The Sith Lords Restored Content Mod

Continuing in the vein of all these mod reviews for Star Wars games (Can you tell that I'm excited for The Force Awakens?) we're moving on to a mod for the sequel to KOTOR... the appropriately named KOTOR 2. And this mod... well, it's a must have.

Author: TSLRCM Team (Specifically mentioned are Hassat Hunter, VaristyPuppet, and zbyl2 on the Steam Workshop. Yes, this is also on the Steam Workshop).

The Sith Lords Restored Content Mod (Again, also available on the Steam Workshop if you have this on Steam).

So, in advance, I'm going to apologize. I have to admit that I love this game. KOTOR 2 is easily my favorite Star Wars game (More so than even the Dark Forces series or the original KOTOR) so there is a very real possibility that I may just be gushing out my fanboyism for like half this review but I can't help it because this game is just so fucking GREAT. Or, I should clarify, it WOULD have been great had Obsidian not been screwed by the executives. To understand this mod and what it does, a little history is in order for the uninitiated.

You see, back in 2004 KOTOR 1, made by Bioware (Who would go on to be most famous/infamous for the Mass Effect series), had been out for a little while, and a sequel was in the works by Obsidian Entertainment (You may also recognize them as the developers of Fallout: New Vegas and, essentially, the first two Fallout games as well, though under different studio names). Unfortunately, eager to release the hopefully hit sequel to a hit game in time for the Christmas rush, LucasArts moved Obsidian's deadline for the game up by quite a bit. The game was barely half done when this happened and, being forced to choose between meeting their deadline with an unfinished product or insisting they needed more time, they decided to meet the deadline (Their reasoning, not wanting to alienate LucasArts on one of the company's first games, was sound). To meet this deadline they had to make cuts.

A lot of cuts.

They cut whole characters, plotlines, and even an entire planet out of the game so they could make the release date. Story arcs went unfinished, left hanging in the wind, party members vanished late in the game never to be heard from again, and the entire experience upon completion just felt so empty and unfinished. But, from files recovered over the years, from what we know would have been implemented in the final product, this game would have been legendary.

And that's where this mod comes in. As the title implies the creators of this mod have either located or reconstructed everything cut from the original game and put it back in, bringing this game as close as they can possibly get it to Obsidian's original vision.

And you know what? They did it.

KOTOR 2, back when I played it on the original Xbox, blew me away. I was only 10 at the time but I loved that game, loved the characters, and everything about it (So yes, I'm aware that I'm looking back on it through some of the rosiest tinted glasses in existence, so bear that in mind). I discovered about this cut content over the years and lamented that the game I loved so much would never be truly completed, until I discovered this mod.

You see, KOTOR 2 has not only some of the deepest story and characters in Star Wars, it has in my own humble opinion, some of the deepest, most fascinating and captivating, story and characters in any video game ever. Even the characters I dislike or outright hate still manage to hold my interest. The entire game has some of the best writing I've ever seen, though some would disagree with that, and this Restoration Mod brings almost everything back to the level it was intended to be. Questions are answered, character arcs resolved (One of which actually left me in tears), and while the ending itself is still pretty empty (It was intended to set up for the KOTOR 3 that never came, which also would have been developed by Obsidian and is a tragedy to be lamented another time) the entire game has a much greater sense of completion about it.

But what makes this game great is that it makes you look at the Force in a different way. To some it's done very bluntly and with a heavy hand, but this game, that it makes you actually think about the Force beyond it being, well, the Force, was something I'm glad they went heavily into. It makes you consider consequences before taking action and highlights just how damaging the Jedi view of the Force can be as well as the Sith view. It's all Grey and Gray morality here, which is something the Star Wars universe needs more of, and this game delivers. This mod elevates it to the glory it should have had upon release. And while it pains me to know that a true KOTOR 3 will probably never arise, leaving this game's ending essentially hanging in the wind (Unless you play Bioware's MMO, but I've had problems with those in the past so I try to avoid it), well, you shouldn't miss out on this game if you're a Star Wars fan. And this Restoration Mod is absolutely necessary to enjoy that experience.

So go out, buy this game and download this mod, and lose yourself in that galaxy far, far away.