Gotta admit I'm really loving this game - after the ropey Jedi Knight 2 this game is a welcome return.
Gone are the annoying puzzles and you end up with more stromtrooper (officialy the worst shots in the galaxy) blasting fun. Lots of Dark Jedi to duel against as well which makes for great swordfights.
Also in this one it's probably the first time you can play through without using any of the weapons, meaning you truly "feel" like a Jedi as you use your various force powers to throttle, electrify, and confuse your enemies.
Haven't played the multiplayer yet, but even if you don't like star wars I think this is bar far the most accessible FPS in the Star Wars universe. It's also much longer than previous games, and non-linear in that you can pick and choose missions you want to do as you progress through the academy on your way to becoming a Jedi.
Two Thumbs Up :D
Agreed. Bought this on Sunday, and it's been occupying my spare time ever since.
It has some quite funky lightsaber dismemberment animations (one Stormtrooper clutched the stump where his hand used to be before collapsing in a heap :blink:). It's also quite cool being able to Mind Trick a few lesser beings, in an attacking group, in to being your ally. Watching the ensuing firefight as they turn and attack their hostile mates is quite funny, and you then get to wade in, lightsaber windmilling, and mop up :norty:
All in all a pretty good game :thumbsup:
Double-ended saber's the way to go :ph34r:
This is based on the demo only but what have they done to this game!!
Jedi Knight 2 was a delight and although this new game is more of a
big expansion than a complete new game it's mucked it up competely :(
It's starts badly with one of the most amateurish mission briefing screens I've ever seen. Like something straight out of Frontier Elite!
The lightsabre is so powerful and able to block almost everything fired
at you that guns are more or less obsolete (so why have them?) Add that to the sad fact that blocking is automatic and the game is no challenge at all against non Jedi. As Jedi enemies have the brains of pond life, as long as you keep moving and jumping they never get a hit on you. (Maybe it gets harder in other missions but the two I played were simple beyond belief).
The levels are a mess (the two I played anyway) with lots of running about all over the place. There's no map and getting to the end of a level is pure trail and error.
For a new game the graphics are nothing special, about the equivelent to AVP2 for a reference point. At least it loads quick.
All you seem to have to do is kill waves of mindless bad guys. The AI in
this game isn't just bad, it's an utter disaster. I know I'm playing Halo right
now, with some wonderful AI scripting in it, so I biased, but JK-A isn't just 'not
in the same league'...it's a whole different sport.
In 2003 this lack of AI scripting in a game just isn't acceptable.
Enemy sees you, enemy runs straight at you and enemy expires on the end of
your lightsabre, repeat ad-nausium. It's like some aweful 3D Space Invaders.
There was magic in JKII and it was righly dubbed a classic. JK-A is borderline average.
If you're thinking of buying this PLEASE try the demo first. You may be saving yourself thirty quid.
But the point is you start off in the full game without totally accurate blocking and powerful skills, making it a challenge as you progress through waves of stormtroopers. The demo isn't a faithful representation (I have played it before you ask). The second demo level is far more of a challenge after the spaceport, with waves of sith to fight through.
As you progress the regular enemies do become no match - at the moment I am quite far through and have a lot of power, so I can simply walk through reams of stormtroopers and come out fairly unscathed. The point is THAT'S WHAT HAPPENS IN THE FILMS. Obi-wan and co never have probs against the regular enemy. They are simply a small hurdle before facing the Sith. Later you get hordes of sith in this making it very difficult (on normal skill) as you get through the academy and become a jedi knight.
There are also several levels where you come up against enemies that can't be beat - the rancor monster levels (not in the demo) are a good example where you have to dash around a maze saving prisoners from a Hutts jail while a rancor trys to sniff you out and bite your head off. Fantastically builds the tension IMHO.
Level design is fine and no different to any other fps - Lucasarts have obvioulsy listened to the loyal fans (who played all the games) who called for less puzzles and more action to keep truer to the films. I got sick in Jedi Knight 2 of constantly pushing this or jumping here - I wanted to be a jedi, not Lara Croft
AI isn't great but Halo apart very few games have decent AI. Medal of Honour, Chaser, Unreal - these games are no better. Stormtroopers will run away and take cover, and Dark Jedi tend to work the angles well in fights and use a range of force powers, so there's very little to quibble about.
