Gaming Target - Xbox: Star Wars Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast

Written by Nick Doukas on September 07, 2003

Full Review: This weapon is your lifeЕ

As the arena battle on Geonosis erupts all around them, Anakin Skywalker, Obi Wan Kenobi and their Jedi allies have at it with a legion of battle droids, Jango Fett, and several nasty intergalactic beasties. In one particularly stunning shot, Kenobi turns to face the Acklay (one of the aforementioned intergalactic beasties) and a contingent of droids. As the camera frames him, he spins and twirls his Lightsaber in an astounding display of Jedi swordsmanship. Remember that scene? That's Jedi Outcast, last years PC hit now ported with phenomenal results to Microsoft's Xbox. If you've ever wanted to be a Jedi, this is it, a game that truly captures the feeling of being a force to be reckoned with (bad pun alert # 1).

Jedi Knight II is the latest installment in Lucasart's Dark Forces series of games, which debuted back in the mid 90's as an excellent Star Wars FPS. It introduced protagonist Kyle Katarn, a force sensitive Imperial operative turned Rebel spy, and all around scoundrel (think Han Solo with major Jedi moves). Jedi Knight detailed Kyle's ordeal in the Valley of the Jedi, and the destruction of the dark Jedi Jerec. After a close call with the dark side of The Force, Kyle abandoned his Jedi training and returned to his life of mercenary work for the New Alliance. As Jedi Outcast opens, Kyle and his co-pilot Jan Ors are contacted by Mon Mothma. Ordered to investigate an УabandonedФ Imperial base on the planet of Kejim (Outcast takes place eight years after the Empire's defeat at the battle of Endor), Kyle and Jan find that all is not well on Kejim, as Remnant Imperial forces are crawling all over the planet, and fighting to the death to guard the Kejim Base. Before it's all over, Kyle will once again take up his saber, and pit his Jedi skills against powerful enemies, with the fate of the galaxy hanging in the balance.

Jedi Knight II does a fantastic job of immersing you in the Star Wars universe. Every detail is there, from the look of the various locales, to the authentic sounds and classic music; this is pure Star Wars, through and through. You'll have access to numerous authentic weapons and other cool gadgets throughout the adventure, and every blaster battle with Stormtroopers and Imperial officers will have your inner SW geek doing cartwheels (and once you get your Lightsaber and Force powers back, the fun factor flies completely off the scale). Little gems such as the Bryar Pistol (a slow rate of fire, but insanely accurate), the E-11 Blaster Rifle (standard issue for Imperial Stormtroopers), the Wookie Bowcaster (no explanation needed) and numerous others will have you decimating the Empire's minions in no time. Thermal Detonators, Trip Mines, and Detonation packs round out your arsenal nicely, and you'll find a use for everything as Kyle fights his way through 25 levels that span numerous environments. You'll visit familiar Star Wars locales, namely Bespin and Yavin, as well as new worlds, such as the mining facilities on Artus, the aforementioned Kejim, and a mechanical monster called the Doom Giver. The cast of characters is diverse, though amongst the new faces, a few old friends will make an appearance.

Jedi Knight II is well suited to the Xbox controller. Movement is assigned to the Left thumbstick, while the Right is used for adjusting your view. The A button is used to jump, and the X button is used to interact with objects in the game world. The Right trigger handles primary weapons fire, while the Left controls alternate fire. The Back button brings up mission critical info, as well as your Datapad. The B button activates your lightsaber, and is also used to cycle through the three saber combat stances (Medium, Fast, and Strong). The directional pad toggles your weapons, inventory items and Force powers, and clicking down on the Left thumbstick will activate the currently equipped Force power. Clicking the Right stick in will cause Kyle to crouch, which will come in handy during those intense fire fights (ducking to avoid receiving blaster bolts to the face is always a good idea). Finally, the Y button will enable the selected inventory item.

Your HUD (Heads Up Display) is well implemented. The Left status display shows your shield and health levels (besides various Bacta vials and med-packs found scattered about the areas, Shield Power Converter stations can be accessed to replenish your Shield), while the Right shows your weapon ammunition, the strength of your Force powers, and the type of saber combat stance you're currently using. Which brings us to the meat of JK II: Lightsaber combat. Several levels into the game, Kyle returns to his Jedi form. Never before has melee combat been portrayed so flawlessly in a game. You'll be able to spin and flip over your adversary's head, as well as somersault to the left or right, while clashing sabers. Rolling and dodging, backwards attacks (you know, that cool Samurai move where you run your weapon through the target, behind your back, all while looking in the other direction), and all manner of over the top acrobatics are at your fingertips. Force powers such as speed, push, pull, jump and grip will truly give you the feeling of being a powerful master, as you send roomfuls of Stormtroopers reeling and crashing with Force lightning. You'll be able to control your saber using a combination of the analog stick and Right trigger, as well as hurl it at enemies like a boomerang using alternate fire. Each Force power has three rankings, ranging from one to three, and increase in effectiveness as they progress numerically.

In addition to the single player game, JK II allows for multiplayer combat in the Jedi arena. Various iterations of game types are available, as well as certain Force powers that are exclusive to this component. The arena is an excellent place to practice your lightsaber/Force skills, and numerous parameters can be set for each game type. The level of customization is most impressive (bad pun alert #2), and affords gamers a great set up for epic duels. Trust me, you'll spend hours staging insane Jedi battles, and I can't stress enough how perfectly the developers nailed the saber combat. This is as close as you'll ever come to being a Jedi, and man does it feel righteous!!!

Technically, Jedi Outcast is a solid achievement. Excellent textures, smooth, articulated character models, and great weapons animations present a fine graphical package. All of the weapons fire is authentic, and great particle effects and realistic smoke and debris rain down around you during the intense standoffs. Little touches like the scoring your saber leaves on walls and floors, as well as scorch marks created by blaster fire, add gritty realism to the proceedings. The sound is top-notch as well, and every beep, chirp and whistle is lifted directly from the archives at Skywalker Sound. The humming of your lightsaber, the whining ricochet of blaster bolts, and the exotic, coded language of the Imperial Probe droids will draw you into the Star Wars universe at every turn. The music is classic John Williams, as familiar themes swell during the fight sequences, and quiet interludes weave through the lighter moments of exploration. All in all, the game is pure magic that's truly centered in that galaxy far, far away. Jedi Knight II is a triumph for Star Wars fans, and a credit to the Xbox library. Play it now.