Jedi Outcast is the sequel to Jedi Knight and features a series of story-based single player scenarios and a multiplayer mode. The single player portion has you play as Kyle Katarn once again, a mercenary-turned-Jedi who fights for the New Republic. The core story is pretty utilitarian but well told and Katarn's story arc is surprisingly fleshed out for what is ultimately an action/shooter game. You'll be travelling to many memorable locations including Nar Shaddaa, Bespin and Yavin, along with infiltrating Imperial bases and starships. The gameplay is very polished and features what is in my opinion the best lightsaber combat ever created in a Star Wars game. It's easy, intuitive and, most importantly, downright fun. You also have a lot of fun force powers to mess around with enemies. Most of the levels are quite large and can get confusing at times - not as much as those in the first game, but still more cryptic than your average modern game. I see this as a good thing, as you have to use your brain every once in a while and it makes it more rewarding to figure out the puzzles. The multiplayer portion sports a few different game modes with all the weapons and force powers that you see in single player. Although a real highlight in its day, it should be mentioned that the multiplayer in the sequel Jedi Academy was somewhat improved. If you only care about multiplayer battles you may be better served with the sequel, if only because it was more popular and probably has more players. Jedi Outcast is a must-have for any Star Wars fan. In my opinion, the real highlight nowadays is the single player game, which is arguably superior to that of Jedi Academy. It's a fun romp through classic Star Wars locations with a pretty genuine original trilogy vibe. I think the game does better than its predecessor in that regard, which often felt like it was a Star Wars game in name only. The extremely responsive controls and smooth gameplay are also worthy of praise.
Jedi Knight is a first-person shooter with an important twist: you have a lightsaber and force powers. The game is fondly remembered by most as being arguably the first title that lets you play as a Jedi. The single player portion consists of a series of story-driven missions, set a few years after Return of the Jedi, that have you travel around different planets, fighting classic Star Wars enemies and foiling the plans of a group of Dark Jedi. As you go through the game, you quickly get a lightsaber and start to learn how to use the Force. You get to choose which force powers you want and can eventually align with either the light or dark side and the story changes accordingly. It should be noted that the game still features solid gunplay and it doesn't feel like you have to use your lightsaber all the time to succeed (somewhat in contrast with Jedi Outcast and Academy). The missions also have great level design that might leave you scratching your head at times to figure out how to progress. As expected, the sounds and music are from the movies. The game also features live-action cinematics in-between the missions to advance the story, which is really great. The graphics themselves haven't aged very well, but I would stress the fact that the gameplay is so polished that it would be a shame if someone were to overlook the game for graphics alone. Some mods exist to improve the graphics. There is also a multiplayer mode consisting of various types of skirmishes. You get to create your character and customise him with whatever force powers you want. Overall, Jedi Knight is not only a landmark of Star Wars gaming, but it's also a terrific game in its own right. The story is fun and the RPG-like elements of customising the protagonist only add to this. The multiplayer was also a highling back in the days, though as is the case with many older games it might be hard to find others to play with. The single player mode is definitely worth the price by itself.
Rebellion is a fairly unique strategy game, with mechanics reminiscent of 4X turn-based gameplay in a real-time environment. You play as either the Empire or the Rebellion in a sandbox galaxy with dozens of planets and your goal is to capture the enemy HQ and its leaders. The real fun in the game comes from the fact that you can achieve your goal in many different ways. You can build huge fleets and tons of ground troops to conquer planets by force or you can use your characters to diplomatically sway a planet's allegiance. You can also make extensive use of agents to sabotage ships and buildings, incite insurrections, abduct or kill characters and so on. Ground battles can only be automatically resolved by the computer, but space battles can be controlled directly in a 3D area of space. Unfortunately the space battles tend to be difficult to control and turn out to be a bit of a hassle. The AI has multiple difficulty levels and will give new players a run for their money. Once you get a better understanding of game mechanics though, it will generally feel too easy. Playing against a skilled human opponent can lead to very hectic games. The visuals are lacklustre, consisting mostly of unit cards with static 2D images. The game makes an extensive use of classic Star Wars music, which is always great. There is also some rudimentary voice acting when using some characters as well as from your droid advisers. Rebellion gives meaning to the old phrase "don't judge a book by its cover". The game doesn't really give a good first impression, which led to a lukewarm reception when it was originally released. However, if you are willing to put some effort into it and learn the mechanics (which are unfortunately often unintuitive), it has the potential to become a very complex and engrossing game. Highly recommended for fans of strategy games looking for a unique spin on an old formula.
Galactic Battlegrounds is one of the few real-time strategy games set in the Star Wars universe. Simply put, you build a base, gather resources and build an army to defeat your enemies using one of eight factions from the prequel and classic trilogies. The game runs on Ensemble's Genie engine, famous for powering Age of Empries II. For all intents and purposes, SWGB can be considered a total conversion of AoE2. In my opinion, this leads to a few shortcomings. For instance, the factions are all very similar to one another. This wasn't such a big deal in AoE2 given the game's "historical" setting, but in a Star Wars game it feels downright strange to have Gungans with mech units that essentially mirror the Empire's. Factions do come with a few unique bonuses, but it doesn't quite cut it. SWGB still has some advantages over AoE2. The factions all have unique visuals for their units and buildings, which still hold up nicely. They also added air units which give an extra layer of depth to the gameplay. John Williams' score is used masterfully throughout the game. The campaigns are serviceable but vary in quality. The missions are usually about building a base and destroying the enemy's, just like in a standard game. Also included is a scenario editor, which people have used to create some pretty cool custom maps. The main long-term attraction of the game should be the multiplayer component, but in this day and age you will likely not find many people online even using replacement services. Unless you have some friends to play it with you, I wouldn't expect to get a lot of reliable multiplayer gameplay out of it. Overall SWGB is a solid game and definitely worth the price for curious Star Wars fans. Its use of AoE2's engine can be seen as either a blessing or a curse depending on your mileage with it. I'm personally a fan of more unique factions in RTS games, which led me to be a bit disappointed with SWGB, but it's an enjoyable game for a Star Wars fit.
The Two Thrones tries to be a compromise between the two previous games in the series, mixing the platforming and overall feel of Sands of Time with the combat of Warrior Within. Unfortunately, the game is not quite equal to the sum of its parts. The platforming is certainly enjoyable, but comes of as being little more than a rehash of Sands of Time. Meanwhile, the combat is fun but ultimately marred by copious amounts of quicktime events, which quickly become infuriating. It should also be noted that the PC port is a bit lousy, especially in the controls department, and I would recommend using a gamepad. Finally, the game is rather short, taking about 10 hours to complete on a first playthrough, and does not offer much in the way of replay value. Overall, The Two Thrones is a decent game that recommends itself to players who want more of Ubisoft's Prince series. However, I would hazard that most people would be better served by simply playing Sands of Time.
I bought this off GOG because of the unanimously positive reviews. There is no doubt to me that this is a very nice game. It's very polished and engaging, with a nice story and great characters. That being said, it's not perfect. For one thing, I found that the gameplay, while entertaining, takes the back seat in this game. It's very simple, and turns out to be quite repetitive eventually. It's also a short game, with little replay value. What makes the game shine is the visual and audio presentation, coupled with the very streamlined design. Beyond Good & Evil is a game that has aged extremely well, the cartoon graphics still feel fresh while succeeding in bringing the characters to life. Overall, I recommend trying out this game. It doesn't do that much in the end, but it's the sort of game that you just can't help but enjoy despite its flaws.
