Star Wars: Jedi Knight II - Jedi Outcast

The Good
STORY: You play Kyle Katarn - a former imperial officer, turned mercenary, turned jedi and has now abandoned the force after falling to the dark side. So he's now a mercenary. He's teaming up with Jan Ors - his partner - and doing work for the New Republic. On a mission to an supposedly abandoned imperial base - that turns out to be full of imperials, Kyle gets swept up in a interesting plot that will force him to take up his lightsaber again.

MENU LAYOUT A spinning Jedi Outcast logo done in chrome reflects light in the right hand corner while the menu is written in Star Wars font - the type they use for the main title. Apart from that there are these clouds that have been stretched towards the logo. - It's pretty bare - but ok to look at. Holding your mouse over a menu item gives you a description of what it does on the bottom.

CONTROLS The default layout has all the items and so mapped - though their locations on the keyboard are questionable.

GRAPHICS Utilising the ageing Quake 3 engine Raven has done their magic again with another one of ID's gaming engines. The enemies are very detailed - right down to them all having four fingers and one thumb. The Stormtroopers look like they are off the movies and other alien races are bristling with detail. They've even made Luke Skywalker look pretty close to his movie counterpart. The weapons are nicely made as well - the stormtrooper rifle now looks correct - unlike in JK - and the newer weapons keep to the Star Wars universe pretty well. The Textures are huge - twice as large as Quake 3's. So there's lots of detail here. Bump mapping has not been placed in this game. Though some of the textures suffer from very obvious repeating and that kinda lets down the immersiveness of the game. Laser effects are just off the movie - with each laser having it's own light source and all. And who cannot forget the venerable lightsaber. It now looks like it's from the movie with its motion glows and all. Perfect. The animations in the game are.... Interesting. What I don't like is the fact that the lip sync is a bit off and the models all seem to be showing their teeth too frequently. Overall great care has been placed in the animations, from Stormtroopers falling over, then getting up, to the amazing acrobatics that the Jedis get up to. All have been motion captured well and show an amazing level of detail and realism. The weapon animations are a bit lacking most notable is the thermal detonator - it has no throw animation! It just falls out of your hand resulting in major damage and on some case death. This game also Utilises GHOUL - the accurate hit placement system. This means hit a stormtrooper in the arm and they react to this. The same goes to when you slice off their hand with the saber - they clutch their stump screaming, as they slowly die - nice one. Lightning is done really well too - it's just like in the movies with it splaying over the target. Also they have done a good job with the binoculars - they look just like in the movie.

SOUND From lightsaber hums to droid beeps, all the classic Star Wars sounds have been implemented here. And all sound really good. Though it does get a bit repetitive with the same weapon sounds over and over again. The sounds of computers beeping and so forth are also well done as are the door sounds. Voicing is another lukewarm area. Some of the voicing is good - most notably Billy Dee Williams repriseing his role as Lando Calrissian - with his charm still there. The impersonators for Luke Skywaker is pretty good as with the Mon Mothma impersonator. The leads are reasonably well too. And a couple of the bosses seem to have been gifted with a Darth Vader like voice. But apart from that overall the voicing is good enough. Though the 3P0ish droid sounds very not like 3P0. What is also interesting to hear is the Stormtroopers chat on about their lives, weapons and so forth - some conversations are pretty funny.

