Star Wars™: Jedi Knight™ II - Jedi Outcast™

This game got the complete package. Very good singleplayer campaign, very good multiplayer and it doesn't end there. With console commands you can basically create your own combat scenarios and get really creative. For example, spawn four Luke Skywalkers and fight against 15 siths and this on every location of the game. Pick the most interesting ones and try this out after you've finished the main game. The possibilities seem endless. The combat is so amazing that you'll never get bored and this a game that I will easily play through once every few years (in combination with Jedi Academy →check my other review over there if you want). Games like this aren't created anymore. Grab this game and it's prequel+sequel.

This game is a classic. It provides a great Jedi Knight experience. You get to slash enemies with a lightsaber and use various Force abilities. Besides that, it's also a decent shooter. Yes, once you get your hands on a lightsaber, it's hard to switch back to guns. However, playing as a Force empowered gunslinger on different playthrough has its charm, too. Levels are vast and require backtracking. Sometimes it's hard to follow how to progress. You need to really pay attention to environment. The story is... also there. It revolves around the magical Valley of the Jedi that grants people Force powers. It isn't great, but it is servicable. It takes you on the trip to variety of places - the skyscrapers on Nar Shaddaa, Cloud City on Bespin, various Imperial bases and more. The game can be little iffy to work to on modern systems. However, both Jedi Outcast and Jedi Academy run pretty ok with OpenJK. Despite its age, this game is still fun to play even today. And thanks to modders, you can make it work on modern systems and with better resolution.

As I've stated in Jedi Academy's review, I'm not a big Star Wars fan: I'm a big "great game" fan. While not as good as Jedi Academy, Jedi Outcast is still a damn good game. The story in Jedi Outcast is actually BETTER than the story in Jedi Academy. The gameplay in Jedi Outcast, on the other hand, isn't quite as good as Jedi Academy. For starters, you spend the first few areas of Jedi Outcast in FPS mode: no light saber. Some of the areas can be a bit confusing to younger cats who're not seasoned to old school 'maze-like' level design. The combat and environmental puzzles are every bit on par with Jedi Academy. With the exception of 'FPS first' and maze-like level issues, Jedi Outcast is still worth owning. Utilizing the same Quake3 Engine, with the same modest hardware requirements, Jedi Outcast, like Jedi Academy, is ideal for those with budget build PCs and entry level graphics cards. Hell, my ThinkPad T410 with Nvidia 3100M (256MB) graphics runs both games on max without a hiccup. Bottom line: Get Jedi Outcast. Just don't go in expecting 'Jedi Academy the prequel'.

Despite being an old game it has some of the best story/gameplay not just in the star wars universe but among all other games of this type. I finished it twice and never found it boring. The game has excellent level design and wonderful soundtrack. Wished they made a Star Wars movie about Kyle Katarn but they went another way for other reasons, oh well! 5 stars!

If you liked Jedi Knight: Dark Forces 1 and 2 then you will absolutely love this game. It is improvement in basically every aspect. Levels are still very big and interesting to play through and provide good variety of environments. Sound effects and visuals are as Star Wars as possible: blasters, light sabers, stormtroopers, ships... everything looks and sounds "starwarsish". The level design can be a bit confusing at times and may require backtracking to look for that one "switch" that you missed somewhere and given how big the levels are this can be a bit frustrating. Levels also contain environmental puzzles and secrets that are fun to solve and search for. There is also a lot of platforming (make sure to save/quicksave a lot). Guns are all good and fun to shoot but the lightsaber is the absolute highlight of the game. It feels extremely satisfying to use and if accompanied by special powers that you gain as you play the game it makes you feel like a true Jedi. Battles in this game are so much fun and make the game very re-playable. The story and characters are not bad at all and provide good context for all the action and platforming that is happening on the screen. It looks like they worked on the script more than in the previous entries and I really liked the main character. However, do not expect the story to be perfect, it still has some of the B movie vibe the previous entries had, but the voice acting and overall story telling is better in this one. The game has more difficulty levels including those suitable for new players, but the platforming may be a bit challenging if you do not have much experience with 3d action games (and even if you do :) ). Still, I would recommend this game to anyone who likes Star Wars and/or 3d action games. Pros: - interesting level design - sound and music - very satisfying combat - highly re-playable Cos: - backtracking in some levels