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Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic

LukeG writes "Despite the many impressive efforts in recent years of Lucas Arts Entertainment, a 'definitive' Star Wars game has not been forthcoming. Yet in 'Knights of the Old Republic', Bioware may have found the genre and approach most likely to satiate many fans' appetites. Read all about this fabulous role-playing game, in this brand new preview."

205 comments

  1. Jedi Knights are Arrogant by stoolpigeon · · Score: 0, Troll

    and that's why they are getting their butts kicked by the dark side.

    .

    --
    It's hard to believe that's how Micronians are made. Why don't we see it right now by having you both kiss one another?
  2. Who really cares? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Lucasarts hasn't put a decent game out since Full Throttle.

    1. Re:Who really cares? by joshsisk · · Score: 1

      Even if that is true, this game is by Bioware.

      So your comment is pretty irrevelant.

    2. Re:Who really cares? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Damn...why'd you have to mention Full Throttle. That game was so good, I'm going to have to go find a copy now. btw did it come out before or after TIE Fighter? I thought that one was pretty good too. And did you play Grim Fandango? I know that's newer than Full Throttle, and a good game too.

    3. Re:Who really cares? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
      TIE Fighter: 1994

      Full Throttle: 1995

    4. Re:Who really cares? by Marque_Off · · Score: 1

      Jedi Knight and just ooze that Ithorian pod racer anally probed Watto and Ewan McGregor certainly not PS2? I'd much rather liked X-Wing, Tie Fighter and just that you see it. So, as characters to child in some cases quite difficult. Tons of interacting with themselves this fabulous role-playing game.." how every effect is done. Aliens blowing up the Way), Lucas revels in places - why they just making things clear.

      In the levels were true to go, may the general concensus. It was very well done, and the PC. One of time playing Jedi Knight and we count on five in one of hordes of Star Wars film. Our only three universal truths. First, life is no 1977 Carrie Fisher and they just making things clear.

      In recent memory, I think that overanalyzing the Game Boy. In essence, we've been in the most impossible of all about this movie. But the cheaters come in places - why they are getting their butts kicked by Lucas could digitally recreate a print PC Gamer not PS2. Why not played Jedi Masters Qui-Gon Jinn and Jedi Knight and that's it? has not played with themselves this movie. "Hey, did you are ASSUMING its good... okay.. just because you will likely meet Webster and a print PC and yell, "What, that's it? has happened, then, lies with Jedi Knight II???? These are as it always does, when he's done nothing more than Jesus--and we're all time by changing mucus into a real character.

      --
      While at a conference a few weeks back, I spent an interesting evening with a grain of salt.
    5. Re:Who really cares? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
      My brother's much visited Full Throttle web site: Jon's Full Throttle Pages

      P.S. I loved this game too, just as much as Tie Fighter

    6. Re:Who really cares? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      somebody's playing with the fish today?

  3. I just came back from.. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Troll

    living 30 years as a hermit in the woods.

    What's "Star Wars"?

    1. Re:I just came back from.. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
      I just came back from living 30 years as a hermit in the woods.

      Is that you, Yoda?

    2. Re:I just came back from.. by Shimbo · · Score: 0
      I just came back from..living 30 years as a hermit in the woods.

      Welcome back then, Yoda.

  4. PC and Xbox!? by Compenguin · · Score: 0

    Its only for PC and Xbox, not PS2. Why not PS2? I'd much rather support evil sony than most evil Microsoft.

    1. Re:PC and Xbox!? by Lord_Slepnir · · Score: 3, Funny

      It's because they're tring to emulate the temptations of dark side of the force....if you want to play, you must give in.

    2. Re:PC and Xbox!? by florin · · Score: 2

      The site seems slashdotted, so I have no idea what the article contains.

      Who knows why Lucasarts has these their artificial barriers between different product ranges? Users of other platforms would've enjoyed being able to play products like Rogue Squadron and Jedi Outcast, but Lucasarts so far has never given in to the plentiful requests for ports. Maybe exclusive licenses have something to do with it.

      Still, from the pictures I've seen so far, the PS2 might have a hard time rendering the ingame graphics on this one. The game features some pretty spectacular long distance landscapes with buildings constructed of numerous polygons.

    3. Re:PC and Xbox!? by Cheeko · · Score: 1, Offtopic

      My guess is that they initially only intended it to be a PC game, but as MS is fond of pointing out, the port from PC to XBox is for more trivial than the port from PC to PS2. In effect its things like this that MS is banking on making the XBox a success. Why pay $700+ dollars for a PC to play the latest SW game, instead of $200 for an XBox.

    4. Re:PC and Xbox!? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      If you weren't such an imbecile, you'd support the best version. And if you're talking about playing the game on a console, the PS2 version is going to be a sad joke compared to the Xbox version.

    5. Re:PC and Xbox!? by Skyshadow · · Score: 3, Insightful
      Why pay $700+ dollars for a PC to play the latest SW game, instead of $200 for an XBox.

      Agree wholeheartedly.

      For about a month I heard buzz about this great game called Morrowind, which was available for both the PC and Xbox. My desktop PC had just met a long-overdue retirement (read: was reloaded with a fresh install of everything and shipped off to my aunt, where it replaces the Cyrix 150-based box I sent her a couple years ago), so I either had to put together a new kick-ass PC or buy an Xbox.

      Well, the PC would have run about $700, whereas the Xbox had just been slashed to $200. I felt a little dumb buying a second modern game console -- I already have a PS2 -- but I just couldn't justify dropping $500 more on a general-purpose box to do the same thing.

      Morrowind rocks, by the way. Now if I could only get a few more hours inserted into each day for playing time...

      --
      Every year during my review, I just pray the words "slashdot.org" aren't mentioned.
    6. Re:PC and Xbox!? by Frank+of+Earth · · Score: 1

      I have had the same problem. My current system is really beat and needs a bad upgraded. Unfortunately, I can't really savage anything from my old system.. not even my damn ISA sound card cause it's all PCI now.

      Anyways, I have been playing some games on my company laptop and have reallly enjoyed kicking back on the couch in the living room rather than being bent over a deck in the den. Unforunately, my laptop isn't as fast as I would like it to be.

      I think the xBox is where I'm going. I can play on the 36" tv in the living room and still not feel like an outcast of the family ;-) I just have to make sure nothing is good on TV so my wife doesn't want to use the TV for .. er.. TV! I don't think I'll have a problem there.

  5. No Difinitive SW Game??? by Kalak451 · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Have people not played Jedi Knight and Jedi Knight II???? These are easily two of the best games ever made, and they just ooze that great Star Wars feeling.

    1. Re:No Difinitive SW Game??? by F34nor · · Score: 1

      Jedi Knight II blows.

      a. Boring.
      b. The more powerful you get the more borning it gets.
      c. Yes, yes multiplayer IS fun but that's not the game thats cutting your brother's arm off with a lightsaber.

    2. Re:No Difinitive SW Game??? by jck9626 · · Score: 0

      yup begining with dark forces straight through till outcast, lucas arts has put out great FPS games based on kyle kartan's adventures. All solid games, that get you as close to a "jedi" as ya can get.
      SW Galaxies is also currently in beta and hopefully will fill the MMRPG starwars yearning!

    3. Re:No Difinitive SW Game??? by Schnapple · · Score: 2, Insightful
      Have people not played Jedi Knight and Jedi Knight II???? These are easily two of the best games ever made, and they just ooze that great Star Wars feeling.
      I agree that these are both damn fine Star Wars game, but you can't fly an X-Wing or Tie Fighter, you can't control an AT-AT (without cheating anyway) and of course there's no pod racing to be found.

      Star Wars has a lot of facets and no game captures them all. Not sure if this one will but I think the last one to try was Shadows of the Empire and we all know how effective that was. This is why most Star Wars game focus on one thing (light sabers, dogfighting, racing, planning Gungan cities) and also why there are so many of them.

      Just be glad LucasArts isn't afraid to outsource development anymore.

    4. Re:No Difinitive SW Game??? by YaRness · · Score: 1

      ditto. from the evil antagonist to the squirming small-time bad guys to the storm troopers that can't hit the broad side of a barn, the game (jk2 at least, i can't vouch for 1) gushes original trilogy goodness.

    5. Re:No Difinitive SW Game??? by JabberWokky · · Score: 3, Insightful
      Star Wars has a lot of facets and no game captures them all.

      I respectfully disagree. The key focus of the entire original series (note that this covers the original three movies) was a single man nailing one good shot with the help of a friend and taking down an empire by hitting the right chink. And the original movie had the purest form of that... the battle plans are carried through to the scarred and worn remaining X and Y wing pilots, and the new guy who used to hunt wamprats back home takes out the key position. It's an old old story of the local kid becoming a grunt and using the power (of god, of purity of valour, of simple bravery, of his connection to the land, of gift of birth, of the Force) to do what needs to be done. The crux, the action of the story is that act... and it's always a single shot, with assistance, that takes out the bad guys. The friend and the hero trade off, but that shot is the moment of glory.

      So, what captures that? I respectfully submit that in 1983, a vector graphic cabinet rumbling "The Force is with you... always" captured the simplicity of that moment. After all, it *is* the Star Wars Video Game, and we were all high on the latest installment, wondering when Episode VII would come out. The battles in the original series of movies were simple - nameless and faceless stormtroopers piloting nameless and faceless tie fighters that swarmed after the rough and tumble good guys. They each made their run, and the home town kid makes good.

      You can go on about the temptation of Luke, but how is that a good videogame? Toss it in an RPG, and we know what is coming. Change the storyline, and it's merely a story set in the same universe. I liked Tales from Jabba's Palace, sure, but it wasn't Empire. To capture the movies *themselves*, you need action - everybody knows the plot and characters. If you "add" to them (with A wings or extra missions on new planets), you're making a good video game - but you beyond "capturing the movie". When you play Star Wars, making run after run at the Death Star, you're being Luke Skywalker taking down the Empire. And, in the end "Luke, Han and Leia take down the Empire" is the entire story. And every kid wants to be Luke, Han or Leia.

      As I said at the beginning, this all applies only to the 'first' three movies. The prequels are fragmented in message, theme and character. Rather than hinting at a greater universe populated by various factions, they show it. And that dulls the movies in terms of sharp, simple story. Luke and Han nailed the reactors through good piloting (even without the Force, Luke was a great pilot), but Anakin "Oops'ed" his way through his first *two* engagements (the pod race and the space battle). It's kinda hard to want to put yourself in the place of someone who "accidently" wins.

      I dunno - maybe a button masher with lots of FMVs would capture Ep. I. :)

      --
      Evan

      --
      "$30 for the One True Ring. $10 each additional ring!" -- JRR "Bob" Tolkien
  6. Plain old flamebait by changeedwards · · Score: 1

    So what happens, as it always does, when the cheaters come in and create the clone army? Can we count on Jar-Jar to save us?

    1. Re:Plain old flamebait by F34nor · · Score: 1

      If Lucuas has any balls we can count on vader being knee deep in blod after butchering all the jedi like stuck pigs.

  7. I'll play this one before the MMORPG by Zone5 · · Score: 2, Interesting

    A game like this, where there is actually a storyline and real characters to interact with (say what you will about the movies in this respect) interests me far more than a game like the Star Wars MMORPG from Verant.

