seen if there is a way to drop an item. Once you pick something up, the only way to get rid of it might be to sell it at a shop. However, with hundreds of different items in the game coupled with using a thumbstick to scroll through the list veritcally; again, I'll point out it may become a PITA (pain in the arse).
Concerning combat, I'll say the system is very slick and very NWNesque. One is able to give multiple commands to the PC and NPCs and switching back and forth between the three (for that is the max size of any landing/boarding party) is simple and efficient. Cancelling cued up actions is also simple and it is possible to pause combat at any time. Anything else you'd want to know is pretty well covered in several other online reviews.
Graphically, the game is a gem. If your a star wars fan, the look of two jedi locked in lightsaber combat combined with the hum of the glowing blades is well..........too cool. Music and all other sound effects are well done but this has also been beat to death across the board on Internet reviews.
What is not covered enough in online reviews is the voice overs and how they affect game play. I've not seen as much life breathed into a CRPG since BG2 and it has everything to do with NPCs and other folk in which you interact with. The voice overs thus far have been excellent although it seems aliens not speaking Basic (that's English in the Star Wars world) take an awful long time to say what they want to say. I'm playing the game with the subtitles on and I'm curious to know if you turned them off, would one have any idea what an alien is saying. It would be just like sitting next to Charlie Brown in class and having the teacher speak to you.
Bioware also apparently has heard the cry of the masses and has put a lot of persona into each NPC. They each have their own plotline which advances with the game and it seems each acts accordingly towards their respective alignments (in KoToR, that means which side of the force they lean towards). Example: In the first city you're in, the only NPC you have is a bit of a goody two shoes crusader. Now, since this game apparently lets one play through as a heartless bastard without adversely affecting the plot in a negative way, I am taking full advantage of embracing the dark side of the force. My current NPC has already had issues concerning some of my decisions and has had no problem being vocal about it. Such personality is refreshing and has not been seen since our fave, BG2.
As this has gotten a tad long, I'll finish quickly. Two things influenced my decision to try this out on the XBOX.
1. I have an XBOX.
2. Reviews early this week indiciated that all were pretty smitten with the game, IGN in particluar, and I personally like what they have to say about games.
Oh wait, there's a third. I know, I know, I didn't expect the Spanish Inquisition.
3. With KoToR scheduled to be released in the fall for the PC alongside Troika's ToEE, I'd take ToEE every day of the week and twice on sunday over KoToR despite being a star wars fan. This way, I get to play both games.
If you've got an XBOX or know someone who does, give this a rental and see what you think. I don't think you'll be disappointed. And if your a PC gamer who refuses to use a console and have little to no interest in ToEE, maybe you should wait. Either way, the high scores and appraise it's receiving across the board online are for good reason. It's an awfully good game and I'm just getting started. Over the next few weeks I might tag some addendums to this thread if I feel it's warranted. Otherwise, I must stop now as this post probably has more characters in it than my other 3800 and something posts combined.