GAMEPLAY This is a mixed bag. Firstly the weapons are not that interesting. A lot of focus has been placed on the lightsaber so it shines as the jewel of this game because it is an offensive and defensive weapon as well as having an long range attack with "Force Saber Throw" The Bryer pistol you start off with is slow and unwieldily - a bit too slow if you ask me. But the charge up shot kinda makes up for this. The Stormtrooper rifles is fairly accurate at close ranges - but don’t go expecting you'll be able to pick off people from a fair distance. Its secondary rate of fire turns it into a machine gun of some sort. The disruptor rifle is the sniper rifle of this game - and it seems to have found it's way into the hands of every Rodian this side of Tatooine. It is very weak but has a charge up function that disintegrates the target - a bit too Trek if you ask me. The Wookie Bowcaster returns from the JK - the same as ever - which is a pity as it is generally ignored. The heavy repeater is your heavy machine gun. Fast and brutal - with a very large secondary fire splash damage attack. The EMP gun is very useful against anything robotic - like turrets and probe droids. But that all it seems to do. Pretty disappointing. The Flechette is the game's shotgun - firing little hot balls of metal everywhere. It also has a secondary mine function that is annoying to encounter. The Portable missile launcher is fast and underpowered - it takes a few hits to destroy a robot with this thing. The levels in this game are also interesting - some areas are chock full of detail - others are just square rooms. The areas that you are on are represented well - from the rainy well-detailed swamps of Yavin to the large curvy buildings of Bespin. Some areas - mainly outdoors do chug in fps slowdown - but overall they maintain a good Star Wars feel. Though the design of them is questionable - most levels loop back on them and you do find yourself getting lost on a few occasions. Other levels are pretty linear - especially the At-St level near the end. But the locations are diverse - from large reactors - to a carbon-freezing chamber to the Jedi Academy on Yavin. Nar Shaddar makes a return from JK. Whilst the levels are pretty good by themselves - the tasks or puzzles surrounding them are not. Most of the puzzles you are made to do are done with very little clues to how you do them. While security cameras give you hints to where to go - getting there is another task all together. You often feel lost and resort to running around for half an hour. I realised that Raven wants you to actually observe the environment and keep an eye out for subtle changes or things like explosive barrels or switches that are the key to the puzzle. Saber fighting is where the game really shines. You have three different styles of lightsaber stances, each with their own different combos and power. So the lowest level has you swinging like there's no tomorrow while the highest setting has the sword swing like it's a heavy broad sword. The battles are very cinematic. The game captures the dramatic fights of The Phantom Menace very well; the animations are fast, fluid and look damn cool. Another great feature is the Saber Lock. In the original JK the saber fights were pretty dull because there were lots of times when you and your opponent both hit each other. They have fixed this by making it so when the Sabers connect they are pushed against each other - it is then a fight to see who can overpower each other. This usually results in the loser being knocked to the ground. The saber battles take place in many different environments. From the top of sprawling catwalks, to dense jungles and even in between fatal laser beams where you have almost no foot room to navigate. The gunfights are still action packed with you being very outnumbered, just like in the movies. The missions are very varied - always full of action and never are tiering Multiplayer is launched from a seperate icon - this was probally so that it could be protected against cheats or something. Multiplayer has Death Match and Capture the flag - it also has "Kill the fool with the Yasalamari" This means that when even someone has this lizard they are unable to use the force and are unnefected by others useing it. "Jedi Master" is where the lightsaber is somewhere on the map and who ever gets it is the Jedi Master with full force powers and all. The players must then hunt down the Jedi Master and kill him. "Holocron" is where you must runaround and capture force powers - either from the ground or off dead foes. The force power boxes spin around you telling people what powers you have. All these games can be played by bots, and the bots are smart at it as well, each have their own personalitys such as favorite weapons and who they team up with. Overall this game has lots of great moments in it, it's packed with great sound and animations and is an instant classic.

The Bad
The puzzles were the biggest let down. Although Raven did try and make it so that you had to observe, it all narrowed down to the puzzles not having enough clues to tell you how to work them out. Also some of the multiplayer force powers were a little lax. Mainy force drain which took away force power and health. As well as lightning which is just a little too powerful.

The Bottom Line
A great game for all Star Wars fans. Chock full of authenticy and fun - this is one wild ride. Plus the Darth Maul saber cheat in MP is really cool

The Good
Having fended off the seduction of the Dark Side, Kyle Katarn has removed himself from the Force and entrusted his lightsaber to Luke Skywalker at the Jedi Academy on Yavin IV. Now he and Jan are operatives for the New Republic, chasing down the Imperial Remnant. But Republic spies have intercepted a Remnant transmission about the Valley of the Jedi and Luke Skywalker has a rebellious student named Desann who has gone missing, might Kyle have to pick up a lightsaber once again?

Fans of the lightsaber/Force power action of Jedi Knight, won’t care for the early levels of Jedi Outcast. Graying Katarn, like Godfather III’s Michael Corleone, fears being pulled back into the Force. Still, these early levels show drastic improvement over Jedi Knight both in terms of graphics and gameplay. Gone are Jedi Knight’s obvious polygons, laser blasts knock enemies from their feet, environments are more interactive allowing you to take over laser cannons, command AT-STs, and use a capital ship’s guns against their TIE Fighters. Plus, these early levels are the only ones that can truly be called FPS. Once you regain your lightsaber, the game plays out in a frenetic third person perspective.

