Star Wars: Jedi Knight - Dark Forces II

The Good
Jedi Knight was more than eagerly anticipated by "Dark Forces" fans- I took the day off when it was released and ended up beating it in around 34 hours. The lightsaber action was new and very fun, and the levels were large and challenging. The true 3D engine was stable, and the introduction of FMV (done better than it was in "Rebel Assault II") was very cool.

The Bad
Unfortunately, Jedi Knight's art was sorely lacking I thought. Some of the levels are painfully bland, with repeating rock and concrete textures. The designers put in too much lighting as well, defeating the gritty, commando-style of the early levels and of "Dark Forces". Finally, though lightsaber combat was very cool, it was generally too rushed and frenzied to get any kind of cinematic experience out of it.

The Bottom Line
I actually didn't like this game as much as "Dark Forces". The bland levels really were the killer for me. I was hoping the sequel in the Dark Forces line would be "Stormtrooper" (kind of like "TIE Fighter" following "X-Wing"). But it's still a great action game with a good story, better than average full-motion video, and plenty of replay value online.