Star Wars Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast

"It's worth buying just for the "Force Grip" factor."

I read the reviews, heard the low-down, and I decided to buy. Here's the scoop on what is, quite possibly, the best Star Wars game ever. Don't let the "best Star Wars game ever" fool you though: most have stunk beyond recognition. Besides - the 20 dollar price tag is more than enough encouragement to invest in a 8 out of 10 game. Trust me: it is definetly a good (and cheap) gift to buy your FPS/action-adventure/Star Wars fanatic/10-year-old relative.

The concept of Jedi Knight 2 is simple: expand on the adventures of Kyle Katarn and his chick Jan and send them on yet another mission concerning the Valley of the Jedi, trying not to make this game a bore. I would say more, but the biggest plot twist happens after the third level, so it would be a spoiler to give it away.

The graphics are pretty bad, to be truthful. Most areas are quite blocky, and the swamp level is so misty. you can barely see where you are going and where you came from. Control panels all look the same, and the ones that are trigger switches are too easy to see compared to the others. Character models resemble ventriloquists. The eyes blink and the mouths move, and there are no ways to tell emotion except for voices and body language, but it is fairly easy to ignore, because the gameplay definetly makes up for it. Weapon detail is excellent, though, and the ability to dismember people with your lightsaber is awesome, even if it happens not too often. One tip is NOT to turn on slow-mo deaths. They get annoying after a while, especially because the camera angle is not the best for it. (5/10)

The sounds are excellent. Voice acting is very well done, music and sounds are Star Wars authentic, and I could spend hours just turning the lightsaber on and off just to hear it. I love hearing the stormtroopers' necks crunch when using Level 3 Force Grip on them. (10/10)

The game is pretty easy to pick up and play. It runs on standard WASD keyboard format, although you can change it if you want. Weapon scrolling is simple if you have a wheel mouse, although ti is okay if you don't. Most of the controls run smoothly. The only problem is your force powers. Cycling them is a chore: most of the time you need them you are in a fight, and when you want to activate them, you hit the "r" key instead of the "f" key and wind up changing your weapon and getting stabbed instead of Force Pushing yourself out of a saber lock. Items are a little hard to cycle with and use too.(8/10)

The game is, overall, pretty good. Force powers are fun to play with, weapons are neat, and multiplayer is the bomb. The game is rather short, however, and sometimes the puzzles can get annoying with frequent deaths and dead-ends. The story is decent, and with rag-doll physics it is pretty cool to Force Push a guy into a wall, and use your Disruptor Rifle to disintergrate him before he can get up. Lightsabers are cool too. Combos are hard to pull off, but with constant button-smashing and with 3 different fighting styles (fast, medium and strong) you can switch on the fly, it is easy to win fights. The level design is diverse, but the puzzles are a little montonous (hit switch, open door, shoot guys inside, rinse and repeat.) The replayability factor is moderatley high, however. I can't get enough of hearing the scream of a stormtrooper plummeting to an early demise. Make sure your computer has at least 216 RAM to play this game, though. (8/10)

Trust me on this one folks. Use Force Lightning and Grip frequently. Always use the E-11 Blaster Rifle, especially with the secondary firing mode. And believe me: it feels great to play a Star Wars game without a Hoth level.
REALLY great.

Bottom Line - 8/10

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 07/14/04