Knights of the Old Republic is really firing with full thrusters at the moment.

For those that haven’t followed the series, its about Zayne Carrick, a failing Jedi Padawan, who finds himself on the run with the local wannabe crime lord and various others when the Jedi Masters kill his fellow padawans. Finding himself framed for their deaths, he has to find out why his friends were killed while avoiding being caught by the Jedi or the Republic. Fortunately at the same time, the Mandalorians go to war with the Republic, which provides him ample chaos to have all kinds of adventures in.

And now, series writer John Jackson Miller is wrapping up this main plot thread.  After over 30 issues, Zayne has closed in on the Jedi Covenant, and we’ve discovered how they’ve been manipulated from the beginning.

I love how Miller is not taking the option of keeping that plot thread running indefinitely, and instead giving us a conclusion to Zayne’s fugitive arc.  We get to see how Haazen has manipulated the covenant into becoming his instruments as he attempts to seize power for himself, and the one who has most been manipulated has been Zayne’s master, Lucien.   There’s a real feeling here that with his world unravelling around him, Lucien’s really lost the plot, and the hints from Haazen that Lucien coul go onto become Darth Sion were a big twist.

While Legacy tends to be the series that gets the most attention online, Knights of the Old Republic has always been my favourite of the Dark Horse series (and indeed, is currently the only one I’m buying monthly).  Its got a great balance between humour and adventure that I think is important to Star Wars.

I’m also pleased to see Brian Ching return to the art duties with this issue.  The art on this series has sadly been a mixed bag lately, so its nice to see the original artist returning to wrap up the story arc that started with issue 1.

Roll on issue 35.  I can’t wait to see how this ends.

The first two episodes of the new Clone Wars series have just aired over here on Sky Movies.

I saw the film/pilot over the summer and quite enjoyed it. It wasn’t flawless (Ahsoka
was deeply annoying for much of the film, and really it felt too much like a TV pilot to have had a cinema release), but it was fun.

The series continues in this vain. The battledroids provide some pretty painful slapstick humour that doesn’t really work for me, but there’s a lot to like as well. The first episode largely features Yoda (strange since really Annakin and Ahsoka are the stars, but I guess that’s partly due to the first 3 or so episodes being shown in the cinema instead) and he felt very much to me like the mischievious Jedi Master we met in Empire Strikes Back, for the first time in years, even more so than in the prequel films.

For me though, the big stars are the Clones themselves. The series is doing a good job of fleshing them out, such as how the way they view themselves as expendable is very much at odds with how Yoda and (in the second episode) Plo-Kloon treat them as real people. Its also nice how the clones seek to differentiate themselves visually from one another, with tatoos, or unique hair cuts.

One big problem I have though (aside from some of the humour) is Annakin. The Annakin we see in this series (and its prequel film) doesn’t really gell with the Annakin we see in the films. Here we have Annakin preaching patience to Ahsoka and instructing her in how best to interpret the council’s orders (ie, how to try and get around them without causing a scene). This doesn’t really gell with the, frankly, childish Annakin the films presented us. This isn’t the same guy who would’ve ranted “Its not fair!” at the council when told he’s not to be a master.

Of course, I wasn’t too fond of that characterisation, so maybe its not a bad thing they’re ignoring it.

They do need to be careful though. Annakin is the main hero of this series, however by making him too heroic, they run the risk of it being unbelievable that this is the same guy who’ll butcher padawans like Ahsoka in the Jedi temple.

Annakin’s a tragic villain, and they need to be very careful how the handle his character in this show. Its a balancing act I felt the comics handled well. Making Annakin a focus, while also sowing further seeds for how the dark side could possess him. Of course, the comics had the advantage of being written for an older audience.

Making Annakin the hero in a kids cartoon is a bit of a dodgy prospect, and I can’t help but think using Obi Wan as the focus might’ve worked better. But still, we’ll see how they handle it as the show goes on.

(Talking of continuity, why is Grevious’ Ion Cannon treated like its a new thing in the second episode?)

I don’t mean to sound too  negative though.   I enjoyed these first two episodes a lot.  Taken on their own merits, they’re a good fun adventure with some great characters and some very pretty CGI.   And after that first episode, I definitely want to see more Yoda-based episodes as the writers handled him brilliantly.

Well, it was the announcement we’d been waiting for.  Lucasarts are teaming up with Bioware for another crack at the MMO market.   

