Star Wars: Jedi Knight II - Jedi Outcast

aka: JKII
Moby ID: 6073
Windows Specs
Note: We may earn an affiliate commission on purchases made via eBay or Amazon links (prices updated 3/28 9:12 PM )

Description official descriptions

In Jedi Outcast, you once again play Kyle Katarn, star of LucasArts' Star Wars-inspired 1st-person shooters Star Wars: Dark Forces and Star Wars: Jedi Knight - Dark Forces II.

Kyle has retired from being a Jedi fearing consequences from the Dark Side of the Power found within himself during his chase of the foul Sith-Lord Jerec into the lost vale of the Jedi at the end of Dark Forces 2. Chronologically taking place after the second Star Wars Trilogy, you'll meet various well known people from the original Star Wars movies like Luke Skywalker himself and Lando Calrissian.

Also following the tradition of its predecessors, you explore the surroundings in the typical 3D environment and can use a lot of different weapons and gear from the Star Wars Universe, including the famous Jedi Weapon, the light saber.

Spellings

  • スター・ウォーズ ジェダイナイト2:ジェダイアウトキャスト - Japanese spelling
  • 杰迪武士2:杰迪放逐者 - Simplified Chinese spelling

Groups +

Screenshots

Promos

Videos

See any errors or missing info for this game?

You can submit a correction, contribute trivia, add to a game group, add a related site or alternate title.

Credits (Windows version)

185 People (167 developers, 18 thanks) · View all

Reviews

Critics

Average score: 85% (based on 66 ratings)

Players

Average score: 3.7 out of 5 (based on 147 ratings with 13 reviews)

Starts slow but picks up after first few levels.

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.

Windows · by Jason Becker (4) · 2002

Lucas Arts does it again!!! :) An enormous improvement over the original!!

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.

GameCube · by James Kirk (150) · 2003

Quite fantastic, actually.

The Good
STORMTROOPERS NEVER LOOKED SO REAL

  • This is an example how you can take engine that gave shelter to some of the crappiest games to another level, going beyond the limits of effects, graphic and gameplay. Using first-person mode with every weapon except lightsaber works more than nice, and auto-aiming helps to it, but the real joy is wielding the lightsaber, running on the walls (yup, Sands of Time is about two years late for the effect), and what all not. This is a pretty mighty usage of obviously giving engine. COMBAT ZONE
  • Variety of weapons is enough for a Jedi to handle, and you get each new weapons your enemy is using whenever the chance presents itself. Most of weapons have already been seen in prequels of this game, but a few are new Kyle didn't yet had the chance to tryout. All the effects and explosions look nice, and rumbling option won't ever leave you in peace. But there are a few interactive weapons you can use, such as mounted cannons for example, but no, you won't be able to commandeer walkers or other imperial vehicles, not in this Star Wars game. But undoubtedly, you'll confront the entire arsenal of those. ROBOT OPERATIONAL
  • This time you get to take control over those small mouse-size bots that you could constantly encounter throughout the Star Wars universe, game-wise and movie-wise. Sometimes you'll use them just for the fun of it, to explore some area, or as a way to proceed further. PUZZLES ARE FINE
  • Nothing too complicated, no extra-hard jumping puzzles or something that would turn this first-person shooter into adventure game, it's all fine in place. IMPERIAL ARMY LOOKS SO KEWL
  • Imperial Stormtroopers, Swamp-troopers, Imperial Officers, Imperial Commandos, AT-STs, they all look magnificent. Kinda looks like it was much more attention paid to enemy models than your own character. May be 'cos you don't see your character up close too often. REALITY FENCING
  • Lightsaber fights are now more real. There is no bit by bit energy takeout, it's who cuts first wins. It's not easy to strike the enemy though, and the lightsaber effects are cool throughout the game, you can throw it on the group of foes, bounce bullets as you regain Jedi abilities, pierce the wall whenever close to it in a flashy effect, and especially great effect when two lightsabres collide. FINE STORYLINE
  • Story starts as Kyle renounced his Jedi life but due to circumstances he gets back on that track, and that includes coming back to Jedi Academy to meet Luke Skywalker and retest thy own abilities as a Jedi and get your lightsaber back. As always, Jan Ors is still hanging with Kyle. DYNAMIC UNIVERSE
  • This game is very dynamic and fast-pacing. Everything moves around you, constant wars are being present, and you hardly ever rest. It's nothing as close to compare the dynamic of C&C Renegade, but it's a fair dose of dynamic events. CUTSCENES, EVEN A FEW
  • I didn't think I'll see any pre-rendered cutscenes in this game, so I was pleasantly surprised to see several, even thought they were only with ships and space, no person on such scenes, only present on in-game cutscenes. EXTRAS TAGGLE ON
  • There's a fair amount of extras, from being able to see any character model you encountered, see the FMVs, or play the XBox exclusive extra level. Hint: it's actually the same level that was used as PC demo. POWERS THAT BE
  • This time you don't get to choose the side and the powers, they choose you. You regain your abilities and more as you progress throughout the game. You get new abilities but your very same also increase, and at pretty incredible rate too. Jumping for instance. This time there is no speed power the way we saw it in Jedi Knight, instead, the time gets slower and that effect is made like sort of quasi slow-mo. This time powers such as push and grip are really expanded when you grow more powerful. You quickly turn into an unstoppable machine, but underestimating your enemy may as easily cost you your life.

