Star Wars Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast

"Anyone who owns a Game Cube needs this."

This is my first review, so I hope I hope you find this useful or good.
Anyway, I'll let you know beforehand that if you love lightsabers, Star Wars, and guns, skip this review, and buy the game. On to the ratings:

Story: 9/10
The story here is not too bad. Normally, I do not expect a good story in video games, but JKII has a great story. If you do not know anything about Star Wars, you probably will not enjoy the story as much, but it's still nice. It involves elements of hate, love, revenge, and a few other themes carefully woven into a very nice Star Wars masterpiece. If you are a complete Star Wars buff, raise the score from 9 to 10 because I have inadequate knowledge of previous Star Wars media to really take in all the references fully.

Sound: 9/10
This game is filled with all the great soundtracks from Star Wars films. The lightsaber sounds, blaster fire, et cetera are all realistic. What brings this score down is the seemingly spontaneous moments of sound. I mean, you could just be walking around with no enemies around or events occurring, and all of a sudden a burst of music comes and fades away just as quickly. The voices are all done very well, except for some of the screaming when people fall of an edge.

Graphics: 9/10
Let us put it this way. When you are not too near things, the graphics are just stunning. Nothing is quite like seeing two lightsabers clashing together or seeing dozens of shots being deflected all around a room. You can adore the explosions all around yourself. What bogs this section down is the close-up visuals. The character model faces just look plain old ugly when you have a good look at them. The weapons do not look that great when you examine them. Also, when characters talk, their mouths do not really match, and they sometimes do not move their mouths at all. Other than that, however, the graphics are just fine.

Controls: 10/10
Although awkward when you are just beginning, you can quickly adapt to the controls, and they fit nicely with this game. I like how the Control Stick and C-stick are used for moving around. The Z Button is awesome for the secondary fire because the button is already a little weird to hold down for a little while. The rumble pack adds to the strain to keep from releasing your finger on that button. The D-pad is not the best method of switching weapons, Force powers, and items, but it's the best way for the Game Cube to handle the amount of options.

Game Play: 10/10
THIS is what you bought the game for, and this is where the game really shines. After you learn the controls, you'll have a blast. It mixes puzzles with lightsaber wielding and blaster shooting for a great game experience. The levels are actually hard on Padawan (easy) and Normal. It incorporates platforming techniques well, too. Some may say that the game exaggerates this too much. I admit that a level set in a city is really kind of outrageous, but the game lasts longer that way. Also, you feel like you have accomplished something when you finish the game. The enemy AI of Jedi is good and better than I originally anticipated. The level designs are absolutely amazing, and the places you go are amazing like infiltrating certain places. I do not want to give too much away, so I'll stop here, and give this section its well deserved 10.

Multi-player: 10/10
With another human, this section ROCKS! Of course, you have the expected Deathmatch. It is so much fun slaughtering countless enemy AI while taking on that human. Its maps are awesome, too. I've probably player Death Star over 50 times! Even without a friend, this is awesome. Watch those enemies squirm as you Grip them and throw them to their doom. Team Deathmatch is not as fun, but if you enjoy it, go for it. This game also had a Deathmatch variant in which you pick up Force Powers instead of equipping them before the game begins. This can be a lot of fun. Capture the Flag is also in this game. Depending on who you are, this can either be fun beyond belief or boring as heck. I belong in the former category and when you play this with another human, you can really have some fun. The maps are all really great, too with no real bad ones. Duel is the final good mode in this game. Personally, I do not find it to be as exciting. Here, you have an honest to goodness 1 on 1 match with no interferences. I personally don't like it too much because it's not too hectic, and I'm horrible at it. (You need a completely different strategy here.) Overall, the multiplayer itself is worth buying the game for.

Replayability: 10/10
Let me put it this way. I received this game on Christmas, a little over five months ago. I am very busy with school and activities, and I think that I probably have well over 100 hours on that game. Multiplayer is always worth coming back for. The single player campaign is also worth playing over. It is so long that after a month or so, you will have completely forgotten some of the stuff in the game and will want to play the whole thing again. Plus, the levels are vast and nice to explore. Finally, they are just plain fun to play. When you are done, your head screams for more, but the content is really a lot for a single game.

Rent or Buy: BUY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I rented this game before I bought it, and I regretted that I wasted the $5 renting when I could have easily bought it and had even more experiences with it. If you plan on finishing the game even, you may as well buy it. Without walkthroughs or cheats, most levels can be anywhere from ½ hour to 2+ hours. The game has over 15 levels, so do the math.

Overall: 9.6/10 (rounded to 10/10)
Jedi Knight II is a must-have for any GC owner and/or Star Wars fan. End of story.

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 05/01/05