I’m glad to see Bioware having another go at the Old Republic era.  Since I’d pretty much given up hope on ever seeing Knights of the Old Republic 3 it’ll be great to at least have the chance to revisit that era in game format once again.  From the sounds of the storyline, the Knights of the Old Republic plot will be touched upon within the MMO, so at least that should give some closure.

I’ve enjoyed playing Star Wars Galaxies, so it’ll be interesting to see what this new game brings to the table.  Of course, it’ll have the advantage from the outset of having the experience of what worked and didn’t in SWG, not to mention knowing what people liked about the KotOR series.

Is there any chance we could meet a descendant of Gryph in the game?  It’d rock to get some henchman quests from him

And HK-47 is a must, of course.

Well, last week saw the release of the hotly-anticipated new Star Wars game, The Force Unleashed.

I promptly picked it up for the Nintendo Wii, and had been looked forward to it. I’d also picked up the novelisation (as it turns out, a good move, since sections of the story have been cut or replaced in the Wii version of the game). While not boasting the next-gen graphics or physics engine of the 360 and PS3 versions, the Nintendo version at least finally offers us the chance to control a lightsaber with the wiimote, and get a pretty fair approximation for the next-gen version of the game.

Speaking more generally (spoilers ahoy), I can’t help but be dissappointed.   To be honest, it first went wrong when I read the novelisation.  The idea of Vader having his own apprentice was interesting (especially since it was a direct contradiction of the rule of 2).   I liked the character of Proxy and the idea that Vader had an unwitting hand in starting the rebel alliance is interesting, although it does paint a picture that most of the would-be rebels (ok, Bail Organa has a good reason for wanting to keep his head down and Leia off of Vader’s radar) spent a fair chunk of the dark times not doing much to combat the Empire.   Of course, perhaps I should just take the events of the game as the first time the rebellion became official and overt.

Sadly what annoyed me were just some of the really odd bits.  The Star Destroyer sequence is probably being debated to death, so I’ll just say it struck me as too fanfic-y, but the whole issue of Starkiller’s death and rebirth is really left far too vague for something that’s actually quite a big plot point.  I mean, Vader stabs him right through the chest, smashes him off a few walls, and then spaces him.  Frankly, I’ve seen it both in the novel and the game, and I’m still unsure how he could’ve possibly survived.

As for the game itself, its deeply flawed.   As a Star Wars fan, I’m always going to get a good amount of enjoyment running around hacking up Storm Troopers with a lightsaber.  And there’s no doubt that the implementation of the force in this game is a lot of fun (pushing with the nunchuck etc).  I can’t wait to play the next-gen version in that aspect.

However, in other areas, the game is really let down.  Again, most of these are common complaints.  The camera’s awful.  If you’re mobbed by enemies (frequently the case), then the on-screen action becomes a hopeless jumble, and you’re frequently being shot from somewhere off-screen with no clear idea where.   In one-on-one boss fights, similarly, keeping track of the boss is difficult.

The basic gameplay is also another issue.  While offing Storm Troopers Jedi-style is a lot of fun for me, even I can’t fail to notice that the gameplay consists of running in a straight line, killing wave-after-wave of enemies.   There’s a definitely repetative feel to it.

Controlling the lightsaber with the wiimote I’ve also found a mixed bag.  I love the lightsaber noises coming from the wiimote’s speaker, but I frequently find myself flailing the wiimote around in the vague hope that whoever’s infront of me will die from it.   I don’t really feel in proper control of the onscreen action, and the idea of me investing in any of the “do a 3-hit combo then press C” type powers just seems laughable at the moment.    I remain unconvinced as to how good the Wiimote actually is in action games.

One plus however, is that the Wii version doesn’t contain the infamous (and previously mentioned) Star Destroyer sequence.   As well as pushing believability, its my understanding that its a hellishly frustrating and buggy part of the next-gen version of the game.  Glad I dodged that bullet at least.

I recently replayed Jedi Knight 2 on my PC and to be honest, it beat the pants off of this.   However, if they sort out the camera issues, and make the gameplay a lot less linear, The Force Unleashed 2 could be something pretty special.  As I say, the way they implemented the Force is fun, and I’m intrigued to see what the PC version ends up like.

