Star Wars: Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy

"Good game, but lacking in force."

Ten years after the defeat of the Empire, Luke Skywalker has opened up a school to train others in the ways of the force. This new Jedi Academy is dedicated to restoring the order of Jedi knights and bringing peace throughout the galaxy. However, the peace will have to be earned through battle with the Imperial Remnant, a deadly faction dedicated to reviving the Empire. The main character is Jaden Korr, a promising young person who managed to create his own lightsaber without any formal training.

Gameplay (8/10)- The player starts out by creating Jaden by choosing a race, sex, and outfit. There are more choices than Way of the Samurai, but much less than Morrowind. Hopefully mods will expand upon this, but this is merely a superficial decision. There doesn't seem to be any difference in gameplay between a human and Kel Dor. The next step is creating a lightsaber. This is done by choosing a hilt (the grip) and a blade color. Some hilts are larger than others, though the game doesn't explain the differences between hilts.

There are force powers in this game as well as weapons. There are several different weapons, ranging from laser pistols to 'nade launchers. However, many players have probably seen them all before. Remote and tripwire bombs for example, are a staple of many many FPS games. So they require little explanation. Force powers are divided into Light Side, Core, and Dark Side.

Core powers are used for things like telekinesis (push/pull), jumping, speeding up, lightsaber throw (throw it and it returns to your hand) and Jedi Sense (it's like X-Ray vision). These develop automatically as the game progresses. Light side powers include healing, absorb (absorb enemy force attacks and replenishes the player's force meter), protect (softens all physical damage including fall damage), and Jedi mind trick (confuse the enemy). Dark side powers include the famous force grip (the choke that Vader uses on the admiral in Star Wars), force rage (makes the player stronger in exchange for some health), force drain (suck the enemy's life force), and finally, the famous force lightning (as used by the Emperor in Return of the Jedi).

This combination of mind and firepower takes this player way back to the days of Disruptor, except that the force regenerates on its own rather than having to find something to restore lost force points. Controls are smooth as silk, allowing the player to move as gracefully as a dancer while cutting through enemies like a hot knife through butter. There are different moves as well as different fighting styles that are learned throughout the game. Changing fighting styles in the middle of a fight will surprise the enemy, and will become a valuable tactic later in the game.

Story (6/10)- Why? They have reduced Star Wars to the status of a generic Quake clone with a saturday morning cartoon plot. I'm sorry if I offend anyone, but this was the weakest story since Episode 1. Jaden's lack of a background is partially to blame, but there's also not much going on. The threat to peace feels like just a daily chore and not an epic struggle of good and evil (just like real life!). It feels like one long Jedi 'Training Day'.

It's a day in the life of a Jedi. Wake up, make a saber, save the galaxy again. Without spoiling the end, I can say that there is no parade in the street, no Ewok dancing, fireworks or any festivities. Jaden doesn't even get a love interest (sorry boys and girls). However, seeing as Jedi aren't allowed to love, that's not an issue.

The voices in this game are a mixed bag. Some are really corny, like Jaden and Rosh. Others are very very good, like the voice of Luke. It isn't Mark Hamil, which is really surprising because it sounds alot like him and you would expect it to be him, because he even played himself on the Simpsons! However, the voice double is that good. You may also recognize the voice of one of the villains. She has done voices for many animated series and has a really good range. Her work was truly one of the bright spots in this game.

Music (7/10)- Repetitive. This music is repetitive. Did I say repetitive? It's fun to play a game to the beat of Star Wars, but after you die a dozen times and you have to hear the music start over and over again it gets really repetitive. So don't forget how repetitive it can get.

Graphics (7/10)- I'm sorry, but the graphics look a little dated and blocky. When not in combat, characters move very stiffly when they walk and talk. You may notice a 'skating effect' when they walk, as someone else put it. Compare it to Morrowind, where movement looks completely natural. The faces are a little expressive, but still rather stiff and lifeless. However, it's much better than Morrowind's expressionless faces.

In conclusion, if you're looking for a good Star Wars game, this has potential. This game seems to be a rough 'bare bones' slate for which many mods and expansion packs will be built. It's not there yet. Maybe in its next life. It's a good way to kill a few hours though, and clever players can find ways of challenging themselves (like not using a lightsaber, or using just the light saber or beating it in under 3 hours). It also has multiplayer to add to it replay value, though this consists of gameplay that many looking for the 'MMORPG' experience may not like.

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 09/28/03