Customer Reviews

Star Wars Jedi Knight 2: Jedi Outcast Collectors Edition

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Jedi Outcast is everything you could ever want for a sequel to Jedi Knight. For anyone who has long dreamed of having the powers of the force and to weild their own lightsaber, this game is for you. For anyone who enjoyed Jedi Knight, this game is for you. For anyone that loves Star Wars and computer games and gets every Star Wars game ever, this game is for you but you already have it, so nevermind.

Jedi Outcast is the third in a series of great PC games following the adventures of Kyle Katarn. You get each game of the series in this great collectors edition.(But you know you really got it for the keychain...) Dark Forces is a doom-esque first-person shooter in which Kyle is a mercenary during the galactic civil war(the orginal 3 movies). He ends up helping the rebels by retreiving the original Death Star plans. Mediocre graphics, relatively fun gameplay. To be honest, I've only played the first few levels of Dark forces, but it's quite fun. However, it only features guns as weaponry. If its sabers and force you're looking for, move on to Jedi Knight and Jedi Outcast.

Jedi Knight takes place after the events of Dark Forces. Kyle learns of a Dark Jedi Jerec who is trying to harness the power of the Valley of the Jedi, a secret land that contains the ultimate concentrated power of the force. If Jerec uses this power for the dark side, destruction would reign. It's up to Kyle, who soon discovers he is a Jedi, to stop him. After the first few levels, Kyle receives his lightsaber. You have to find secret areas in each level to earn "force stars" to apply to powers of your choice. Your selection increases with your progress. Jedi Knight has two outcomes that result from two styles of play. You can be wreckless and gain the destructive attacks of the darks side(shoot droids and bystanders) or defend the innocent and be blessed with the defensive power of the light side(dont shoot droids and bystanders). In the beginning, you can choose from powers on each side. There is a turning point where Kyle will go totally to the dark or light side(depending on your actions earlier) and go through the rest of the game using one side exclusively. It is rather fun, but the graphics aren't so great. The multiplayer on MSN gaming zone is quite interesting. I reccomend the Saber Battle X mod which greatly enhances lightsaber combat. There are numerous mods that make the game much more interesting online. Jedi Knight does have an expansion pack(Mysteries of the Sith) with more weapons, powers, and story but it is strangely not included.

Now to the good stuff. Jedi Outcast is the pinnacle of the series. It is the best yet. Kyle almost falls to the darkside and thus renounces his force powers and gives Luke Skywalker his lightsaber. He once again becomes a mercenary, now for the New Republic(it's now after the galactic civil war). Eventually, something happens that convinces Kyle to regain the force. He goes to the Massassi temple(the rebel base in "A New Hope", now Luke's Jedi Academy) There, he meets with Luke again with some great dialogue and backstory events, a very fun part of the game. You go through trials, learning new force powers until you get your lightsaber back. Then, you move on. The force powers are greatly improved and a lot more fun. Lightsaber combat is varied and as improved as the force powers. Jedi Outcast is more linear than Jedi Knight in that you receive your powers at pre-determined points. This means that you will use a bit of each side, but more to the light. Weapons are well done, a few from past games, but mostly new and very varied. There are new items like electrobinoculars and sentry drones which are neat to use. Gameplay is very fun once you get your powers and saber(although its pretty good beforehand). Jedi Outcast single-player is a blast, a great improvement over Jedi Knight. Multiplayer is really well done, too. While it's strange to see stormtroopers and Landos with lightsabers and the force, its not so bad. Lots of gameplay modes like Free-for-all, capture the flag, and some unique ones that involve the transfer of force powers based on who you kill. Multiplayer is definitally a great value in that you'll be playing it a lot. It's more a separate game than it is a "mode". There are a few problems however. You definitally need to aim much higer than the system requirements. Theres slowdown in outdoor environments, some puzzles can be tedious. You'll want lots of RAM for quickloading. Other than that, very few problems. Nothing to make you not play. Jedi Outcast: Collectors edition is great fun, a great value and some of the best Star Wars games for the PC. Highly reccomended for both Star Wars fans and computer game players of all kinds.

Jedi Outcast is the best of a great series. The Dark Forces games (along with the X-wing) are what made Star Wars games COOL. Dark Forces was a good Doom-style game with interesting levels and plenty of stormtroopers. DF2: Jedi Knight was actually the Best PC Game of All Time, that is until a little game called Half-Life came and bested it. Jedi Knight put you in the shoes of a jedi apprentice, and gave you the choice of turning to the Light or Dark side of the force.

Now, with this special edition, you can get the 3rd game of the series, which is actually the best. With the extra money you pay, you will get a metal tin box, a lightsaber-key chain that lights up, and all 3 games in the series. The first 2 games look old but are actually fun to play, even now.

