The Old Republic: Threat of Peace #1 (SPOILERS)

Whilst I don’t seem to have found time to have read the CW webcomics (at all) or any of the SW related comics beccatoria has recommended me over the past 1000 years, I did manage to sit down and read the first three page issue of Threat of Peace on The Old Republic website.

My opinion is…okay. Nothing special really.

To be fair though, it is only three pages and I think the actual words used in the comic can be counted as just nudging a triple figure. However, the idea of the Sith Empire sitting down to negotiations with the Jedi/Republic is awesome in and off itself for what it suggests for Star Wars history. I *love* this idea so much and, even though there’s always going to underhandedness of one sort or the other to keep the story moving along, I still love the fact that we now have the kind of freedom to show this stuff.

Other than that, it’s nice that the Original Trilogy dynamic is represented by use of the term ‘Imperial’ in relation to the Sith and that the Sithtroopers now have a ful Imperial officer ‘redeco’ to compliment their Stormtrooper-like ways. There’s a lot of Prequel Trilogy style going on in Jedi quarters as well, something that wasn’t present in the original KOTOR game.

Hopefully I’ll find time to return to this comic as its posted.

Once again, I find myself more excited about this game than I really have any sort of right being.

The Old Republic: First Thoughts

Much against everyone’s advice my better judgement, I’ve been rethinking my stance on the KOTOR MMORPG. This is mostly due to Master Devwi’s epic post at EUcantina compiling all the known facts about the forthcoming game.

Rather than use my own words to illustrate what it was that has made me change my mind I thought, like a second rate hack, I’d simply re-post the stand out ideas that really made an impact on me from Master Devwi’s article.

So, without further ado:

• It will be a good game for KOTOR fans who don’t play MMOs.
• You can have companion characters.
• Companions will have their own stories and quests.
• If you start in the Sith Empire, you can eventually become a Sith Lord, or you can be good. (my emphasis)
• If it’s in the movies, you should be able to do it in the game.
• “It’s not just about the Jedi Knights.”
• The good/evil mechanic has a gray area.
• BioWare: “you can play on your own, but we’re going to encourage you to be social; we’re not going to force grouping, but we aim to encourage.” (my emphasis)
• BioWare is trying to humanize the Sith Empire.
• Even though the leaders may be bad, not all members of the Sith Empire are.
• As a Sith, you can decide whether you uphold Sith values or change things from within.
• BioWare: “we’re focused on making a heroic game, so even if you’re not a Jedi, you’re the best representation of that class.”
• Characters from KOTOR may show up (at least, those that can live for more than 300 years… HK-47, maybe?).
• “Story gives meaning.”
• “You can’t have Han Solo without Chewbacca” (referring to companion characters).
• They are trying to bring story to the online space.
• BioWare doesn’t want people coming in and dressing up in crazy outfits, ruining the “Star Wars” experience.
• BioWare wants to make the story interesting for everyone.  Even players who usually just to rush through games and don’t care about story.

KOTOR Lite

For a while, I was really excited about the prosepcts of Alex Irvine’s forthcoming Knights of the Old Republic novel. I was really hoping for a novel that featured the central cast of either of the games, even if avoiding the characters of Revan and the Exile. If the rights to such characters had been too difficult for Del Rey to obtain as part of their revised contract, I would have settled for a book about the Mandalorian Wars or Rakata Prime or the Jedi Civil War.

Instead it looks like we’re going to get a novel about another of Kevin J. Anderson’s Mary Sue Jedi, the ‘renowned’ Nomi Sunrider. Big do not want.

What I find most frustrating about this is that it means it’s not a KOTOR novel…it’s a Tales of the Jedi novel and I just have no interest in that at all.

On a related note, it looks as though the ‘top secret’ KOTOR MMORPG is about to hit the headlines. Again, I reiterate: Do not want.