We've posted on the two major KotOR 2 restoration projects over the years but if you never got around to trying it, Rock, Paper, Shotgun's The Fixer column has a detailed article including widescreen support and other fixes:

The Sith Lords Restored Content Mod (TSLRCM)

The TSLRCM is a hugely substantial mod that helps the game meet the vision that Obsidian had originally planned for the game. Not only does the mod fix a whole host of bugs, including broken items, dialogue tree errors and combat glitches, it has pulled content out of the code and made entire areas of the game playable including unusued audio files and dialogue trees. The most recent build has also introduced compatibility with the long-awaited M4-78 Enhancement Project, aka Droid Planet.
To install TSLRCM:

1) Download and install the mod from the official ModDB entry, now at version 1.18.2.

2) Make sure to install the mod at the correct Steam location, where the default location is here: C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\Knights of the Old Republic II\ (unlike other KOTOR2 mods which fit into the \Overide\ folder).

3) Ensure that the Steam doesn’t accidentally overwrite the mod by disabling updates to the game (Right click on KOTOR2 in the library > Properties > Updates tab > Do not automatically update this game).

4) Mod installation is confirmed if the main menu of the game shows The Sith Lords Restored Content Mod 1.8.1.

I'm sure you all know the details. KotOR 2 on Steam.

Five years after the events from the award winning Star Wars® Knights of the Old Republic™, the Sith Lords have hunted the Jedi to the edge of extinction and are on the verge of crushing the Old Republic. With the Jedi Order in ruin, the Republic’s only hope is a lone Jedi struggling to reconnect with the Force.

The Sith Lords Restored Content mod for Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic 2 is done with this latest release, reports RPS. From their MODDB page:

Version 1.8 of the Sith Lords Restoration Content Mod, featuring a LOT of fixes, and some additional, compared to 1.7, and especially compared to vanilla TSL. This mod should hopefully give you the full experience Obsidian intended to give the player when working on KOTOR2.

Version 1.5 of the Restored Content mod for KotOR II: The Sith Lords has been released.  I can't see exactly what was added with this version but have at it!

An editorial at EuroGamer titled 'Born Under a Bad Sign' discusses video game villains.
The author mentions that a video game villain should have these traits:

A proper videogame villain, as in literature, theatre and film, needs to be a consistent, compelling, and at least vaguely sympathetic entity; they arguably have to be the most fascinating character in any given story, because it is through their actions that the hero's journey is necessitated. And in videogames, designers have to go a step further: the villain's relationship with the player should ideally be interactive and dynamic.

He also mentions how Ultima IV and V tried to do this while he thinks the main villain in SW: KOTOR 2 is the best one ever created.

Do you agree with the author about his points above? And do you agree that the main villain in KOTOR2 is the best one created yet ?

Chris Avellone has posted his answers to a series of Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic 2 questions from Obsidian forumite, Joakim.  Here's a sample:

1. K2 pretty much changed on how the force, the galaxy, the Jedi are portrayed. How did that work in terms that you were making a sequel to a very typical Star Wars game? (KotOR1, we have this evil dude who wants to blow up the galaxy just for the hell of it).

A lot of it came from deep-rooted feelings and opinions about the Star Wars franchise, both positive and negative, and especially what it would feel like to be a Jedi or Sith in that universe. I've always had an issue with the Force because of its predestination aspects, and I wonder if any Jedi or Sith would ever want to rebel against it entirely... and if they'd be willing to give up their ties of the Force (and all that power) to do it. Nihilus in K2 is a being who's wholly surrendered himself to what the Force is, and the fact he's completely consumed by the self-destructive Sith technique sums up my problems with the Force.

Don't get me wrong, though, I found a lot to enjoy in the Star Wars universe, much like the other franchises I've worked with. I do like to go into a campaign setting though and poke at the foundations a bit.

No, not Team Gizka's project but an alternative while Team Gizka is in some sort of strange limbo after all but one contributor left the project, as I understand it.  A couple of the other developers reformed for the TSL Restored Content Mod, which is now available as a public beta.

Read this thread for the files and installation details and the FAQ is worth a visit.  Here's a snip:

TSL Restored Content Modification FAQ

Q: What is this?
A: This is a mod for TSL that restores almost all of the cut content of TSL.