But forget about the past - lets talk Jedi Outcast. First of all, the graphics are awesome. Picture perfect. Stormtroopers look like stormtroopers, not some weird guys with rectangles for arms. Their suits curve like they should, they run like they should, and sound like they should. The same goes for plenty of other Star Wars "touches" through this game - you feel like you are walking through the movies: space ships, creatures, locations, planets, many things you remember and love from the first trilogy is present in this game. Of course the music and sound from the movies is here, but I admit I've heard these so many times in SW video games, they have lost their charm. At least they are present.

The story is also excellent, an equal of the great story from Jedi Knight (and better acted, too). Your character has rejected his jedi powers because of his temptation with the Dark side, and is now a mercenary again, just like he was in the first game. However, a mysterious new evil (a phantom menace? yuk-yuk) is leading a group of remnant Imperial soldiers back into power, and as you explore their organization you must once again wield a lightsaber and use the force. The story starts slow, mostly a series of common shoot-em-up missions with boring puzzles and too many stormtroopers, but the plot gradually builds until it has you firmly in its grips. You'll visit tatooine, and actually see Luke Skywalker and Lando (voiced by none other than Billy Dee Williams).

Your lightsaber and force powers are an integral part of this game. Sure, there are an array of weapons like all other FPS, but I found enough depth in the combination of the saber and force powers that I used these tools alone. In this game, the lightsaber now has actually swings and styles, like a fighting game, which make jedi duels more exciting and more strategic. The force powers are what you have seen in the movies - lightning, force jump, pull, mind tricks, and force speed (in which everything slows down to bullet time, a la Max Payne). This game is rather difficult, but once you have learned to the ways of the force in this game, you really feel like you have gained something saticfying.

Multiplayer is interesting with the addition of the Force and lightsabers, and you'll find some good combat out on the net, but get this game soon and master it, because about 4 months from now, nobody will be playing it. As with most games, a new title will attract our attention.

3dfx owners beware, I had serious problems running this game on my voodoo 5.

Jedi Outcast is a must own for Star Wars and FPS fans alike. Buy now, don't wait.

If you haven't played Dark Forces or Dark Forces II: Jedi Knight, then get this collector's edition, as they contain both these excellent titles as well as Jedi Outcast. If you already have these games, get the normal version... .Now, on to the game.

Be warned- if you aren't good at shooters, Jedi Outcast will be a very hard game. It was possible to beat DF I and II with minimal skill at other shooters like Half-life or Unreal, but it isn't any longer. This is largely due to the absence of auto-aiming, which made mowing down a roomful of stormtroopers with the blaster rifle a simple task in the previous games. Now you'd either have to land a head shot every time, or have something that makes a very large explosion. Kyle seems to have lost his knack for firing while moving, and he doesn't move as fast or jump as high as he used to. Must be getting old and tired, but who can blame the guy? Enemies are also tougher across the board, and move a lot faster and smarter than they did in previous games. They also back each other up, retreat if wounded, and make effective use of cover.

Jedi Knight II uses the Quake III engine, and really pushes it to the limit. This is good and bad. On one hand, the graphics are incredible. On the other, if you don't have a reasonably powerful PC and graphics card, you probably won't be able to run the game with any of the incredible graphics. It's pretty important you are able to see the new effects, because when it comes down to it, the gameplay isn't a whole lot more different than Jedi Knight I.

On that note, this sequel pretty much adheres to the premise of the series. Many of the weapons will be quite familiar, and the enemies you encounter even more so. There is, however, much more interaction in this game- you can hear enemies chatting, view security camera feeds, and generally play with the environment more. Many objects in the environment are fully destructible, some spectacularly so. One of my favorite parts was driving one of the mouse robots by remote control. After shooting about a million of them in the last two games, it was kinda cool to see things from their perspective :-)

Overall, the game is an improvement over DF 2, though you might notice a lack of greater depth in the levels since the Q3 engine doesn't do those well. The puzzles in the missions are still there, but be warned that some of them are quite counterintuitive and obscure. I've already been stuck several times, and when I finally learned how to get out (usually from consulting with other players) it was always something I would never have imagined to do- I won't be a spoiler here and blow anything for you, in case you want a shot. At any rate, I've found myself wishing they'd included the strategy guide in this edition.

If you haven't played any of the old Dark Forces games, now's a great time to start! They're awesome, and you'll probably want to play Outcast after finishing them. As for Outcast itself, it's tough but in a good way. If anything, it's worth getting just to see an incredibly detailed rendition of the Star Wars universe.

Jedi Outcast is a great game! I am not even a big Star Wars fan and I love it! The single player has a tolerable plot and loads of shoot-em-up action with a selection of weapons that can't be beat! Of course, you get to use the force in it too. Some force powers available in the game are push, pull, grip, and lightning. Also, no Star Wars game would be complete without the all-famous lightsaber. There are several things you can do with the lightsaber: three different swing stances, block throw...etc. Jedi Outcast also comes with a complete Multiplayer for all you Internet fans out there. The Multiplayer garantees several hours of fun with a selection of games to choose from such as Capture the Flag, Deathmatch, Lightsaber Dueling, and many more. Jedi Outcast is full of action-packed explosive fun with great graphics and unimaginable weapons, creatures and landscapes which will leave u clicking your mouse in excitement long into the night!

