Star Wars Jedi Knight: Dark Forces 2 (Jewel Case)
by LucasArts Entertainment
|
Our Price: $18.99 Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Buy Used: from $4.99 (click here) Category: Video Games See more product details |
|---|
Video Game Reviews of Star Wars Jedi Knight: Dark Forces 2 (Jewel Case)
Customer Review: Jedi Knight II - Dark Forces
Summary: 5 Stars
This is a very well designed game with interesting and detailed spaces for your character to explore. There are 20 levels with increasing levels of difficult. Highly interesting and addictive.Customer Review: Where The Magic Began
Summary: 5 Stars
I got this game when it was first release, and it was the best Star Wars game that was ever released at that time. The story is very compelling and Kyle Katarn really has become a hero in the Star Wars universe, and one of my favorite characters of the expanded universe. This story is one of the best there is for a Star Wars video game. I HIGHLY recommend all Star Wars fans get this game, you really are missing out if you don't have it!Customer Review: Gaming As A Jedi Began Here...
Summary: 4 Stars
There were a couple of "Star Wars" games that allowed your character to use a lightsaber (mainly the NES and SNES trilogy-based games), but this was the first to get it right. It's true that "Jedi Outcast" and "Jedi Academy" and "Revenge of the Sith" have put the animations and techniques in this game to shame, but this game still holds very well as an FPS. So while this game is a rookie in the ways of lightsaber school, it's still a very good game.
The character of Kyle Katarn was first introduced in "Dark Forces", an FPS that resembles the "Star Wars" bent on "Doom". This sequel to that 1995 classic, Katarn is given more depth. For the first few levels, you will play as the mercenary shooting his way in-and-out of trouble. The fourth level, which is the return to Katarn's family home leads to a special treasure...the lightsaber! This is actually a nicely-handled gaming mechanic, and probably made all of us gamers jump out of our seats when we got our hands this weapon!
The Force Powers aren't as deep as say "Knights of the Old Republic", and probably not as practical as in the sequels to this game, but they are fun to use and not complicated at all. That's what makes this game great. This is a game for anybody into "Star Wars" or FPS games. You don't need to worry about RPG-like levelling up or "Resident Evil" puzzles (though, there are some brain-teasers thrown in for good measure).
The story is actually still one of my favorites in the video game universe of "Star Wars". Seven Dark Jedi search for the Valley of the Jedi, which will give infinite power to the one who unlocks the secrets. The acting in the full-motion-video cutscenes is not phony or forced at all. It's not Shakespeare, but it's better than "Attack of the Clones."
There's some decent multi-player for some deathmatch lovers, and the level design in this game is pretty good. You'll breeze through this game in about 12 hours, but you'll love almost every minute of it! Almost...
Which brings me to the cons:
This was the first game to ask the player to manage Light Side and Dark Side powers. If you shoot civilians or choose to use Dark powers, Kyle Katarn will become evil. The same goes for the Light Side - save civilians and choose neutral powers.
However, this concept is severely imbalanced. After the 14th mission (which there are 21), your prior actions will determine whether you are an honorable hero, or a sadistic villain. Choosing the Light Side will give you practical powers, more cutscenes, and a much better ending (not to mention that it matches the sequels to this game). But choosing the Dark Side will give you powers that are cruel and very amusing, but don't really have much use against the Dark Jedi that remain in the game. Also, you're gonna be short-changed on about 8 cutscenes, and then find an albeit good ending that isn't nearly as awesome as the Light Side finale.
Other than that imbalance, I highly recommend this game to action gamers and "Star Wars" fans. "Star Wars" games haven't always lived up to the franchise, but this game hasn't lost much of its entertainment value since 1997.
DARK FORCES CHRONOLOGY
"Star Wars: Dark Forces" (PC 1995...avoid the PSone port!)
"Star Wars: Jedi Knight - Dark Forces II" (PC 1997)
"Star Wars: Jedi Outcast - Jedi Knight II" (PC 2001) and
(Cube/X-Box 2002)
"Star Wars: Jedi Academy" (PC 2003) and (X-Box 2004)
Customer Review: A must-have for any FPS fan!