Unlike Jedi Knight’s use of secret areas to increase Force Powers, as you advance in Jedi Outcast you are given new Force Powers and improvements on preexisting ones. Each Force level has three ranks, Lightsaber throw begins a basic boomerang move, but as you increase in ability, you gain more control over where the lightsaber goes. Possible negatives to this include that you aren’t controlling your character and level design follows your advancement- meaning that if you suddenly advance in Force Jump or Speed, trust that you’ll need those powers to complete the level. As one who’s tasted both the dark and light side, Kyle is not restricted as to the Force Powers he receives.

Force Powers are better integrated too. Force Jump uses the jump button, no need to hit a function key for that one. Force Speed presents the accelerated motion of your character by slowing down the outside world. Stormtroopers stand like statues as lightsaber strikes them down. Even better, you can walk between laser blasts.

Lightsaber combat is the most improved aspect of the game, incorporating the acrobatic battles of the prequels. There are different fighting styles and plenty of opponents to duel against. Beware, these opponents also have the power of the Force and will use cunning tactics to defeat you.

I found myself very engrossed in the story. Unlike Dark Forces or Jedi Knight, I felt like I was actually in the Star Wars Universe. Environments are so realistic, several settings are familiar from the movies and the game makes excellent use of cameos. While Mark Hamill couldn’t voice Skywalker, the actor who does is very convincing. And you get to hang out with Lando! How cool is that!

The Bad
Is there anything I didn’t like about this game? Very little. Some of the jumping puzzles were annoying but I figured that’s what quicksave is for. The only level I disliked was the stealth level, but I was still amused at the Stormtroopers bragging about the size of the ships they'd been on. I just hope that the next game is even better.

The Bottom Line
Gaming excellence! Thank you Raven Software.

The Good
Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast (JKII), is the latest first-person shooter from Lucasarts Entertainment, developed by the folks at Raven Software (the guys responsible for Star Trek:Elite Force)

You play as Kyle Katarn, the roguish hero from Dark Forces and Dark Forces:Jedi Knight. Kyle has abandoned the force and the ways of the Jedi, and along with Jan Ors, have kept the location of the Valley of the Jedi secret and safe.

As you progress through the first couple of levels, you meet up the antagonist of the game, Desann, a power hungry Dark Jedi and plain old bad guy. Desann captures Jan and kills, her and Kyle goes to the Valley of the Jedi to be infused with the force.

Along the way you meet new enemies, some old friends (think Bespin), and get whisked along by the plot... more on that later.

There are 4 levels of play in the single player game. Padawan (beginner), Jedi, Jedi Knight and Jedi Master.

The graphics on JKII are by far some of the best looking graphics I've seen in a game engine. The Quake 3 Arena engine is used to create incredible looking venues to fight and explore in. From Nar Shaada (from Jedi Knight) to Yavin (where the Jedi Academy is based), the game look unbelievable.

The coolest graphics, though, are the lightsaber duels. Throughout the game, you duel with various rogue Jedi, and the lightsaber duels are fast and furious. Much like the duel with Darth Maul/Qui-Gon Jinn/Obi-Wan Kenobi in The Phantom Menace. The lightsabers glow and spark when they clash, and when the lightsabers lock together the sparking glow is unreal. If you defeat you opponent in a duel, the game goes into a Matrix-style 360 rotation. Really cool effect.

The control scheme is standard first person shooter fare, with the exception of lightsaber dueling. Raven Software did their homework with this one. Using both the attack button and the WASD keys for movement, you control various attacks. It's very intuitive, and you actually leave yourself open to attacks if you don't control the lightsaber correctly.

The sound might be standard John Williams fare, but the lightsaber effects are outstanding. Again, Raven Software really did a great job on this.

Relearning your Jedi powers is done very good in this game. Unlike Jedi Knight (where you were given points to distribute), you learn them automatically as you go, and the further along in the game you go, the stronger your powers become. And when you go to the Jedi Academy on Yavin 4, Luke Skywalker puts you through the Jedi Trials. It's a cool way to learn you powers and then have you use them in appropriate situations in the Trials. As you go through the trials, Jedi Holocrons (learning devices) give you access to your powers. For example, when you grab the Force Speed power, you enter a room where you must step on a plate and 5 sets of doors open. Then you must use Force Speed to run through the open doors before they close. It's a logical way to work them into the game and the plot of the story.

