BioWare has been behind many of the best PC RPGs of our time; Baldur's Gate, Baldur's Gate 2, Icewind Dale and Planescape: Torment come to mind. For the last decade, their forte has been Dungeons and Dragons-style gameplay with open-ended twists. This summer, they will continue their legacy with the eagerly anticipated LucasArts release of Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic for the Xbox and PC. Starting 4,000 years before Star Wars: A New Hope, Knights of the Old Republic will take fans of the series to a place they've never been in before; to a place where Sith and Jedi are on even ground and the Galactic Republic is young. If BioWare’s track record is any indication, gamers are in for a wild ride and many hours of gameplay.


Visually, Knights of the Old Republic is astonishing. The fully polygonal engine is impressive, as BioWare's artists seem to be in love with bump mapping and particle effects; both appearing to be used copiously throughout the game. Whether slumming in Mos Eisley or shooting it out in the Kessel System, gamers are sure to be amazed at the attention to detail. Reflective surfaces are also frequent and are simply awesome. The character models themselves are very well done with meticulously constructed renditions of humans, Wookies, Twil’ek and droids, among others in the Star Wars bestiary. Perhaps the most impressive aspect of the game aside from the in-game models is the lip-syncing. All characters, whether they’re speaking English, Rodian, or even Wookie, are painstakingly articulated to match their dialogue. While some of the video provided of the game showed an occasionally inconsistent frame-rate, we’re hopeful the engine will be optimized in time for a silky smooth presentation. Hopefully the camera won't be much of an issue as it was in last year’s Star Wars: Bounty Hunter.