Top 50 Video Game Moments: Number 7

Forshadow
verb /fôrˈSHadō/
Be a warning or indication of a future event.
See also: everything leading up to the big reveal in Knights of the Old Republic.

Top 50 Video Games: Number 24

Stats of Import

Platform: Xbox
Absurdly Specific Genre: Star Wars
Difficulty: I just used it as an example of a '5', so I'd probably better put that.
Beaten: Yes


When my brother bought Knights of the Old Republic, I didn't know a thing about it beyond the fact that it was a Star Wars RPG. Since he had an Xbox, and I was rocking the PS2, I didn't really give it a second thought. Then one day he came into my room with his Xbox in his arms and tossed the game on my bed.

"Play this"
"Really?"
"Just play this."

So I did. I was a relative novice to the action RPG world, so I messed up horribly on the skill tree, putting valuable points into asinine things like lock picking (a RPG quirk that I've never been able to shake) and never maxing out one skill, opting to put all kinds of points into as many different skills as I could.

The Firkrann crystal has a minor damage bonus to droids, but it looks frakking awesome.

The characters were split right down the middle between those that I only barely tolerated (Carth, Mission, etc) and those that I loved (Bastila, Canderous, and, most especially, HK-47*), but the story always had the proper galactically epic feel. The combat wasn't perfect (in fact, a replay from a couple months ago showed the mechanics to be just flawed enough to bump the game a couple spots down on this very list, but the gameplay itself was phenomenal. The unexpected genre changeups, like the Rashomon-inspired arbiter scene, the (easy) puzzles in one of the last temples, everything stayed fresh.


* Yes, I love the dark side characters, even though I am a serial light side player. Carth is a pussy.

That footnote brings up the best part of the game, actually. The light side/dark side mechanic felt more natural in this game than in it has in any game I can think of. Star Wars is a universe that encourages that sort of duality to begin with, but this game captures it well, and you feel like your choices matter.

Though, let's be honest, whatever your alignment, you will kill the gizka. Even that pussy Carth would kill the gizka.

I haven't brought up the famous twist because honestly, it's not even necessary (though it will be featured in the other list, because it's pretty sweet), the game was good enough before it to be on this list, and even years later, wit the twist known, it's a joy to play through.


Other Notable Games in the Series: Much as I adored the first game, I didn't play a single minute of the second game. I heard it suffered from massive Indigo Prophecy Syndrome, plus I didn't have an xbox. I own it now (bought for $3 from the local GameStop), so maybe I'll have to give it a try.