XBox Xtravaganza: Lucas Arts Star Wars; Knights of the Old Republic

By Jonathan Berohn

All right-first the warning. Do not play this game if you are in any way subject to become addicted to a video game in such a manner that you will go to any length to keep going until you win and find out how it ends.  This game will keep you up at nights.  So I've heard, anyway.  That would certainly never happen to me, of course.  Pardon me while I stop my wife from laughing.  Anyway, Knights of the Old Republic is a tremendous game which combines elements of 1st person shooters and role-playing games into an unforgettable experience.

Playability

The first thing you notice about Knights of the Old Republic is that you're not just in a video game but in a whole virtual world.  Everything is a 3D model, and the graphics are stunning.  From the opening teaser animation, you get the feeling this game is going to be something special, and it delivers.  You get to build a character into either a good or evil Jedi while battle your way through a plot as intricate as any of the Star Wars movies and encounter everything from Sith Lords to Wookies.  The only downside to the game is that combat is bit to slow.  The turn-based nature of it lets you take full advantage of all the powers and abilities you amass through the course of the game, but it's a little choppy when compared to the true 1st person shooters out there-and the fact that your aim and reflexes have nothing to do with the outcome is a little disappointing.  The addition of the storyline, though, makes it easy to overlook any clunkiness in the combat system.

Replayability

Here is one of the best features of Knights of the Old Republic.  Unlike most role-playing type games where you play once and are done, Knights of the Old Republic is simply begging for multiple run-throughs.  The nature of the dark side/light side conflict in Star Wars lends itself to great replay options, and the game delivers.  There are numerous quests and actions you simply can't perform with a good or evil character.  To get the whole experience you have to play through twice-at minimum.  To experience all the different characters you could easily play through 6 times without really duplicating things too much.