KOTOR gets downloadable content

By Tom Bramwell Published 9 March, 2004

PC extras now available to Xbox owners.

Remember how Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic was meant to have downloadable content on Xbox Live? Remember how it came out on September 12th last year, and all we heard from the developer was that we'd get something after the PC version launched? Well you can finally unplug that section of your brain, because yesterday evening the fabled downloadable content finally launched.

According to BioWare, who of course developed the game for LucasTards [He's still upset -Ed], the Xbox version's downloadable content consists of the extras that made it into the PC version of KOTOR, i.e. the Yavin Station section. In the words of a BioWare tester on the developer's forums, "It is not intended to fix bugs or contain a truckload of new material ala an expansion pack."

BioWare has recently come under fire from its devoted fans on the same forum, who believe the developer hasn't done enough to justify the presence of the "Xbox Live" symbol on the box. The other side of the argument being that Xbox Live downloadable content - which is how it's specified on the back of the box of course - is an added bonus, and no guarantee of ongoing support and new features.

So, how do you feel about this sort of behaviour? Should Microsoft be concerned about "middling" DLC offerings devaluing the Xbox Live brand? And is it enough for BioWare to deliver content made for the PC version to Xbox users who bought its game first, and perhaps even bought a whole new console in order to facilitate this?

Picture of Tom.

About Tom Bramwell

Tom is Operations director of Eurogamer Network and Editor-at-Large of Eurogamer.net. He joined the company in February 2000.

Read more articles from Tom by visiting the Tom Bramwell archive page.

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Comments (20) Latest comment 8 years ago

Comments threads automatically close after 30 days, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • Pirotic #1 8 years ago

    anybody else remember BioWare going on about how you could download new weapons, new coloured light sabres and whole new levels..

    all we get is a couple of new rooms right? bah! they could atleast of fixed a few bugs while they were at it.

  • yegon #2 8 years ago

    Great. 6 months too late to care.

  • Tyronne #3 8 years ago

    So a whole lot of sweet f.a....wonderful.

  • Khab #4 8 years ago

    They could certainly cough up some more stuff, that's for sure. Not to mention they've been saying the downloads will come "soon" since around october...

  • markypants #5 8 years ago

    Game made me yawn anyway... Unless the extra content is a picture of Princess lea and Jabba The Hut getting it on with the dirty dance, they can keep it... (Must say though that I appreciate that KOTOR is a good/great example of RPG... Just bored the bejesus out of my sorry ass.)

  • yegon #6 8 years ago

    I thought it was a great game, but I had to have a few action oriented games on the go at the same time - it was v-e-r-y s-l-o-w moving at times, particularly Manaan where you spent most of the time gossiping with labia faced sentients.

  • pjmaybe #7 8 years ago

    How about a download that stops it being about as much fun as shoving your hindquarters into a giant pencil sharpener and cranking the handle.

    Peej

  • Groggen #8 8 years ago

    I must say I was very excited about kotor and thought it was great for quite a while.. but all of a sudden I just took the disc out and haven't touched it ever since. There's something about it that just doesn't make me wanna play more. A shame since I worship the very ground Bioware resides on and have played all their previous games to death.

  • dr_zoidthrob #9 8 years ago

    Is that it?? You get a corridor and someone to talk to. The level is (obviously) only available once you've got the Ebon Hawk.

    Which, as I've finished the game, meant going back to an old (old, old) save on Tatooine - with maybe another 50-60% of the game to redo if I could be arsed.
    Which I can't.

  • Goldfinch #10 8 years ago

    I have this on the PC and don't own an XBox, so take this as you will, but I don't think anyone would have bought this on the promise of downloadable extras.

    True the Yavin station isn't that exciting and making it available six months after the release is a bit stupid (mainly for the reasons that dr_zoidthrob pointed out), but at least they've given the XBox users the same things that the PC people got.

    And with regards to fixing bugs, I think Microsoft have a (sensible) policy to discourage or even prevent developers from using Live as a patching system.

  • Pirotic #11 8 years ago

    KotoR on xbox actually has some game ruining bugs which can stop you from being able to proceed futher in the game should you do certain events in a certain order.

    i understand that you need a system in place to stop developers releasing buggy software knowing they can patch it - but even so, they should allow patchs when a serious bug is discovered.

  • Goldfinch #12 8 years ago

    It's a shame to hear that there are showstoppers in the XBox version (well there could be some in the PC version for all I know) and I agree that those are the situations when a patch would be very welcome (most people will put up with an occasional lock-up).

    Anyway, it looks like other games have gotten patches over Live, so maybe I'll just shut up :)
    Though I still think that a no patch policy is a good idea, as it forces developers and publishers to spend a bit more time on QA.

  • CyberClaw #13 8 years ago

    The only games allowed to be patched over Live, are games that support multiplayer. The reason for this, is to avoid blatant cheating and bug hogging on the online compe. Offline games with downloadable content (e.g. Brute Force, KOTOR, SC) aren't allowed to be patched.

  • Nemesis #14 8 years ago

    I think it was a bit mad of Bioware to agree to free content considering their current workload. Get the PC version, at least the bugs get patched ;-)

  • dr_zoidthrob #15 8 years ago

    Venkman90, you apparently DO get new guns, crystals and a new race of aliens (that only appear in this level) etc... but it's all a little late for me. If you've finished the game it's a very disappointing download.

  • Spin_Dr_Wolf #16 8 years ago

    Pffft, where's my new planet ?

  • Khab #17 8 years ago

    Now this is very strange... I cannot download the damn stuff! It just tells me "Non content available". :(

  • Khab #18 8 years ago

    I found out why now. Seems as though the content isn't AVAILABLE to me, seeing as I have an english version and reside in Sweden. I'd have to have and english version and reside in the US, UK or Korea for it. FUCKING GREAT YOU MORONS.

  • Nause #19 8 years ago

    Look I think this is an okay thing, I'm thinking of an xbox right now as a PC for people who can't afford the constant upgrading and driver playing about.

  • WoodenSpoon #20 8 years ago

    Or people who don't like reading things like this:

    "5h17c0k ur m0/\/\4 L0l!!1"

  • #21 8 years ago

    it's also likely that the death stars both explode in the films and that the emperor is in fact blue. ewoks are annoying and so are c3po.