Summary: 5 Stars
I'll say right from the outset that I'm not a really huge Star Wars fan, though I did enjoy the films. But I am a first-person-shooter fan going way back to Wolfenstein 3D, and I know my FPSs and I know outstanding level design. Jedi Knight: Dark Forces 2 has some of the best level design and by far the most memorable locations of any FPS I've ever played. Please don't confuse this with graphical splendor. Back in 1997 I was stunned at how good this game looked. Now it's 2005 and I've just now decided to play it again. And while the graphics do look ancient compared to modern games, I cannot describe what a rush it is to visit these old familiar 'places'. The sense of 'place' is so powerful, I felt like I was visiting real places I had actually been to before. It was like re-visiting real places instead of virtual ones. Look folks, if you are a graphics junkie, you've really got no business playing any game older than 3 or 4 years old. But if gameplay is your thing, this is your game. The levels are absolutely VAST. I have never in my life felt such vertigo when playing a game. And that includes all modern ones. As far as inducing vertigo goes, this game has never been challenged. Even Jedi Outcast and Jedi Academy don't come close to matching this game's dizzying heights (or vast distances). The 'puzzles' are really quite logical and fit right into the game. Playing an old game like this is akin to watching an old movie. Sure, the technology is old, but the heart is still there, and both old and new can be enjoyed equally if you can accept each on its own terms. Replaying Jedi Knight: Dark Forces 2 has been a real treat for me. I just can't believe I waited 8 years to do it! Also, for reference, it runs superbly at its highest settings on my Windows XP w/ SP2, Athlon XP 2600+ with 1 gig ram, and an NVidia 6600GT w/ 128 video ram. Using a Logitech optical mouse and am have absolutely no control or video issues. In-game settings: 1600 x 1200 resolution, checked the box for 3D acceleration and turned on every option there is, including entering '32' in the 'Minumum Texture Size' box and checked the box for 'Back Buffer In System Memory'. Also increased view size to just short of maximum. Only problem I'm having is manually saving the game by exiting out to the save menu. When I save the game that way, the game will crash to desktop, but the save DOES work, so I just re-load the game and in 10 seconds I'm going again. QUICKSAVE however, works without a hitch, so that's what I use most of the time. Also, each time I start the game, I have to set the graphics options...annoying, but nothing to it, and well worth the small hassle to enjoy this game at its highest settings on a modern computer. Aside from the manual save glitch, it's VERY stable on my rig. I can play for hours with not a single visual problem. There are very few 'classic' games that run this well on a modern WinXP rig.Customer Review: A classic...in it's time....
Summary: 3 Stars
This is a review for Dark Forces II: Jedi Knight. Amazon.com is grouping all the 'Jedi Knight' games together which is a huge mistake, because all of them are very different.
There is at least a five-year gap between Jedi Knight and its sequel, Outcast. In this game, Kyle Katarn learns about his force heritage and must battle 7 Dark Jedi led by Jerec for control of the Valley of the Jedi. In all honesty, while this game was hailed as a classic and received many 'game of the year' awards during its initial release, it hasn't aged well. Most polygon-based shooters dont, and it's somewhat painful to look back on the rudimentary character models and textures (though the basic level design itself is still top notch). Outcast also improved on everything that Jedi Knight brought to the table, including a better lightsaber combat system and better implementation of force powers. I won't deny that the game was an absolute blast to play through years ago, but nostalogic value alone doesn't make this one worth picking up.
What DOES make it worth picking up though, is that the game featured an intricate story told through cutscenes with live actors. Everyone is shot on a bluescreen, sure, but the acting is mostly up to Star Wars standards, and it's worth buying to unlock all the cinemas and watch this cool Star Wars footage.
As a game, there's really no reason to pick up the original Jedi Knight anymore, but if you're interested in viewing the cutscenes, then this is an absolute must-have. I'm giving this game 3 stars because 5 stars, what it was worth upon original release, doesn't accurately represent the game today.