Star Wars Jedi Knight 2: Jedi Outcast
by LucasArts Entertainment

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Video Game Reviews of Star Wars Jedi Knight 2: Jedi Outcast

Customer Review: A Worthy Sequel, but lacking overall. 3½ Stars.
Summary: 3 Stars

Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast is set nine years after Jedi Knight, making it 14 years after the fall of the Empire at Endor, and Kyle has abandoned his Jedi heritage after nearly killing Mara Jade at the Sith temple on Dromund Kaas when he fell to the Dark Side. Still working for New Republic Intelligence, he and Jan stumble across an Imperial Remnant base that appears to be growing gem-like crystals- similar to the ones found in lightsabers. It turns out that a fallen Jedi and the Remnant are attempting create a Force-using army by combining the crystals and the Force. The first couple of levels are also painfully dull and the goals are often poorly defined. After encountering the fallen Jedi Desann, Jan is murdered by Desann's apprentice, Tavion. Secretly, Kyle flies to Rusaan- the secret location of the Valley of the Jedi. There is reasserts his connection to the Force. Reluctantly Kyle must reclaim that which he abandoned, traveling back to Yavin IV, he meets with Luke Skywalker in order to retrieve his lightsaber. At the Yavin academy, Kyle relearns his basic Force abilities in a test devised by Luke before traveling to Nar Shadda to begin his search Desann and the Reborn.

Game play is much improved over Jedi Knight in many areas, not least of which is lightsaber combat, which is now handled almost exclusively in the third-person view. I had misgivings about this, but having tried it out, I see that it's much better- allowing for greater control and freedom of action during duels. Graphics are not through the roof 'awesome', but very clean and exceptionally well detailed. I have a ATI Radeon 9700 Pro video card, so I guess I expect all new games to be earth-shattering in their visual appeal. Raven did pay close attention to lightsaber duels from the Phantom Menace- giving the ones in the game a distinct cinematic feel, especially when view from a distance in multi-player. Mostly the game is fluid- the visuals flow nicely and Raven manages to overcome one of the Quake III: Arena engine's short comings by producing attractive vistas, whether indoors or out, everything has the right Star Wars-zy feel and look to it.

Weapons range from Kyle's Bryar pistol, E-11 blaster rifle, Bowcaster and Repeater Rifle, plus new additions like the Tenloss disrupter, which can disintegrate distant targets in sniper mode, an EMP gun for dispatching droids and other electronic devices, a flechette cannon which is just a knock-off of the flack cannon from Unreal Tournament, plus a rocket launcher. Kyle also has access to munitions like thermal detonators, laser trip mines (a la Duke Nukem), and detpacks that can be blown by remote control. All three explosives and the rocket launcher do far more damage than their small, wimpy explosions would indicate. An additional weapon that Kyle carries that I really liked are the portable sentry gun- a cannister that once dropped deploys a blaster turret and begins shooting enemies within its range. Players also get macrobinoculars, bacta canisters for healing, and light amplification goggles. Plus you will find no end of shield and health power-ups through out the levels. One of the game's down sides is that it is difficult to tell when you're being shot- there are no accompanying green flashes or sizzling sound effects as your personal shields take a beating

The game ships with 10 multi-player maps, customizable Force powers to fine-tune your character. You can even play games without the Force, though it tends to favor the dark side powers. Multi-player games include standard death matches, capture the flag, king of the hill where only one play has a lightsaber and Force powers and it's up to everyone else to deal with it, capture the ysalamiri (the Jedi Kryptonite creatures care of Mr. Zahn). One of the down sides in single-player missions is Raven split Kyle's Force powers between the Light and Dark side. He can throw lightning and choke someone, but no longer has Force Seeing and Protection- two powers that were, in my opinion, instrumental in the first game. I didn't like the addition of Dark Side powers that seemed to be there just to satisfy those players who think the Dark Side is 'kewl'. Raven also has the Outcast version of its Q3 Radiant level builder and other tools, like script managers etc. for creating single and multi-player levels.

This is an o-kay game. It didn't completely suck me in like Jedi Knight did, but it is a worthy successor. It lacks the impact of Kyle's momentous decision between Light and Dark nor is the story as epic. And strangely, the feel is closer to that of the original Dark Forces than it is to Jedi Knight. Plus it suffers a little too much from console hell like Dino Crisis, where on some levels you must find the key to open the door in order to get to the next key to open the next door. It has some nice animated full-motion video, but nothing like the live action scenes that added so much to Jedi Knight. It is also a hard game- get used to not completing later maps on the first try even on easy 'Padawan' setting, plus some of the jumping can be a little frustrating. I waited a long time for this game and I'm glad I wasn't completely disappointed.

Description of Star Wars Jedi Knight 2: Jedi Outcast

LucasArts is developing Jedi Outcast in partnership with Activision's critically acclaimed Raven Software. Players assume the role of Kyle as they employ a unique mix of weapons, Force powers, and the lightsaber in both single- and multiplayer modes. Jedi Outcast features expanded and enhanced use of the lightsaber, with new attack and defense moves. Tap into the powers of the Force, including jump, push, Jedi mind tricks, and more. Employ combat or stealth, depending on the situation. When a fight is necessary, be at the ready with an arsenal of weapons: stun baton, Bryar blast pistol, and blaster rifle to name but a few.

Explore breathtaking Star Wars locales such as Cloud City, the Jedi Academy on Yavin 4, Nar Shaddaa, the smugglers' moon--plus some never-before-seen locations. Multiplayer options include deathmatch, saber-only deathmatch, and team capture the flag.

Action Games

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• Simulation