A bit of a dilemma

Discussions and debates about video games

Moderator: Moderators

Post Reply

Will buying KotOR violate my boycotting of Electronic Arts?

Yes, don't give in to the dark side
13
59%
No, buy the games you fool
9
41%
 
Total votes: 22

User avatar
Archmage Joda
Knight
Posts: 336
Joined: Mon Nov 03, 2008 6:30 pm

A bit of a dilemma

Post by Archmage Joda »

Well, this weekend steam is having a big ol' sale on a bunch of star wars games. Among them are Knights of the Old Republic (abbreviated kotor) and its sequel. Because the total price of those two amounts to less than ten dollars, I am tempted to buy them. However, I have a couple hangups.

Hangup the first: Are they in fact good games that would be worth the money to buy them on steam?

Hangup the second and more imposing: I made the decision a while back to boycott EA and their works. Suffice to say, I loathe EA as a company, and don't want to support them. That said, would buying the kotor series over steam contribute my money to EA, who currently owns Bioware, and in so doing break my boycott of them?
User avatar
Darth Rabbitt
Overlord
Posts: 8869
Joined: Thu Feb 05, 2009 8:31 pm
Location: In "In The Trenches," mostly.
Contact:

Post by Darth Rabbitt »

The first KotOR is amazing, and you should totally get it; it's one of my favorite games of all time.

I personally can't stand the sequel; it was a broken and unfinished piece of shit since literally the developers were ordered to release the unfinished game by Christmas but apparently there are mods that fix how unfinished it was.

(I had the XBOX version, so no luck for me there, and I'm not buying another copy of KotOR II, especially since my supposedly top of the line as of last year computer can't handle running anything made after 2000.)

But if they're bundled together I'd get both.

As for your boycott I would suggest that since you're not buying it for EA that it doesn't count as supporting them.
Pseudo Stupidity wrote:This Applebees fucking sucks, much like all Applebees. I wanted to go to Femboy Hooters (communism).
User avatar
Chamomile
Prince
Posts: 4632
Joined: Tue May 03, 2011 10:45 am

Post by Chamomile »

Yes, buying EA games from Steam will send your money to EA. Steam isn't a brick-and-mortar store, so it's not like with most way old games where if you buy a used copy from the bargain bin there's no way the store will order more, which means EA already got paid for that copy and they won't get paid for a replacement. In Steam it's all electronic, so I'm almost certain that EA just gets a direct cut of every single sale to every single customer, no longer how long it's been.

It's also possible that Steam just forks over a boatload of money to buy the right to sell the game in general and then makes 100% profit for themselves off of every sale, but I don't think that's how it works.
Tumbling Down
Journeyman
Posts: 133
Joined: Thu Nov 03, 2011 10:47 pm

Post by Tumbling Down »

The first game is quite decent; the story could have been better, but it's got good characters, and mechanically it's relatively tight.

The second game though? Yeah, like Darth Rabbitt mentioned, they cut the actual fucking ending. So all the philosophical wanking in the story ultimately builds up to... fucking nothing.
It also has torturously bad gameplay, stemming partly from the opening levels taking up half the game, and partly from it just plain being a mechanical trainfuck.
Maybe the restored content mod fixes the story, I don't know. But I'm guessing the AI will still be retarded and that it will still be an Over 9000 Epic Level d20 game, with everything that entails.

So, if you're worried about supporting EA, I think it's safe to just sit this one over.
User avatar
SlyJohnny
Duke
Posts: 1418
Joined: Mon Jan 23, 2012 4:35 pm

Post by SlyJohnny »

I loved Kotor II. The ending is basically non-present and the parts immediately leading up to the ending are a weird, disjointed collection of setpeices with strange transitions, but hell, it's a large game and a good 70-80% of it is complete and enjoyable.
User avatar
Shrapnel
Prince
Posts: 3146
Joined: Fri Jan 06, 2012 4:14 pm
Location: Burgess Shale, 500 MYA
Contact:

Post by Shrapnel »

I hate Steam far more than I hate EA, but...

Since it's a sale, EA will get very little money than if you were to buy it at full price, so you won't have to feel too bad. Unless you're of the mind that EA employees don't even deserve pennies that they find on the street.

