sorry Jlrtenjac okay we three stand united that will never be silenced the ones who fight for justic and peace among the KMC SW boards
quote from warcry: The series is finally done, the critics have spoken, and so have all your friends. Revenge of the Sith has landed firmly in the “meh” sector as far as movies go, and the first two Star Wars prequel movies were only slightly north of Battlefield: Earth on the suck-o-meter. From Anakin’s completely unsubtle lamenting to the excessive saber fights, Episodes 1 through 3 didn’t soar as high as the originals. It’s not all bad, though; we’ve been treated to three great Star Wars stories, and none of them required dealing with sticky floors and eight-year-olds kicking your chair.
Three companies, under the watchful eye of LucasArts and The Man himself, managed to create three of the most engrossing Star Wars stories (and best video games) of all time. KOTOR was so good, it sold Xboxes when owning an Xbox meant you were a sucker who didn’t mind your consoles erupting into flames. Jedi Knight 2 showed the world you didn’t need the star of the story to be a symbol of human virtue; Raven gave the digital equivalent of Han Solo a light saber and stole everyone’s heart in the process. Raven, Obsidian, and Bioware did it better than Lucas, and they didn’t even need James Earl Jones. How’d they do it? Outside of the oft-complained “Lucas can’t write” scapegoat, one reason is the most prominent.
The target audiences were completely different. The games were aiming for the entrenched Star Wars geek, and caused enough of an uproar to spread into the mainstream. The prequel movies didn’t have that option; there just aren’t enough Star Wars geeks to justify spending over $300 million on three space dramas. Lucas had to aim for a specific target, the children of the people who were children when the first movies debuted.
A young Baby Boomer would have been 13 when A New Hope released. When The Phantom Menace hit theatres, our Boomer’s kid would've been about six. Enter Jar-Jar. And goofy droids. And a young child-come-messiah. People continually shout about the blatant merchandising, but where Lucas “panders” goes beyond stuffed Yodas; he’s trying to reach two generations of people and bridge a connection.
There’s a kid who occasionally visits the office; Mom and Dad work here. Dad’s about as hardcore as Star Wars fans come. Imagine our surprise when the nine-year-old looked up at Mom during Revenge of the Sith and exclaimed, “Wait. Anakin is Vader?” While we whine like nine-year-olds about the “NOOOOOOOOOO” scene, real children experience the movies as Lucas intended.
The guys putting together the games didn’t have to worry about reaching as far into society. The combined total budgets of all three games couldn’t have been more than $30 million (complete speculation, but given JK2 was the earliest released [2002], a budget climb of $5, $10, $15 million makes sense if you’re guessing liberally), and when units are selling at $50 per box, the Star Wars geek demographic is all you need to get rich. KOTOR sold 270,000 units in just two weeks. That more than recoups development costs.
So, as usual, it boils down to money. While the lowest common denominator is dazzled by coughing cyborgs julienning fries with four light sabers, the geeks can bury themselves in Star Wars drama of legend from the privacy of their own couches. Lucas’s baby has outgrown its indie roots. Luckily, there are still a few vestiges of old where fanatics have chosen to congregate.
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Originally posted by Nactous
I'm really beginning to hate you Ast Rofan with your biasness toward EU. You have a movie, and an experience. You've got a little whinny boy that gets knocked into a little bit of lava. I might have loved Episode 3 if they hadn't taken out the good Anakin in E6 and replaced with the little sissy. Hayden Christenson, ruling the Galaxy, thats a laugh.
Oh and if I misspelled his name, I don't care.
Thanks for the lovely compliment, but I am sorry I dont have one for you.
Anyway, I didnt say anything bad about EU, atleast not in this thread. I love KoToR, hell it is in my XBX as we speak, but to compare it to a movie is ****ing stupid.
it cant be, KOTOR was a good game.
but its not Star Wars.
Star Wars is the movies, and nothing is greater then the story of Star Wars. espicially not the story of Darth Vader, the most beloved character in not only these movies, but to a good deal of the world.
KOTOR is just a video game. ROTS is part of a Legend and possibly the greatest film saga ever created.