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A long time ago, in a galaxy far far
away… these immortal words launched perhaps the best science fiction movie ever made
– Star Wars. Through 3 movie sequels, countless books, mountains of merchandising and
numerous computer games, the innate influence and appeal of the Star Wars universe has
been unwavering.
Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast captures the look, feel, and atmosphere of the Star Wars
universe with uncanny accuracy. Short of being born with a high midiclorian count,
playing JKII is the closest us mere mortals can come to joining the epic struggle between
the empire and rebellion forces.
JKII continues the story of Kyle Katarn, the hero from Jedi Knight: Dark Forces I & II.
After saving the valley of the Jedi in Dark
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Forces II, Kyle renounces his Jedi status and
returns to the life of a mercenary who assists the rebellion in subterfuge against the empire. On one of his missions, Kyle unearths a diabolical plot
to infuse empire troops with the force.
After uncovering some evidence of this plot, Kyle’s female companion is kidnapped. Kyle then
returns to the valley of the Jedi to regain his Jedi powers, save his companion and thwart
the rise of an army of force-infused empire soldiers.
JKII is based on the Quake III engine, and looks fantastic. Unfortunately, the first few levels
play as a standard, albeit difficult, FPS, with Star Wars décor. The real fun begins when Kyle
meets star wars uber-Jedi, Luke Skywalker, and regains his lightsaber and force powers.
The lightsaber and force powers are really the crux and fun of the game. As Kyle advances in
the game, his force / lightsaber prowess and expertise increase. Force powers include the ability
to push and pull objects, heal yourself, cast that cool emperor-lighting, use Jedi mind tricks,
force grip, speed and jump. For example, early in the game, limited “force push” power would
allow kyle to push one storm trooper to the ground. Later in the game with advanced force powers,
Kyle can enter a room and slam a group of storm troopers against a wall, then carve them up
with the trusty lightsaber.
Using force powers in different combinations is one aspect that sets JKII apart from other
current FPS’s. Use of the different force powers is essential to solving many of the puzzles
in JKII. Simply hacking through a mob of angry storm troopers, though supremely satisfying,
will not lead to much progress in the game. When not solving puzzles with the force powers,
they can be used to eliminate the enemy in creative ways. A favorite use of the force power
is to force grip and lift an enemy, move him over ledge in midair, then release. Another
good use of the force powers is to block the laser shots of the storm troopers with the
lightsaber right back at them. Pushing a group of imperial officers off a ledge is an instant
classic PC video gaming moment.
Of course there are tougher enemies that lowly storm troopers and imperial officers.
The “reborn” imperial troops have Jedi powers and lightsabers. Fighting these “reborn”
in a lightsaber vs. lightsaber duel is worth the game price alone. After winning one
of these duels I find myself reloading the fight over and over, just to continue fighting
an evil Jedi with a lightsaber. The graphics are flat out incredible, and the sounds are
the same effects from the Star Wars movies, from the crackle of 2 lightsabers meeting,
to the pneumatic swish of doors being opened, John Williams’s score, and the actual voice
of Billy Dee Williams playing the Lando Calrissian role.
One minor flaw in the game is the cut scenes. While they serve to advance the plot, the graphics
in these cut scenes are surprisingly lackluster. These graphics are especially weak when the
characters are shot in close-up dialogue. This may be considered nit-picking, but way too many
teeth are shown in the scenes, and the whole look is awkward and unbelievable.
The game itself is difficult, though certainly playable. The artificial intelligence of the
computer enemy is surprisingly good, and those unfamiliar or non-proficient with FPS’s may
find themselves using the re-load feature often and early, even on the default difficulty
setting. The enemy will even say “surround him” and the troops will actually surround Kyle,
attacking from all directions. In the early levels, before Kyle regains his lightsaber,
ammunition is in very short supply, so having a heavy trigger finger will lead to an early demise.
Once Kyle earns his lightsaber at the Jedi academy, it is certainly the weapon of choice,
though other weapons come in handy from time-to-time. The best of the rest is certainly the
disruptor rifle, which not only evaporates an adversary on a molecular level, but also has a
handy sniper scope to hone in on an enemy from far away. Very cool. Other weapons include the
standard storm trooper rifle, a flack gun, thermal detonators, trip mines, concussion rifle,
wookie bowcaster and an “imperial repeater” (machine gun). All weapons have two modes of fire.
The adventures JKII take Kyle to such exotic locales such as the aforementioned Jedi academy,
the cloud cities of bespin, a mining facility on an outer rim planet and various imperial
installations and space ships. All settings capture the grandeur of the Star Wars universe
with dazzling graphics.
Simply put, Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast is a spectacular PC video game. All those who ever
had an interest in Star Wars should play this game immediately. Look for JKII to win multiple
awards in the end of the year “best of” polls – it is that good.
Sliceboy's Rating:
4.5 out of 5 Planets
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