Star Wars: Jedi Knight II - Jedi Outcast

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

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
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.