Review of Star Wars: Jedi Knight II - Jedi Outcast

Following up to the first Jedi Knight was not going to be easy. It had it all, and it was all very accomplished. This does an amazing job, even if it doesn't reach it all the way(what could?). The plot is pretty good, if perhaps not the *most* original ever, and it features something of an inconsistency(another reviewer comments on this, too) with Star Wars canon. There are many different areas in the SW universe, all rather nicely done. Level design/LOD are great, if not quite as expertly done as that of the first, but there are definitely some marvelous things to be found... these include switches and such that you activate with your Force Powers, a vehicle or two(not spoiling the surprise in this review), and more. Difficulty settings are fairly well-done, if parts of the game seem overly challenging regardless of which you play on. The boss enemies are fun, for one immediately obvious reason, but the explanation behind them(and thus, how compelling a presence they are) just doesn't measure up to that of the first... even if there are far, far more of them. Graphics(the engine is a modified version of that of Quake III) are absolutely *gorgeous*. Blaster fire, the levels, the *Lightsabers*... oh my. This helps make the fact that the cut-scenes are now(as opposed to the live-action of the first) almost entirely engine-based(supplemented with a handful of CGI-sequences) easier to accept, as does the reasonable cinematography and range of animations, and the flawless programming of both. AI is magnificent, enemies behave realistically throughout, if the range could have been better. Sound and music are excellent, throughout, wide range of both and the quality is top-notch all the way. The game-play is entertaining, and that is an(but not the only one) aspect where this really lives up to the first(and at times surpasses it... although there are parts of this that are surpassed by the first). Both as a straight FPS and as third-person-action, the game is an *enormously* fun time in the SW galaxy. The Single Player portion is of adequate length, and is of high quality throughout, nothing seems tacked on. Almost everything in the game is fully developed. The Lightsaber is almost perfect. The power of it, the deflection... in this game, their appearance closer resemble those of the new trilogy of films, at least in part due to the release of the first of them having been to the theaters when they were making it. The swings are also far more effective and fast(again, with the release of Episode 1). I'm still not a fan of the throwing(and it gets to be downright common, here), but they kind of had to have it, after it appeared in Mysteries of the Sith. This time around(in Single Player), more of the game passes before you get your saber, and, well, let's just say, it wasn't by accident the demo(which is very much worth playing, by the way, and not just to see if you'll like the full game, either) had you starting out with it(although the level where you get it is... worth fighting your way to). The saber duelling... that's a tough one. Allow me to make a deduction, based on what I've seen of it in games(which, admittedly, is not that much, but maybe there just isn't all that much of it)... fencing, sword-fighting, in games that aren't exclusively dedicated to it, has to somewhat decide between which it's going to be more of... freedom, fun and swift movements, or strategy, effectiveness and, to a degree, realism. The latter group is, for example, the first two Prince of Persia games, and both this and the third game(where the focus still laid largely laid in the second of the two categories) of that series attempt for a mix... in the case of both, the result is that you can hack and slash away effortlessly and, more by chance than anything else, take out boss enemies and other players. In this game, there is still an unmistakable requirement of skill, if nothing or nowhere else, then when you face multi-player foes that are superior, and possibly a boss enemy or two, as well. But it won't look like those scenes in the films. In every other case, the Lightsaber, and just about everything in the entire game, does look right, however. One or two things don't look exactly right, but that's it. The weapons are another success story. Unlike that of the first, where it was more or less of a sporadic nature which did and which didn't, here, *every* weapon has an alternate fire mode. Said secondary fire tends to be remarkably useful, too. Not all from the first game return, but I'm not sure there's a single FPS armory need that isn't covered. Nothing gets phoned in this. Multiplayer is... what can I say? 'Addictive' may be the word(and bot supported). In addition to the main ones(FFA, Team FFA and CTF), there are some interesting(and entertaining!) playing modes... Duel, Holocron FFA and Jedi Master. The first one is self-explanatory... saber fights, one on one, in kind of a tournament. The second is FFA, Free For All, but with all the Force Powers in Holocrons(cubes you can pick up) in the level, and every player starts without any. Last, but by no means least... Jedi Master. There's a Lightsaber at one point in the level. Pick it up, and you're Jedi Master. Full level of every Force Power, and the saber as your only weapon. Only the Master can earn points, and killing him releases the Jedi weapon of choice for other players to pick up. The Force Powers really rival said blade in joy-bringing... they're awesome, well-done, well-rounded, with little to no exception. They get more powerful as the game progresses, in set order and pace, but this works well. You also get to use both sides, in SP. I recommend this to fans of Star Wars, action games and FPS. 7/10