STAR WARS™ Dark Forces (Classic, 1995)

The game is really good, various missions, a large selection of weapons where each will find its use and a nice plot. Additionally, this game has one of the coolest weapon i use (Stouker Concussion Rifle), shooting from it is pure pleasure. Some puzzles may take a while, but the fun is great. I played the game for the first time using only the keyboard. I have not encountered any problems. In addition, the game does not have saves or quick saves during missions (the game saves between missions), but the live system and while it may seem strange, it works great. I recommend 5/5.

Kyle Katarn didn't always need a lightsaber to rain on the Empire's parade. Explore beautiful levels, and an original story, as you use an arsenal of weapons to destroy your foes. This isn't a careless Doom-clone, it's a truly excellent early FPS.

I loved dark forces as a kid of 8 years old even in 2005 it was still fun bringing back good memories even though all I could find was a demo I still remember the surprise when I first played it the first time i killed a storm trooper the dark troopers etc etc. This was the first FPS I remember being really good it was actually the first FPS I ever owned it's properly old school corridors some monsters and 10 weapons (including fists). The story isn't bad either (when you compare it to doom (because you know demons) or something it's positively Shakespearian). You always feel the lurking menace of the dark troopers when you finally get the the last level and face them and get their gun it's a great feeling. This game actually started the Jedi knight saga so if you want to see how that started then download it now. Deftly get Jedi Knight and Jedi knight 2 if you enjoy this they are both great games but this started it. Don't expect far cry 4 star wars (It's basically doom star wars) but if you want a good classic shooter this is for you for 7 quid it's pretty good.

After changing the controls to something a bit more modern I enjoyed the heck out of this game. When I was really young I had a demo disc for this that came in a Lucasarts Star Wars pack. Needless to say I loved it as a kid but the disc only had the first three levels. Many years later I get to finish the game that my younger self yearned for. Sound effects and music are really great. Most of them repeat over and over but man they don't get old because it's Star Wars. The level design can feel massive at times, but if you pay attention to your suroundings you won't get lost. Of course the game is dated but who cares? You can't judge an old game by today's standards. If you really have no interest in Star Wars then maybe this isn't for you. For controls I used WSAD for walking and then I used Q to look up and E to look down.

There are so many positives that it's hard to list them all. Historically, the game was a big step up from its inspiration, DOOM, adding a third dimension- the ability to jump, duck, climb stairs, use elevators, and even some very early 3D polygon objects. Add to that a wide variety of weapons, some with secondary fire, an original story that's not just scenes from the movies, an automap, decent voice acting, varied and extremely well-designed levels, some nice cutscenes, the amazing iMuse system and an exciting soundtrack that fits perfectly into the Star Wars universe while creating brand new, memorable themes, and you have a sure-fire winning game. In its heyday this game was incredible, and spawned a large modding community with custom missions that expanded and improved on it even more. Today it still holds up very well, but its age does carry some drawbacks- most of all, the graphics, which are now very blocky and primitive. Anything more than 20 feet in front of you becomes a blurry pixel clump, and I could see this becoming frustrating for anyone who doesn't know the game by heart and is trying to navigate it fresh. Some levels can also be a little maze-like and confusing, with elevators that aren't obviously elevators and obscure switches and passages, but the automap mitigates this in most cases. The pre-WASD controls are also just plain awful, and I highly recommend seeking out a fix, such as Dark Forces Plus, from the community forum on GOG. Kyle Katarn would eventually go on to learn the ways of the Jedi, but I like that the early Lucasarts games treated Jedi as very rare and special and didn't try to make everything revolve around them- you were just a pilot, or in this case, a sarcastic merc, and it was still awesome and fun just living in the Star Wars universe for a few hours, exploring, fighting the Empire and going beyond the limitations of the (at the time) three films. The experience still feels exciting after all these years.