    The immersion of interacting with a real character instead of hordes of l33t 13 year-olds 'camping the wookiee' is far more appealing.

    --
    "So on one hand, honey is an amazingly sophisticated and efficient food source. On the other hand it's bee backwash."
    1. Re:I'll play this one before the MMORPG by i0chondriac · · Score: 1

      I don't think that one game could satisfy ALL starwars fans appetites. Starwars fans are more of a heterogenous group than many think, with varying tastes in games/literature/etc...

      For some, the MMORPG will be the end all be all of starwars games. Others enjoy action oriented games like Jedi Knight. Some like pen and paper, some like flight sims such as X-wing.

      Personally, I would like to see a game like Neverwinter.

    2. Re:I'll play this one before the MMORPG by Binky+The+Oracle · · Score: 3, Interesting

      I may be wrong, but from what I've read, Verant seems to be taking steps to prevent SWG from having some of the most glaring problems in EQ. Hopefully they'll implement things like multi-spawn dungeons (a la Anarchy Online) so that we aren't stuck with those kinds of issues.

      My pet peeve with Verant is that they've resorted to lazy game design techniques in EQ - rewards are always at least 5 levels too late for the level you need to be to accomplish the task, meditation/healing time with no alternatives such as potions... These are all there simply to make the game longer. They could keep us hooked by providing more compelling content, but instead they chose to just make us sit. I suppose it's an ok decision from an economic standpoint...

      The attitude seems to have changed in the last few months, though. They're not trying quite as hard to tell me I'll enjoy the game more if they make it more difficult to progress.

      Personally, I'm looking forward to the more open-ended nature of SWG. I just want to buy a little plot of land, run some vaporators, have a few droids to call my own...

      What does this have to do with the article? Nothing. But I couldn't read the review because it's been /.ed already.

      --

      Slashdot comments... splitting hairs since 1997.

    3. Re:I'll play this one before the MMORPG by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The primary issue with EQ is that they designed the game content to be for the hardcore players while they designed the game world to invite casual players into it.

      To get anywhere interesting you need at least a dozen people of say, lvl 35. To get to lvl 35 you need to a) know a dozen people to power level you or b) be a hardcore solo player.

      Playing casually means that if you join a guild, they leave you in their dust, if you don't join a guild you'll never have the people to back you up and go someplace interesting once you do finally achieve the proper level. So players resort to either whining and begging for buffs, equipment, etc. or the endless RatHunter 3D approach whereby you spend the rest of your life fighting the least challenging critters.

  8. Bioware Waves Hand... by razablade · · Score: 3, Funny

    This game WILL satiate your appetite...

    --
    The expression is "I could NOT care less." Think about it.
    1. Re:Bioware Waves Hand... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Ya, too bad they flopped on NWN so bad. So many glaring problems with it....T

      The camera angle is the worst.

  9. how do you know? by bludstone · · Score: 2, Insightful

    "Read all about this fabulous role-playing game.."

    how do you know its fabulous? have you played it? has anyone played it?

    oh wait, you are ASSUMING its good... okay.. just making things clear

    --

    no .sig
    1. Re:how do you know? by shanksd1 · · Score: 1

      "Read all about this fabulous role-playing game.." how do you know we can read it? have you heard of the 'slashdot effect'? has anyone read it? oh wait, you are ASSUMING we can read it... okay.. just making things clear

  10. No definitive Star Wars game by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Does he mean no definitive game in recent years? I would have to say that TIE Fighter is a pretty damn good game, and one that easily qualifies as the "definitive Star Wars game."

    1. Re:No definitive Star Wars game by Anonvmous+Coward · · Score: 1

      I was going to say X-Wing... but I think we both basically agree. Lucasarts managed to knock Wing Commander out of it's roosts with those two games.

      To be fair, though, those games are pretty old. I think I played X-Wing on my 486. heh. :)

    2. Re:No definitive Star Wars game by SuiteSisterMary · · Score: 2
      To be fair, though, those games are pretty old. I think I played X-Wing on my 486. heh. :)

      Wimp. I played X-wing on a 386/16 laptop with a greyscale VGA monitor, and no sound card. :-)

      LucasArts was kind enough to re-release both X-Wing and TiE Fighter with the XvT engine, directX5, 3d accelerated, all that jazz, so it's playable under a pure Win32 environment.

      --
      Vintage computer games and RPG books available. Email me if you're interested.
    3. Re:No definitive Star Wars game by mal3 · · Score: 1

      LucasArts was kind enough to re-release both X-Wing and TiE Fighter with the XvT engine, directX5, 3d accelerated, all that jazz, so it's playable under a pure Win32 environment.

      No way. XvT was not nearly as good as the originals. It was pretty, but the control sucked. I can't say what was wrong with it, but it just didn't feel right. X-wing alliance was the first game to recapture that feel in my opinion.

      --
      Non gratis rodentus anus
  11. dammit by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    sloshdatted already. :(

    1. Re:dammit by Patrick13 · · Score: 0, Redundant

      i think they must be running the website on one of those xbox webservers.

      heres the article anyhow:

      Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic (Xb, PC)

      A not-so-long time ago, in a galaxy not so far away, gamers throughout the planet longed for the ultimate Star Wars experience; it would have to be one that immersed them directly in the world they longed to be part of, and in such a way that it would provide hours upon hours of gaming bliss. That experience, sadly, has remained elusive. However, just when all of the would-be Jedi were about to give up to the dark side, a magical triumvirate consisting of three of the most powerful light side icons was formed. First to appear was LucasArts; the organization ran by the master of all Jedi (whose force power was beginning to wane in the world of gaming). Second, the master of all things operational, Lord Gates, created the grand machine on which the elusive experience may be created. Thirdly, there was BioWare, a rogue group of scoundrels that have repeatedly proven themselves experts in the field of RPG creation. It would seem, on the surface, to be a union of medichlorians foretold by the prophets. However, the answer to whether the fruit of this union becomes the most powerful Jedi in the universe or just another fallen hero turned Sith Lord is an answer too cloudy to be foretold.

      May 2002 has come and gone, and taken another E3 with it. It was at this yearly convention that gamers got their first real glimpse of BioWare's highly anticipated RPG Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic. From the reports received back from the Bothan spies sent to the trade show, it looks like this one has got all the right ingredients to make not only one of the best RPGs ever, but the definitive Star Wars title.

      It will take players to a time about 4000 years prior to the tales told in the films, during a period in which the Jedi and the Sith numbered in the thousands, and were locked in an epic struggle. Players assume the role of a human (players' parties consist of three characters, which can include humans, droids, Twi'leks, Wookies, etc) Jedi, whose decisions and actions not only affect his future (players can become Sith if they act too evil), but the outcome of this conflict on a much grander scale. The specific details of the storyline are still being kept quiet, but the developers assure that it involves stopping the Sith at all costs.

      Players start out by building their character to spec, and then set out on the adventure which will mold and shape said character based on deeds and actions. The player sets the beginning skill points and combat feats, but different skills and abilities are added as the game progresses. BioWare has mentioned that quite a lot of painstaking detail has been presented in the game, and players will even be able to construct their character's lightsaber (which is a fundemental skill of any padawan), instead of just picking one up "weapon-up" style. The clothing and armaments of said characters will appear on their model no matter how you choose to dress them, and their appearance will affect how you are perceived by others. Even the most philanthropic Jedi will not be trusted if he walks through an environment wearing a black cloak, etc.

      Speaking of environments, KOTOR will offer a universe spanning ten different worlds, which includes familiar favorites as well as completely new ones. Expect to travel to such places as Tatooine, the Sith world of Korriban, the Jedi Academy on Dantooine and the Wookiee homeworld of Kashyyyk. The player's home will be the Ebon Hawk, a familiar-looking predeccessor to a certain famous Corellian smuggler's "fastest hunk-o'-junk" in the galaxy. Players will be able to "live" inside the ship, interact with others, and even fly her about during certain challenges. Think of the Ebon Hawk as the "100 gil" per night Inn that you take with you everywhere you go (for purposes of explaining its role within this massive RPG). It can also act as a storage depot for the extra items you or your Wookie are finding a little too cumbersome to lug around.

      Their will be a wide array of weapons (most of which are still under wraps with the developer), but lightsabers, blasters, bowcasters, and vibro blades have been assured. The story is one of epic proportions, the stuff one would expect from a BioWare RPG, the combat is going to consist of real time, rule based combat, and the character's development is directly related to the outcome of choices and actions. An interesting aspect of the game is that to add replayability, certain areas are only open to certain types of characters... in short, a fully angelic Jedi is not going to be able to get into highly Sith populated areas and vice versa. The next play through would warrant a more evil upbringing of the character to become welcome there.

      What would a good RPG be without tons of mini-game side quests? Well, not a really good one after all. KOTOR won't disappoint in this regard, either, as the developers have included many mini games throughout the world, some required to progress through the main story, and some purely optional. They've been quoted as saying that they like to use mini games in places where one would normally just be watching a cutscene, so its execution sounds a bit innovative and welcome from the start. Also, all the in-game dialogue text will be spoken by character voice as well, an excellent feature that has only become possible of late (with this generation's hardware) because of the sheer amount of dialogue a typical forty hour RPG would require. Expect to be completely enveloped in the Star Wats universe.

      Any character within your party can be controlled, and the AI will take over for the other two in the meantime. Players may switch from character to character at will. Saving progress is an anywhere, anytime system... providing the player is not in a situation of impending danger at the time. Saving in the midst of a "boss" battle will be right out.

      The Xbox and PC versions will be identical in terms of gameplay, but there will be obvious control differences. BioWare has claimed that the whole title from beginning to end will be "longer than your typical console RPG, but not quite as enormous as Baldur's Gate 2", so expect a solid forty+ hours of saber swinging, force pushing, Sith Lord bashing, no Jar-Jar goodness when the Xbox version streets this fall.

      By Russell Garbutt

      --
      ::.. check out some Cell Phone Reviews
  12. Linux port by alexc · · Score: 0, Redundant

    this looks like a great game. I wish there is a linux port coming. Too bad lokisoft isn't around anymore :(

    1. Re:Linux port by fatwreckfan · · Score: 1

      Who said no linux port? Bioware is releasing a linux client for Neverwinter (apparently, still haven't seen it), so why wouldn't they do the same for this?

  13. Star Wars Galaxies? by ziggy_zero · · Score: 1

    From the article:

    "it looks like this one has got all the right ingredients to make not only one of the best RPGs ever, but the definitive Star Wars title."

    How can Star Wars Galaxies not be called the deifnitive Star Wars game? KotOR is set 4000 years before the familiar Star Wars tales! Galaxies is set in the middle trilogy's era. I think that would "immerse them directly in the world they longed to be part of".

    --
    I belong to the ______ generation.
    1. Re:Star Wars Galaxies? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      May I Interject? No? Too bad, I gonna do it anyway...

      SW:BG is a good game, but we're talking "definitive" title here... not a cosmetic-makeover title just to make SW fans to buy it....

    2. Re:Star Wars Galaxies? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
      May I Interject? No? Too bad, I gonna do it anyway...

      He's talking Star Wars:Galaxies, the MMORPG, not Star Wars:Galactic Battleground, the re-hash of Age of Empires II.

  14. Well that didn't take long by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    /.'ed already. Anyone have a mirror? :-D

  15. No definitive Star Wars game? by John_Booty · · Score: 5, Insightful

    a 'definitive' Star Wars game has not been forthcoming.

    I guess the author of this post never played TIE Fighter on the PC. One of the most amazing games I've ever played, and I think my opinion matches the general concensus.

    It often makes the Top 10 in "best games of all time lists". I think it may have been in the top five in one of those lists which appeared in a print PC gaming magazine several years ago.

    --

    OtakuBooty.com: Smart, funny, sexy nerds.
    1. Re:No definitive Star Wars game? by simong_oz · · Score: 1

      I guess the author of this post never played TIE Fighter on the PC. One of the most amazing games I've ever played, and I think my opinion matches the general concensus.

      Ahhhh .... Tie Fighter

      I had completely forgotten about it. It's one of the few games that I thought was worth the money that I spent on it.

      And that includes the money spent on a new mouse after blasting away all those nasty rebels trying to do save the universe from my evil clutches.

      Thank you for restoring those memories!

      --
      "Because it's there." - George Mallory, when asked why he wanted to climb Mt Everest, March 18, 1923 (New York Times)
    2. Re:No definitive Star Wars game? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Remember the mission where you were Vader's wingman? :-D

    3. Re:No definitive Star Wars game? by Ralph+Wiggam · · Score: 2

      Are you kidding? The original X-Wing was so amazingly better than TIE Fighter. You flew for the good side, and (resisting urge to hit caps lock) you got to fly the trench run. THE TRENCH RUN! (sorry). When you drop that torpedo into the port, it is just the coolest thing ever. The original SW sit down video game had a trench run that was pretty excellent, but the graphics where green lines, which isn't too immersive. TIE Fighter was good. Rogue Squadrod had it's moments. But due almost entirely to the trench run, X-Wing will always be one of my favorite games.

      -B

    4. Re:No definitive Star Wars game? by asv108 · · Score: 2

      Wing Commander II and III were way better than Tie Fighter.

    5. Re:No definitive Star Wars game? by jayhawk88 · · Score: 2

      Hell yeah. Too bad the expansion packs to that game ruined it with the Tie Defender. Flying a ship with the firepower of a Star Destroyer and the manuverability of an A-Wing just takes all the fun out of it, no matter how many waves of X-Wings they send at you.

    6. Re:No definitive Star Wars game? by Skyshadow · · Score: 2
      The trench run was really anticlimactic for me. Tie Fighter was just a better overall game from a lot of perspectives (updated engine, better mission development, the joy of being a bad guy, etc).

      You fly in your little trench. Vader is my copilot (er, wingman).

      --
      Every year during my review, I just pray the words "slashdot.org" aren't mentioned.
    7. Re:No definitive Star Wars game? by jcoleman · · Score: 2

      Actually, I believe PC Gamer gave it the top spot just a couple of years ago. I honestly wouldn't be surprised if it still held that spot today.

      Rogue Squadron: Rogue Leader is pretty damn fantastic too. The visuals are amazing, and let's not discount the mission in which you actually fly *into* the second Death Star. Wow. And of course there's the complete Battle of Hoth, and the Battle of Endor, and you get to steal a TIE Fighter, and fly around in Cloud City...I could obviously go on and on.

      But TIE Fighter is still better b/c you could become one of the Emporer's elite fighter squad by listening to the shady guy in the corner...now *that* was cool.

    8. Re:No definitive Star Wars game? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Wait...you actually played Tie Fighter with a *shudder* MOUSE?!? I don't see how you could do that and even remotely have good control.

      My Tie Fighter days were spent with my good old Wingman Extreme.

    9. Re:No definitive Star Wars game? by ocbwilg · · Score: 3, Interesting

      Are you kidding? The original X-Wing was so amazingly better than TIE Fighter. You flew for the good side, and (resisting urge to hit caps lock) you got to fly the trench run. THE TRENCH RUN! (sorry). When you drop that torpedo into the port, it is just the coolest thing ever. The original SW sit down video game had a trench run that was pretty excellent, but the graphics where green lines, which isn't too immersive. TIE Fighter was good. Rogue Squadrod had it's moments. But due almost entirely to the trench run, X-Wing will always be one of my favorite games.

      How about X-Wing Alliance? It has everything that you liked about X-Wing and TIE Fighter, it has the excellent multiplayer parts of X-Wing vs. TIE Fighter, but it lets you fly even more different ships, including the Millenium Falcon. If that's not enough, you also get to fly the Falcon into the Death Star MkII and take out the reactors yourself, then fly back out all the while being chansed by squads of TIE Fighters! Now I'm telling you, that's excitement!

      I've played Dark Forces, Dark Forces II/Jedi Knight I, Jedi Knight II, X-Wing, TIE Fighter, X-Wing vs. TIE Fighter, and X-Wing Alliance. Those two games very nicely sum up the total experience of the Star Wars universe for me. The only way you could make it better would be to merge the two genres while retaining the depth of each individual genre.

      Of course, that will never happen. I mean, why make a game that combines genres like that instead of making 2 separate games? If you make a combined game it will cost you almost as much as making 2 separate games. If you make them separaretly then the people like me who love both genres will buy both separate games. If you make a combined game then you risk alienating the Flight Sim purists or FPS purists, and you only get sales from one game. That's the real injustice of the Star Wars license.

    10. Re:No definitive Star Wars game? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Ahh, but you're wrong. Tie Fighter had a better engine, better controls, better storyline and more features (ie. throttle speed matching with your current target). Flying for the empire you also discover that they aren't really all that evil, rather they are just a government who is trying to do its job and prevent different species/factions from warring.

    11. Re:No definitive Star Wars game? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Yeah and Colony Wars was way better than Wing Commander 2 & 3.

    12. Re:No definitive Star Wars game? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Tie fighter kicked major bootey as far as computer gaming goes, but it still did not feel like a Star Wars movie. If that's what they mean by a "definitive" star wars game, then I agree. If not, then I totally agree with you.

    13. Re:No definitive Star Wars game? by Ride-My-Rocket · · Score: 2

      And let's not forget X-Wing, either. While I agree that Tie Fighter broke more ground, because it was more original in terms of the direction it took (I mean, how much time in all of the movies combined do you get to see the Empire's slant on things?), I nearly burst with joy when I found out I would be running an assault on the Death Star during the final level. And that made it seem as hard as it looked in the movie -- laser tower firing on approach, trench cannons busting a cap in you and your crew as you flew down the claustrophobic corridor, and then getting to dump oodles of plasma-laden lovin' straight down the throat of the planet-sized weapon.

      Too bad they haven't been able to crank out anything nearly as cool since. Dark Forces was fun, but I didn't have much desire to play the single player version again once I beat it.

    14. Re:No definitive Star Wars game? by daeley · · Score: 2

      SW strategy game

      Do you mean a RTS game like this one?

      --
      I watched C-beams glitter in the dark near the Tannhauser gate.
    15. Re:No definitive Star Wars game? by Xaoswolf · · Score: 2

      I'm rather partial to Galactic Empires myself. Something about walking a bunch of AT-AT's into a Gungan base just gives me a warm fuzzy.

    16. Re:No definitive Star Wars game? by markov_chain · · Score: 1

      Yeah, that game was great. It made me see things from the Empire's perspective. Give the Emperor some credit!

      "The Empire is on the verge of success. Soon, peace shall be restored throughout the galaxy." Don't you just love that?

      ~

      --
      Tsunami -- You can't bring a good wave down!
    17. Re:No definitive Star Wars game? by Xaoswolf · · Score: 2

      Shit, make that, Galactic Battlegrounds.

    18. Re:No definitive Star Wars game? by AlexxKay · · Score: 1

      PC Gamer does "Top 50 Games Ever" lists about once a year. I think 2-3 years ago, Tie Fighter was picked as #1. Earlier, Jedi Knight had been a #1 pick.

    19. Re:No definitive Star Wars game? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      XWing worked better with a mouse than Tie Fighter did... I completed XWing with the mouse, but TF was too horrible, and I had to use a crappy joypad.

    20. Re:No definitive Star Wars game? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Master of Orion kicked more arse than any of these games.

      And PONG was the ultimate in real time strategy!

      Hey look, I can pull bullshit statements out of nowhere as well!

    21. Re:No definitive Star Wars game? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Funny, my copy of Dark Forces was single player only. May I ask where you got your multiplayer version of Dark Forces or are you just talking out of your ass?

  16. don't forget the Episode I pinball game by krog · · Score: 5, Interesting

    perhaps the best thing to come out of Episode I was one of the last production pinball games, Star Wars Episode I Pinball 2000. totally cool tech (Pinball 2000 is the name of the pinball tables containing a video monitor in the back), a fun playfield and very, very few Jar Jar noises. :)

    Williams knew how to make 'em.

    1. Re:don't forget the Episode I pinball game by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      sometimes when i close my eyes, i can still see the attack waves :)

      this pinball game blows away any video Star Wars game yet produced, IMHO.

    2. Re:don't forget the Episode I pinball game by swankypimp · · Score: 3, Funny

      A best-selling Episode 1 bar game they should have made is Whack-a-Mole, only with Jar-Jar heads. It could include voice samples that taunt you for having a low score like, "Meesa thinkin you a muy muy loser," which would only piss you off to the point that you HAD to play again, just to show that %$&%$#! gungan who's boss. It'd be like crack for Star Wars geeks, who'd dump a boatload of quarters into that thing.

      --

      --All your stolen base are belong to Rickey Henderson
    3. Re:don't forget the Episode I pinball game by writertype · · Score: 1
      I'm sorry, sir, but you must really be on crack. The Episode I table ranks as one of the worst tables I've ever played, precisely because of that damn hologram. Look, if you want a video game, play a video game. This is pinball, Lucas fanboy. The table, if you bothered to play it, is simply a 1950's era shoot-the-target field. Just like the movies, the original Star Wars pinball table is much better. Kids these days...

      Actually, the best part of that linked page is the audio samples. "At last we shall reveal ourselves to the Jedi".

  17. Maybe you would've been happier as a hermit by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Troll
    What's "Star Wars"?
    That's the least of what you don't know. Our world has gone to hell in the last 30 years. The US is now ruled by a corrupt corporate junta. Spoiled, neoliberal elites are on the brink of destroying the world under the rubric of "The War on Terrorism". To top it off, the new empire is the United States. All of humanity is in great fear and worry about the future.
    1. Re:Maybe you would've been happier as a hermit by silicon_synapse · · Score: 1

      The US is now ruled by a corrupt corporate junta.

      The USofA has been under the control of corporations in some form or other since its inception. Nothing new there. Perhaps they're just more brazen about it now.

    2. Re:Maybe you would've been happier as a hermit by devilsadvoc8 · · Score: 1

      How the hell did this get "informative". Maybe contradictory or just plain inane. Well I've spent too much time already on this post.

      --
      B O R I N G
    3. Re:Maybe you would've been happier as a hermit by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Do you even know what a neoliberal is? If all you do is pay attention to what the corporate media says, you'll never hear the word "neoliberal". Read some leftist websites and keep up with underground culture. The term neoliberal is used often to describe both right wingers and weak-kneed "liberals" who advocate an agenda of corporatism, globalization, and imperalialist military aggression.

  18. Linux port! by MilesBehind · · Score: 1

    Hopefully they'll put as much effort as they have oriented with NWN into getting a linux port out. Star Wars, linux client and a RPG combination would be a wet dream of all the cubicle dwellers with yoda and imperial walker figurines around their desks. It's nice to see a canadian company carrying the torch of linux gaming, as long as they don't get too disheartened by the snags they encountered with NWN.

    1. Re:Linux port! by DrSkwid · · Score: 1

      Hopefully they'll put as much effort as they have oriented with NWN into getting a linux port out.

      hehe none?

      NWN Linux Client MIA atm. wherabouts unknown

      --
      There are places where the networks are not touching,and there are places where they are-Boeing's Lori Gunter
  19. It's just another shoot 'em up by stere0 · · Score: 3, Offtopic

    Am I the only one who's missing old Lucas Arts games? I spent years on Full Throttle, Sam & Max Hit The Road, Day Of The Tentacle and Indiana Jones's Fate Of Atlantis!

    --
    Trollem mirabilem hanc subnotationis exigiutas non caperet
    1. Re:It's just another shoot 'em up by (startx) · · Score: 1

      sam and max hit the road!!! I loved that game! I wish I knew where I put it... I'd pull out my 486 with it's 2x cdrom and start playing again, that game was awesome.

    2. Re:It's just another shoot 'em up by danielpavel · · Score: 2, Informative

      I believe ScummVM is what you're looking for, then :).

      -silent

    3. Re:It's just another shoot 'em up by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      That's funny, they only took me a couple of hours to finish.

      I recommend the phonics program!

    4. Re:It's just another shoot 'em up by stere0 · · Score: 1

      That's because I was young and silly and my brother kept hiding the CD :)

      --
      Trollem mirabilem hanc subnotationis exigiutas non caperet
    5. Re:It's just another shoot 'em up by GregWebb · · Score: 2

      I know this is massively less likely, but what's the chance of something similar being done with TIE Fighter?

      Problem is, I _love_ that game but it's seriously unstable on current hardware and utterly incompatible with my Cyborg 3D - grabs the wrong axes so I'm left trying to fly on the throttle and rudder...

      Anyone?

      --

      Greg

      (Inside a nuclear plant)
      Aaaarrrggh! Run! The canary has mutated!

    6. Re:It's just another shoot 'em up by aberkvam · · Score: 2

      LucasArts is still making games like this. Okay, maybe Escape From Monkey Island isn't quite the work of art as some of their other ones from the hight of the adventure game heyday, but its got humor, puzzles, and plenty of rips on Star Wars. It looks like LA hasn't forgotten this market quite yet...

    7. Re:It's just another shoot 'em up by IxnayOnTheIxnay · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Full Throttle 2 will be released next year. And if you missed Grim Fandango a few years ago, well, get to your local $10 bin posthaste! It's a masterpiece!

      But other than the Monkey Island games, LA has been less than productive in the adventure game market they once ruled. IJ and the Infernal Machine wasn't bad, but it was in the Tomb Raider vein.

      I need a copy of DoTT, badly!

    8. Re:It's just another shoot 'em up by kasparov · · Score: 2

      Actually, it is not just another "shoot-em-up." According to the article it is a full 40+ hour RPG. You even get to build your own lightsaber. I think referring to it as "just another shoot-em-up" is a little bit of an over-simplification.

      --
      There's no place I can be, since I found Serenity.
    9. Re:It's just another shoot 'em up by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      It's not an oversimplification
      It's just plain wrong
      Kinda like calling NWN or Baldurs Gate II "Just another shoot-em-up"

    10. Re:It's just another shoot 'em up by GMontag451 · · Score: 2
      I spent years on Full Throttle, Sam & Max Hit The Road, Day Of The Tentacle and Indiana Jones's Fate Of Atlantis!

      You can't mention Day Of The Tentacle without mentioning the game it was a sequel to, Maniac Mansion. That game also has the distinction of being the first (non-starwars?) game that LucasArts ever put out, IIRC.

  20. Slashdotted? by Troed · · Score: 1
    I'm getting more than a few errormessages (from "/") - if others have problems, here's the whole preview as taken from my cache.


    A not-so-long time ago, in a galaxy not so far away, gamers throughout the planet longed for the ultimate Star Wars experience; it would have to be one that immersed them directly in the world they longed to be part of, and in such a way that it would provide hours upon hours of gaming bliss. That experience, sadly, has remained elusive. However, just when all of the would-be Jedi were about to give up to the dark side, a magical triumvirate consisting of three of the most powerful light side icons was formed. First to appear was LucasArts; the organization ran by the master of all Jedi (whose force power was beginning to wane in the world of gaming). Second, the master of all things operational, Lord Gates, created the grand machine on which the elusive experience may be created. Thirdly, there was BioWare, a rogue group of scoundrels that have repeatedly proven themselves experts in the field of RPG creation. It would seem, on the surface, to be a union of medichlorians foretold by the prophets. However, the answer to whether the fruit of this union becomes the most powerful Jedi in the universe or just another fallen hero turned Sith Lord is an answer too cloudy to be foretold.

    May 2002 has come and gone, and taken another E3 with it. It was at this yearly convention that gamers got their first real glimpse of BioWare's highly anticipated RPG Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic. From the reports received back from the Bothan spies sent to the trade show, it looks like this one has got all the right ingredients to make not only one of the best RPGs ever, but the definitive Star Wars title.

    It will take players to a time about 4000 years prior to the tales told in the films, during a period in which the Jedi and the Sith numbered in the thousands, and were locked in an epic struggle. Players assume the role of a human (players' parties consist of three characters, which can include humans, droids, Twi'leks, Wookies, etc) Jedi, whose decisions and actions not only affect his future (players can become Sith if they act too evil), but the outcome of this conflict on a much grander scale. The specific details of the storyline are still being kept quiet, but the developers assure that it involves stopping the Sith at all costs.

    Players start out by building their character to spec, and then set out on the adventure which will mold and shape said character based on deeds and actions. The player sets the beginning skill points and combat feats, but different skills and abilities are added as the game progresses. BioWare has mentioned that quite a lot of painstaking detail has been presented in the game, and players will even be able to construct their character's lightsaber (which is a fundemental skill of any padawan), instead of just picking one up "weapon-up" style. The clothing and armaments of said characters will appear on their model no matter how you choose to dress them, and their appearance will affect how you are perceived by others. Even the most philanthropic Jedi will not be trusted if he walks through an environment wearing a black cloak, etc.

    Speaking of environments, KOTOR will offer a universe spanning ten different worlds, which includes familiar favorites as well as completely new ones. Expect to travel to such places as Tatooine, the Sith world of Korriban, the Jedi Academy on Dantooine and the Wookiee homeworld of Kashyyyk. The player's home will be the Ebon Hawk, a familiar-looking predeccessor to a certain famous Corellian smuggler's "fastest hunk-o'- junk" in the galaxy. Players will be able to "live" inside the ship, interact with others, and even fly her about during certain challenges. Think of the Ebon Hawk as the "100 gil" per night Inn that you take with you everywhere you go (for purposes of explaining its role within this massive RPG). It can also act as a storage depot for the extra items you or your Wookie are finding a little too cumbersome to lug around.

    Their will be a wide array of weapons (most of which are still under wraps with the developer), but lightsabers, blasters, bowcasters, and vibro blades have been assured. The story is one of epic proportions, the stuff one would expect from a BioWare RPG, the combat is going to consist of real time, rule based combat, and the character's development is directly related to the outcome of choices and actions. An interesting aspect of the game is that to add replayability, certain areas are only open to certain types of characters... in short, a fully angelic Jedi is not going to be able to get into highly Sith populated areas and vice versa. The next play through would warrant a more evil upbringing of the character to become welcome there.

    What would a good RPG be without tons of mini-game side quests? Well, not a really good one after all. KOTOR won't disappoint in this regard, either, as the developers have included many mini games throughout the world, some required to progress through the main story, and some purely optional. They've been quoted as saying that they like to use mini games in places where one would normally just be watching a cutscene, so its execution sounds a bit innovative and welcome from the start. Also, all the in- game dialogue text will be spoken by character voice as well, an excellent feature that has only become possible of late (with this generation's hardware) because of the sheer amount of dialogue a typical forty hour RPG would require. Expect to be completely enveloped in the Star Wats universe.

    Any character within your party can be controlled, and the AI will take over for the other two in the meantime. Players may switch from character to character at will. Saving progress is an anywhere, anytime system... providing the player is not in a situation of impending danger at the time. Saving in the midst of a "boss" battle will be right out.

    The Xbox and PC versions will be identical in terms of gameplay, but there will be obvious control differences. BioWare has claimed that the whole title from beginning to end will be "longer than your typical console RPG, but not quite as enormous as Baldur's Gate 2", so expect a solid forty+ hours of saber swinging, force pushing, Sith Lord bashing, no Jar-Jar goodness when the Xbox version streets this fall.

  21. Full article... by digerata · · Score: 5, Informative
    Sooo Shlaaashed the site is.
    Article Reads:

    A not-so-long time ago, in a galaxy not so far away, gamers throughout the planet longed for the ultimate Star Wars experience; it would have to be one that immersed them directly in the world they longed to be part of, and in such a way that it would provide hours upon hours of gaming bliss. That experience, sadly, has remained elusive. However, just when all of the would-be Jedi were about to give up to the dark side, a magical triumvirate consisting of three of the most powerful light side icons was formed. First to appear was LucasArts; the organization ran by the master of all Jedi (whose force power was beginning to wane in the world of gaming). Second, the master of all things operational, Lord Gates, created the grand machine on which the elusive experience may be created. Thirdly, there was BioWare, a rogue group of scoundrels that have repeatedly proven themselves experts in the field of RPG creation. It would seem, on the surface, to be a union of medichlorians foretold by the prophets. However, the answer to whether the fruit of this union becomes the most powerful Jedi in the universe or just another fallen hero turned Sith Lord is an answer too cloudy to be foretold.

    May 2002 has come and gone, and taken another E3 with it. It was at this yearly convention that gamers got their first real glimpse of BioWare's highly anticipated RPG Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic. From the reports received back from the Bothan spies sent to the trade show, it looks like this one has got all the right ingredients to make not only one of the best RPGs ever, but the definitive Star Wars title.

    It will take players to a time about 4000 years prior to the tales told in the films, during a period in which the Jedi and the Sith numbered in the thousands, and were locked in an epic struggle. Players assume the role of a human (players' parties consist of three characters, which can include humans, droids, Twi'leks, Wookies, etc) Jedi, whose decisions and actions not only affect his future (players can become Sith if they act too evil), but the outcome of this conflict on a much grander scale. The specific details of the storyline are still being kept quiet, but the developers assure that it involves stopping the Sith at all costs.

