ASPYR Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic ( Macintosh )

Rating:
Summary: 2ND BEST GAME OF ALL TIME COMES TO MAC
Review: Finally....

The 2nd greatest game of all time (Betrayal at Krondor being the best) comes to the ultimate platform...Macintosh!!! I'm really excited about this release except for the fact that I'm shelling out $50 for it... :(

And the fact that it took Aspyr so long to finish it. Seriously, this game should be like $30.

Rating:
Summary: Fighting, Thinking, Fun
Review: Having completed the x-box version to the end until the d**b box froze all the time (MS support unable to help- guess inherent shoddiness), this game, unlike any other, really hooked me.

Now MS-free, with G5 Imac 1GB RAM to play with, very happy to test the game.

Missed the force-feedback gamepad (my Logitech Wingman not seem to work). Set the System Preferences/Energy Saver to "maximum" for gameplay (otherwise a few jumpy frames).

A real mixture of exploring, gathering objects in lockers/corpses, fighting, equiping teams of people, working with others, progressing in some galaxy-wide meaningful-thing, and dialogue that is not ridiculously corny.

Better than Call of Duty, Simcity 4, Unreal tournament 2004 on OSX for starters- should be a real hit.

Rating:
Summary: Best game of all time has misleading system requirements.
Review: I had been waiting for over a year to get this game for my G4 Mac and the day it finally arrived I was eccstatic. I knew my computer met the requirements (or so I thought) so I figured I'd have no problem. The requirements on the box said 256 MB RAM required (512MB RAM recommended). Well I had 256MB but I didn't mind the thought of playing the greatest game of all time on lower video/sound settings. So I popped in the CD and immediately in the first "scene" of the game the video was choppy and characters were stuttering to get their words out. Just a tap on one of the movement buttons either froze the character or sent him "teleporting" to the other side of the room. Now I suppose this is playable if you wish to spend months alone navigating the first level with incomprehensible controls. I had no other applications running at the time and all of the game settings were set AS LOW AS POSSIBLE. The box really needs to say 512MB RAM required to play. I am very disappointed. This entire situation is very similiar to when MacPlay released the much awaited Alien Vs. Predator 2. I am most disappointed.

Rating:
Summary: Best game ever...
Review: I have never played a RPG style game before, so was a bit skeptical about buying this. Well after Jedi Outcast and Jedi Academy, I just needed more Star Wars gaming. The game spans worlds, with smaller plots throughout, making it great to play more than twice. There are optional side games of every sort, plus the plot line and cut scenes make for a story comparable to any of the movies. The game plays great on my system 512mb/1.25ghz. And the scenery is beatiful. Now I only hope Aspyr doesn't drag it's feet on KOTOR 2.

And I really like Carth... no matter what anyone says.

Rating:
Summary: great game bad machine
Review: Now I write this review without the expierence of smooth gameplay besides the fact my system meets and surpases most of the minimum requirements. Even with my low end 1.25 ghz eMac (with might I add a gig of ram and a brand new 120 gb hardrive) I expected it to at least run smoothly with the graphics turned down, I was wrong. I opened up the game and started a new game and immeditley it was choppy, I turned everything down, graphics, resolution, texture, everything and it was still a little choppy. I managed to get about 1/3 into the game when I finally cracked...HOW CAN I RUN WORLD OF WARCRAFT WITHOUT ANY CHOPPYNESS BUT NOT THIS GAME?!?!? Well the answer is WoW is better and unless u have a G5 stay away from KOTOR.

Rating:
Summary: Review for the Alaska Apple Users Group
Review: Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic is one of the most advertised and well-reviewed video games of all time. Among it's myriad other achievements, it garnered 2003 Game of the Year from Computer Gaming World, PC Gamer, Amazon.com, and others (...).

Set an even longer time ago, none of the traditional Star Wars characters appear in this title. Starting this fresh new adventure is easy thanks to drag-and-drop installation from the now-standard Aspyr installation window. It's going to take time though - KotOR is Huge! It comes on a DVD instead of a regular compact disc and maxes that out at 4.27GB. So be sure to check your system against the requirements.

When you first start the game you'll have to wade through character creation before you see anything but a glimpse of the antagonist. But don't worry; once your character is created and you begin the epic, you'll be welcomed by the traditional Star Wars fanfare, though an original score will accompany the adventure. The game features new characters and places, but like the music, it is recognizably a part of the Lucas universe most of the time.

The game is, simply put, the first full-fledged Star Wars role-playing game for PCs and consoles. It is based on the newest Dungeons & Dragons rules - for better and worse. On the one hand, the rules of the most popular RPG ever are robust and well rounded. On the other hand, they show through the interface and are not a perfect marriage to the Star Wars universe.

The rules have been well adapted and fit skills such as repair and persuasion, feats such as blaster marksmanship and melee combat, and even force powers. By choosing from the limited character types you will find that most aspects of the Star Wars universe can be experienced through this game. Your decisions in the game even affect whether you lean toward the light or dark side of the force, eventually leading to a decision to work for good or evil. Along the way you can customize your abilities, skills, and even force powers.

But that is also where the complexities of the engine start to show through. Initial character creation and subsequent upgrades can take a lot of time for a gamer looking for a simpler RPG experience. To their credit, the developers do include a button that will automatically select recommended upgrades for your character to minimize the labor for such players.

Of course Star Wars is an action-filled franchise and so combat is one of the most important parts of the game. It is not handled as elegantly as some RPGs I have seen, but there are a lot of attack options. Each time you encounter an enemy the game will pause automatically and pop-ups will allow you to select a target and attack for your main character. When you resume, your attack will be carried out along with any other tasks you assign (such as using a medpack to recover health after a hit or a force power to disable your opponent).

Along with combat and several mini-games you will spend a lot of time with D&D staples. Exploring, trading, and conversing with non-player characters are all very important in this game. Unfortunately, your view of the beautiful sights is hindered because you cannot look up or down.

Interaction with other characters is handled better. Most of the dialog is actually recorded so you get to hear conversations instead of just reading them - that does a lot for the cinematic feel the game takes on when the rules aren't showing through. The choices you make in your conversations have an effect on the game too. That's important in an RPG and too rare in computer games.

I won't give away any of the plot, but it is worthy of it's inspiration. The game is beautiful and sounds great too, but it performs poorly on some systems. On my 1.2GHz iBook, I often found video jerky and movement controls intolerably erratic despite exceeding the requirements.

Despite such technicalities, Knights of the Old Republic is an awesome science-fantasy role-playing experience. If you are a Star Wars fan who enjoys the basic RPG dynamic, this game is going to be great for you! If you prefer fast-paced action and less administration in your game, buy Jedi Academy, also from Aspyr, instead.

Rating:
Summary: Game of the year?? says who?
Review: To me this game was a major disapointment! The game play is rediculously slow. It took me 5 minutes just to figure out how to make my character put on his clothes and open a door. Doing the simplest thing, like opening a door, or changing weapons is such a pain! In the "battles" you click on an icon to make your character fight ( or another icon telling him not to fight). You can't control his actions in the battle! That is soooo lame! Personally I like games with action, that you can actually take part in, such as unreal tournament, or jedi knight. this game bummed me out so much I had to write a review in hopes of stopping someone else from making the same mistake I did.