Star Wars Jedi Knight: Dark Forces II (includes Mysteries of the Sith)

by LucasArts

Product Details

• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B00000K50S
• Media: CD-ROM
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (49 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #18,283 in Video Games (See Top 100 in Video Games)
• Discontinued by manufacturer: Yes

Product Description

Amazon.com Review

Jedi Knight: Dark Forces 2 caters to the farm boy in all of us by letting players grab a lightsaber and fight their way through the Star Wars universe from a first-person perspective. You slip into the boots of Jedi wannabe Kyle Katarn, guiding him through several adventures that should appeal to any Star Wars fan. (The two of you out there who don't care for Star Wars will just have to find another game to play.)

Your Jedi powers grow as the game progresses, and players are free to commit acts that strengthen their ties to either the Dark or Light side of the Force. Once the commitment to good or evil is made, you lose all your Force powers from the opposing side but gain the ability to add more powerful tricks to your arsenal from the side you chose. All the neat stuff from the movies is there, like the Force pull that lets you disarm enemies, and Vader's sadistic favorite, the Force grip, for choking enemies from a distance. Other powers like Force jump give you greater mobility in the game, and all the Force powers add immensely to Jedi Knight's gameplay.

The included Mysteries of the Sith add-on picks up the adventure five years later. This time you get to play as both Kyle Katarn and Mara Jade, the female Jedi from Timothy Zahn's novel Heir to the Empire. This time around you must adhere to the Light side of the Force, but that doesn't make gameplay any less interesting. Success in these expansion missions require much more use of your Jedi powers than the original game, and actually having to think our way through problems in a first-person shooter (especially in the last few levels) was a refreshing change.

Graphically, both games hold up well. Resolution can be cranked up to 1,600 x 1,200 if your video card is up to task. Although the environments you move through lack detail the level design is so spectacular, we doubt you'll care. Few games offer environments this massive or varied, and the familiar Star Wars architecture lend a great deal of atmosphere to the game.

The movie tie-in also means that Jedi Knight has some of the best sound effects ever. From the hum of a lightsaber to the roar of a passing TIE bomber, everything is authentic and immediately recognizable. If you missed this game the first time around, don't make the same mistake with this bundle. --T. Byrl Baker

Pros:

• One word: lightsaber
• Massive environments with a familiar theme
• Ability to choose Light or Dark paths with specific powers (such as healing or lightning) for each

Cons:

• Enemies aren't very intelligent

Product Description

Single or multiplayer gameplay over modern network or Internet. 9 multiplayer levels. All new realistic 3D environments with animated 3D characters in 21 heart-stopping levels. Encounter 7 Dark Jedi, each possessing unique powers. Train to become a Jedi Knight - master the elegant lightsaber and learn four special apprentice abilities. Climb Catwalks, look and shoot up and down, jump off ledges, wade through garbage. Special BONUS - Includes Mysteries of the Sith.

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

23 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent buy!, August 8, 2000

By 

Genesis Whitmore (Goldenrod, FL USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Star Wars Jedi Knight: Dark Forces II (includes Mysteries of the Sith) (CD-ROM)

The thing that's realy great about this set is that you get three CDs worth of games. You get the original Dark Forces II game that has quite a bit of gameplay, PLUS the Mysteries of the Sith game that is almost as long as Jedi Knight. For the price you get a LOT of playing time.

Jedi Knight follows the path of Kyle Katarn, an ex-Imperial soldier turned rebel. His father was murdered and as the game progresses you learn the truth about your family and learn the ways of the force.

One of the interesting twists of Jedi Knight is that your alignment towards the dark side or the light side is determined by how many innocent people you kill or by certain moral decisions you make as the game progresses. You shape your own destiny and at the end of it all your decisions determine how the story turns out.

On the second game, Mysteries of the Sith, you primarialy play Mara Jade... although you also spend time in Kyle Katarn's shoes once again. Much likes its predecessor you find yourself once again going against the Empire before they destroy a Rebel base and ruin all hope the Rebellion has against defeating the Imperial forces. From there you embark on a search to find the lost Kyle Katarn and find your way through an amazingly twisted and trap ridden Sith Temple.

The thing that sets these games apart from most first person shooters is that you do more than run around and kill things. You have to make moral decisions, solve puzzles, and use tactics to your advantage. By the first hour or so of gameplay you'll easily lose yourself.

And finally, as an extra special bonus there is a hidden level on the Mysteries of the Sith CD of Cloud City that allows you to follow in Luke's footsteps from Empire strikes Back.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Superb, May 2, 2000

By 

tigen (Mountain View, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Star Wars Jedi Knight: Dark Forces II (includes Mysteries of the Sith) (CD-ROM)

Jedi Knight is my favorite shooter. Although its 3D engine lacks certain features, the single player gameplay is lightyears ahead of games like Quake 2. The atmosphere is very good, feeling like you're truly in the Star Wars universe. Also there is a good sense of scale; you can run around under AT-AT walkers and get vertigo from the huge distances in the levels, something I never felt in Quake engine games. I was often reminded of scenes like Cloud City in Empire Strikes Back, and some scenes surpassed the movies (playing this game was a lot more fun than "Episode 1" anyway). The level design is amazing, with many puzzles that require you to think, and inventive situations like a crashing starship and a ship refuelling station.

This game set a benchmark for FPS games that has not been surpassed in my opinion, except by Half-life in some respects.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars It's Old But it is Still one Of the best, March 25, 2000

By 

"rouge238" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Star Wars Jedi Knight: Dark Forces II (includes Mysteries of the Sith) (CD-ROM)

This is the second best computer game of all time as far as I am concerned (only supassed by Half-life). The graphics are kind of dated now but the gameplay is still soild and loads of fun.

The game contains all of the best gameplay while being intermixed with a good story. The levels are designed very well and never seem to "feel" the same way twice.

Of course one of the best parts of this game is using the lightsaber in regular gameplay or against six Dark Jedi. No other Star Wars game has been able to capture the feel of the lightsaber like this one.

The sound effects are very good and the soundtrack is classic Star Wars with perfect timings to get the right music for what you are doing.

I can't think of anything more to say than, if you haven't already played this game, you are missing out on one of the greatest games of all time.