After being disappointed by delay after delay, it was swell to finally be able to take a test drive of Knights of the Old Republic. Given Bioware is developing this gem, this game can't possibly go wrong, right?

The demo allowed me to select amongst different classes of characers, either male or female. From what I saw, your character seems to be a generic, used to simply advance the plot and gameplay. Hopefully this is not the case, but the main character could just be infused with a personality based on how you respond in dialouge sessions with other characters. The beginning of the demo flung me into a scenario where a Republic starship was under attack by Sith soldiers. Learning how to use the interface was no problem, as an NPC who met me told me as I inquired through dialogue.

Soon after comes the gameplay and battle system. The game uses a variety of long-rang and melee weaponry, the most well-known being your trusty blaster and lightsaber (or in the case of the non-jedi, a Cortosis dueling sword). I found that new abilities and skills are learned in a manner similar to Deus Ex, via a points system where you dole out for new skills and select which ones you want to use. Battle itself was somewhat sluggish, and I really hope that the targetting system is improved by release.

July 2003 is the slated release date of Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic on the Xbox, with a PC release to come in the fall. There were a few gameplay issues that weren't severe, but which should be addressed by release. Other than that I look forward to this latest edition in the Star Wars saga.