ThePope Posted November 24, 2004 GameSpot News: Xbox Only Obsidian Entertainment's sequel to BioWare's groundbreaking Star Wars RPG is at the factory. If you felt a small disturbance in the force recently, that's because Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords has gone gold. Though originally slated for a simultaneous release on the PC and Xbox, only the console version of the game is in production. Rated T, The Sith Lords will hit stores December 6, while the PC version is now due in February 2005. As its title suggests, The Sith Lords is the follow-up to last year's groundbreaking Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic. Adored by critics and gamers alike, the game was set 4,000 years before the events of Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace. Ironically, the game's rich storyline--in which players' choices turned them to the dark or light side of the force--restored the enthusiasm for the Star Wars universe many sci-fi fans lost after The Phantom Menace. It topped many best-of-2003 lists, and was GameSpot's Xbox Game of the Year. The first KOTOR was set during a war between the evil Sith and the Galactic Republic. Players started off as a Republican trooper, but eventually became a Jedi and discovered some very large skeletons in their closet. In The Sith Lords, players start off with an even more mysterious past, waking up on a space station in the galaxy's outer rim with no memory. Eventually, they learn the Republic has collapsed to the point where it no longer extends to the outer rim, which has become a sort of sci-fi Wild West rife with Sith. As one would expect with any Star Wars game, Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords is published by LucasArts. However, development duties have gone from BioWare, the original game's creators, to Obsidian Entertainment. The game will be the indie studio's first since it was formed last year by a group of veteran RPG developers who had left Interplay's Black Isle Studios, creators of the acclaimed Fallout series. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Jake Posted November 24, 2004 The heard 'round the world! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Erkki Posted November 24, 2004 I hate the game industry. So many games coming out I want to play but have no time/money blablabla. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DanJW Posted November 24, 2004 I really hope this is good, but I have a strange hunch that it will not live up to the first game. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Sirus Posted November 24, 2004 Only gold for the gatesbox though. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Intrepid Homoludens Posted November 24, 2004 GameSpot News: Xbox Only Fine with I. Me got Xbox. ...development duties have gone from BioWare, the original game's creators, to Obsidian Entertainment. The game will be the indie studio's first since it was formed last year by a group of veteran RPG developers who had left Interplay's Black Isle Studios, creators of the acclaimed Fallout series. Hmmm. Iffy, ain't it? I'll keep watch on the reviews, in this case. Bioware = , Black Isle = ... I really hope this is good, but I have a strange hunch that it will not live up to the first game. Admittedly I feel similar. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Erkki Posted November 24, 2004 Black Isle = :deadman: Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ThePope Posted November 24, 2004 From what i have read bioware has spent a good amount of time with Obsidian. IMO the enviroments look great the new animations look great and that sith with the mask i want her #. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Moosferatu Posted November 24, 2004 I'm trying to decide if I'm going to order it now or not. My brother is coming over for Christmas so he could bring it for me, but I'm not sure how badily I want it now. I mean, there are other good games coming out after Christmas that I want too. I actually think I want Jade Empire more than Sith Lords, so I might just wait. For some reason I don't really feel in the Star Wars mood right now. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Kode Posted November 24, 2004 GameSpot News: Xbox Only Yes, this is quite frustrating. And like Treesus, for some reason I don't think it'll be as good as the first one (which would be saying a lot) but I really hope it is. Even if it isn't as good as KOTOR, though, I'll still love it. Just as long as it isn't bad. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ThePope Posted November 25, 2004 Yes, this is quite frustrating. And like Treesus, for some reason I don't think it'll be as good as the first one (which would be saying a lot) but I really hope it is. Even if it isn't as good as KOTOR, though, I'll still love it. Just as long as it isn't bad. Ive never played any of Black Isle games. But do you think Lucas Arts or Bioware would put the game in the hand of ppl that dont know what they are doing. I have a feeling this game is going to be just as good or better then the first. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
