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Star Wars Jedi Outcast: Jedi Knight II Review

Chris Leyton

00/12/0000

The latest title in the Jedi Knight series finally arrives, is it the Star Wars game to re-ignite our faith? Find out...

The Star Wars franchise has endured a tough few years since the release of The Phantom Menace and itâs number of derivative spin-offs. Thankfully Jedi Knight: Jedi Outcast isnât based on Episode 1 and so seems to avoid the curse associated with it, and looks to re-establish some of our faith right in time for Episode 2.

For those not in the know Star Wars Jedi Knight 2: Jedi Outcast is the latest in the Jedi Knight series that started with the Dark Forces games. Players once again take on the role of Kyle Katarn, who after the last game has turned his back on the force and the life of a Jedi after being tempted by the dark side. Turning his back on the ways of the Jedi hasnât meant turning his back on the Rebelâs cause, instead Kyle and his colleague Jan Ors spend their time working on reconnaissance missions for the New Republic. The duo are sent on a routine mission to Kejim, where the New Republic has intercepted communiqués coming from what was thought to be an abandoned Imperial listening post on the planet.

Thankfully Jedi Knight 2 employs the best use of the Star Wars license in a very, very long time. Everything about it reeks of the quality that got me excited about Star Wars so many years ago; the story, the dialogue, the level designs, literally everything is so well tied together that you canât help but have a smile on your face as you play.

To begin with the game plays like any normal FPS, with the standard variety of weapons, puzzles and objectives. Progress further into the game and Kyle will have to once again use the Force and the mighty lightsabre. At first the lightsabre interface seems too clumsy and you might have thought that Jedi Knight 2 was going the same way as many other recent Star Wars games. Taking a slash requires you to move in the opposite direction whilst clicking the mouse button, to begin with youâll be doing your best to imitate Yoda on a heavy night out as you fall down chasms and swing wildly at the enemy. However much like youâd expect, practice is rewarded and eventually youâll be swinging it around like a true Jedi, combine that with the impressive selection of Force commands and youâll begin to see why this is the best Star Wars game yet. There are a number of Force commands that become available to you, including Force Jumps, Force Push and Jedi Mind Trick to name but a few, however itâs the way that these are seamlessly integrated into the gameplay that is so amazing. Eventually youâll find yourself pulling the weapons from a Stormtrooper and pushing him over a chasm, chucking your lightsabre at one whilst you push over an oncoming group, youâll literally feel the force swell up inside you within you after a couple of days, no other Star Wars game has come close to replicating this.

Up there with the Force implementation is the authenticity of the presentation, everything that has come from the movies looks faithful, whilst new objects remain authentic to the license. Locations all have that Star Wars feel, even those that the developers have created themselves. However it is the music and sound effects that really help to polish off the captivating experience, be it a droid, a door closing or the music kicking in as a confrontation draws near.

Jedi Knight 2 isnât perfect though; some of the puzzles are too hard whilst their solutions border on the ridiculous. Others will have you hitting your head against the desk, as the solution becomes immediately apparent after a frustrating hour of play. On the whole though the puzzles do little to distract from the games many excellent points.
Regrettably the game is more linear then Iâd have liked and what weâve gotten used to in recent FPS. It would have been nice to stray down your chosen path, be it the light side or the dark side, however there is a strong feeling that you are pushed through the story, of course this enables the developers to implement a strong character led story, however the balance between both could have been better met. Thankfully how you complete each level is pretty much up to you, stealth missions are just as well completed with a gung-ho approach, you just better be good with that blaster. The actual level designs are made of that classic formula, comprising of the right amount of action, puzzles and exploration to ensure youâll find this one hard game to put down.

A variety of multiplayer modes are available including the standard DeathMatch and Capture The Flag. Original modes include the duel mode, in which only two players fight at any time, itâs intense but thereâs too much time in between games for the other players. Capture the Ysalamiri is another interesting idea; each player tries to capture the Ysalamiri, a small lizard that dampens the use of Force powers. A variety of multiplayer only force commands are available, which can be brought before the games start.