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Review by David Coates
Jedi Knight: Dark Forces 2
published by LucasArts Entertainment
Born of evil, and thriving in it, Jerec is a writhing fiend consisting of nothing but the purest darkness. And, unfortunately, portrayed to us, the gamer, through some of the worst acting the galaxy has ever seen.
Thus begins the newest Star Wars hit PC title Jedi Knight: Dark Forces 2, the much-heralded first person 3D shooter (and saber-swinger) from LucasArts. The short of it: Jedi Knight is quite possibly the level best game I have ever played. In fact, the only thing that detracts from this outstanding game is the acting (a common problem among computer games).
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HAVE LIGHTSABER WILL TRAVEL
That aside, the combination of CD-quality, custom-tailored score
(from John Williams' original soundtrack albums for the movies) and dingy-underworld
graphics were more than enough to completely immerse me in the used world of the Star
Wars universe. It introduces those of us who loved Dark Forces to a new
challenge as well, with the huge increase in multi-level fighting. You can't just run
around and shoot the dopey stormtroopers anymore. You must be constantly surveying your
surroundings, poised to strike as soon as that Gran or probe droid pops up around the
corner.
And the challenge doesn't stop with the fighting. The levels of Jedi Knight are best described as cavernous. On numerous occasions I stood on the edge of a mile high precipice wondering if the main character Kyle Katarn ever just gave up and let his bladder go. Yet faced with implausible odds and maniacal enemies, he just keeps going.
Also, to put it mildly, the game nearly scared a number of things out of me throughout certain stages. On one level, Jerec is unearthing the Valley of the Jedi in an archaeological dig that is every Lucas fan's dream merging of Indiana Jones and Star Wars. Entering the ruins from the far side of the site, you must travel through darkened corridors, bearing the images of the Jedi of the past. Really a weird feeling looking at huge chiseled faces that look as if they were taken directly from the Dark Horse Tales of the Jedi comics. Upon entering one particular room, I turned on my light to stare into the face of what appeared to be a wide, scaled, and extremely muscular lizard. As I nearly jumped out of my seat, shouting expletives, I was promptly bit in half. Good thing is JK has a quick save feature that lets you start at your last saved point if you die young. Bad thing is that I woke up my neighbor in the dorm with my rather shocked cursing.
JK is the continuation of the story of Kyle Katarn, last seen as a Rebel agent in Dark Forces. this time around, he's following clues left by his dead father that lead to the Lost Valley of the Jedi. He's in a race against time against evil Jerec, his father's murderer, who wants to capture the power of the Valley and become the Dark Side Master Supreme.
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After you work your way through about five or so levels, you suddenly begin to encounter the next great addition to Jedi Knight (no, it's not an AT-ST - you meet those a level or two later). It is nothing less than the Force. With the Force, a true Jedi you become, pulling things across the room with the sole exercise of will, healing your wounds with a thought, or flinging aside your conscience to crush a fat Gammorreans throat. It's all at your fingertips. And in the intermittent Jedi duel levels, you'll need every bit of mind-boosting power you can get. Furthermore, you decide which path you will take in the Force. If you enjoy beating the occasional pedestrian or unarmed droid as I do, you gain points in the dark side. If you skip around joyfully with only a blaster bolt for the henchmen, you are well suited for the light side. Make your choice wisely, for as fun as it is, the dark side is less powerful in my opinion than the light.
You also find yourself in possession of the weapon of the Jedi - a powerful lightsaber, which automatically blocks (most) incoming laser shots and dispatches most villains with a single swipe. It also comes in handy when you have to fight several Dark Jedi in one-on-one combat... especially since most of these bad guys can Force Pull any other weapon out of your hand.
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Jedi Knight is indeed one of the most entertaining games I have found in all of the titles I have tested. If you let the game sit for a short while, the view switches to a sort of screen saver where Kyle poses for the camera as it rotates around him. My favorite is with the lightsaber when he takes off his 5 o'clock shadow with it.
THE FORCE IS WITH THEM, TOO...
I am now working on creeping through its dank and slimy lairs on the hard level, and let
me assure you, it's more than enough of a challenge to keep me busy for some time. But if
it's not enough for you, find a friend with a good speed computer and head off into the
amazing multiplayer levels. With Jedi Training and Capture the Flag style missions, you
and up to 8 friends (probably the max for your networking) can crush, throw, shoot, and
utterly demolish one another. Really useful for all the pent up aggression you can develop
in a dorm hall. Multiplayer characters can be created from about 30 different character
styles, with more available on the Internet through various sources, and of course, your
lightsaber color of choice.
All in all, the Force is very much with Jedi Knight and, surprise, the ending leaves a sequel opportunity wide open - and voila! The JK expansion set Mysteries of the Sith, which offers more single player and multiplayer levels, more enemies, more Force powers and more reason to have a separate review! It will require you own the original Jedi Knight, which alone is more than worth the price of "admission."
ECHO STATION review: A
(David Coates, can most likely
be found looking for a multiplayer Jedi Knight game online.)
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