Star Wars Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast

"*Ching, Ching, Bzzzz* Ah, the sweet sounds of a lightsaber =)"

Star Wars: Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast, the best Star Wars game I've ever played *In Online Play wise.* In Single Player mode, it's ok, but not excellent. The Online Play is good enough for a purchase! The Lightsabers, oh the lightsabers. The Best part of the game. Online Saber Battles are good enough to make any Star Wars fan drool.

Story - 8/10
I don't quite understand why, after the Emperor was defeated, the Imperials still exist. Besides that, this game has a pretty decent story line. You play as former Jedi, Kyle Katarn, who is now a agent of the New Republic, who will regain his Force Powers and Lightsabers for his latest mission to stop the Imperials and other evil activities.

Graphics - 10/10
Make sure you have a very powerful PC, or this won't be a very good game. If you have the right PC, the game is perfect! The characters are very smooth, the lightsabers are awesome. The animation of the weapons, character's movements, and lightsaber fights are perfect!

Sound - 10/10
As for all Star Wars games, the sound is perfect. The lasers from the blasters are very accurate from the movie, and the sounds of two lightsabers clashing together is perfect as well.

Control/Gameplay - 8/10
It may seem hard, but it's actually quite easy. You move around with W, A, S, and D. You use the mouse to turn your character and to attack. The lightsaber fights are the only tough part, cause you can't just go in clicking to win. You need to jump around, block attacks, and find different Lightsaber combos. Besides that, very easy to play.

Difficulty - 7/10
Where the game falls flat on it's face, and this rating only got a 7! The puzzles in the game are very annoying, and if you don't know what your doing, expect to get lost very easily. Of course, if your playing Online Only, then who gives a crap about the puzzles in Single Player?

Overall - 9/10
With the lightsabers alone, this game would of made a good rating, but with everything in this game, powered by Raven Software's Quake III Engine, it plays smoothly. Using Force Powers, lightsaber duels, gun blasting, and the levels are very accurate to the movies. In the Death Star multiplayer area, the Trash Compactor area in in the level, the room with the Shield Generator where Obi-One *In the first movie* powered down the thing, that's in the movie. It's just perfect!

Recap
Story - 8/10
Graphics - 10/10
Sound - 10/10
Control/Gameplay - 8/10
Difficulty - 7/10
Overall - 9/10

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 05/13/02, Updated 05/13/02