    Players start out by building their character to spec, and then set out on the adventure which will mold and shape said character based on deeds and actions. The player sets the beginning skill points and combat feats, but different skills and abilities are added as the game progresses. BioWare has mentioned that quite a lot of painstaking detail has been presented in the game, and players will even be able to construct their character's lightsaber (which is a fundemental skill of any padawan), instead of just picking one up "weapon-up" style. The clothing and armaments of said characters will appear on their model no matter how you choose to dress them, and their appearance will affect how you are perceived by others. Even the most philanthropic Jedi will not be trusted if he walks through an environment wearing a black cloak, etc.

    Speaking of environments, KOTOR will offer a universe spanning ten different worlds, which includes familiar favorites as well as completely new ones. Expect to travel to such places as Tatooine, the Sith world of Korriban, the Jedi Academy on Dantooine and the Wookiee homeworld of Kashyyyk. The player's home will be the Ebon Hawk, a familiar-looking predeccessor to a certain famous Corellian smuggler's "fastest hunk-o'-junk" in the galaxy. Players will be able to "live" inside the ship, interact with others, and even fly her about during certain challenges. Think of the Ebon Hawk as the "100 gil" per night Inn that you take with you everywhere you go (for purposes of explaining its role within this massive RPG). It can also act as a storage depot for the extra items you or your Wookie are finding a little too cumbersome to lug around.

    Their will be a wide array of weapons (most of which are still under wraps with the developer), but lightsabers, blasters, bowcasters, and vibro blades have been assured. The story is one of epic proportions, the stuff one would expect from a BioWare RPG, the combat is going to consist of real time, rule based combat, and the character's development is directly related to the outcome of choices and actions. An interesting aspect of the game is that to add replayability, certain areas are only open to certain types of characters... in short, a fully angelic Jedi is not going to be able to get into highly Sith populated areas and vice versa. The next play through would warrant a more evil upbringing of the character to become welcome there.

    What would a good RPG be without tons of mini-game side quests? Well, not a really good one after all. KOTOR won't disappoint in this regard, either, as the developers have included many mini games throughout the world, some required to progress through the main story, and some purely optional. They've been quoted as saying that they like to use mini games in places where one would normally just be watching a cutscene, so its execution sounds a bit innovative and welcome from the start. Also, all the in-game dialogue text will be spoken by character voice as well, an excellent feature that has only become possible of late (with this generation's hardware) because of the sheer amount of dialogue a typical forty hour RPG would require. Expect to be completely enveloped in the Star Wats universe.

    Any character within your party can be controlled, and the AI will take over for the other two in the meantime. Players may switch from character to character at will. Saving progress is an anywhere, anytime system... providing the player is not in a situation of impending danger at the time. Saving in the midst of a "boss" battle will be right out.

    The Xbox and PC versions will be identical in terms of gameplay, but there will be obvious control differences. BioWare has claimed that the whole title from beginning to end will be "longer than your typical console RPG, but not quite as enormous as Baldur's Gate 2", so expect a solid forty+ hours of saber swinging, force pushing, Sith Lord bashing, no Jar-Jar goodness when the Xbox version streets this fall.

    --

    1;
    1. Re:Full article... by digerata · · Score: 1
      I wanted to see the screen shots bad, but it took awhile. Check some of them out here:

      http://codemaster.atdoner.com/swpics

      --

      1;
    2. Re:Full article... by silicon_synapse · · Score: 1, Flamebait

      Will someone please mod down these idiots posting the whole story? If I want to read it I'll wait until the server recovers and get it from the source. I don't need to scroll through three copies of the article while trying to read the comments. If you want to mirror a site, mirror it on your own server and post a link.

    3. Re:Full article... by Scrameustache · · Score: 2

      Second, the master of all things operational, Lord Gates, created the grand machine on which the elusive experience may be created.

      So now the ultimate weapon of the dark lord of the sith is a GOOD thing?

      Somebody has fallen for a Jedi mind trick...

      --

      You can't take the sky from me...

  22. I can't wait! by Clue4All · · Score: 3, Funny

    In the continuing Bioware tradition, I think we can expect to see this game sometime around 2006.

    --

    Is your browser retarded?
  23. No definitive Star Wars game? by Ezubaric · · Score: 5, Insightful


    Hmm . . . I'm sure I'm jumping on a crowded ship, but I thought that I'd add my two cents.

    Tie Fighter

    This game created an immersive atmosphere, had some impressive graphics and cutscenes for a game that came on five floppy disks, and (along with the add on) utterly wrecked my first joystick. It was called the 2nd best game of all time by PC Gamer not too long ago; I don't think that it should be so abruptly forgotten.

    Dark Forces II: Jedi Knight

    PC Gamer called this the best game of the year when it came out, and it really was a keeper. It didn't have the best graphics, but I really liked how well it integrated the force powers and lightsabr into the game. I kicked the asses of quite a few UT and Quake gurus because I used my force powers wisely and just didn't barge into a room. A great 3D shooter that worked well within the SW universe.

    I also think that it's also pretty impressive how LucasArts worked with the fan community to create homebrew levels for these two great games. I think the only area where LucasArts has perhaps fallen short is in the creation of a SW strategy game (or perhaps an adventure game, which would be cool given how good LucasArts is at adventure).

    Perhaps there is no single definitive SW game, but most would agree that there are at least two really strong contenders.

    --

    ----------
    I am an expert in electricity. My father held the chair of applied electricity at the state prision.
  24. Galaxies by Kallahar · · Score: 2

    What about Star Wars Galaxies? I thought that was the big game they were hyping...

    Travis

  25. Ummmm....what? by SuiteSisterMary · · Score: 3, Insightful
    Despite the many impressive efforts in recent years of Lucas Arts Entertainment, a 'definitive' Star Wars game has not been forthcoming.

    Hrm. X-Wing? Better yet, TiE Fighter? LORD were those 'definitive.'

    Or the Dark Forces/Jedi Knight series? JK2: Jedi Outcast is an AMAZING game. I love online saber dueling.

    --
    Vintage computer games and RPG books available. Email me if you're interested.
  26. Galaxies? by taernim · · Score: 1

    Isn't Galaxies supposed to be the definitive Star Wars game? If not, then why is that the game people from E3 have been talking about?

    --
    "PC Load Letter? What the $@#% does that mean?!"
  27. No definitive game? by sielwolf · · Score: 3, Insightful

    What about X-Wing* (for flight sims) and Dark Forces (for FPS's)? Both were pretty stellar at the time of their releases and are still fun as heck to play.

    I loved naming the pilots and getting the wacky pictures in X-Wing: Asskicke, Shamu...

    And what about the intro movies?

    Adm. Ackbar: "Werr arr Runnder rattak by impirrial forcres! Begrin evasive manrurvers! Rawch the Rex-ring riders!"

    Hell I still say that to this day and it still kills me.

    *In truth I thought TIE Fighter was even better than X-Wing even though it was just kind of a cut and paste. I preferred the thrill of flying the fast and fragile TIEs around slaying things with your wingmen. As far as I can remember the wingman in both games was topnotch.

    --
    What is music when you despise all sound?
  28. Expect SW video games in 2 years by Luke+Skyewalker · · Score: 1

    Why? Because:

    1. The kids who watched the movie will be old enough to play the games
    2. It doesn't overkill the Star Wars fanfare
    3. Releasing a game 2 years from now will keep Star Wars in the public's mind...

  29. Tempted to the Dark Side... by Te1waz · · Score: 1

    From the Linked Page...
    First to appear was LucasArts; the organization ran by the master of all Jedi (whose force power was beginning to wane in the world of gaming). Second, the master of all things operational, Lord Gates, created the grand machine on which the elusive experience may be created. Thirdly, there was BioWare, a rogue group of scoundrels that have repeatedly proven themselves experts in the field of RPG creation.

    Sith Lord Gates it should read!

    Fear leads to Envy, Envy to Greed and that is the path the Darkside...

    This sounds like a title that may turn me to the Darkside (xbox).

    Where is our shining Princess bearing good tidings and a PS2 version when you need her?

    Hell, a hairy Wookee would do...

    --
    From my Autobiography - "Lifestyles of the Sad and Desperate"...
  30. That's All Well and Good by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    That's all well and good, but LucasArts is the game company that made games like Monkey Island, various Star Wars games, and lots of other stuff.

    You're talking about LucasFILM.

  31. What does it mean? by Grape+Shasta · · Score: 5, Funny
    What a cryptic preview. Appearantly the title of this new game is "Server Error in '/' Application."

    What does that mean? In what strange direction are they taking the Star Wars universe? I can't wait to see what the Slash Application is, and what the Jedi will have to do to stop it.

    But most importantly, will I be able to choose to play as either the Server or the Served?

    And I've never seen a preview with source code to the game either. Anyone know what this does?
    <!-- Web.Config Configuration File -->

    <configuration>
    <system.web>
    <customErrors mode="Off"/>
    </system.web>
    </configuration>
    --

    "I am a cipher, a cipher, wrapped in an enigma, smothered in secret sauce" -Jimmy James
    1. Re:What does it mean? by Luveno · · Score: 1

      Waaaaaaaaaay off-topic, but how did you get the web.config source?

    2. Re:What does it mean? by actiondan · · Score: 1

      That's not the source of the web.config.

      They have ASP.NET (for that is what is running on the server) set up not to show server errors to remote clients (very sensible) but do not have a friendly error message set up.

      The code that the poster quoted is from the error message that is displayed, where it tells you what you need to change in the web.config to either allow full error messages to be displayed or show a friendly error message.

    3. Re:What does it mean? by CommieLib · · Score: 1

      It's not. It's indicating an error, and saying "if you want to see the error, you need modify the web.config file to look like this."

      Homeboy needs to set up a default error page...

      --
      If your bitterest enemies are people who hack the heads off civilians, then I would say you're doing something right.
  32. hear hear! by Frothy+Walrus · · Score: 1

    someone mod this guy up. well-themed pinball tables are even more immersive than video games. they really give your mind room to get into a groove and let your imagination run wild. Episode I Pinball is a great table.

    also see Medieval Madness for the best pinball game ever made by mortal man. RIP, Williams Pinball Division.

    1. Re:hear hear! by Dodger_ · · Score: 1

      WTF?! How can it ever claim the "best pinball game ever" title with a crappy digital switch for ball launches?!

      --
      Dodger_
    2. Re:hear hear! by krog · · Score: 1

      sure, you lose some tactility, but you gain the ability for the table to launch balls for you. what you lose in good old-fashioned feeling can easily be regained by shaking the table a little harder. :)

  33. bah by frenetic3 · · Score: 1

    hopefully bioware will stick to the classic gameplay -- for the love of god, i want to inspect containers only to discover, crestfallen, that they contain "DROID PRTS" until i get shot, rotate in place for a few seconds and puff explosions that closer resemble fungal growths than combustion reactions.

    maybe i'll get to escort admiral ackbar again only to watch the hapless bastard get snuffed by that damn tie bomber who thinks hes so great with his concussion missiles.

    ok, fine, x-wing's 320x200 graphics and turd-shaped rebel capital ships aren't ever coming back. i hope i can at least play as an ewok.

    --
    "Where are we going, and why am I in this handbasket?"
  34. What About Starwars MUX?! by Drath · · Score: 3, Funny

    I beg to differ, the star wars MUX i played in higschool was very definitive..until i got kicked off for not playing in character by stealing a tie fighter and killing everyone in the bar on tatooine.

