I just finished Kotor II and wanted to see what everyone else thought. Here are my feelings:
Graphics: worse than the original, mostly because the frame rate drops for some of the newer effects. I’d say its still (barely) above average since, like the original, it has some pretty breathtaking views and cutscenes, but we know X Box can do better
Sound: as good as the original, which is to say nigh perfect. My only beef is the way alien languages are resampled. It gets old.
Gameplay: Some of my biggest pet peeves were fixed: the speed in the space suit, being able to tell if a body or container is empty, having sets of weapons to switch, and the new power: Force Enlightenment allows activation of the 3 jedi battle prep powers cheaply as a single action
Also new in gameplay are the way constitution effects implants and the fact that melee/lightsabre finesse allows you to pump your Dexterity and leave you’re strength low. This provides great chance to hit and defense, assuming you can find/make armor that doesn’t limit Dex.
Story: Anyone who played the original can tell you, story is why KOTOR was nearly everyone’s game of the year in '03. The sequel does ok. It repeats some of the formula, but has enough changes and twists to be enjoyable. The influence system (which was not a huge leap from the interaction in the 1st game) was interesting, but not that helpful, since I almost always managed to glean the info I needed.
New Stuff: The new force powers were useful, the charcters and locations were fun, though not as in depth as the first, but the items system is where the Sith Lords rocks! Being able to breakdown and create almost anything, having more upgradeable items, and randomizing non-quest items, when combined with the overall power increase of the new items, can make a character godlike. If you pick your stats and items well enough, you’ll find the game quite easy. I pumped my dexterity and wisdom and force lightninged my way through nearly every fight with ease. The Final battle wasn’t even that hard (compared to Malak) until she broke out the three floating sabres, which are easily countered by a certain new force power…which was the only time I used that power in the game, making me somewhat less pissed about wasting slots on it
Now whether or not being Godlike is a good thing depends on the gamer.
Overall, I’d say I’m happy with the Sith Lords. It’s not up to the original, but it is far better than I feared. Now I have to go replay it and get pumped up for Kotor III!