I’ve talked before about my love for the Knights of the Old Republic series from Dark Horse. Granted during Vektor I really struggled with it, but now they’re unencumbered by the crossover event, things have really kicked off, with Zayne moving towards his final confrontation with Lucien.

Issue #30 picks up where we left off. Zayne and his crew have discovered the covenant’s store of Sith artifacts when they are captured by Feln, a member of the Covenant who has perverted his race’s traditions to serve the Covenant.

Its a cracking read, and Zayne fairing so well in combat against Feln was great to see. We’re seeing the cracks show in the remaining members of the Covenant as well, with Lucien’s command over them slipping as their members dwindle and Zayne coming ever closer to exposing what they’ve done.

I’m really looking forward to the conclusion of this arc. Its the story that has dominated the series from the beginning, and I’m really hoping we see Zayne finally cleared of the Padawan massacre (of course, there’s a reasonable number of people now who know the truth, or at least suspect, in the case of Master Vandar).

While Legacy (also a good read) tends to get the praised heaped upon it, this title is still my top pick from Dark Horse’s Star Wars range.

It was a great comics week last week. First up was Final Crisis #1, which I’ve already talked about and I enjoyed.

Next up was Green Lantern 31.   I admit, I wasn’t really looking forward to the retelling of Hal’s origin.   However Johns is doing a reasonable job of interweaving in new elements that play into the Blackest Night prophecy, while also establishing a new friendship between Abin Sur and Sinestro that’s added a new level to the mythology.

I do still hold onto my reservations about the “Hal Origin” parts of the story.  Most of them are things we’ve seen before and don’t really add anything new.   Granted the removal of the drunk driving from Emerald Dawn will please many (I personally enjoyed that series, but I can see the complaint), however some of Johns’ small retcons do niggle me in a fanboy way (no GL symbol on first getting the ring was previously a post-Rebirth thing - now its been retconned in as the way its always been.  Similarly all the GLs now sport the Rebirth-tweaking of Hal’s logo.  Really small things, but they do pull me out of the story slightly.  Still, this is New Earth, not the post-Crisis DCU).

I am enjoying the arc though, however without the Blackest Night stuff, it would be a fairy dull aftermath to the Sinestro Corps.

Morrison and Quitely’s All Star Superman had its penultimate issue hit the stands, and once again, its a doozy, that sees Superman putting his affairs in order as he knows he’s getting closer to death.

Everthing about this series just fits the “All Star” tag perfectly, and in a way that All Star Batman & Robin can only dream of.   While that later title is a parody of the Batman mythos, this really embraces everything that makes Superman popular, and then ramps it up.  Definitely a series I’ll pick the trades up for once the final issue is out.  If Final Crisis is half as good as this has been, then we’re all in for a treat.

Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic #29 sees the main story moving on now that the crossover Vektor has moved onto the Dark Times title.  The main cast are back in force, and picking up from the plot threads sown in Vektor, Zhane and the crew head to the Sith artifacts repository held by the Jedi Covenant.

While the art has improved from the Vektor crossover, its still a far cry from the quality this series had when it started, which is a shame.  However, unemcumbered by the crossover, it was great to have Jarael and the rest of the regulars rejoining the action.

While John Jackson Miller did his best to tie Vektor into his ongoing plot threads, it still had felt like too much of a diversion from this title’s story, so its great to have all the plot threads returning.   There’s definitely a feeling from this arc of things moving towards some kind of endgame.  Lucien Dray is now on the Jedi Council, although Master Vandar is smart enough to know that they need to keep an eye on them.  And with Zhane now on the offensive, determined to prove the machinations of the Covenant, clear his name, and bring them to justice for murdering his classmates, it really feels like its all kicking off.

Star Wars Galaxies has long been a subject of scorn in the MMO world.  It promised a lot from the initial previews, but they never seemed to get the balance right, and subsequently have been continually tweaking the game, sometimes quite drastically to the cause of much controversy in the player base.

I’ve dipped in and out of the game over the last couple of years, although previously never played it for more than a day or two.  First time I played, I kept getting slaughtered by either overly-high level monsters, or over-zealous 14 year olds.

The second time I played was a year or so later.  The intro to the game had been substantially refined to introduce you to the game world more appropriately, however by starting everyone in Mos Eisley I found the lag in the game unbearable.

However, over Christmas I decided to give the game another try.  This was my first time playing since their most major revamp of the game (which caused a lot of controversy due to them radically changing the classes for characters).   Of course, I couldn’t resist going a Jedi.

