Star Wars fans digging around iTunes will be pleasantly surprised to see Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic in the App Store. This Xbox and PC role-playing game has been redesigned by Aspyr for touch controls on the iPad and is priced at $9.99, or £6.99 in the UK.
Developed by BioWare in 2003, KotOR takes place about 4,000 before any of the Star Wars movies. In this time, the Sith still have their own empire, and one of them has been causing a bit of trouble lately. It’s up to you and a ragtag group of Jedi, mercenaries, droids, and a Wookie to set things right!
Outside of combat, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic plays very similarly to the Mass Effect games. Many of the social mechanics in Mass Effect are basically carbon copies of mechanics found in KotOR. Talking to your team members gives you the chance to learn about their past history. Increasing Persuasion attributes open up more conversation options. Even the morality system of the Light Side and Dark Side are basically Paragon and Renegade equivalents.
KotOR has gone on to influence every BioWare title since, and many developers have taken to heart a great deal of the game’s innovations like the morality system and incorporated it into their own works.