Either way, KotOR is pretty much the Star Wars video game, so I'd go for it regardless.
Is this wretched demi-bee
Half asleep upon my knee
Some freak from a menagerie?
No! It's Eric, the half a bee
User avatar
Archmage Joda
Knight
Posts: 336
Joined: Mon Nov 03, 2008 6:30 pm

Post by Archmage Joda »

Ok, that sparks my curiosity. Why, Shrapnel, do you hate Steam so much?
User avatar
Maj
Prince
Posts: 4705
Joined: Fri Mar 07, 2008 7:54 pm
Location: Shelton, Washington, USA

Post by Maj »

Personally, I've found that the only thing that fucks a computer harder than Steam is iTunes. And it's a pretty close call there.
My son makes me laugh. Maybe he'll make you laugh, too.
User avatar
Shrapnel
Prince
Posts: 3146
Joined: Fri Jan 06, 2012 4:14 pm
Location: Burgess Shale, 500 MYA
Contact:

Post by Shrapnel »

Archmage Joda wrote:Ok, that sparks my curiosity. Why, Shrapnel, do you hate Steam so much?
Well, the fact that Steam games will only play on computers with an internet connection is really bad: if, as sometimes happens on my computer, the wifi decides to have a bad hair day and stop working, then so does Steam.

But what really gets me is the fact that, as Maj says, Steam can also fuck up a computer: I've had many experiances where, say, I'd be in an important part of a hard quest in Fallout 3, and then all of a sudden Fallout force-minimizes on me, because of some stupid ass steam updates to games I don't even have. (iTunes does this, too, again as Maj says. Each time iTunes forcequits my game to install some shit-ass update, it makes me really hope that Steve Jobs suffered before he died. Fuck Apple.) Steam will also take it's sweet-ass time loading, and can slow the computer to a crawl.

Also, in Steam games, if you press the "Home" button on the keyboard, it brings up some Windows Live menu thingy. This isn't necessarily bad, but it's really annoying when using something like console commands in F03 and New Vegas.
Is this wretched demi-bee
Half asleep upon my knee
Some freak from a menagerie?
No! It's Eric, the half a bee
John Magnum
Knight-Baron
Posts: 826
Joined: Tue Feb 14, 2012 12:49 am

Post by John Magnum »

Could you at least try not to lead off your anti-Steam tirade with blatant lies? Steam has an offline mode. If Steam disconnects from the Internet during gameplay, unless you're currently in a multiplayer match or something, it just keeps going normally. You do need to have an Internet connection at least once to authenticate your account's ownership of a game, but that's like once per game. You can start games offline, and if your connection drops out suddenly you can keep playing.

Also, Steam has absolutely fuckall to do with the Windows Live menu thing. Because as you may have just observed, that's Games for Windows LIVE hijacking your Home key, not Steam. Those are different programs, made by different people. Fallout: New Vegas doesn't even use GWFL. It is very stupid that Fallout 3 uses GFWL because that actually is terrible, but that's Bethesda's fault for using Microsoft's shitty service and has nothing to do with Steam.
Last edited by John Magnum on Mon May 06, 2013 6:58 pm, edited 1 time in total.
-JM
Red_Rob
Prince
Posts: 2594
Joined: Fri Jul 17, 2009 10:07 pm

Post by Red_Rob »

Steam is a bit of a system hog though, and keen on autostarting every boot up because you ran it once.

I mean, I think it's great and has revolutionised PC gaming, but on my laptop it can be a bit of a pain.
Simplified Tome Armor.

Tome item system and expanded Wish Economy rules.

Try our fantasy card game Clash of Nations! Available via Print on Demand.

“Those Who Can Make You Believe Absurdities, Can Make You Commit Atrocities” - Voltaire
John Magnum
Knight-Baron
Posts: 826
Joined: Tue Feb 14, 2012 12:49 am

Post by John Magnum »

Steam, Settings, Interface, uncheck "Run Steam when my computer starts".
-JM
User avatar
Chamomile
Prince
Posts: 4632
Joined: Tue May 03, 2011 10:45 am

Post by Chamomile »

Steam's offline mode doesn't always function. I have no idea why not.
Shiritai
Knight-Baron
Posts: 560
Joined: Fri Mar 07, 2008 7:54 pm

Post by Shiritai »

Chamomile wrote:Steam's offline mode doesn't always function. I have no idea why not.
Well, you've got to set it to offline mode while you still have an internet connection; if you're unexpectedly offline you can't use it. So, that part's a bit of a pain.
name_here
Prince
Posts: 3346
Joined: Fri Mar 07, 2008 7:55 pm

Post by name_here »

Bad news, everyone!

EA has exclusive rights to PC and Console Star Wars games now!

