LucasArts strikes back! Can a fresh new developer and a trio of super–Dark Jedi improve on the best game of 2003?

Is it sequel time already? When LucasArts announced that the successor to our 2003 Game of the Year, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, would ship less than two years after the original — and that BioWare wouldn’t be developing the game — we wondered if this great franchise would be sullied by a rushed follow-up.

But LucasArts isn’t trying to pull a Jedi mind trick on fans of its breakout RPG. KOTOR II: The Sith Lords is getting the full treatment by Obsidian Entertainment, a brand-new development house formed by ex-designers from Black Isle Studios, Blizzard, and EA. The Sith Lords appears to be in good hands.