Publisher: Aspyr Cost: $49.99 Demo: No OS X: Yes OS 9: No Multiplayer: Yes ESRB: Teen System Requirements: -1 GHz G4/G5 processor -Mac OS X 10.3.4 or later -256 MB of RAM -3D Graphics Acceleration with 32 MB of VRAM(ATI Radeon 7500/nVidia GeForce 2 or better) -4.2 GB of hard disk space -DVD-ROM drive

Machine Tested On: -Dual 2.0 GHz G5 -256 MB of RAM -ATI Radeon 9600 -Mac OS X 10.3.5

By Bruce Morrison

A long long LONG time ago…:
Star Wars has to be the most abused license in the history of games. I swear, every week something Star Wars is released; books, video games, movies and breakfast cereals. So when yet another Star Wars game comes along, it can get kind of hard to get excited about it, unless it is “Knights of the Old Republic.” Aspyr has brought one of the most amazing Star Wars games to the Macintosh in all its respected glory. “Knights of the Old Republic” (or KotOR for short) is based on the 3rd edition rule set of Dungeons and Dragons. Despite the fancy graphics and slick moves of the characters, the entire game is based on the roll of virtual dice. If you have played “Neverwinter Nights”, you’ll feel right at home with KotOR.

For those not familiar with the XBox or PC version, KotOR takes place 4,000 years before “The Phantom Menace”, where the galaxy is a very different place. Jedi are numerous and are at war with the Sith. You are a new recruit on a spaceship which has been attacked by the Sith and must make your way to the escape pods. En route, you learn about the Jedi Bastila, who is on the same ship as you. You manage to escape and must now locate the Jedi Bastila, figure out a way to escape from the planet you are on and discover your mysterious past.

While the story may not be the most original thing out there, the game’s side quests and sub plots will keep you entertained. Within the first 20 minutes of playing, you can be a bounty hunter, a prize death match fighter, an alien dancer and a swoop pilot. Eventually you will earn your own ship and can travel the galaxy freely, stopping on all manner of worlds, even the legendary Kashyyyk, the Wookie home world. While KotOR may not offer as many classes of characters as Neverwinter Nights, the available classes do offer a variety of game play. You can specialize in specific skills, allowing you to approach a situation from a totally different angle than another player. With so many classes, it is hard to decide on who to play as, giving KotOR almost unlimited replay value.

Next Generation Gaming:
KotOR arrives on a DVD and requires high end G4s and G5s to play. This might alienate some of you, but this is really a next generation game. Everything is modeled in wonderful 3D and the game’s text is spoken, even the alien languages. Because of this, you are going to need a hefty 4 gigs of hard drive space just to install. Once you get up and running, it’s time to make a character. You can go one of two routes; a quick character or an in-depth custom character. Because the game is based on the Dungeons and Dragons rule system, you can delve into as much detail as you want with your character, honing it down to the last variable.

Honestly, the depth you can go with a character could be its own three page article, but at the same time, you can make three clicks and be done with the process. The simplicity and complexity of this game allows virtually anyone to enjoy it. You can continue to develop aspects of your character well into the game, working on different skills from combat to computer hacking.

Each class can then be divided into sub-classes, which then allows you to model your character into a unique and powerful version of itself. You can focus on just about any area. Learn how to hack or "slice" computers, letting you gain information, open doors and even turn the Sith's own defenses against them. Train your Force powers and become a powerful healer for your party. The choices are almost endless, and thanks to the game’s intuitive design, can be picked with a few clicks or fine-tuned for an hour.

The control in the game mimics the depth of the character creation; both is simple and complex at the same time. This is not a third-person action title, but it will look that way. When you see an enemy, the game pauses, allowing you a moment to decide which members of your party will do what. Then you un-resume the game and combat begins. Either you will let the game continue in “real time” and the battle is fluid, or you can have it pause between actions and become turn-based (just like Dungeons and Dragons). This depth allows you to fully control every member in your party, letting a character heal, another attack from a distance and a Jedi unleash his or her light saber for the perfect beat down. You can map the controls to create a system that works for you and toggle between mouse look or using the keys to look around. Unfortunately, the game does not presently appear to support any game pads.


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