A decade after its release on the Xbox and PC, Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords has been released for OS X and Linux. Boasting 5K resolution and widescreen support, new achievements to earn and compatibility with the Steam Workshop, Star Wars and Role-Playing fans on Linux and Mac finally have access to this classic from Obsidian Entertainment.
This is the definitive version of a lovely, if troubled, RPG. KOTOR 2 suffered from a rushed launch, meaning important content had to be cut for the sake of meeting deadline. Thanks to a dedicated modding community, most of the important bits have been brought back through the Restored Content Mod. The added content is subtle but vast: new interactions with companions, new cut scenes and even an expanded ending. With this new version’s compatibility with the Steam Workshop, experiencing the fullest version of the game is now easier than ever.
Image courtesy of Knights of the Old Republic Wikia page
So, why should anyone in 2015 care about a game that came out on the Xbox in late 2004? Because this is Star Wars as you’ve never seen it. Yes, there are still Jedi, Dark Lords and Wookies aplenty, but KOTOR 2 treats the Star Wars mythos with a maturity rarely seen in the series that gave the world Ewoks and Jar-Jar Binks.
KOTOR 2 is all about the de-construction of everything you think you know about Star Wars.
The noble, upstanding Jedi are cast as mistrustful curmudgeons at best and hypocrites at worst. The loveable Han Solo-esque rogue, Atton Rand, has a dark-sided (wink-wink, nudge-nudge) past.
The droids, usually comic relief in the movies, are more akin to HAL 9000 from 2001: A Space Odyssey or the murderous android Ash from Alien.
So, why should anyone in 2015 care about a game that came out on the Xbox in late 2004? Because this is Star Wars as you’ve never seen it. Yes, there are still Jedi, Dark Lords and Wookies aplenty, but KOTOR 2 treats the Star Wars mythos with a maturity rarely seen in the series that gave the world Ewoks and Jar-Jar Binks. KOTOR 2 is all about the de-construction of everything you think you know about Star Wars.
Basically, KOTOR 2 ain’t your parent’s Star Wars. Rather than the usual Light vs. Dark, Good vs. Evil struggle, KOTOR 2’s story is cast in shades of grey. Your wizened Jedi teacher Kreia (one of my favorite video game characters ever) personifies this completely, counseling the player character “The Exile” to question the teachings of the Jedi and Sith at every turn. If you save some refugees from a mugging or murder them instead, expect a lecture about why you’re ruining the galaxy by not being as middle-of-the-road as possible.
Player’s can choose to make “The Exile” any kind of Jedi they want, with choices including gender, a class and a variety of skills, feats and powers. The Exile can be a smooth-talking, Force-using champion of the light side, a gun-slinging demolitions expert, or a lightsaber-wielding dark-sided brute. The skills a player chooses can vastly change how a level plays out: You can use your computer skill to hack into a secret base and security and stealth skills to sneak past the guards and break in. Walk right up to the front door and fight your way in, or use some persuasion or a Force mind trick to have the guards just let you in. The options are vast and varied.
Image courtesy of Steam Community page
As much as the rose-tint of nostalgia has me glowing over being able to replay my favorite Xbox game — and finally with the Restored Content Mod — I have to admit that KOTOR 2 has some issues. Like any Obsidian game, there are the occasional bugs and hiccups.
The creators of beloved-yet-glitchy games like Fallout: New Vegas and Alpha Protocol, Obsidian has always been more concerned with the big picture than the technical details. I’ve not run into any game-breaking glitches or crashes running around the Galaxy in KOTOR 2, but the occasional skipped cutscene or brain-dead companions who just will not follow me down this hallway come on Atton what are you doing to me right now can test one’s patience.
Image courtesy of Steam Community KOTOR page
The character creation, combat and skill use can also feel a bit like inside-baseball at first. Until you really get a feel for the Galaxy, you might not realize certain strategies are even available to you. It took me three playthroughs before I realized certain blasters (ion) absolutely wreck Droids. Just this week, after however many playthroughs, I discovered I could help turn one of my favorite companions — the uber-competent and confident bounty hunter Mira — into a Jedi if I wanted to.
But that’s just part of the appeal of a game as dense and intricate as KOTOR 2. Every playthrough yields new secrets, new strategies. What new dialogue options will I get if I focus on the persuasion skill or awareness? What new interactions occur if I take the dark Jedi Visas Marr with me on this mission? The joy of discovering something new in KOTOR 2 makes the Galaxy feel like a vast, open world ripe for exploring all over again.
Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords is available for purchase on Steam and the Apple App Store for $10.