    **The Bad**
    SUBTITLES ARE/WERE
  • At first it will seem alright but as you progress, you may encounter mis-aligned cutscenes with non-synchronized relationship of speech and subtitles. That is really something that game of such tremendous talent is not supposed to have. SOUND OFF THE ALARM!
  • Strangely enough, as much as this game is fast as a lightning and nothing chops off the framerate, the sound problems get pretty obvious for unknown and rather mysterious reason. It can't be the DVD reader, can it? It's when you shoot that you hear the actual shot half-a-second later. But that's just the first time as the next shots go fine. It's just as if DVD needs some time to spin which is quite weird. At first I can't say to've noticed it, but later quite regularly. Beats me if I can think of a reason for it. It's almost like the game struggles with that first shot and the graphics and like it all freezes for that moment of synchronization. If anything, XBox was the last console I'd expect something like this to encounter on. LEVEL DESIGN FALL
  • Level design is great, but the third level you encounter, the very first one in Jedi Knight for those who played the game, in Nar Shaada city if my spelling is flawless, has too much jumps and falls. You can fall any time you want... and don't. It's quite annoying level in general. Hearing Kyle scream isn't any more fun either. WHAT HAPPENED TO THE EMPIRE?
  • It's kinda silly and very discouraging to see hordes of Imperial's finest following some lizard-looking guy called Desann, Dark Jedi or not. I bet he couldn't deal with them the way Kyle does, why even protecting him, kinda looks all the way silly. I mean, those Stormtroopers are still capable of self-thinking.

    **The Bottom Line**
    Great game with easy interface and equal advantages for either computer or console, not too short, with variety of locations, things to do, hordes of enemies to deal with, and puzzles to keep you focused. Would seem like a great miss not to have it in thy collection.
  • Xbox · by MAT (240759) · 2012

    [ View all 13 player reviews ]

    Trivia

    1001 Video Games

    Star Wars Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast appears in the book 1001 Video Games You Must Play Before You Die by General Editor Tony Mott.

    Cutscenes

    Many of the 'combat action' displayed in cutscenes (and at one point watching the young Jedi train), including a moment with Luke Skywalker, are not pre-determined and are done somewhat more randomly via the AIs. What this means is that no two cutscenes are alike... and even though you may have seen it before, it will probably happen differently the next time. This is notable because sometimes unintentionally humorous and anti-climatic results occur (aka the AI doing something stupid).

    This excludes the pre-rendered video files (usually of spaceships and exterior views) used within the game.

    Information also contributed by WildKard

    Analytics

    MobyPro Early Access

    Upgrade to MobyPro to view research rankings!

    Related Games

    Star Wars: Jedi Knight - Jedi Academy
    Released 2003 on Xbox, Windows, Macintosh...
    Star Wars: Jedi Challenges
    Released 2017 on iPhone, iPad, Android
    Star Wars Pinball
    Released 2019 on Nintendo Switch, 2020 on Luna
    Jedi Knight
    Released 1980 on TRS-80
    Star Wars: Jedi - Survivor
    Released 2023 on Windows, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series
    Star Wars: Jedi Knight - Bundle
    Released 1998 on Windows
    Star Wars: Jedi Knight - Collection
    Released 2021 on PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch
    Star Wars: Jedi Knight - Collection
    Released 2009 on Windows

    Related Sites +

    • Fight the Dark Side
      An Apple Games article (archived on the author's webpage) about the Macintosh version of Jedi Outcast, with commentary being provided by Aspyr Media President Michael Rogers (August, 2002).
    • Jedi Knight 2 files
      Almost all major Jedi Outcast maps, skins and mods can be found here including Jedi Academy files.
    • NZMac Review
      A (largely) unscored but positive review of the Macintosh version of the game by NZMac, a New Zealand Apple site (Jan. 01, 2003).

    Identifiers +

    • MobyGames ID: 6073
    • [ Please login / register to view all identifiers ]

    Contribute

    Are you familiar with this game? Help document and preserve this entry in video game history! If your contribution is approved, you will earn points and be credited as a contributor.

    Contributors to this Entry

    Game added by Alexander Schaefer.

    Macintosh added by Corn Popper. Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4 added by Kam1Kaz3NL77. GameCube, Xbox added by Kartanym.

    Additional contributors: Raphael, Unicorn Lynx, Solid Flamingo, naula, Zeppin, Rik Hideto, FatherJack.

    Game added March 31, 2002. Last modified January 22, 2024.