EBC Gamer Lounge:
Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast
Part of the EBC Review Lounge Series
Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast
Part of the EBC Review Lounge Series
Ah, Star Wars, my favorite sci-fi fandom ever. Whenever I see the first movie's opening crawl and hear that familiar orchestral song, I know I'm in for a new and exciting ride, even though I've seen it at least a dozen times since I was five and have all the toys from when I was younger collecting dust. And you know what I'm talking about if you've seen the movie, as I'm sure many of you have. It's not the deepest or grandest sci-fi anything in the world (although the original trilogy got some good themes going, but then...you'll see when I write my op-Ed on the Star Wars prequels and sci-fi and general.) But as pulse-pounding fun, action, and escapism, hardly anything except George Lucas's other action-adventure, Indiana Jones (around which I used to base my whole NS persona) even comes close to the original Star Wars.
Anyway, my point is, I think a lot of fans imagined themselves as a Jedi, strong with the force and unparalleled in their skills with a lightsaber, or as Han Solo, blasting your way across hyperspace with the most awesome sidekick ever. OR, if you're like me, you probably said, "Why can't we have both?" and thought about being a Jedi who can effortlessly slice people in half and make a clean headshot with a blaster.
If you wanted to be any of those things, then Raven Software's first person shooter Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast is for YOU! And it's available for Mac and PC, embracing both sides of the debate, as more games should.
h43r:The story starts with you as Kyle Katarn, once a spy for the Rebel Alliance, which is now the New Republic after defeating most of the Galactic Empire following the events of Episode VI. You then go with your pilot partner Jan Ors at the direction of the Republic's head, Mon Mothma, to figure out what the remnant of the Empire is up to on a remote planet.
From the start, you will notice that Jedi Knight II, for a ten year old game, looks terrific. The environments have great textures that look very Star Wars, the frame rate is silky smooth, and the level design allows for engaging firefights and set pieces that you'll remember for a long time. There is some graphical tearing on a couple of weapons when you're not moving and there are problems with the facial animation in cutscenes, which are lower quality than the game engine graphics, and can't be skipped. But all that is forgotten when you hear the "bzzzt" of a lightsaber or blasters firing because the sounds are also faithful to the Star Wars license.
On to gameplay. Most of the controls are pretty standard shooter fare- WASD to move, mouse to look, left mouse to shoot, etc., aside from a few keys for Force powers that you'll remember and a few for alternate firing modes and inventory items that you'll forget. You can also switch first to third person with the P key. I recommend playing in first person for a less spastic camera that isn't weirdly zoomed out, better aiming, and a more immersive experience; the game will, however, automatically put you in third person when using a lightsaber, which I turned off in settings.
You will wield a formidable arsenal of blaster pistols, blaster rifles, heavy repeaters, Wookie bowcasters, thermal detonators, etc. all at the same time, and they are all really powerful and fun to play around with, but what makes this game stand out is the use of your lightsaber and Force powers when working in conjunction with the other weapons. (Set the number of slow motion enemy deaths to excessive for an overdose of awesome.)
And you will NEED to use all of them creatively, because the enemy AI is far ahead of its time and makes you think on your feet by taking cover, attacking en masse, throwing detonators, and doing everything else possible to stop you. If you're not careful, your shields and health will be shredded while low on ammo, although thankfully there are carryable canisters of Bacta healing juice, instant-use health packs, and shield energy and ammo refill stations. This makes every fight throughout the approximately ten hour long campaign feel fresh and exciting without being too frustrating. (A good thing too, because multiplayer is dead so the campaign is all you're going to get.)
The few problems come from the story and some gameplay elements. The story overall is pretty good, has good cameos from movie characters, and does a solid job of linking together all the various firefights. But I never really got invested in Kyle because he pulls off roguish and cocky well, but he is no Han Solo because he never seems to show a soft side, and a wise Jedi Master he is certainly not. Also, the dialogue is passable but stilted. This becomes annoying when you die and have to replay unskippable cutscenes several times, which you certainly will on anything more than easy. But I only died a few times from actual combat. How I wish that wasn't the case.
You know why shooters nowadays have checkpoints (which this game gives out sparingly) and objective arrows, and usually (unless they pull it off really well like in Portal) don't put jumping puzzles in? It's because otherwise many players (myself included) want to tear their hair out from clearing out all the enemies in two minutes, wandering around for half an hour trying to figure out where to go or what to do next, consulting a walkthrough, feeling like an idiot, and then feeling even MORE like an idiot when they miss a critical jump, fall to their death, re-watch a cutscene, replay an hour of progress, and then compulsively save every ten seconds after that.
But these problems, many and frustrating though they probably will be for "new school" gamers, are all minor in the grand scheme of things for me. The shooting and Force and lightsaber side of the gameplay is extremely fun and the adventurous, action packed, heart-pounding Star Wars feel is laid on lovingly, so if you can get over minor annoyances too, this game is a must for any Star Wars or first person shooter fan.
My Rating: ***1/2
Exasperating cutscenes and puzzles grate, but Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast is an amazing game that has stood the test of time and will greatly entertain players of all stripes.
P.S.: I know I said I would review all six Star Wars games available on the Mac App Store, but I only managed to get Jedi Outcast, The Force Unleashed, and Empire at War. I thankfully did not stress my wallet more after each took 24 hours to download with several errors over my slow download connection. I will review those two on the 7th and 8th, and then BioShock, NOVA 3, and Prey on the 9th-11th, and my aforementioned op-Ed on the 12th.
