Kotor II: TSL gets a bad wrap because it isn't as "good" as it's predecessor. This logic is faulty. TSL is a worthy follow up to Bioware's near masterpiece. It only suffers from an incomplete story due to rushes during it's development. The Restoration Content (now available in the Steam Workshop for free if you buy the game there) enhances a fine game that is more than playable, and totally worth your time if you love KOTOR and Star Wars in general. While "Revan's" story is arguable more "compelling" and more traditional Star Wars, TSL manages to tell its on unique story about a Jedi exile, and the storytelling is some of the most daring and philosophical of any Star Wars EU material to date (even in the new canon so far). This is a game that, sure, isn't perfect, but it deserves a play through because of the expanded lore developer Obsidian managed to add to the Old Republic era (which Bioware established) as well how it all fits within the Star Wars lore (now legends) as a whole. The themes of what it means to be a Jedi and Sith are deconstructed; the strong dichotomy existing between Jedi and Sith is often muddled and questioned (by Kreia). Your characters's story is arguably more personal and less about "saving the galaxy", even though you do that in the game towards the end. Ultimately the game plays around the Star Wars tropes you know well by now, the game is a testament to the developers willingness to to try new things with the story. While redemption is huge theme in Star Wars, this one tale in particular feels a bit more imitate. The Exile's interactions with others (your party members) have influence on their character alignments. IEven through it is pretty much using the same game engine that the first KOTOR had, new additions to the gameplay are welcome, as the new abilities, and a more fleshed out level up system; the prestige classes are a pretty cool intensive to keep you playing. It also make sense within the context of the story, in which a Jedi Exile is learning to rekindle his/her connection with the Force and later become a Master of either light or dark (depending on your alignment). Its graphics are dated now, and it would be nice for an update on those, but TSL still manages to intrigue, entertain, and even be even amusing at times (thanks to Atton, who is my favorite character in the game that is in your party :D). In short, it's a game worthy of the Star Wars title, with it's flaws and all.

In a lot of ways it's an improvement over the first game, but its creation was rushed--and at times that shows, especially near the ending. Without giving any spoilers, I'll just say that the gameplay is superb and the story's potential is brilliant but in the end it's clear that the developers just should have spent more time on it. That said, if you liked the first game you'll still have a great time playing this one; you should just be warned in advance that it's got some sloppy parts, too!

I love Bioware, but this game still had potential to be better than the first KOTOR. Shame on the publisher for rushing it to be done before it was ready. Once you delve into the game and try to beat all the side quests and get the same you start to see HUGE signs of MASSIVE content that was cut out. With some more time, this game could have been more complete, more flushed out, and have more options for the game to go than the first. It is a testament to its quality that even despite that the game was still very good. And oh my, it is a damn shame they didn't fit a KOTOR III game in before SWTOR came out - they could have done both, and I still would have played both, but with a beloved Single Player RPG Trilogy everyone could have looked back on as the greatest of Star Wars projects.

There are not enough words to explain how dear this title is to my heart. From the very first word spoken, to the intrinsically fatal denouement, "The Sith Lords" is THE most existential game to ever test my thoughts about the world, and myself. Filled with memorable characters and colorful worlds, the entire cast is filled with degenerates, smugglers, thieves -- the wounded, the ostracized, the hurt, and the wronged. Starring as a Jedi Exile, stripped of her ability to use and perceive The Force, you are cast out by your fellow Jedi to wander the reaches of known space after following a figure of evil to war against a greater threat. After a disaster causes you to re-enter known space, you and your rag-tag group of baby Jedi return to all the worlds touched by the war, the war you fed with your hunger and thirst for justice. Along the way, you can either chose to heal the wounds you created in the world, or open them wider, spreading the hatred and suffering you feel inside onto others. Either way, you find yourself inescapably pulled toward the realization that you, and ultimately nothing, fits into the dichotomy of Lightness and Darkness, as you were previously taught and believed for decades. "The Sith Lords" challenges players on a moral level to consider the wider scope of their choices -- not only how a choice affects the self and their identity, but how all things ripple outward and leave resonances everywhere and upon everything and how, perhaps, having so much power, so much ability, and so much material means is more a weakness than strength.

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Of all the characters, Kreia is the most drawn out. Kreia is a villaness with personality. Unlike Nihils, who is the embodiment of unadulterated evil; he is the bad guy archetype, who inexplicably craves power and control, sated to no end. Do not misconstrue my point, Kreia is twisted and very polluted in her thinking, but she has dimension. Her beliefs and ambitions are sane enough to be sympathized with -- even adopted yourself. She wants to destroy The Force due to how it binds all things, controls them, and leaves them slaves to it. The Exile forsook the Force, walked away, and survived -- became better for it. Because of this Kreia idolized her, loved her, and wanted to understand how and why she turned away. Disappointed, Kreia realized the Jedi Exile severed her ties with The Force out of fear and the need to survive, instead of strength, will, and defiance, as Kreia desired herself to do. Instead, she formed a deep link with the Exile (both form Force Connections very easily and very deeply), so that by killing the Exile, it would send ripples so wide, they would surmount even the painful vibrations ignited by the war on Malachor V, and deafen everyone to The Force forever. Presumably to "teach it" a lesson, in a way, and in her mind, liberate all beings from the burden and unnecessariness the Force inflicts on others, giving them a "crutch" through which they can lean on to live through life the way drugs or alcohol might do in the real world. Quite a sobering philosophy indeed. In a way, it beckons the thought that, if there is a moral code of the Universe left by a Creator, should they involve themselves in their creation? Would divine intervention "rob" man of the experience of life. Kreia would say: "a culture and its teachings achieve definition through conflict. Either they find themselves or they find themselves lacking". Never were truer words spoken, and it really drives home her Deistic beliefs with the illusion of Nihilism serving as a blindfold to the messy, complicated, and irrelevant spiritual question that might interfere with personal growth, instead of being a legitimate philosophy to abide by.

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All of that aside, Kreia is the best written character -- even better than the Jedi Exile. Kreia, as well as the others, are merely mirror images of different aspects of the Exile -- each representing a side of her that she struggles with or ignores. In that way, the characters are used as literary devices for the characterization of the Exile. They are all wonderfully rendered and their voice actors are great. Kreia's dialogue and voice acting is, by far, the best of them all, and I find her words ringing in my head, like mantras that I live my life by. Never before has a video game affected me so deeply, carrying over its lessons into tangible, applicable ways in my real life. Many criticize the game's rushed production and small plot holes to be game-breaking, but I think they are minor inconveniences to a fully-fleshed out theme. And yet again, the series brings an amazing plot-twist.

I've played several Star Wars games over the years and if you don't want to stick to the plot of Luke or any other character from the movies, then this is for you. You create your own character and your own choices which is what a true RPG is about. It is very similar to the D&D game, Neverwinter Nights 2, but I feel this is better and even better than the first game.

The beginning is a bit slow and the ending isn't quite what I'd like, but that comes with a great storyline and I really recommend it to Star Wars fans, D&D fans, & true RPGers who don't go for the 'modern RPG,' where it takes you through a plot and you only get yes/no choices, if that.

This is much more personalized and individualized with lots of choices. There are some things that are obviously cut, which is disappointing as with the games similar to this (the first one & Neverwinter Nights 2), but it's still very fun to play despite the cuts.