    Er and then getting kicked off perminantly when i created a character described as "someone who steals spaceships and kills people on tatooine"

    The best part was that once you get kicked everytime you try to log on with your character the room you appeared in was "block of carbonite"

  35. You mean.... by sterno · · Score: 1

    You mean it leaves you with that feeling of dissapointment in that you just paid for a giant second rate advertisement for collectible toys and 3D rendering software? :)

    --
    This sig has been temporarily disconnected or is no longer in service
  36. Various games by Satai · · Score: 2

    I rather liked X-Wing, Tie Fighter and X-wing versus Tie Fighter. I thought they were true to the mythos, and very well executed.

    In recent memory, I wasted an ass-load of time playing Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast. Yeah, it was a bit dumb in places - why the hell did Lando show up, besides celebrity cameo? But the saber fighting was very well done, and the levels were long and in some cases quite difficult. Tons of fun, I thought.

  37. Certainly is a definitive game by mccalli · · Score: 5, Funny
    It was called, unsurprisingly, Star Wars.

    It's the wireframe arcade machine, where you blast the Ties, shoot the tops of towers, then hurtle down the trench to release your photon torpedoes and blow up the Death Star.

    Kids today. Pah. Why, this 20 year plus classic is still being aped in the first level of Star Wars:Rogue Leader II game for Nintendo GameCube. I know - I have that game, have played it, 'quite' like it but not as much as SuperMonkeyBall. Which itself...err...'apes' Marble Madness. Another ancient arcade machine.

    Kids. Pah. And again I say...Pah!

    Cheers,
    'Grumpy Old Uncle' Ian

    1. Re:Certainly is a definitive game by EvilBudMan · · Score: 1

      Yes, that was my favorite too. I believe Atari came out with one that had vector graphics like an oscilloscope and in 3 colors (i think). That was the definitive one alright, but I believe Atari did that one and not Lucas Arts. I'm not sure. It was long ago and far away.

    2. Re:Certainly is a definitive game by Devar · · Score: 1

      I'd thought every other existing human on the planet had forgotten about this game! If it's 20 years old now, then when I used to play it, it would have been about 10 years old. That's a pretty good run for a machine that I remember being surrounded by much more advanced ones. But it was Star Wars. And every time I was there I never remember anyone else playing it. Thing was, I could finish it, pretty much every time, on one credit. Destroy the death star. The wireframe graphics, then, for some reason drew me to it more than the other more 'fancy' games. Damn that was a long time ago. :)

      --
      It's a Bagel.
    3. Re:Certainly is a definitive game by stress4dad · · Score: 1

      This was one of my all time favorite arcade games. The best version was the one that had a "cockpit" that you went into, so you had a slightly more immersive feel to it. It was fun, playable from the first time you played, and gave a nice adrenaline kick. Of course, this was in the days when arcade games only cost a quarter, and you didn't need to read 3 books and subscribe to a magazine to figure out the tricks...

    4. Re:Certainly is a definitive game by Angry+Toad · · Score: 2

      LOL. Thanks for the flashback. I still remember lining my quarters up for a turn to play that game. Usually ended too quickly (as I sucked), but it was always a favourite...

  38. Ever tried ScummVM? by stere0 · · Score: 2

    http://scummvm.sourceforge.net/. Slashdot had some articles about them in the past.

    --
    Trollem mirabilem hanc subnotationis exigiutas non caperet
  39. Nay thats not true by Archfeld · · Score: 1, Offtopic

    For a brief glorious moment our country was free of the parasitic corporate mechanism. That only lasted from the revolution to the early 1820's when an ASSHAT judge from New York decided that corporations had RIGHTS, and since they have more money than you or I, naturally they have MORE rights than you or I.

    --
    errr....umm...*whooosh* *whoosh* Is this thing on ?
    1. Re:Nay thats not true by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      ha.haha.ha.hahaha.hahahahahaha.haha.haha.
      ha.haha .ha.hahaha.hahahahahaha.haha.haha.
      *snort*
      ha.ha ha.ha.hahaha.hahahahahaha.haha.haha.
      ha.haha.ha.h ahaha.hahahahahaha.haha.haha.

      so what's it like in your sad little world?

    2. Re:Nay thats not true by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Actually pretty nice, but that doesn't change the facts, no matter how pathetic your education was...

  40. Strange by Rogerborg · · Score: 5, Insightful

    I thought the idea of an RPG is that you get to play different roles. I'm inferring from this preview that you only get to be a Jedi or Sith, with extra capabilities supplied by a a couple of AI henchmen.

    I'm not sure how this is significantly different from a team game of Jedi Knight 2. I mean, it's fun running around swing a saber and using Force Grip and all, but in an RPG, wouldn't it be more fulfilling to have a range of options? The henchman/familiar system in Neverwinter Nights is great, but who'd want to play it if you only got to be a wizard?

    Also, one of the things that's really pissing me off about Eps 1 & 2 is that all of the protagonists are either Jedi, comic relief, or (admittedly rather tasty) sweater meat. Contrast with IV-VI, where Han doesn't get to use Deus ex machina. In fact, the hyperdrive breakdowns are, to my eyes, a nice play on how we've become tolerate of "and with one bound, our hero was free" solutions. While Luke's off being an icicle or getting in touch with his inner midichlorian, the real grunt work is done by Han and Chewie, by Leia and Lando, and even good old Wedge, who, please note, manages to not get bitchslapped by an AT-AT, and without the benefit of midichlorians at that. For me, this is the dramatic strength of IV-VI, and, be honest, who did you want to be when you played Star Wars as a kid? Han or Luke? Be honest now. ;-)

    --
    If you were blocking sigs, you wouldn't have to read this.
    1. Re:Strange by davmct · · Score: 1

      i wanted to be boba fett, only because he had a kick-ass demeanor that made Han go cold.

    2. Re:Strange by SandSpider · · Score: 1
      I thought the idea of an RPG is that you get to play different roles. I'm inferring from this preview that you only get to be a Jedi or Sith, with extra capabilities supplied by a a couple of AI henchmen.
      Actually, not really. The idea behind a Roleplaying Game is that you get to play a role different from the one you play in real life.

      On a more technical note, a Roleplaying Game is a game that has increasing skills based on how you play. In a D&D style game, it's usually Stats based on experience points, but the mechanism can vary wildly. In an adventure game, which is similar to an RPG, the skills don't usually increase, though you'll often receive items or special abilities to change the game mechanic somewhat. The main difference is it's not so much how you play in an adventure game, it's what you collect. There isn't as much variation.

      Of course, this is just for computer or console based RPGs. Paper RPGs are certainly different, and usually heavier on the role-playing aspect, unless you're playing with all of your 13-year old friends who just want to make their characters the most powerful characters ever.

      =Brian

      --
      There is nothing so good that someone, somewhere, will not hate it.
    3. Re:Strange by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Actually I'm gay so I wanted to be Luke.

    4. Re:Strange by lparsons · · Score: 1

      be honest, who did you want to be when you played Star Wars as a kid? Han or Luke? Be honest now. ;-)

      I agree. Han Solo is one of the elements that puts 4, 5, and 6 above other "good" movies. Course, that fact that he was played by Harrison Ford did hurt either. ;-)

    5. Re:Strange by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Boba Fett did absolutely fuck all in the movies. He had one line that I recall! And yet all these people idolize him... where does this come from? I also only heard his name used once (well, twice, but both in the same two seconds) in the entire original trilogy!

      HE WAS A BIT PART, HE HAD NO PERSONALITY, NO LINES, FUCKING NOTHING!

    6. Re:Strange by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Luke may have been a whiny little bitchling in the first movie, but in the next two he was the only hero with a glowing saber...

      I preferred being a Jedi to being a Correlian, which might as well have been 'random human'.

    7. Re:Strange by aTMsA · · Score: 1

      When i went to see EP2, I loved Jango, and the fight with obi wan was the better moment of the movie, because i liked him, and wasn't sure he could escape unscathed. Then there comes this mace windu and kills him in a most anticlimatic way. Oh well.

  41. They've already got droids? by artemis67 · · Score: 2

    You go back 4,000 years, and the technology is already there for droids.

    Makes me think that technological research must have been completely stagnated by the time of the movies.

    1. Re:They've already got droids? by Jerf · · Score: 2

      Stagnation is one theory in the Star Wars rationalization camp. The other major theory is the idea that they've effectively maxed out their technology. It is established canon that a trip across the galaxy is a matter of hours at most, the energy specs on the weapons are absurdly large, computers have reached human-level intelligence (and we can assume there is no higher intelligence possible for the sake of argument), and the Empire could build most of a "small-moon sized" battlestation in 8 months.

      Granted, we believe that more progress could be made in the AI department in the real world, for instance, but for the sake of suspension of disbelief it is plausible to accept that human-level intelligence is the maximum possible, and that the other demonstrated limits are indeed the insuperable maximums of the universe.

      (Note I am neither propounding nor defending either theory, just pointing out their existance.)

      This site and this site are kick-ass explorations of Star Wars (and the first site does Star Trek in passing) rationalizations. Do not go if you have work to do; if you merely like science or Star Wars, those sites will suck you in for a couple of days.

    2. Re:They've already got droids? by SquadBoy · · Score: 1

      The republic is ~30,000 years old. 1,000 generations at about 30 years per generation. So this is a *very* old civilization and they clearly where very advanced when the republic was founded. So 4,000 years is pretty recent history. And yes in the expanded universe stuff there is much mention of lostech and the fact that they had lost much from the heyday of the old republic also the new movies are set after decline started. So yes you are right.

      --

      Cypherpunks: Civil Liberty Through Complex Mathematics. Those who live by the sword die by the arrow.
    3. Re:They've already got droids? by jaoswald · · Score: 1

      But of course, this maxed-out technology does not contain basic architecture, such as

      (1) "don't put your nuclear reactor by the front door where any 7-year-old can blow it up"

      (2) "don't forget about chain reactions that can allow a single bomb to blow up your entire station"

      (3) "oh, yeah, don't forget (2) again."

      and also basic radar and servomechanisms so that weapons can be aimed to hit a moving target.

      Still, stardestroyer.net has some pretty funny deflating of Trekkie fantasies!

    4. Re:They've already got droids? by Jerf · · Score: 2

      *chuckle* The tech may be maxed out, but there's clearly a lot of bad engineering in the Empire.

      Still, it sort of reminds me of the modern state of programming; computer technology is more advanced then a casual survey of your average working-day programmer. Despite having rather astonishing technology at his/her disposal, they program Yet Another Buffer Overflow... and some of these programmers progress embarassingly far! One can easily imagine a mediocre engineer/outstandingly superb bootlicker progressing to Main Deathstar Engineer, since the Empire is human too... ;-)

      Those sites are fun and the speculation is infectious, isn't it?

  42. RPG or FPS? by st0rmshad0w · · Score: 2

    "a 'definitive' Star Wars game has not been forthcoming."

