Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic Legitimized RPGs on the Xbox

This is an IGN sentiment portion from Ryan McCaffrey, who worked astatine Official Xbox Magazine from 2002-2012 during the archetypal Xbox and Xbox 360 epoch earlier joining IGN, wherever helium remains “the Xbox guy.” In the run-up to Xbox’s 25th anniversary, he’ll beryllium sharing his memories from the platform’s archetypal quarter-century.

Back successful its day, the archetypal Xbox was known arsenic the “shooter box” – a estimation that wasn’t unwarranted. But if you inquire me, Microsoft besides deserves a ton of recognition for popularizing Western RPGs connected consoles. The countless unthinkable Japanese role-playing games connected Nintendo and PlayStation platforms dominated the genre backmost then, but erstwhile Xbox came around, that began to change. Bethesda’s Xbox larboard of The Elder Scrolls 3: Morrowind was the archetypal salvo successful 2002, but it wasn’t until the pursuing twelvemonth erstwhile Xbox precise loudly proclaimed to each RPG fans: “You request to bargain an Xbox.” In July of 2003 – historically a barren godforsaken for large crippled releases – Microsoft and BioWare launched Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic. It Force-pushed distant immoderate challengers, becoming not lone my idiosyncratic favourite RPG of each time, but 1 of the top games connected the Xbox.

And, situation I say, it was amended than immoderate RPG connected the rival PS2.

If you haven’t played KOTOR, I’m not going to spoil thing for you here. It’s a must-play that’s presently conscionable $10 connected the Xbox integer store (thanks to backwards-compatibility it’ll tally connected immoderate modern Xbox) and I’d reason it’s good worthy that adjacent 20-plus years later. It’s inactive beauteous playable contempt its age, and disposable connected a fig of different non-Xbox devices, including phones and tablets. If you’re exceptionally patient, hopefully you’ll get a ace astatine a modern mentation if the remake announced backmost successful 2021 ever ends up seeing the airy of day, but that far-off anticipation shouldn’t deter you from playing the archetypal version.

Knights of the Old Republic did astir everything right. Chief among its triumphs was thing we’d each loved successful pen-and-paper roleplaying games but had seldom seen successful a video crippled up to that point: it fto you beryllium angelically bully oregon horrifyingly evil. Light and Dark Side meters successful your quality illustration showed you which way of the Force you were walking, based connected your actions and choices. This made the run some replayable and a container of endless possibilities for the funny player. I instantly took the plunge and embraced the Dark Side during my archetypal playthrough, simply due to the fact that I’d ne'er played a crippled that had fto maine beryllium this evil and really person it substance before. Of course, this is an thought that the KOTOR squad astatine BioWare would physique upon for its adjacent project, a small crippled you whitethorn person heard of called Mass Effect…

KOTOR legitimized the fledgling Xbox arsenic a spot wherever top-tier developers were going to marque top-tier role-playing games.“

Ask anyone who played KOTOR astatine the clip and they volition astir surely grin arsenic memories travel flooding back: determination were the planets (like Kashyyyk and Tatooine), the characters (HK-47!), and 1 of the top crippled twists gaming had ever seen. Those characteristics are each timeless, and guarantee it remains a top-tier RPG, adjacent if what was erstwhile a cutting-edge game, technologically speaking, present looks Roblox-like by today’s standards.

I reviewed it for Official Xbox Magazine and gave it a 9.4 retired of 10, which was beauteous rarified aerial astatine OXM backmost then; for context, Halo: Combat Evolved got a 9.6 retired of 10. But what I retrieve astir astir playing it astatine the clip is however it wholly and convincingly pulled maine into its communicative and world. I cared astir my character, I cared astir my party, I cared astir the choices I made. Its communicative stuck with maine for years aft I finished it.

Knights of the Old Republic didn’t conscionable stroke distant immoderate different RPG connected immoderate different level of its era, it legitimized the fledgling Xbox arsenic a spot wherever top-tier developers were going to marque top-tier role-playing games. And to beryllium honest? I wasn’t a immense RPG subordinate earlier KOTOR. But aft it, I became a acold much superior instrumentality of the genre – peculiarly of the Western variety. It’s not hyperbole to accidental that was wholly due to the fact that of BioWare and what it achieved with what was, astatine the time, the champion Star Wars video crippled ever made… and it wasn’t adjacent adjacent (cue the X-Wing vs. TIE Fighter fans coming aft maine successful the comments).

In short, it’s hard to overstate however peculiar KOTOR was. Because of that, I’m highly skeptical that immoderate remake – peculiarly aft the improvement hellhole it’s already been done – tin travel anyplace adjacent to doing BioWare’s masterpiece justice, but that’s a substance for different day. For now, though, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic remains 1 of the precise champion reasons to person ever owned an Xbox, and it taught a procreation of crippled publishers that if you spot your licensed intelligence spot with the close developers, magic tin happen.

Ryan McCaffrey is IGN's enforcement exertion of previews and big of IGN's play Xbox show, Podcast Unlocked, and a co-host of Next-Gen Console Watch. He's a North Jersey guy, truthful it's "Taylor ham," not "pork roll." Debate it with him connected Twitter astatine @DMC_Ryan.