Star Wars: Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy

"May the Force be with you...again"

Jedi Outcast was one of the biggest Star Wars games to come out in a long time. The ability to weild a lightsaber as well as a host of Force powers was too alluring for many would-be Jedis to pass up. However, the game was hampered slightly by jumping puzzles and odd level design. Jedi Academy provides just enough new stuff to be dubbed an expansion, but not quite a true sequel.

Graphics

This is sort of hard for me to review, since I'm so behind the curve in terms of video cards. Though I will say that even with a Geforce 2, this game will run smoothly with a good deal of graphical prettiness. The character models for the hero(ine) of the game aren't very customizable, but you do get a wide range of choices in terms of appearance once you choose your race. The only thing that bugs me is the red Twi'lek...creepy.

Sound

All your favorite tunes are here, with a few new ones to make things interesting. As with the previous game, there are cute sound bites from both your hero(ine) and various enemies throughout the game. Remember the storm trooper conversations? There's more. Yay!

Gameplay

I suppose I should start with the character creation. You have a choice of six different races: female human, Twi'lek, Zabrak, human male, Kel Dor, and Rodian. You can only be a female Twi'lek, by the way, which I found weird since I know I saw a few males in Episode II. Same goes for any other race besides human. You can pick the color of your hero(ine), which translates into some very odd looking Jedi. Then you can choose your outfit and your...head adornments. Trust me, it makes sense when you play. Your final customization is your lightsaber. You don't start off with the twin lightsabers or saber staff (AKA Darth Maul's legacy) right away, so the only thing you choose is the hilt. I really don't get this, since you can't see it during the game anyway, but it's there, so...yeah.

Next up, how it plays. It plays...identical to Jedi Outcast. There's a few more Force powers to bind your keyboard to, but other than that it's pretty much identical in terms of control. The lightsaber movements, on the other hand, have been tweaked slightly, and new animations have been added. Also new are the katas, which are basically extended attacks and animations. In truth, these only work against the computer, since any human player has enough sense to move out of the way till you're done.

More on how it plays. You start out on your way to the Jedi Academy on Yavin 4. The shuttle is shot down (or so you think! Dum dum dum!) and you have to find your way to safety. You'll likely hate Roth, the idiot who acts as your classmate and general jackass. Without spoiling anything, his purpose is to be annoying. Anyway, the first level is just to get you introduced to your lightsaber. You have no Force powers or guns, so the best you can do is slash and throw your saber to deal with enemies. Almost immediately after you're sent into Jedi training and are given a tour of your new Force powers. Thankfully the training is much easier than it was in Outcast. No big jumping puzzles here.

Once you're done with your core training, you're sent right out into the big, bad universe to do some good. You play the game mercenary style, choosing from the basic five missions at first, then more as you progress. You acquire a Force point at the beginning of each mission that you can then use to improve your eight secondary abilities (four light, four dark). Depending on how you allocate your points, the game will unfold slightly differently. Your eight core abilities improve naturally over time, just as in Outcast.

The various levels provide just the right amount of puzzle-solving with less of that 'find the key' crap and more practical stuff. One such puzzle challenges you to get across a lake full of lava...inside a sand steamer. Yes, I know...but it works, dagnabbit. Before each level you get to choose which weapons you want to take, but let's be honest: you'll rarely use anything but your trusty lightsaber. It is nice to be able to pick and choose how you want to arm yourself rather than the game sticking you with certain weapons and letting you find the rest. This is especially true near the end of the game when you can start each level with a rocket launcher.

One thing that might make you love or hate the game is the jumping sequences make a return. One fun level involves you looking for parts for your downed shuttle (those things break apart at the drop of a lightsaber...) in the middle of a desert. If you step on the sand, expect a giant worm to gobble you up. Naturally, you must jump from platform to platform to avoid this fate. In general, there are very few levels that focus entirely on jumping, but like Outcast, sometimes you must take a leap of faith to get where you need to go.

Despite these small flaws, the game remains a fun expansion of Outcast, and one any fan, Star Wars or not, should try out. As a final note, the story isn't exactly spectacular. Sort of on-par with Outcast in terms of plot, which may be good or bad depending on how you liked the first one.

Replay Value

You've got your four basic levels of difficulty, and a more or less branching storyline. It's worth playing through at least twice to try out the different Force powers and sabers, not to mention the various character models. However, we both know the big draw is the online play. One such addition to that particular arena is the 'power duel.' Think Qui Gon and Obi Wan versus Darth Maul. Two players with minimal Force powers against one decked out Jedi Master. Freakin' A. If you were a fan of Outcast, there's no reason whatsoever not to pick up this title.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 09/16/03