Do you want to be a do-gooder like Yoda, or a badass like Darth Vader? It's up to you in the latest Star Wars game, Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords. You start as a neophyte Jedi, a pawn in the war between the noble Republic and the wicked Sith. The decisions you make while playing affect how your character - and the story - evolve. The game's developers attached script flags to actions, so your choices get assigned mathematical values, the sum of which determines your morality quotient. As you earn points toward the Light (or Dark) Side of the Force, your character acquires different powers, outward appearances, and goals. Here's what happened when I set my knight, L-337 Haxxor, loose in this moral vacuum.
One Man's Journey to the Dark Side
My group and I are attacked by a horde of homicidal droids in the abandoned Peragus Mining Facility. I face my first moral test: Stand and fight beside my comrades or abandon them and save my own skin. Do I look stupid to you? I beat a hasty retreat. (2 Dark Side points)
Outside a raucous cantina on Telos space station, I confront some thugs robbing defenseless locals. I could've thrown in with the hoodlums and perhaps betrayed them later and taken their ill-gotten riches. But on a whim, I decide to do the right thing and help the innocents. (2 Light Side points)
I'm beginning to understand the true power of the Dark Side. It comes in handy on the planet Nar Shaddaa, where I fight for my life against the Hutt's henchmen. I use the Force I've accumulated to push foes off the platform and onto the planet's surface - several miles below. (2 Dark Side points)
I can now kill foes with a thought, crushing their bodies to pulp like this helpless Sith Trooper. Others sense my evil and instinctively recoil from me. Some would say I've chosen the easy path. But I know that my decisions were based on strength and conviction. It's hard work. (10 Dark Side points)
- Scott Steinberg
credit:
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May the Force Be With You