And although I don't play a lot of multiplayer games, the multiplayer half of JKII is done very well. There are 7 different games to play: Free for All, Holocron Free for All, Jedi Master, Duel, Team Free for All, Capture the Flag, and Capture the Ysalamiri. Most of the games are standard FPS fare, with the exception of Duel, Holocron FFA, and Jedi Master.

Holocron FFA is the same as FFA, but you don't have any force powers to start with. The powers are scattered around the arenas, and you pick them up in battle.

Jedi Master in intriguing. All players start out with standard weapons, and no lightsaber. ONE lightsaber is placed somewhere in the arena, and whoever picks that up is the Jedi Master. The Master is then imbued with all Force powers at 3rd rank, and can only use the lightsaber. When the Master is defeated, the lightsaber is tossed away, and whoever picks up the lightsaber is the new Jedi Master.

Duel mode is the epiphany of JKII. Up to 16 players are logged on to the server, but only 2 players are active at a time (with the others as spectators). The two players duel it out, until one is defeated. The victor respawns (with full health), and one of the spectators then steps up and tries to defeat the other player. I think it's a cool way to see a lightsaber duel.

And if you are like me and don't really care of online gaming (although I really think game will change my opinion on that), you can play up to 16 bots on your machine at once. I play at Padawan level, and It's fairly difficult. The bots are fairly agile and they use Force Powers to their advantage.

The Bad
As much as I LOVE dueling with lightsabers in this game (it's SO much better than Jedi Knight), I do have a few complaints.

The plot of the story is good, but I've read a similar plot in the book "I, Jedi", by Michael Stackpole (a worthy read if you like Star Wars books). So while I enjoy the plot of the story, it really isn't that original.

The level layout, while very detailed, is very confusing. I don't often resort to walkthroughs unless I'm REALLY stuck, but some of the levels I was wandering around looking for the "way out" to the next level - so I downloaded a walkthrough in order to get through the level.. The levels are huge, which is good, but can get tiresome after a while.

Two Words... Rodian Snipers. I can't begin to count how many times I was playing through the Nar Shaada level - I'd walk out of the cantina, and ZAP! I'm sorry, but that seems a little to one-sided if you ask me. I'd get sniped in the head by a Rodian Sniper that you really can't see unless you know he's there in advance. And because of that....

I really don't like that fact that you have to save EVERY time you clear a room or a corridor. It's a pain in the ass to go through part of a level, open a door and get you ass handed to you on a plate. Although you are supposed to be a Jedi, running blindly into a room is not an option in most cases. You really have to save a lot in the game, and to me that's unnecessary.

And one other thing really irks me. It seems that most of the levels are designed around the fact that you are really high up. Like Bespin - the cloud city, or Nar Shaada, the smuggler's hideout. Or the reactor core of a Installation. There is a lot of trial and error when it comes to jumping and finding out where you can and cannot jump to.

The Bottom Line
JKII is a fantastic foray into George Lucas' little universe he created. Although frustrating as hell in some areas, and downright confusing in others, I think that the OVERALL package is great. A worthy addition to any Star Wars fans gaming library.

And watch out for those Rodian Snipers. :)

The Good
I can't help but say how happy I am that Raven developed JO. They really have captured the Star Wars style perfectly, like no other title has since the last in this series, Jedi Knight: Dark Forces II. The characters, themes, artwork. Everything fits in with the world we have all come to enjoy for so many years now.

The lightsaber takes up most of my time, for obvious reasons. It's amazing to watch Kyle swing it around and see the sparks fly when it deflects blaster fire or marks the walls and floors. Combat itself against the many Sith in the game isn't all that difficult to master. You'll soon find yourself, like me, trying to re-create scenes from the movies with mates on the multiplayer maps.

Speaking of which, although the single player campaign is very rewarding, including a strong storyline which this series has become well known for, it's the multiplayer modes that gets the most attention. Raven has built upon their past titles (Soldier of Fortune, Elite Forces, etc.) to develop a wide range of play modes such as the usual deathmatch, team deathmatch and capture the flag. But what makes them more unique then other 1st person shooter is the use of the lightsaber to develop some amazing duels and battles. Sure, playing sniper with the Wookiee bowcaster is fun, but nothing is as good as playing 12 people in a rounded room, jumping around like Obi-Wan and Darth Maul in TPM !!

