Star Wars Episode I: Jedi Power Battles

"Do you want to be a Jedi?"

Wow, why do people hate this game so much? I feel it's one of the best representations of what life as a Jedi Knight is all about! It's fun, imaginative, and a joy to play.

Graphics 7/10: While not the best character models in the world, the graphics score is made up for that fact that combination moves are animated beautifully. Also, the lighting effects and level designs are excellent. There is occasional pixelation in explosions however.

Gameplay 9/10: Intuitive controls. That's all I can say about the control scheme of Jedi Power Battles. There's a button for every type of Jedi move you can think of, there's a block, a swipe, a lunge and an over-head slash. The jumping isn't as hard or as cumbersome as others have posted. It's like any other 3D action game.

Story 6/10: This game's plot is directly tied into The Phantom Menace adding yet another game with that movie's plot. Granted the movie's plot is great but you can only play video games with its plot so many times without wishing for variation. There is a little variation here and there for instance aside from Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon you can play as Mace Windu, Adi Gallia or Plo Koon (three Jedi seen in the movie but not action), but overall its like playing a more arcade-like version of The Phantom Menace.

Difficulty 10/10: All I can say is that this game is hard, even on the easy difficulty setting. Enemies fire their weapons endlessly at you, environmental hazards abound, and the bosses are difficult. Don't play this game if you hate a challenge.

Replayability 9/10: This game offers so much with so little. With five different Jedi to choose from, each with their own strengths and weaknesses, this game never plays the same twice. Plus, every time you max out a character's stats and beat the game with that character, you can unlock either a secret level or secret character such as Darth Maul.

Overall 9/10: This game is great, it has its quirks but overall it's an excellent game. I highly recommend this title to all Star Wars fans, and those who are looking for a challenge. Speaking of challenge, I think that's why this game was never reviewed well. People hate challenge in their video games it seems. Oh well, if you want to be a Jedi Knight, play this game! You won't be disappointed.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 01/13/02, Updated 01/13/02