14 DAY TRIAL // One of the things that still impress me in the original Knights of the Old Republic is how solid combat still is. In 2003, it was outstanding. BioWare was very good at recreating in a believable manner the mechanics of fantasy combat based on the Dungeons & Dragons rules, translating both the way weapons worked and the complexities of the weapons system. But the combat never looked good in the pseudo turn-based Baldur's Gate II or in Icewind Dale. In Knights of the Old Republic, the lightsaber duels were at times spectacular enough that I forgot to assign actions to my characters.
Depending on the types of attacks the Jedi and Sith twirl, jump and feint left and right, looking for an opening, blocking and slashing. The animations will become repetitive by the end of the game but in the beginning they are really nice. Dual wielding lightsabers and double sided weapons are even more impressive, with one of the weapons that you pick up from a Sith tomb in Korriban being especially slick and deadly for a character that uses Critical Strike for every attack, only stopping for the occasional Force Push or Lighting.
So, I was sad to discover that the final duel, that with Darth Malak, was pretty much anything but a lightsaber fight. Malak is tough to take out even if you eliminate the Jedi that he uses as replenishing points for his health. Trying to take him on head on, even with two shields activated and all the battle stimulants you can pump into your character, will result in quick death unless you pump health packs every other action. It's dull and uninspiring.
My favorite method of taking Malak out has been using mines, grenades, thermals and a judicious mix of running and injecting myself with health. Not quite the thrilling lightsaber duel supposed to cap the epic confrontation between Darth Malak and the Jedi (or the Sith, if you swing that way), which has the Force necessary to destroy him and change the destiny of the galaxy far, far away.
Basically, BioWare opted to create a tough end boss and did so at the expense of the cinematic value of the game. Would a more manageable boss have been a better choice, maybe backed up by an army of minions? Probably. It still does not manage to detract from the beauty of taking Bastila and Juhani on your party and slice your way through a horde of enemies using a rainbow of lightsaber colors.