Did I mention that JO has plenty of options for the mod world? It really increases the lastability of the product when they ship development tools or at least allow for new maps and characters to easily be added to the existing software. Raven has done this here, so expect plenty of great ideas to roll in from the many mod makers out there.

The Bad
There isn't much to dislike about JO. Yeah, the cut-scenes may not be perfect, and at times the lightsaber cuts its way through Kyle, but they are very minor bugs that do not disturb the gameplay in any way.

I suppose some added new music here and there would have been nice, but you can't have everything.

The Bottom Line
Always two there are, no more, no less. A master and an apprentice. Welcome Raven with open arms, and hope that they stick around longer than Darth Maul. A classic title that returns the Star Wars PC community to high ground. Let's hope EPII does the same for the movie world.

The Good
There are many good elements faithful to the Dark Forces series, including a decent variety of weapons, large and numerous levels, objectives to follow, a plethora of Empire enemies to gun down, well-hidden secrets, Force powers, some lightsaber fights, and of course Kyle Katarn himself. The innovative storyline draws you like a Force Pull to play the next level after the next, just so you can get more of that intriguing experience. After the first few levels of running and gunning, it feels rewarding to be a Jedi again. And as a Jedi, it feels so satisfying to slice the Reborn Sith in those dramatic slow motion moments. I’m not sure Force Grip and Force Lightning are in line with the Jedi way, but there you have it.

Adding to the impressive arsenal, you get a few nifty little gadgets such as miniature droids. And there are times when you get to actually be a droid to access places Kyle cannot. And while you have opportunities to fight AT-STs, there is a level where you can actually commandeer a couple of them. Every level has its own gimmicks, one of them being stealth if you could even call it that since you’ll end up killing enemies to progress anyway. Help from NPCs is welcome and does even the odds.

The Bad
While many of the controls are standard, the ability to lean left and right with the Use key is useless, because you can’t shoot while in this mode. It’s better to use the third-person perspective for a better view. The running and jumping feels very floaty and not in a good way. Often you’ll find yourself stumbling before you can make a successful Force Jump, leading to more unfair deaths than Anakin did to his victims. Falls are going to be your number one enemy throughout the game. Those problems were not abundant in the original Dark Forces, in which you had better movement control. The worst element in the game is the level that requires you to swim in zero-gravity which is such a broken mechanic that keeps getting Kyle killed.

And speaking of broken, the shooting in this game often works against you because when enemies move, you’ll miss a lot, a big problem if you’re accustomed to hitscan guns. And there are times when you fire while you’re up close to the enemy, but the shots don’t seem to connect, as if they are phasing through. If all else fails, just stick to using your lightsaber. And you’d better learn how to use the thermal detonators properly, because you’ll blow yourself up if you tap the right-mouse button too lightly. Lastly the Light Amplification Goggles are pretty useless due to the obscurity of your field of vision and running out of battery power relatively quickly. The Night Vision Goggles from Dark Forces were heaps better.

The levels themselves are not perfect. The action they pack is fine, but the real issue is some of the puzzle elements, which often put first time players in multiple “Where the heck do I go?” situations, because you need to perform very specific actions to progress with little in the way of clues on exactly what to do. These elements may work in a Lucasarts adventure game like Maniac Mansion, but this attempt to make the game more interesting, it doesn’t work in the same way a tomb Raider does. And with the number of hazards and ambushing enemies that keep hurting you, you’re going to slam the Force Heal power quite a bit, which hurts the fun factor. And I almost forgot the most obvious problem, you can’t skip cutscenes or even the end credits, adding to wasted time.

The Bottom Line
While the gameplay runs okay for most of the game, the physics have a lot to be desired. The combat mechanics and gadgets from Dark Forces weren’t very well emulated as they could have been. Even being faithful to the Star Wars lore and packed with the desired amount of action, it does feel like Lucasarts was trying too hard to make this game good. It shows through the numerous and differing levels. And in regards to baffling puzzles, if I wanted that in a game, I would have picked a point-and-click Star Wars adventure game, which sadly does not exist. One way or another, you’ll adapt to the game and learn to love it, especially if you like shooters and Star Wars. Battling the Empire and Sith never gets dull, so enjoy from start to finish.