General Fuzzy McBitty Posted November 25, 2004 Ive never played any of Black Isle games. But do you think Lucas Arts or Bioware would put the game in the hand of ppl that dont know what they are doing. I have a feeling this game is going to be just as good or better then the first. You never can tell with Lucas Arts. They've been known to stop production on things even when they are in the hands of people who know what they're doing. Maybe they would fuck themselves. No, I'm not the least bit bitter about Sam and Max. Not at all. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Moosferatu Posted November 25, 2004 You know, Black Isle made Fallout and Planescape: Torment so I think they have a fairly decent record. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Chris Posted November 25, 2004 Yeah, Black Isle was a pretty solid studio... The lukewarm/negative reception its ex-members are getting in this thread is somewhat confusing to me. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Erkki Posted November 25, 2004 Well, my smilies about Black Isle translated = made some really great games, made some average games (IMO), was shot in the head Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
General Fuzzy McBitty Posted November 25, 2004 Yeah. BI is fine. Fallout was awesome. I never played Planetscape. I hope Bioware gets BG3 though. And it's not as shitty as Neverwinter, which IMO got rid of the tactical fun that most bioware products had. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Simon Posted November 25, 2004 Cool, but I haven't finished the first game on the Xbox yet, and I've got plenty of PC games to get stuck into before February, so I can wait and get the PC version this time. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Kode Posted November 25, 2004 Black Isle also made Baldur's Gate and co. which is quite an addition to one's resume, if you ask me. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
General Fuzzy McBitty Posted November 25, 2004 I thought bioware made Baldurs gate... im confused. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Jake Posted November 25, 2004 With KOTOR 1, Bioware was given heaps of money and heaps of time to develop their own custom engine/technology around the game, make things as cutting edge as they want etc etc. LucasArts -- or rather whoever pull the (purse)strings at LucasFilm HQ -- being the shortsighted quartly-earning centric people that they are (which makes no sense to me considering they are privately heald, but for some reason they are), gave Obsidian less budget, less time (a year? maybe a year and a half? Kotor 1 had twice that or more), less everything really. I suspect the game will be good, but I'm not expecting to be obliterated. I won't hold it against the developers if I'm not, either. When both Galaxies and KOTOR slipped months and months out of their originally predicted ship dates, they both got on Lucas financial's shitlist. Apparently they were just pissed and it "made them look bad" financially to not have the games shipping on time. This is of course ignoring the obvious fact that money-type people seem to overlook, that once KOTOR did ship it made them a billion dollars and helped save what was left of the company's reputation. From what I heard, Obsidian was locked into a super tight timeframe and budget for KOTOR 2 so that didn't happen again (and then as the half observant ones noticed, KOTOR was bumped up earlier, swapping places with Republic Commando, so that it could get out in time for Christmas). They got a year and a half. To make the sequel to KOTOR. Granted, the engine tech is the same as KOTOR 1 so they didn't have to spend time on a lot of the pre-production stuff... but it probably would have been a better game if LEC had given them another 6 months to a year to do so. So to me, despite the fact that I have a lot of respect for Obsidian, I'm not expecting great things. It sounds to me like LucasArts does want the game to be good, but they also want the magical financier's dream combo of it getting done in record time and on the cheap and also be as popular and well received as the first one. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Chris Posted November 25, 2004 Thanks, Jake, for the LucasArts financial update. Now to weather. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Moosferatu Posted November 25, 2004 Black Isle also made Baldur's Gate and co. which is quite an addition to one's resume, if you ask me. Nope, they only published it. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Jake Posted November 25, 2004 Thanks, Jake, for the LucasArts financial update. Now to weather. Here's something you don't know. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Intrepid Homoludens Posted November 25, 2004 Jake, that finger should be raised higher. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Erkki Posted November 25, 2004 Jake, that finger should be raised higher. Hah... that's a finger? I always thought it was a drop of water or something. Never understood that smilie. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites