MY VIEW
Games: 'Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords'

By Julius Pecson
Special to The Advertiser

The Verdict: THE RATINGS 5 — Outstanding: Add it to your collection now. A must-have. 4 — Great: Buy it or rent it — definitely play it. 3 — Good: Worth playing despite some flaws. 2 — Fair: Unless you're a fan of the license or series, don't bother. 1 — Poor: You'd have more fun playing Pong.

Console: Xbox.

Developer/publisher: Obsidian/Lucas Arts.

Genre: Role-playing game.

Number of players: 1.

ESRB rating: Teen (for blood, violence).

The premise: Five years after the events from the award-winning "Knights of the Old Republic" game, the Sith Lords have hunted the Jedi to the edge of extinction and are on the verge of crushing the Old Republic. With the Jedi Order in ruin, the Republic's only hope is a Jedi knight struggling to reconnect with the Force.

Game play: Similar to the first game, combat is a mix of real-time and turn-based game play. Players can now assign what role they want their party members to play, allowing them to act on their own without having you to command them. The interaction with your party members has also gotten more complex — depending on how you treat them and how much you interact with them, you gain or lose "influence." With enough influence, a character might follow your lead down the Dark or Light paths. A couple of new features in the battle system include the addition of new light saber techniques and Force forms and behavior.

The good/bad: Long periodic load times, frame-rate slowdown, and programming bugs comprise the unfortunate technical issues that hamper the experience. The glitches, in particular, were exceedingly frustrating: Characters sometimes would get stuck in walls or the game would suddenly crash. It just seems that the game is unfinished.

The graphics range from bland to breathtaking, but the audio — from the musical score to the sound effects — is brilliant. The game play's true star is the moral dilemmas you face and how the choices you make affect your entire party. Any decision you make during the game has an effect, and the higher your influence, the more closely their Force alignment matches your own. The trick is that every party member will be impressed by different and sometimes contradictory things, so if you want everyone to follow your lead, some tactical moral decisions might be necessary.

I found the storyline to be intriguing, and once I acquired the light saber (which took a little longer than it should have) the action was much more entertaining.

Tips: In the secret Jedi base on Telos, speak with the "last" handmaiden. Just be polite to her and end the conversation as soon as possible, and you will gain Light Side points. Repeat as many times as you want to gain more points.

My take: Even though I'm not a big fan of Western RPGs or "Star Wars," I still was able to find enjoyment in this game. The technical issues are too abundant to ignore, but fans of the franchise and the original "Knights of the Old Republic" should definitely check it out.

Julius Pecson, a student at the University of Hawai'i-Manoa and a longtime gamer, reviews games on various consoles for The Honolulu Advertiser. Have a game or CD you want to review? Reach Island Life deputy editor Dave Dondoneau at ddondoneau@honoluluadvertiser.com.

2004 a great year for new games

"Half-Life 2" packs in spectacular graphics and lots of carnage. amazon.com

Of course, not all the best games came out at the end of 2004, but many "Best of 2004" lists, this one included, couldn't be written until a few weeks ago.

So without further ado:

Game of the Year, "Half-Life 2" for PC: Valve tried hard to take HL2 out of the running, thanks to its cumbersome, Internet-based authentication mechanism called Steam.

But the game was worth the multiple delays and installation hassles.

The frenetic action, unbelievable graphics and satisfying carnage make you forget about the thin plot.

Second place, "Halo 2" for Xbox: The developers at Bungie and Microsoft delivered almost everything fans of the original Halo could have expected.

Upgraded graphics, albeit with the occasional glitch, the ability to wield two weapons at once and, most important, online play were all welcome.

But the amount of time spent playing as the alien Covenant gets a little tiresome, and the credits roll right when it looks like the action is about to be dialed up to 11.

Still, this game will rightfully sell tons of Xboxes.

Third place, "Ninja Gaiden" for Xbox: This is one of the few standout games of 2004 that hit shelves in the first half of the year, and it definitely shouldn't be forgotten. This slash-and-run ninja game resurrected one of the great franchises in the history of gaming. Xbox Live subscribers were able to download extra enemies and features that made this game even more difficult. It's hard to get too mad at this game, though, when it sports some of the prettiest visuals you'll ever see.

Upcoming video game releases
Dates are tentative

Playstation 2

• Jan. 10: "Mercenaries"
• Jan. 11: "Suikoden IV"; "Virtua Quest"; "Mercenaries"; "Getaway: Black Monday"
• Jan. 17: "The Punisher"
• Jan. 18: "FullMetal Alchemist and the Broken Angel"
• Jan. 25: "Playboy: The Mansion"

Xbox

• Jan. 10: "Mercenaries"
• Jan. 11: "Tork: Prehistoric Punk"
• Jan. 17: "The Punisher"
• Jan. 25: "Playboy: The Mansion"; "Oddworld Stranger's Wrath"

Gamecube

• Jan. 11: "Virtua Quest"; "Resident Evil 4"

Gameboy Advance

• Jan. 10: "Banjo Pilot"; "The Legend of Zelda: Minish Cap"
• Jan. 27: "Racing Gears Advance"

Nintendo DS

• Jan. 17: "Zoo Keeper"

List provided by Toys n' Joys, with shops in Kaimuki (735-4546) and the Westridge Shopping Center (487-8697) in Pearlridge. See www.toysnjoys.com.