"A long time ago, in a galaxy far far away…". These words are probably the best known movie intro of all times. And I don’t think that there is a child or grown-up who hasn’t heard about Star Wars. Star Wars was and is a true phenomenon, and its huge commercial potential made the appearance of many Star Wars based games something natural. However, a good license doesn’t guarantee the quality of the game, which is best represented by the fact that you can finger count the Star Wars games which rose above average. And although the genre span was vast, from 3D Shooters, to Space Simulators and Real Time Strategies, one genre in particular was avoided by game designers: Role Playing Games. The desire to see a Star Wars RPG was huge, and Lucas Arts decided to launch Star Wars Galaxies, a MMORPG developed by Sony Entertainment Online, which despite the fact that it lacked most of the features that it promised, still enjoyed a huge success. An “off-line” RPG however required a producer with vast experience in the field, which could rise to the challenge brought forth by Lucas Arts. And the producer would be none other than Bioware. Critically acclaimed for their Baldur’s Gate and Neverwinter Nights series, Bioware was the obvious choice when it came to creating a quality RPG, based on the Star Wars license. And I’m proud to say that not only did they manage to achieve their goals, but have possibly created with Knights of the Old Republic one of the best RPG’s ever made.
The action from KotOR takes place roughly 4000 years before the events from Episode IV: A New Hope, in the Golden Era of the Galactic Republic. It was a time when both Jedi and Sith numbered in their thousands, and the war between good and evil was at its peak. It all began with the Mandalorian Wars, when two of the most promising students from the Jedi Academy, Revan and Malak, defied the Jedi Council and decided to take matters into their own hands. Rallying both Jedi masters and students alike to their cause, Revan and Malak won one victory after another, crushing the Mandalorians and being hailed as the heroes of the Republic. But every victory has its price, and unfortunately, on the outer rim of the galaxy, something happened with Revan and Malak. Taking control of the Republic fleet, they disappeared for two years, only to come back as Sith Lords, leading a seemingly unstoppable armada, not as saviors, but as conquerors. The Republic however managed to set a trap for the Sith Lords, and killed Revan, with help from his apprentice Malak, who assumed to mantle of Dark Lord afterwards. The story begins when the player awakens aboard the Endar Spire, a Republic ship that was ambushed by the Sith, who hoped to kill a particular Jedi Knight, called Bastilla. After a short tutorial and a few fights, you will crash land on the planet below, called Taris, wounded and being hunted by the Sith at the same time, and with no immediate means of escape, due to the Sith blockade of the planet.
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