Q: Is this a theft of Team Gizka's work?
A: Not in the slightest. All of this mod, minus the Rebuilt Enclave by jinger (who gave permission for it to be used in this mod), was done by Stoney and Zbyl2 and SWfan28.

Q: How can you prove that?
A: Have a look at the scripts.

Q: How come you got it done so quickly then?
A: We already had Zbyl's previous content and Jinger's mod plus SWfan28 had some stuff he gave us which had been done. As well as the Dantooine Restoration we did previously

Q:Will the original M478mod be compatible with it?
A:As it is now no it is not compatible. It will either need to be patched or wait for M478EP.

Q: What does this mod restore?
A: We tend to look at as "what does the mod NOT restore?", so here's a list of what was not included:
M4-78 - The Droid Planet is still a part of Stoney's M4-78RP and M4-78EP. The M4-78EP will be compatible with the TSLRCM.

"Darth Atris" - There was too little material left to properly restore this aspect of the ending.

GenoHaradan - Again, too little content left. However, Lord of Hunger is currently designing a storyline for a heavily expanded version of the GenoHaradan Side Quest. It will be released as a fully compatible patch.

Nihilus vs. Sion - Essentially part of the GenoHaradan Side Quest and will be part of Lord of Hunger's storyline.

Sell Vrook into Slavery - Again, too little content. Also conflicts with the storyline.

Dustil Onasi - No content to work with, or a reason to restore.

Ravager Crashing Into Telos - Does not fit the storyline as it would most likely result in the destruction of Ebon Hawk, thereby conflicting with later events.

Thanks, Prime Junta!

Team Gizka has announced they will make the v1.0b1 version of their Star Wars: KotOR2 Restoration Projection available this weekend to closed beta testers - the last step before the 1.0c1 public release.  Obviously it has been a difficult ride, because the scope has changed a little:

Some things of note:

This weekend will see the release of 1.0b1. It has been a long time coming. Especially given the amount of complaining some of you are wont to do

Those of you on the closed beta list: I will contact you when it is available (presumably late Friday or Saturday morning EDT) along with details about how to go about getting it.

Not ALL of the content on our list is restored. "But you said you'd restore all of the content on your list before 1.0b1!!!1!1!" Plans change. Surprisingly, what works well in war, works well in modding: never reveal your plan. We'll learn that lesson eventually. We think. The content that's left isn't OMG NEW CONTENT kind of content. It's stuff we could add in a patch if we waited that long (though some of it we don't even want to think about right now ) That said some of it will probably make it in before 1.0c1.

"But what about the bugs?!?!?!?!1?/!/" As has been repeatedly said: 1.0c1 is the version that will have that low low bug count (maybe not 0 but we'll see.)

For those of you now thinking "I knew they'd go back on their promise! I knew we'd get some crap mod! They're not restoring all the content and they're not fixing all the bugs!": you're still getting a mod. With very few bugs. Mantis can attest to that (as can our fingers after three years of typing.) I've asked the closed beta testers to write their impressions, good, bad, or other and post them. Hopefully most will be good, but, secretly (or not so much anymore), we're also hoping for a couple bad just so people can see this isn't about pleasing everyone. We've not done this for three years in some vain attempt to make everyone, or in fact, anyone, happy. Nor are we doing this for some weird ego-fueled trip into (fleeting, flaming internet) fame. We're doing this because we've enjoyed and enjoy doing it. That and we'd kinda like to see this thing finished. It's a modder thing...

Thanks, Avantenor!

Thanks to a post from Prime Junta on our forums for pointing out that Team Gizka's KotOR2 Restoration Project has inched closer, having reached v0.90.  A new video is also on offer.

As Team Gizka's Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic 2 Restoration Project proceeds, a trailer has been released on YouTube. 

It looks like Team Gizka's Knights of the Old Republic II Restoration Project is content complete.  The site has an overview of their upcoming milestones, with the current 0.7b3 going past 0.7b1 - "All content implemented. All Block, Crash and Major severity issues resolved".

There's still a long way to go according to their forums but this should be worth watching for KotOR2 fans.  Thanks to a post at Octopus Overlords for the reminder on this one.