Review: Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast

Game by Raven and Lucasarts

April 18, 2002 -- Review by A.T. Hun

I was nine years old. I was sitting in the theater to see a "real" movie for the first time (no, I don't count "The Aristocats"). I remember being in awe of the massive triangular ship I came to know later as a Star Destroyer as it flew over. From that point on, I was hooked. I had officially become a Star Wars freak. I remember having a long drawn-out debate with a friend after watching The Empire Strikes Back as to whether or not Darth Vader could actually be Luke's daddy. We must have argued back and forth all day.

Most everyone about my age dreamed of flying an X-Wing or battling evil with a lightsaber. I threw many quarters into the ray-trace Star Wars game. About 15 years after seeing A New Hope, Lucasarts and Totally Games let me hop into an X-Wing cockpit and take out the Death Star. X-Wing still stands as one of my all-time favorite gaming experiences.

Lucasarts also gave us Dark Forces and Jedi Knight: Dark Forces II. While both were excellent games and Jedi Knight gave us a lightsaber, actually using the saber was clumsy and difficult. Imagine my joy when I heard that Episode I: Obi-Wan would be addressing that issue! Imagine my frustration when the PC version was axed. My visions of 'saber duels would have to wait.

But not for long. Lucasarts announced that Raven was going to be making Jedi Knight II using none other than the Quake III: Team Arena engine! Rapture! All the previews seemed very positive about lightsaber duels. Not long after it was released, I got it and installed it. The result? Jedi Knight II stands right next to X-Wing as one of the greatest Star Wars gaming experiences ever. Yes, it is that good.

As you play the game, you really feel like you are in the Star Wars universe. It looks like Star Wars and it sounds like Star Wars. There's a cantina where the jukebox is playing the well-known music from Episode IV. There are Imperial (er, Remnant) installations with their typically ridiculously dangerous drops. You can even hop into an AT-ST and blast some stormtroopers. It's all incredibly fun.

All of this would make the game a good shooter. When you add force powers and the lightsaber, the game becomes a classic. Unfortunately at the beginning of the game you start out with neither. Thankfully there are enough cool moments--including taking on some AT-STs while on foot--to keep you going through the first few levels. One you get your first set of force powers and the lightsaber, you will only reluctantly use one of the game's other weapons. It's not that the other weapons aren't cool (although the Disruptor rifle seems more Star Trek than Star Wars), it's just that the lightsaber is so useful, deadly, and just plain fun to wield.

The various lightsaber swings are all tied to movement. For example, strafing left or right and swinging will cause you to make a horizontal swipe. The system is pretty easy to pick up, but somewhat difficult to master. You'll need to practice. Oh, drat :). In an early level you are at the Jedi Academy. You can watch students dueling with each other. I could sit and watch that all day. It's like something out of the movies. Even better, you will be the star of your own movie with every one of the game's duels.

Add to that the force powers. Between those powers and the 'saber, you have an almost infinite array of ways to dispatch enemies. Do I use force push to knock them over and then throw my lightsaber at them? Do I force pull their weapons out of their hands and hack them to bits? Do I use force grip and fling them into a bottomless pit? Do I fire up force speed and do my best Cuisinart imitation? Decisions, decisions! I think the game will have a lot of replay value just in going back and trying to find new ways to hack up stormtroopers.

Multiplayer is not just tacked on. There are several different gametypes to choose from. You can Duel, which is one-on-one lightsaber action a la Rocket Arena. The winner stays, the loser goes back in line. There's CTF and its cousin Capture the Ysalamiri, which keeps the flag carrier from using force powers but also makes him immune to force powers. In Holocron the force powers are scattered around the map. You have to pick them up (and you can only get three) before you can use them. Finally, Jedi Master is like king-of-the-hill. One person has the lightsaber and all force powers maxed. Only he can score frags. Everyone else must kill him with standard weapons to become the new Jedi Master.

Server operators can choose whether or not to allow the use of force powers and how much ability to give everyone. They can choose to remove all weapons and only use lightsabers. If you don't have a reliable Internet connection, the game includes and array of bots, all with different skills and tendencies.

The main gripes I've heard about the game are: 1) some of the puzzles are too puzzling, 2) some of the force powers (particularly push, pull, and drain) are too powerful in multiplayer. Some of the puzzles are a bit, um, forced in places (no pun intended). Thankfully, the folks at Raven have posted strategy hints on JediKnightII.net for the most perplexing bits. Those problems were not enough to be terribly frustrating. As another reviewer put it: if you can't figure out where to go, look for a grate to smash out.

The second gripe is going to be heard from new players a lot. For every force power, there is a counter. Force drain can be countered by absorb. Even force push and pull can be countered: just be still! Be patient, and give yourself time to learn. If you just go rushing in with a blaster or with the 'saber swinging frantically, you will be cut to ribbons in no time. Practice against bots or watch online to learn some good dueling tactics. Before you know it, you'll be smacking 'em around like Obi-Wan.

Since I'm a Star Wars freak, I really wanted to like this game. Of course, that also means that I would be very hard on it. I have to say that Jedi Knight II is probably the most fun I've ever had with a first-person shooter. It's not as revolutionary as Half-Life, but for me it was a lot more enjoyable. The Quake III: Team Arena engine is pushed to its limits and is rock-solid and stable. You are a Jedi Knight. You've got the force. You've got a lightsaber. Do I really need to say anymore?

My final score? A perfect 10 out of 10. I've already played through the game twice and am seriously considering playing through it again right away. When I'm not playing single player, I'm playing multiplayer. All of my other games are going to be gathering dust for a while. If you like shooters and you like Star Wars (and if you don't, you're at the wrong website), you've got to buy this game.