    I'd have to disagree with that, Tie Fighter was pretty damn good, as were several of the other SW related offerings. But there hasn't been a definative SW RPG (for computer that is, West End Games original Star Wars Roleplaying Game was pretty good). These arent really RPG's either, just FPS's with a plotline. True RPG's (as in dice and paper) are great because you can totally derail the plotline if you want (SCREW YOU MISTER 10x10 FOOT STONE CORRIDOR!). MUDs and their successors are fairly good equivalents but I don't think I've seen a stand-alone game that comes anywhere near true RPG. Too limited in plot options.

  43. Seconded - Tie Fighter by Rayonic · · Score: 1

    I wholeheartedly agree. Unfortunantly, the "general concensus" does not agree with you, as they've never played the game. (Despite it being released several times.)

    Heck, even paid game reviewers who are big Star Wars fans haven't played it. I don't even think the famous Gabe has played it, nevermind all the other "kiddies" out there. Alas, even in it's newest re-release, it still doesn't have enough eye candy to draw in the younger generation. They'll just go on with their lives thinking Rogue Leader is the penultimate in Star Wars sims. Bleech.

    1. Re:Seconded - Tie Fighter by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      the penultimate in Star Wars sims

      For future reference, "penultimate" means "one less than the ultimate"

    2. Re:Seconded - Tie Fighter by 0x20 · · Score: 1

      I think he was referring to the general concensus among those who've played the game, not the general concensus of humanity. It doesn't really make much sense otherwise. "I've never played that game, but I think it's the greatest game ever!"

  44. Re:Why LucasArts has a bleak future by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    While the Star Wars angle could certainly dry up for LucasArts, they're still one of the best producers of of adventure(in the sense of the Monkey Island, Maniac Mansion series and others) games...

  45. scummvm rocks :) by stere0 · · Score: 1

    I already knew about it, I even mentioned it in a reply a couple of minutes ago. Thanks!

    --
    Trollem mirabilem hanc subnotationis exigiutas non caperet
  46. camping the wookiee by Rupert · · Score: 2

    I don't know what this is a euphemism for yet, but it will be for something before the day is out.

    --

    --
    E_NOSIG
    1. Re:camping the wookiee by SamTheButcher · · Score: 1

      Brilliant set of 3 words. "Camping the Wookie". Should be a band name or *something*.

  47. That's "Star Wars Nights of the Old Republic" by Dixie_Flatline · · Score: 2, Informative

    There isn't a colon in the name. Trust me. :)

    1. Re:That's "Star Wars Nights of the Old Republic" by IxnayOnTheIxnay · · Score: 1

      That's not what LucasArts says.

    2. Re:That's "Star Wars Nights of the Old Republic" by Dixie_Flatline · · Score: 1, Offtopic

      That's amusing, since our Programmers that had colons in their sigs were asked to please take them out. Maybe I should inform them that they can put them back in, since I know a couple that would prefer it that way. :)

    3. Re:That's "Star Wars Nights of the Old Republic" by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Ask those folks who wanted it removed what the heck a Star Wars Knight is. Sounds like a bad Japanese translation, or what someone who's never seen SW would call a Jedi. "In this game, you play a Star Wars Knight, equipped with your laser-sword, fighting the evil Dark Invader!" Ixnay

  48. lucasarts by tux-sucks · · Score: 1
    I really hope LucasArts can come out with some great new games, but all the great LucasArts developers are gone, and the company imo will never be what it used to be.

    I also find it kind of sad that what used to be a totally in-house development company now has to hire out talent from other studios.

  49. Re:Why LucasArts has a bleak future by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    LOL!! Hilarious post, dude. Good work.

    Zoober

  50. Re:That's "Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic" by Dixie_Flatline · · Score: 2

    Uh, too much NWN for me. But there's still no colon in the name. :)

  51. I feel let down though.. by Idimmu+Xul · · Score: 1

    by Neverwinter Nights.. I'm still ploughing through BG2 as originally NWN was going to beable to import the characters from BG2, allowing you to take a character through BG1 to BG2 to NWN..

    But now thats been taken out of NWN in my eyes its just another game, and now Bioware are just another company.

    Excuse me if I dont hold my breath.

    I am wet with anticipation for StarWars Galaxies though!

    --
    The problem with slashdot is that most of its users were bullied and stuffed into lockers as kids!
    1. Re:I feel let down though.. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Seriously, did you think you could import a level 35 character into a game that starts you at level 1? It's a new game, so play it with a new character.

    2. Re:I feel let down though.. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Quit your whining and build your friggin character by hand.
      Nobody's gonna have patience for you if you don't use your noggin.

    3. Re:I feel let down though.. by IndependentVik · · Score: 0

      No, really, the other guy had a point. One of the best parts of the early Quest for Glory games (the later ones blew) was that you could transfer your character from game to game. It really enhanced the roleplaying aspect of the game. That is, you felt like this character you'd created and molded meant something.

      --
      I'd suggest you don't use Slashdot as your only news source, or you will suffer permanent brain damage.
    4. Re:I feel let down though.. by Ionized · · Score: 1

      did you fail to notice the whole "transition from 2nd edition rules to 3rd edition rules" thing?

  52. Another similar review...not yet slashdotted.... by bje2 · · Score: 1
    --

    "Facts are meaningless. You could use facts to prove anything that's even remotely true." - Homer Simpson
  53. Re:If the server gets slashdoted, here's the artic by soybean · · Score: 1

    Who the hell modded this as redundant? Did anybody else post the same joke? It is a joke you know. Get it? I was posting the error and saying "In case it gets slashdoted ...". Funny huh? You don't get it? Ugh, I give up.

  54. a couple more... by bje2 · · Score: 2

    lighting the saber...choking the hutt...prodding the ewok...

    --

    "Facts are meaningless. You could use facts to prove anything that's even remotely true." - Homer Simpson
  55. What a Star Wars game realy needs by Tarazis · · Score: 1

    "First, life is short." not necessarly, life is as long as it is. don't think that your is longer or shorter than anyone elses, that goes for dick size too. "Second, people are stupid." Dose this inclde you? "And third, with the exception of a scant few, sequels to good movies suck--hard" I aggree with you on this one.

    But as regards a game this goes off the point. I have only ever played one star wars game "Rouge Squadren", I have looked at others playing them but that as far as my intrest went, and i thought that it was o.k. But i think that the, and i hope that i haven't missed it, star wars game collection need a stratage game. you see when i first saw Star wars in 77' I was taken by it epic quality. Vast Emperial fleets crusing space looking for a small band of rebels, star systems to hold or liberate, good versus evil. But with the games i never got this feeling with a star wars game? Some games do have this epic feeling, Civilation, so why not Star Wars? Running around shooting people is all well and good but it's still just running around shooting people. And now with all that out there about the Star Wars universe; tonnes of books, 5 films and millians of imaginations, shurly someone would write a game that harneses that.

    Well here's one star wars fan that's hoping.

    --
    This is not a test, it is just a distraction.
  56. Do I know you? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Bill? Those names: Asskicke, Shamu. Made me instantly think of Bill. Amazingly, he had a similar last name to you. ;) hrrmmm.....

    clint.frysinger_at_pdcdesigns.com

  57. dark forces? by HelloKitty · · Score: 1

    what about the 3D first person shooter, dark forces?

    That game was awsome, I really believed I was a rebel. :)

    I even had dreams that I was in the game. Not many games do that to me. It was like I was an actor in the movie. so cool...

    1. Re:dark forces? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Dark Forces was way better than Dark Forces 2. I haven't played DF3, but from the screen shots it looks like it might be pretty cool.

  58. Slashdot effect vs. .NET in action by spideyct · · Score: 2, Interesting

    That runtime error you're seeing? Thats the .NET response to the slashdot effect.
    (Thats not a knock on .NET, what web server DOES stand up to the slashdot effect?)

    Just thought a few people might be curious about the different looking error page.

    It does give you a peak at the nice XML based configuration file they've implemented. It works like Apache, in that you can make all changes to the server configuration through a text file, only its all in XML, and it doesn't require a restart of the server. One of the really great features of ASP.NET, in my opinion.

    1. Re:Slashdot effect vs. .NET in action by jasoncart · · Score: 1

      The caching on ASP.NET has let us last a little longer, but alas we seem to have fallen for the /. effect again

      FYI : we've pushed over 200k page requests (banners are separate pages) in under 4 hours to about 18k unique users

  59. Great screenshots... by artemis67 · · Score: 2

    I was disappointed, though, that I didn't see any Yodites (or whatever the heck they're called).

  60. This just in: by DeltaSigma · · Score: 1

    For the first time since slashdot's inception, total moderation points reached zero today in a mass effort to promote praise of the early Star Wars game: Tie Fighter.

  61. Re:Why LucasArts has a bleak future by Recolada · · Score: 0

    Ha ha, funny funny, ho ho ho. But wait, a quick search in Google confirmed what I suspected, you just "open sourced" this post from here:

    http://www.yaleherald.com/archive/xxvii/1999.04. 23 /ae/p11sucks.html

  62. Re:Why LucasArts has a bleak future by Recolada · · Score: 0
  63. Multiplayer? by dschuetz · · Score: 2

    Does anyone know whether this will support collaborative multiplayer modes? I just got through with Baldur's Gate on the PS2, and my wife and I are just about finished with Halo, so we're really looking for video games which we can both play together. Sure, things like Spyro or Tomb Raider are great, but when one person has to watch for a half hour while the other finishes off a challenging level, then it gets kind of old, pretty fast.

    Anyway, I thought I'd read that KotOR would support two or three simultaneous players, like Baldur's Gate, but the review sort of half-implies otherwise. Does anyone know for sure?

    (better yet, can anyone recommend a good collaborative multi-player Xbox adventure / exploration game? Or even a *good* gaming site (there are so many out there, and they're all pretty horrid))

  64. Share by GunFodder · · Score: 1

    Would you care to share whatever you're smoking? It must be quite good if you're thinking the WC series held a candle to Tie Fighter. Now Privateer at least rivalled TF.

  65. humans slashdotted? by greymond · · Score: 1

    I cant seem to get to the page - anyway I heard that you can only play as a human ONLY - is this true? if so I think thats kinda lame considering all the different types of races i'd rather be. I get to be a human 7 days a week for the rest of my life - if I play a game I want to be soemthing different.

    1. Re:humans slashdotted? by BlueQbe · · Score: 1

      ordinarily you can play as human only, but the skins can patch in all sorts of stuff, like Ewoks or wookies or whatever yoda is

  66. a �definitive� Star Wars game ... by Mandelbrot-5 · · Score: 1

    oh, there is just a couple. Jedi Knight II was impressive, if you don't count the first few lvls. There was this little game a while back called x-wing, and Tie Fighter... there have been many good, solid Starwars games.

    --
    Math is like sex. People who get it are popular in class, people who don't are not.
  67. So close... by Hollinger · · Score: 2

    "Server error is '/' application..."

  68. Star Wars Combine by bonch · · Score: 4, Informative

    You want a Star Wars RPG? Look no further. Contribute if you can.

  69. aware of the /. by Discoteck · · Score: 1
    Jason (7/11/2002 1:15:48 PM) Reply, Report As you probably know we are currently being hammered by /.

    We've taken the thumbnails down, but you can still see the full image by click on the dead thumbnail

    Good to see they make mention of the problems we cause for their servers and move to make allowances as well.