What the fuck, Disney?
DSMatticus wrote:It's not just that everything you say is stupid, but that they are Gordian knots of stupid that leave me completely bewildered as to where to even begin. After hearing you speak Alexander the Great would stab you and triumphantly declare the puzzle solved.
User avatar
Lokathor
Duke
Posts: 2185
Joined: Sun Nov 01, 2009 2:10 am
Location: ID
Contact:

Post by Lokathor »

The first KotoR was really really cool until I got to the planet where they promote me to a Jedi Trainee and they're all "hey we don't have much for you to do right now, go help the locals", and then the locals are some local farms or whatever, and the local space farms are being attacked by space wolves and I realized I was just playing a Baldur's Gate 2 quest in space.

Then I lost most of my interest and didn't play past that.
[*]The Ends Of The Matrix: Github and Rendered
[*]After Sundown: Github and Rendered
KaNT
NPC
Posts: 20
Joined: Thu Aug 11, 2011 11:18 pm

Post by KaNT »

Game play mechanics wise, both games are phenomenal if you don't mind turn based combat. The second one has a few hiccups in it, such as the force crush ability being an auto win in boss fights for the Sith Lord prestige class.

Story wise, the first one is far and away superior in almost every way. The only benefit the second one has, is that you start off Jedi instead of having to work your way there. The second one spends half the game opening up plot holes you have zero chance of ever closing. My advice? Buy them both, play the second one first, and treat the first one as a prequel.
General Scott wrote:The only unforgivable mistake is a common one.

Sometimes to fight the darkness, one must walk in shadows.
sabs wrote:DUDE REALLY?
You just skullfucked a zombie post from 2005 just to say Thumbs up?
name_here
Prince
Posts: 3346
Joined: Fri Mar 07, 2008 7:55 pm

Post by name_here »

If you do get the first one, take life drain.

It's terribly important. There's this one fight that is a sick practical joke for people who did not, and it torpedoed my first playthrough.
Last edited by name_here on Tue May 07, 2013 6:08 am, edited 1 time in total.
DSMatticus wrote:It's not just that everything you say is stupid, but that they are Gordian knots of stupid that leave me completely bewildered as to where to even begin. After hearing you speak Alexander the Great would stab you and triumphantly declare the puzzle solved.
crasskris
Journeyman
Posts: 161
Joined: Tue Jun 28, 2011 6:44 pm
Location: Some hotel somewhere in Germany

Post by crasskris »

I'd buy it. Bioware shouldn't be punished for the good games they make (or, better said, made).
KaNT wrote:Story wise, the first one is far and away superior in almost every way. The only benefit the second one has, is that you start off Jedi instead of having to work your way there.
Instead you get you first lightsaber somewhere around the middle of the game, later without a walkthrough. Which is decidedly not awesome. You can, however, go double gun haste precise shot flurry of shots with premium guns. Jedi gunslinger is kinda awesome mechanically and conceptually, especially three of them at once.
User avatar
Shrapnel
Prince
Posts: 3146
Joined: Fri Jan 06, 2012 4:14 pm
Location: Burgess Shale, 500 MYA
Contact:

Post by Shrapnel »

John Magnum wrote:Could you at least try not to lead off your anti-Steam tirade with blatant lies? Steam has an offline mode. If Steam disconnects from the Internet during gameplay, unless you're currently in a multiplayer match or something, it just keeps going normally. You do need to have an Internet connection at least once to authenticate your account's ownership of a game, but that's like once per game. You can start games offline, and if your connection drops out suddenly you can keep playing.
Shiritai wrote:Well, you've got to set it to offline mode while you still have an internet connection; if you're unexpectedly offline you can't use it. So, that part's a bit of a pain.
Okay, I didn't know that there was an offline setting; I'll have to check that out later.
Also, Steam has absolutely fuckall to do with the Windows Live menu thing. Because as you may have just observed, that's Games for Windows LIVE hijacking your Home key, not Steam. Those are different programs, made by different people. Fallout: New Vegas doesn't even use GWFL. It is very stupid that Fallout 3 uses GFWL because that actually is terrible, but that's Bethesda's fault for using Microsoft's shitty service and has nothing to do with Steam.
Okay, so I was wrong about that one; either way it's really annoying.

Steam is a bit of a system hog though, and keen on autostarting every boot up because you ran it once.
THAT always pissed me off to no extent. Eventually I just said "fuck it" and removed it from the list of programs that autostart at boot up. My computer began running much faster after that.
Last edited by Shrapnel on Tue May 07, 2013 3:37 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Is this wretched demi-bee
Half asleep upon my knee
Some freak from a menagerie?
No! It's Eric, the half a bee
Post Reply