Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic 2: The Sith Lords (KOTOR 2)

Graphics (7/10)

The graphics are recycled from the first game, with some objects being smoother then before. It seems a little outdated for 2005. A lot of people complain about the smoke in areas slowing down the frame rate, but this doesn’t seem to occur in my game.


Image comes from IGN.com

Story (8/10)

The story revolves around a Jedi Exile that followed Darth Revan to fight in the Mandalorian Wars. The Exile lost connection of the force, and disappeared until the beginning of the game. The focus of the game is to search for the remaining Jedi Council members and either eliminate them, or forge an alliance against the returning Sith. The canon story is the Exile is a human female, and she follows the light side story. Due to the game being rushed, a lot of planned events never occur, although some are hinted at.

Gameplay (8/10)

The gameplay is the same as in KOTOR. The fights are turned based, but do not seem that way, by how it all flows together. As fun as KOTOR 2 is, it has some flaws that ruin parts of the game. Number one is that at times, the NPCs dialogue is skipped, so making decisions is harder, as you have know idea what the NPC said. Number two is no matter how I customise my Exile, they can never hit the enemy towards the beginning of the game. An improvements over the first game is that there’s a higher level cap, so more force powers are available, and you can use them more often. A new feature is companions alignment, so how the companion reacts to the Exile changes throughout the game.

Sound (9/10)

The music is pretty good, with action music during battles, and more relaxed music during exploration. The voice acting is also good.

Replay Value (9/10)

There are a lot of side quests to complete, with some only being available depending on the alignment of your character. There are also numerous endings, and the companions have the ability to become Jedi if there approval is high enough.

Overall

While some people say the first game is better, I believe KOTOR 2 is better. The only real problem I have with it is the skipping of dialogue, and the cut content, but despite this, I would recommend buying this game. Unlike other Star Wars games, the plot is not as predictable, due to no conflict with the Separatists/Galactic Empire, and it shows off some aspects of Star Wars not seen anywhere else.

Football Manager 2010

Story

The aim of this PC based game is to coach a football (soccer) team and to lead them to glory. You will face many challenges and receive tips and notices via mail within the game. There is a wide range of players, staff and teams in this edition therefore there is a greater scope to form your own football story or even an entire career!

Graphics (5/10)

The graphics within the game have improved drastically since the creation of the 2009 version where a new three dimensional match engine was created to maximise the gaming experience. However even though this game continues with 3D visuals, it isn’t designed for interactive ‘play’ but rather interactive management; therefore it isn’t easy to look at on the eye.


The new tactics and touchline options add an extra dimension to the overall gameplay (image from gamespot.com)

Game play (7/10)

One word to describe the overall game play is “Great”. This is because I wasn’t at all disappointed by the fact that there was an option to change tactics from the touchline and to have trial matches as a tutorial as you get used to the new features of the game. In addition your assistant manager helps via useful pop-ups to guide you through the nuances of player interaction, and can even pick your team and set the formation for you if you're feeling a little lost. In order to find out more about overall game play I strongly suggest this blog at
http://footballmenagerblog.blogspot.com/


The overview screen is a welcome addition (image from gamespot.com)

Sound (3/10)

The audio available in this game is very limited and the soundtrack is deplorable as it only contains synthetic sounds created by the game developers. It is very unlike other sporting games where you can ‘feel’ the atmosphere of a sporting arena via sound. This game is not designed to entice those who want the entire sporting experience when it comes to sound. However it does make an honest attempt when you visualise the simulated action, hence a mark that is more than 1/10.

Replay Value (7/10)

Personally I have always been a fan of ‘Football Manager’ even in the old days when it was a joint venture with ‘Championship Manager’ and I and many other people will agree that this game focuses on the day to day challenges of football management. It is for this reason that the replay value will be acceptable, but only until there is a significant improvement in a future edition.

Overall Comment

This game is for anyone who is interested in the meticulous details that are needed to coach a football team. If you think you are management savvy I strongly suggest…THIS IS THE GAME FOR YOU!