Star Wars Jedi Knight: Dark Forces II

"Be thy with the light side or the dark side of the force?"

When I first got my computer, this was one of those games that I just couldn't wait to get my hands on. I had heard many positive reviews about Jedi Knight, plus I am a huge Star Wars fan. Needless to say, I was psyched.

The continuing adventures of Kyle Katarn has him delving into his past while unlocking his future. In his journeys, you take him from a good-natured, tough-talking, mercenary to a bad-assed, take-no-crap, Jedi Master.

Graphically, the game has some high points and some low points. The polygons for the characters are rather slim, which gives them triangular hands, feet, heads, ect. However, the skins are bright, vibrant, and well detailed. A nice trade-off in my opinion. There are also some nice cinema scenes to move the story along.

In the sound department, we got your usual array of Star Wars music and effects. The music is arranged very nicely and goes well with scripted points in the game. My only complaint is the dubbing for the cinema scenes is horrible, almost to the point of a Jackie Chan flick.

The control scheme is well laid out, giving you a wide variety of control types and interfaces. I had no problems using the mouse, keyboard and Side Winder pad all at once.

As with the previous game, the level design is where the game really shines. The levels are huge! I mean, when you look off the narrow side of a building you're edging your way across, you get a sense of vertigo. Very well done.

There are lots of little secrets to find in the game. Most notable is a cameo from another Lucas Arts game. On top of that, you can download a special level that has you playing as Luke going through Cloud City!

This is an excellent game and I think Lucas Arts best achievement. I only hope they continue with the series, giving us something this fresh every time.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 11/01/99, Updated 07/05/02