Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic Review

If you search through our recent review list you will see that when we reviewed this on the X-Box we were mightily impressed and gave it a 9/10 as our <a href=http://www.totalvideogames.com/?section=Read%20Reviews&id=815&gameid=2464&format=000005><b>overall impression</b></a>. With such a stunner of a game we thought that all PC gamers should also know about this title.<br><br>Porting to PC is now becoming a regular occurrence and we hope this is not a trend that will continue to expand in 2004 although if every conversion is as good as this then it is fully merited. The only major differences we can see in the PC version are a higher frame rate, better graphics - with more detailed textures, higher resolution, which in effect means a sharper look and the adaptation of controls for the PC. Basically, like they say, don’t mess if it’s already perfect.<br><br>Having summarised at the beginning what in many cases would be at the end of the review we should highlight one central point - PC Star War fans will just love this and we hope this is the shape of things to come.<br><br>Created by Canadian developer BioWare, which is well known to avid PC RPG players, Star Wars – Knights of the Old Republic, also billed as an ACTION RPG, offers up a very open ended, plot progressive, game without any ‘starchiness’ you might expect. It’s not an RPG as PC gamers might expect, nor is it a console game made easier to play placed onto the PC for convenience – no it’s a progression of a genre.<br><br>The game is viewed and played from a third-person perspective and looks in some respects to be a 3D action adventure and this easy on the eye viewpoint pulls you straight into the goings on. Star Wars – Knights of the Old Republic places few restrictions on the player and with such an epic plot and event line everything feels very intuitive and totally in the players control.<br><br>To get the real essence of the game - a fuller insight – it’s storyline and game mechanics, read the <a href=http://www.totalvideogames.com/?section=Read%20Reviews&id=815&gameid=2464&format=000005><b>XBOX review</b></a>.<br><br>Essentially three party members can be controlled at any given time and are easily selectable and manageable and work even better when you hit the frantic adventuring parts!<br><br>Conversing will uncover lots of interesting stories and surprisingly your buddies will converse with each other and build up their own ties. The dialogue is a very important part of the gameplay, especially with NPC's. The way you respond and act is entirely how you feel – which is the greatest bonus of all! This, in effect, is real role-playing!<br><br>It may be hard for PC gamers to get their heads around action based RPG instead of a heavily focused RPG but this slight shift makes this all the more appealing for PC gamers as it is a refreshing change.<br><br>The constant popping up of an onscreen menu requester before a confrontation merely puts you in the mood. The actual BattleMode system works splendidly and whether you choose to be a good or bad person really does not lessen the gaming appeal.<br><br>It is certainly more than just confrontation as you find out when you move into the game and with any big named production the game is filled with plenty of ‘ooohs’ and ‘arghs’. Everything is in real-time and actions can be paused to permit a more elaborate method in battle tactics.