Jedi Knight 2 was, for me as a fan of Dark Forces, a severe disappointment after Jedi Knight One. Jedi Academy resurrects the franchise.
QuoteBut the point is you start off in the full game without totally accurate blocking and powerful skills, making it a challenge as you progress through waves of stormtroopers. The demo isn't a faithful representation (I have played it before you ask). The second demo level is far more of a challenge after the spaceport, with waves of sith to fight through.
That was the one I was mainly refering to. Waves of Sith = Waves of Space Invaders = Yawn.
QuoteAs you progress the regular enemies do become no match - at the moment I am quite far through and have a lot of power, so I can simply walk through reams of stormtroopers and come out fairly unscathed. The point is THAT'S WHAT HAPPENS IN THE FILMS. Obi-wan and co never have probs against the regular enemy. They are simply a small hurdle before facing the Sith. Later you get hordes of sith in this making it very difficult (on normal skill) as you get through the academy and become a jedi knight.
But this is a FPS not a RPG. I want to play a great and balanced game, not pretend I'm Darth Vaders right hand man. What this character or that character could or couldn't do in a movie shouldn't get in the way of gameplay. Gameplay is everything in a game. If you are a Star Wars fan I'll agree the game has additional merit, but speaking as just a game fan, it's a disappoinment.
QuoteThere are also several levels where you come up against enemies that can't be beat - the rancor monster levels (not in the demo) are a good example where you have to dash around a maze saving prisoners from a Hutts jail while a rancor trys to sniff you out and bite your head off. Fantastically builds the tension IMHO
Would that be the level where you have no idea where the prison cell unlock buttons are? You have to wander aimlessly about using the Force in the random hope of opening the cell doors. All the while being cahsed by an indestructable monster thing, that Luke Skywalker could kill with a gate switch in the movie. Another example of daft level design not present in the first game.
QuoteAI isn't great but Halo apart very few games have decent AI. Medal of Honour, Chaser, Unreal - these games are no better. Stormtroopers will run away and take cover, and Dark Jedi tend to work the angles well in fights and use a range of force powers, so there's very little to quibble about.
MOHAA is in another league from JK-A when it comes to AI. And because some games have rubbish AI doesn't make it acceptable. They are all worse games for it. That some games can create excellent AI must mean it's simply down to how much skill the coders have and how much effort they are willing to put into it. Thousands of 'bedroom coders' can script up bots in Counte-Strike better than many professionals seem willing to do in games that we have to pay for. Crap AI should be as important as crap level design, crap physics engine or any other crucial part of a game.
QuoteJedi Knight 2 was, for me as a fan of Dark Forces, a severe disappointment after Jedi Knight One. Jedi Academy resurrects the franchise
Ahem...nerd..ahem ;)
QuoteOriginally posted by smilodon@Oct 16 2003, 04:17 PM
QuoteThere are also several levels where you come up against enemies that can't be beat - the rancor monster levels (not in the demo) are a good example where you have to dash around a maze saving prisoners from a Hutts jail while a rancor trys to sniff you out and bite your head off. Fantastically builds the tension IMHO
Would that be the level where you have no idea where the prison cell unlock buttons are? You have to wander aimlessly about using the Force in the random hope of opening the cell doors. All the while being cahsed by an indestructable monster thing, that Luke Skywalker could kill with a gate switch in the movie. Another example of daft level design not present in the first game. [/b]
No it wouldn't be that level because that level doesn't exist - I think the review you read is misleading. The switches are easy to find and no force sense is needed.
I agree that it may be a fan's game, but I'm a fan and don't pretend to be anything else :D
just got it -looks good :D
I enjoyed it...but.....
If you pick up the dark-dicks by the throat using your force you can drop them over the edges and not even have to fight them. Much more entertaining...
Got a bit bored when I figured that out.
Unless I'm talking about a different game, and I can't be arsed to check now.