The Good
The best part of the game is definitely the light saber and the force powers. They are implemented much better than in the first game. By the last part you will pretty much forget about all the guns and just have fun finding new ways to take out the enemy. My favorite was the force jumping high and then force pulling the troopers up in the air. The game does a great job of making you feel like a Jedi Knight. The movement and third person camera is allot like Heretic 2 and makes controlling your character when using the light saber very easy.

The Bad
The two problems I had with the game was some of the level design(mainly the first few), and some of the puzzles. Without the force powers and light saber the game plays like a standard shooter in the first part with some average at best levels that you can wander around for awhile. I don't mind non-linear design but when your planted in a big level with no idea where to go and are forced to just guess where the panel or key you need is. It can get annoying at times. There were a few puzzles that were very annoying. In particular one with a moving pipe that can be almost impossible to figure out unless your in the right place at the right time.

The Bottom Line
Overall a very good shooter set in the Star Wars universe that enhances the standard gameplay with a very good implementation of the light saber and force powers. Some poor level design and annoying puzzles, but still a definite buy for any SW or FPS shooter fan.

The Good

This is certainly the best game I have ever played that emulates the experience of being a Jedi badass with force powers and lightsaber skills aplenty. Once you acquire your force powers you can use the force to shove people off ledges, yank weapons away from Stormtroopers, fire that super-keen blue Jedi lightning, choke enemies, and even Jedi mind trick an Imperial officer or two.

The lightsaber combat is also done quite well. The third person perspective for this weapon feels quite natural, and for the most part it is quite easy to get the hang of wielding your lightsaber. There are three different attack stances; one fast but not too damaging, one slow but very powerful, and a compromise stance. Once you have access to them all they can be cycled through at the touch of a button, allowing you to modify your lightsaber technique as the circumstances warrant.

The games visuals are quite nice as well. The environments have a totally authentic Star Wars feel. All the architecture in the game looks just as any Star Wars fan would expect it to. Bespin looks like Bespin, the interior of Imperial ships is very much as one would expect; even the switches and control panels are all oozing with Star Wars detail. The 'Death Star' multiplayer map scores especially high in the nostalgia department.

Speaking of multiplayer, it can be a fun experience, especially the Jedi Duel, a lightsaber/force powers tournament of sorts. There aren't a whole lot of maps, but the ones that are there are mostly pretty cool. The ability to customize your MP character with light or dark side force powers is a nice touch.

**The Bad**

The games first two levels or so, before you have reacquired you lightsaber, are awful. They feel like 'Doom' in Star Wars clothes, and almost made me give up on the game before it really got underway. Gameplay in these first few levels consists of switch hunting and jumping puzzles; not exactly stuff that makes you feel like a Jedi. It is all first person, as any weapon other than your lightsaber defaults to a first person perspective, with no option to change it back to third. As an FPS, the game is average at best, and awful at worst. Things do take a turn for the better after this point, but inane puzzles still plague the rest of the game.

The enemy AI could have been better as well, but since the Stormtroopers in the movies are so stupid, it's somewhat hard to criticize the game for not breaking with that element of the films. Mostly they stand in one place and shoot at you, while you run around slicing them apart, or deflect their own lasers right back at them. One especially annoying enemy, the Garms, are only armed with thermal detonators, and throws them indiscriminately, with no concern for their own safety. The tactic feels cheap, and betrays the existence of poor AI rather early in the game.

**The Bottom Line**

Overall, 'Jedi Outcast' is a pretty good Star Wars action game that does a fairly nice job of capturing the feel of the early films. It's not as good as it could have been, but not nearly as bad as some Star Wars games of the past (see my review of 'Star Wars Rebellion'). I am still waiting for the Star Wars game that is really going to knock my socks off. As of this writing, 'Knights of the Old Republic' and 'Star Wars: Rebellion' are just around the corner, so here's to hoping.

The Good
Jedi Outcast tries to repeat the formula used in it's predecessor Dark Forces II: Jedi Knight, which leads it into a problem. This is a sequel, so err, why does our loveable Han-and-Luke merger Kyle Katarn have to go back to not being a Jedi Knight, only to gradually pick up the Force powers again? Well the solution is kind of plausible for those who have played Mysteries of the Sith (Jedi Knight's add-on pack) when Kyle turned to the Dark Side briefly. Now in Outcast, Kyle's renounced the Force and gone back to his old mercenary ways.