    Image 1
    Image 2

    --
    /.................../ \\ /...................../
    1. Re:aware of the /. by jasoncart · · Score: 1

      Taking down the dynamic thumbnails increased our capacity by about 25%. I'm planning a /. prevention system on our site whereby we can easily replace all the stories with a low bandwidth version. This isn't the first time this has happened :-)

  70. What's even better is... by mongoks · · Score: 1

    This game will take people back to a time when all of the characters aren't somehow related to one another.

  71. Official Site and Trailer by h0tblack · · Score: 1

    http://www.lucasarts.com/products/swkotor/
    Useful , if for no other reason than the oh so perty trailer.
    http://www.lucasarts.com/products/swkotor/movies .j sp?ID=trailer
    Also handy to get a few more specs, gaze at artwork and rant in the forums ;)

  72. Aurora Engine by shren · · Score: 2

    Sounds like the Aurora Engine which they've been working on for, oh, 4 years, is going to see some good use. This sounds like Neverwinter Nights with many graphical upgrades and very few engine upgrades. (Seeing the word 'combat feat' is very much a tip off.)

    --
    Maybe the state's highest function is to grind out insoluble problems. (Zelazny, Hall of Mirrors)
  73. It's why I upgraded. by Matt · · Score: 1
    I haven't upgraded my x86 system very much in recent years. In the past, my upgrade path was something like this:

    386 to 486. For one reason, to play X-wing.

    486 to Pentium and new video card. For one reason, to play Tie Fighter.

    I haven't been into games much since then, and accordingly I haven't upgraded my system much. I still run a 300 MHz K6-2, and I still use the same video card I got to play Tie fighter. (3D accelleration? What's that?)

  74. Re:No definitive Star Wars game?: X-Wing Alliance! by tchapin · · Score: 1

    Actually, I didn't like Tie Fighter so much. Guess I'm not so good with the evil thing. The original X-Wing was great! I loved the trench run at the final mission.

    X-Wing Alliance was also very cool. If pushed, I'd probably say I liked it best: better music, sound, graphics; and it has multiplayer! It was also nice to play a character who has a name in the game; you're not just some faceless guy like in the prior SW flight sims.

    In the same vein, I liked Tachyon a lot as well. Your character had a personality (in this case, a sarchastic one, voiced by Bruce Campbell!) and identity. One of the things I liked about Tachyon was that you could "slide" or swivel your ship while flying and aim at things without changing your direction of travel. A little more realistic, I think. (I've never been in space combat, but basic physics...)

    Back to X-W:A; you could even get a chance to fly the Millenium Falcon, in the final attack on the second Death Star. Earlier in the game, you get to fly various types of ships from among the old favorites, and even some different types of cargo ships. It's pretty cool to man a gun turret while the auto pilot flies. There's even a multi-player patch to allow you to control a turret while someone else is the pilot.

    Another mission, which is quite awesome, gives you the chance to make some strafing runs at a Super Star Destroyer. It's amazing how large that thing is when you're right next to it.

    I only wish that someone would come up with a mod to let you fly the trench run in X-W:A.

    Todd

    --
    -- !todd erases a red dot! I steal music on the internet.
  75. What?s with the question marks? by GodWasAnAlien · · Score: 1

    Does the taco use IE, or have we given up and now assume that ? also can serve as a universal replacement for every puctuation?

    As I said before ?I don?t like this?

  76. The Inner Circle by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I jizzed myself as the Emperor shot me with purple lightning.

  77. Wingmen were crap in X-Wing by Goonie · · Score: 2
    There were two problems with X-wing. The first was the channel run sucked (jerkiness made it just too difficult to fly it as intended on most machines of the day), and the second was that your wingman sucked. You'd end up killing 95% of the enemy fighters yourself.

    TIE Fighter had better wingmen (except in missions where their skill was purposely degraded), and you sure needed them flying Tie Fighters and Interceptors (which were basically dead if you were hit once - it was pretty tough).

    --

    Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from a rigged demo
    --Andy Finkel (J. Klass?)
  78. X-box first ... who cares. by Jim+Norton · · Score: 1

    Who gives a rats ass? It's coming to the X-box first (or will it STAY on the X-box ... Re: Halo) Nobody with more than 2 brain cells to rub together owns an X-box...

    And while we're on the subject of Star Wars, I only have one thing to say: Star Wars has been watered down. First we endure the crapfest that was Episode 1, then the borefest that was Episode 2, all the crappy Episode 1 (and forthcoming Episode 2 and 3) games ... and now Bioware springs an "Only on X-box" FPS to rake in the bribe money that Lucasarts and Microsoft handed them to cover their development costs. Is this supposed to excite me?

    Why does Slashdot only cover the CRAPPY games anyway? Oh, because they are Star Wars. Yeah i'm waiting in REAL anticipation for Star Wars Galaxies ... It's EQ with Lightsabres! And it takes you 3 days to reach level 2 (without dying)

    --
    -- Jim
    1. Re:X-box first ... who cares. by iamblades · · Score: 1

      There are no levels in SWG...

      And it took me maybe 3 hours to get to level 6 in EQ.

      That doesn't make EQ a good game, it isn't, but not because you can't level fast. IMO, the reason lots of MMORPGs suck is because they cater to the lowest common denominator in the name of balance..

      That's why my favorite MMORPG is (or maybe was, now that they started adding level reqs on spells) AO.

      It seems like SOE has learned from EQ, and isnt going to make this game as completely boring as EQ. It has a good basis from what I can tell, use based skills along with no levels and incredible freedom with skills..

      --
      Shit adds up at the bottom...
  79. This one, and yes even Star Wars Galaxies... by krinsh · · Score: 1

    will end up right next to "Monkey Island" and the rest of the 'bargain bin' games from LucasArts. They may as well start printing the 'classics' boxes in white with the gold banners now. Slapping 'Star Wars' onto a product does not suddenly make it a good game. If it has the chutzpah that (apparently - I haven't bought a copy yet) NeverWinter Nights - from BioWare of course - does, then it'll have a good run.

    --
    I think with the interesting people, their lives can't possibly be wrapped up into a nice little package.
  80. Re:No Difinitive SW Game??? JK2 is TERRIBLE ... by PaganRitual · · Score: 1

    jedi knight 2 was by no means the definitive star wars game ... unless by "definitive" you mean

    - horrible level design in places ... instant-flame-death-reload anyone? (thats assuming you bothered to finish it) ... and endless basic square style rooms filled with crates (oldmanmurray.com would have a heart attack)

    - overall bad game design (you can take on the entire empire singlehandedly for 90% of the time, but for one small section of the game, if someone gets to trigger off an alarm, its game over because you are suddenly 'outnumbered' ... wrong, wrong, WRONG) ... and dependency on AI elements staying alive when the retards are under attack from a two legged walker, and only have explosive boxes to hide behind, which they are oblivious to ... no, no, NO

    - woefully innacurrate weapons (the first few levels where you only had the auto-blaster/whatever were suicide-inducing)

    - crap saber-on-saber combat that involved nothing more than whacking on the force speed power and then frantically hacking away

    - and ridiculously powerful boss enemies ... you try and beat them for 45 mins straight then give up and resort to alternate ways of taking them out ...

    ... to beat the first boss (the girl) i eventually waited until she jumped over my head, then force pushed her up so high that when she fell to the ground she died, the second guy (the impossible one with that shield thing), i had to trick using an AI bug and an sentry gun to be able to stand behind him and massacre him without him even taking notice of me, and the final guy i had to kill by collapsing a rock column on him ... playing the level on the hardest setting made these guys impossible to take on normally ...

    ... the only good bits were right near the end when you had full force powers and could push and pull the enemy around the place and take weapons out of hands and stuff, but the pain to get to that position in the first place was not worth the reward ... someone get a book on game design out there quick!!!

  81. Georges Lucas... he sucks ! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I just don't like Georges Lucas philosophy about StarWars and LucasArts/film decisions

    I just boycott their products and hope peoples will find another theme to worship ;)

    StarWars is just a Western movie in a galaxy far far away ! And Episode I et II weren't what the olds ones we're

    boycott LucasArts !

  82. its a marketing thing by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
    Bioware knows that people want a collaborative multiplayer game (read: not massive, persistent, etc) However, even though MANY have asked this (including game review folk) it has gone either unanswered or is given a very flaky and noncommital sound bite.

    Forget marketing... this is human nature I guess. They (Bioware) know what people want, and for whatever reason (most likely technical=time) they can or will not put multiplayer in. However if they just came out and said that or had a clear and concise FAQ that listed that very frequently asked question along with said answer then it could cause a loss of interest by many, but certainly not all.

    If its not such a big deal with them, then they would have no problem giving a resounding answer of 'No, we do not plan to implement that" (throw in the obligitory and typically ambiguous part like 'at this time.') I am sure the game will be great, but if multiplayer was added, then it would be like in BG where the other party members are slaves to the main character and his interaction with the plot/story.

    In my wishlist however, I have a large slot where Bioware will start making games that are scalable to the number of characters in EVERY way. If I want a single player game, then I can get NPC's to join up. If I want other players, then they can join too. The plot and subplots should not be tied into one character nor should they just always be a simplistic (whoever completes it first). Remember in BG2 that ONLY the main character could have a stronghold or do the large sidequests. In a world that has the best of the persistent MMOG aspects but with the 'small town' feel of smaller coop games, each player would be the center of the universe and have a synergistic effect on the party, plot and story. Just like in the best myths, legends and stories most here love.

    Graphics power has come a long way... lets see about working on gameplay now :) and let the GPU do the graphics work (that WAS the original marketing angle of nVidia's GPU architecture: "Free up your processing power and code for AI, story, immersion and plot")

    Sadly that has NOT happened. We have some great graphics API's out there (DirectX even has sound,music,i/o) yet it seems that the graphical portion is still the primary focus of development. Time to crack open those advanced algorithm books, eh boys?

  83. Re:No Difinitive SW Game??? JK2 is TERRIBLE ... by BlueQbe · · Score: 1

    JO wasn't a game that you play for story, or without connection to the internet. The entire purpose was to make a half-life style computer game in the star wars universe, and while yes, the stormtroopers have pitiful accuracy and suprising health, thats what mods are for! You go in, fix the game, and then play it once its better! And, quite frabkly, most SW enviroments were big square rooms with crates in them. If you play online, you'll find the saber battles to be much less than crap. The only thing about this game that irked me was the weapon lighting, blaster bolts, lightsabers, and explosions didn't light up darkend areas

  84. Re:No Difinitive SW Game??? JK2 is TERRIBLE ... by PaganRitual · · Score: 1

    wow, thats some quite disturbed logic there ... i sense a star war zealot, anyways ...

    its a shame they neglected to tell anyone that bought their game that it was little more than a toolset to create "better" games ... given i bought the game to be able to play a cool SP game in the SW universe, never intending to play it online, its probably something i would have liked to have known ... ill wait until its on a budget label next time if i have to spend hours modding it before its in a playable state ...

    ... oh yeah, and btw, the stand alone SP Half-Life game kicked ass. no modding required. thats what a bit of time spent on design can get you. and i do agree with the lack of real time lighting, heck, quake 1 had that ...