This is one of the best packs you can buy!!! Is has all three Star Wars computer-games including JK2: Jedi Outcast which is very very fun. Besides being a very good FPS, having the force to push you enemies, throw your lightsaber, and pick up your dead enemies weapons is the best!!! The graphics are great, almost as good as RTCW, but the multiplayer is pretty close to RTCW. It is great to battle other on-line members with your lightsaber in the all-lightsaber battles. So if you like Star Wars, first-person-shooters, and killing storm troopers with lasers and a lightsaber, this is definitely a great deal for you.

It gets 5/5 stars.

Dont get me wrong, this was a pretty fun game and the story was decent. Graphics were good and enjoyable...

The game would deem a challenge if it weren't for force powers. I mean, the game was more of a challenge pre-lighsaber. Granted it was just the first few levels so it couldn't be anything too hardcore. If the game was restricted like the first few levels, it would have deems difficult, but it isn't now is it?

The game becomes tedious and boring right about then. Force Speed + Lightsaber = Everyone Dies....At the offset of an engagement, activate force speed and you whip around too fast for anyone to kill you. So every bad guy you come across, you activate that and run at them causing their demise. Not to mention the force choke off high place ;-)

overall the game was fun, but it loses a lot of points because it gets too easy with the force speed followed by lightsaber attack...

Please, be warned, before you read my review that my views are not usually looked upon as the popular choice, but hey I speak my mind.

Firstly, they don't just drop you off a cliff, so to speak, like in DFII, and they do allow for you to get used to the controls before real combat. The levels are intricate and innovative, whereas the game is long (unless you use cheat codes, it is the shortened to around 6 hours.) Also, unlike in DFII, the game gets interesting from the start. You have to use strategy throughout the game, instead of just going: SHOOT EM' UP SHOOT EM' UP!!!

Also, the weapons get unique. the Tenloss DX/R disruptor Sniper rifle is a favorite of mine, as well as the Destructive Elctromagnetic Pulse Weapon: Type 2 (DEMP 2). also, the lightsaber is much more realistic in this than DFII. For example, you can chop off limbs in both games, but you can only chop at the shoulder in DFII, where in JKII, you can chop of the hand, the forearm, even the head off. The seeking missle option on the Merr-Sonn PMX portable missle launcher is quite extraordinary. Det. packs are much an asset as well.

The NPC's are extremely intelligent in JKII. they can see you firing and run away. Also, they will fire at spots you can't deflect easily.

The force is quite interesting, allowing that you are a Dark and Light jedi at the same time, with powers such as grip, lightning, heal, and protect. Grip is cool because you can move your enemy around, dropping them off cliffs or using them as shields. The lightsaber throw is quite cool.

Allowing that you are hardcore enough to learn the lightsaber moves by heart, the duels are interesting. I prefer the "death from above" combo in medium style. you do a flip wityh your lightsaber making a horizontal slash while inverted. This is a hard move to time, but causes instant death to anyone who it hits.

THE PRECEDING WAS A REVIEW OF JKII ONLY!!!

I too, am a fan of Star Wars and more specificly the Dark Forces games. I have all the previous games myself, but bought the Collector's Edition just for the purpose of collecting it. Jedi Outcast or Jedi Knight 2 or Dark Forces III or whatever you want to call it, is a great game. I haven't beaten it yet, but I am having a blast playing it. Sure, it's no Half-Life, but it is most definitely fun and not a waste of time. So, regardless of which case you buy this game in, I strongly recommend getting it. If you don't get the Collector's Edition, be sure to at least get Dark Forces and Jedi Knight because those are fun as well.

I own all of the Dark Forces games (yes, Jedi Knight is a spur off of Dark Forces) and this game is incredible. I have not yet stopped playing it. I am a complete geek when it comes to Star Wars and it is usually hard to please me with Star Wars games, but Lucas Arts did a fine job with this one. Definately a must buy!

When I first installed the game, I was a little disappointed that it didn't seem as "real" as Half-Life, Ghost Recon, or AvP2. After awhile, though... it didn't matter. I was having fun.

Mechanically, the game seems to have taken a small step back toward "Tomb Raider", but it's still a lot better than it's Star Wars predecessors. Graphically, the game is leaps and bounds more stunning than Ghost Recon, but would have looked even better using the Half-Life engine.

Gameplay is relatively easy compared to the control interfaces of the aforementioned games. The boss levels are very challenging, even on some of the easier game settings.

Great attention to detail throughout. Good job LucasArt's, Raven Software, and Activision for putting this all together.

Well worth the money. If you're a Star Wars fan, you'll really enjoy this one.