The story is quite humdrum and clunkily scripted as Kyle and his faithful side kick Jan Ors are sent on a mission to investigate yet another remnant of the Empire, vying for power in the aftermath of Return of the Jedi. How many Star Wars stories can there be involving mopping up the remains of the Empire? The first half of the game plays similar to the original Dark Forces, despatching wave after wave of Stormtroopers and running around levels that have clearly been designed for FPS use rather than as actual locations. Switches are left in strange places and there's not a toilet in sight. Unfortunately the plot is progressed through poorly executed cut-scenes rendered in the game engine. I don't know why a developer would think you'd want to watch some choppy animated characters gesticulating wildly in conversation. Whilst it didn't blend in with the in-game graphics, I preferred the predecessor's FMV. Whilst you're in control little plot is progressed, leaving a swath of fairly vacuous killing to be done with difference only stemming from your method of taking people out. No stealth and no need to track down or talk to a character, the levels are all linear so it's hard to take a wrong step.

The game picks up significantly later as you once again don the mantle of a Jedi Knight, complete with a training lesson in the Force from Luke Skywalker. From here on in the game becomes more interesting to play as you gain a lightsaber and Force powers, enabling you to despatch the Stormtroopers in more colourful ways. As you progress through the levels you gain more and better powers until you'll probably stop using those clumsy blasters in favour of pulling and pushing enemies around with the Force. To make sure your lightsaber sees some use you have many set piece duels against the Reborn, some handily Force infused colonists who for reasons unknown unanimously chose the Dark Side. Behind these guys is Desann, a Sith who rather predictably has become a huge threat to the New Jedi Order.

The game is really all about these fights as you pull a variety of cool-looking moves in your duels, tackling multiple Reborn and generally practising the art of combat. Raven, the developers, have focussed on creating the most honed FPS experience in the Star Wars universe.

The Bad
That finely honed FPS experience is also the cause of the game's major problem, it is crafted but hollow. The story and the motivation is paper thing and poorly scripted, the in-game play just doesn't feel like Star Wars, it's purely shooting and overcoming minor puzzles.

The story, as mentioned, is a rehash of Jedi Knight as you first fight without the Force, then later with it. Whereas in the previous game it felt natural to learn the Force, this seems silly, especially as Kyle 'regains' the Force by stepping into a magic 'beam' to suddenly gain his powers. He has to fight against yet another group of Dark Sith, who have been created by Desann. Why is it every Dark Lord must be an alien (compared to all the Jedi in the game being human) and have an outlandish costume? The information about the Dark Side seems to be remarkably common knowledge, as there's a never ending stream of Dark Lords to threaten 'the very existence of the Jedi.' His force of Reborn seem all soulless cannon fodder for to practice your chopping skills, with no character and far too numerous. With the sheer amount of fighting done the Jedi seem to be the most bloodthirsty people imaginable, not 'keepers of the peace', Katarn can never approach things subtly, everyone must die. There's never any clever scripting or any missions which aren't completed without violence, which is a real shame.

The scale of the game follow FPS conventions more than is needed. Kyle becomes the typical one-man army who by the end of the game must have a body count in the thousands, I don't know why the New Republic would need anyone else. The Imperial Remnant seem to have access to amazing resources for a fugitive band, able to build a vast ship (for you to destroy) and to tackle the New Jedi head-on, it's all implausable, especially when a tight story figuring rag-tag Imperial remains could be told dramatically.

The Bottom Line
Raven obviously spent a long time designing each level but they seem to have missed the bigger picture. Instead of a fun engaging adventure Jedi Outcast is a slightly dull repetitive shooter, lightened by Force powers as you become a violence obsessed killer Jedi. With more focus on non-violent story elements Outcast could have reached a higher level.

The Good
It's an improvement from the last sequel in almost every sense, more specifically in the technical aspects. The game engine is better; the graphics are more realistic and nice looking; the gameplay is more sophisticated and challenging; the AI and dynamics of the characters is sometimes incredible; the puzzles are interesting and creative; the level design is often clever and with a strong Star Wars feeling into them; the sound effects are very sharp and effective... I also found the the rhythm of the game to be fast and engaging: it is very addictive. There are nice cameos of Lando and Luke and some other familiar faces.