Well, despite the flack the game gets, I’m loving it.   I’m still very much a casual MMO player, dipping in now and then.  I tend to solo a lot, but its good fun.  My Jedi is now level 47 or so, and has a selection of ships at his disposal, and a house on Tatooine for my stuff.

One change I really loved, was moving the spaceship expansion (Jump to Lightspeed) into the main game.  You get a basic fighter easily, and can use it to get from planet to planet without having to pay for flights.   A nice tool for those that like sight-seeing.   Even better, due to my having had an account for a couple of years, I was awarded a Sorosuub Personal Yacht.  A non-combat craft, that you can use to travel around, but also as a handy role-playing tool.   You and your friends can all travel in the craft, which gives you a nice instanced area for a quiet natter, or arguing over who’s going to drive.

If nothing else, its made me appreciate that the full multiplayer ships from later in the game, which can have one player flying, while others man gun turrets, must be a lot of fun.

Here’s some videos from in game.  There’s a  couple of clips showcasing the Sorosuub Yacht and my Tatooine house (plus a glimpse at using a Swoop Bike to get around), and a shot of my Jedi in combat versus a giant spider (you can’t get much more Sci-Fi than that )

I’ve been searching for this for a while.  What do you get, if you cross Doctor Who, Star Wars, Flash Gordon, Star Trek…and Top Gear?

First Mass Effect, now this. I’m going to end up cracking and getting a 360 at somepoint, I can feel it…

The way they’ve got the different simulation technologies interacting though really is incredible.

Well, since I previously talked a bit about replaying Knights of the Old Republic, I figure I should revisit its sequel as well.

Set an uncertain amount of time after the original, the player takes the role of the Jedi Exile. The Sith have returned to the galaxy, wiping out most of the jedi, and they’ve now set their sights on the Exile, believing him/her to be the last remaining Jedi.

Unlike the first game, the sequel starts you on your Jedi path straight away. While owning a lightsaber only comes much later on in the game, right away you get to start selecting force powers. The upshot of this being, that as you proceed into the later stages of the game, you’re a veritable Jedi powerhouse, cutting down enemies with lightning, and healing your companions from near-death with ease.

This game also introduced the influence system with your travelling companions. As is usual with these RPG games, as you travel to different locations new NPCs join your party. What was new in this game however was that your actions could determine the amount of influence you had with these party members. So if you helped out someone in trouble with the local mob, then your good-aligned companions would look more favourably on you, while you’d lose influence with those more inclined to the dark side.

The great thing about this system being that having increased influence would mean that your companions would only tell you certain things once they trusted you, and for some of them, once that trust reached a certain level, you could actually train them in the ways of the Force, and they’d become Jedi characters. Really helpful having a couple of jedi around to use Force Healing in the tougher fights.

However, the game suffered from one big flaw. Lucasarts had been incredibly keen on a tight development timescale for this game, so as a result, it was rushed onto the market. As a result of this, bugs are rife (some causing big gameplay issues), and huge sections of the game had to be abandoned, leaving several parts where its clear something was significant, but doesn’t actually lead anywhere.

Despite this, I still love this game. Revan’s character in the first game was very well defined (in terms of his/her backstory), whereas I find it more easy to role-play the Exile, as their past and motivations are a blank text. Getting influence with your companions and having them become Jedi was a great addition to the game, and gives you lots of different things to attempt on various run-throughs.

The new Sith Lords are great as well. Darth Sion is a really great, freaky creation, and Darth Nihilus had a great sense of mystery.

The bugs are the main downfall. Just the other night, I had a quest which stuck whenever I tried taking the light-side path to completing it, and so I eventually just had to take the hit and gather some darkside points in order to progress. Perhaps not a huge issue in terms of making progress, but in a role-playing game it really drags you out of the character.

Oblivion had petitioned LucasArts to allow them to complete the game in a later patch, straightening out the bugs, and providing some of the missing content, but sadly LucasArts said no. Some of what was intended (The HK Droid Factory for example) can still be found in the depths of the PC data files, and there is a project making progress at trying to restore some of this content.

Overall, I really do love this game. Its just such a shame it was never completed to the developer’s original intentions, as I reckon it’d have surpassed its predecessor. As it stands, the first game probably pips it to the post for stability, and having a more complete, coherent storyline, which is a shame, because the potential really was there.