The Bad
The story is not so good, it's formulaic; and it didn't really hooked me, it doesn't have an epic feeling. The main villain is an overgrown lizard like grumpy dinosaur, a tad lame and pathetic. The levels are a little anemic and the missions are not very distinctive. The game can be ridiculously and annoyingly hard with some enemies and in some places, which frustrates the player. There are some odd bugs and gameplay inconsistencies too.

The Bottom Line
Overall, a worthy sequel if you liked the previous Dark Forces games.

The Good
STORMTROOPERS NEVER LOOKED SO REAL

The Good
Following the decent "Jedi Knight" and its expansion, "Jedi Outcast" returns the "Dark Forces" line (if it is indeed part of it- it is referred to as a sequel to "Jedi Knight" instead of "Dark Forces") to greatness! The graphics in this game blew me away (when they are turned up to maximum). The shadows are exceptional, and the fluidity and life-like motion of the character models is amazing. The storyline is top-notch and kept me enthralled throughout the entire thing. The level design was truly exceptional with a "Star Wars" feel that surpasses even "Dark Forces". The world feels alive and used, and new in other places. The cinematics, rendered in-game, are excellent with this engine, and the voice talent is all top-notch. Modelling the principles- Kyle Katarn and Mara Jade, after the actors who played them in the FMV cinematics of "Jedi Knight" was a welcome touch. Finally- the lightsaber battles in this game are beyond anything accomplished in any game. The original "Jedi Knight" or even "Die by the Sword" have nothing on the excitement and cinematic thrill that comes with each and every lightsaber battle in this game.

The Bad
There are still no speeder levels, walking AT-ATs, or other "massive" vehicles or monsters. Granted, "speeder" missions are generally restricted to other Star Wars games, but a level or two of it would have been nice. I really thought that Kyle should have the ability to hold onto ledges as well- like "Tomb Raider" and other games. I say this because of the extensive use of that tactic we have seen in Star Wars movies- like Luke Skywalker's ledge-grab and rebound over the Sarlacc Pit in "Return of the Jedi", or Obi-Wan Kenobi's lifesaving grab and Force-jump & flip up to defeat Darth Maul in "The Phantom Menace". Although FULL of "nice little touches", this is one little touch I would have particularly loved.

The Bottom Line
A must-have for Star Wars fans, or anyone interested in the best combination of cinematics and first-person "you are there"-type gaming. The world is alive, and the threats are breathtaking.

The Good
My hats off to the developers for taking great inspiration from the preceding Jedi Knight game. The immense structures were breathtaking and stylish. The sound was without issues and the graphics were top notch.

The Light saber play was really fun. A great feature to add upon in the game, adding challenge and specialized attacks. I took special pleasure in whipping my light saber through a crowd of storm troopers, watching as they literally fell to pieces.

I really liked the story. It felt slightly contrived, but not so strained to break the feeling of being in the Star Wars Universe.

And driving the Walker was very cool...

The Bad
The numerous jumping puzzles that required a fair amount of keyboard agility created some annoying play.

I was less than crazy about the jungle level and I really didn't like the underground training level either. The starting levels were slow and really tough.

The Bottom Line
Its too cool to set aside because of a couple rough areas. A great sequel. A lot of saber action...

The Good
First of all, the sound is right out of the movies. Storm troopers talk to each other and officers give orders. Lightsaber combat has improved immensely from the slash and dodge of Jedi Knight. With three unique styles of lightsaber combat and light and dark force powers, the gameplay is the greatest. The graphics are incredible and the Force powers are actually useful. Unlike the previous game, Force lightning is not merely a little spark that comes out of Kyle's hand, but just like in the Return of the Jedi. The other powers are also much improved. It also features a fun 2 player deathmatch mode in case you think you should tell your friends their lack of faith is disturbing. Finally, Lando sounds the same as int he movies.(He even says the classic " It's not my fault !!")

The Bad
The game is to short. You could probably beat htis game in 10 hours. Also, the controls are slightly confusing. You use the "R" key to attack\shoot. Luke Skywalker is in this game, but his voice is awful, not even sounding similar to the original. They also sometimes make him look like he has a sunburn on his face.

The Bottom Line
Despite the small problems, this is a must-have for star wars fans and casual gamers alike.