The highly anticipated follow-up to Star Wars: Dark Forces, Star Wars: Jedi Knight -- Dark Forces II once again places you in the role of Kyle Katarn as he quests to become a Jedi Knight. Through each of the 21 mission-based levels, you'll battle new enemies as you fight your way to a Dark Jedi named Jerec who aims to gain the power of the Valley of the Jedi. As you progress, you'll learn to use the Force as your ally and must eventually make an important decision: do you adopt the powers of the light side or follow the quick and easy path to power as an agent of evil? Your fate is in your own hands.
Throughout your adventure, you'll acquire up to ten weapons and learn eight of 12 possible Force powers. The abilities of speed, jumping, pulling weapons from enemies and determining where your enemies lie are available to all, but the other eight depend upon whether you choose the light side or the dark. Followers of light can heal themselves, use the Jedi mind trick, blind evil beings and absorb the strength of others. The dark side, however, allows you to utilize the Force throw, choke an enemy from a distance, shoot lightning bolts and even destroy every enemy onscreen!
The story of Jedi Knight is told via actual actors in full-motion video cut-scenes between missions. There are two possible outcomes, each depending on which ultimate destiny you choose. An agent of good will aim to defend the Valley of the Jedi from Jerec, while choosing the dark path means fighting him over its limitless power.
When you wish to take a break from the story, you can test your skills against up to seven other Force-proficient beings over the Internet for multi-player action. To get started, you must customize your warrior by choosing from a variety of lightsaber colors and assuming one of many types of identities, ranging from Tusken Raiders to protocol droids like C-3PO. You also earn rank as you gain experience so that your competition remains at your relative ability.
~ Christopher Michael Baker, All Game Guide
Roots & Influences
In 1994, the original Dark Forces brought the first-person shooter to Star Wars games. Due to its overwhelming success, this sequel was developed. Though much of its premise is based on its predecessor and other previous first-person shooters (Quake, Doom, etc.), there are new exclusively Star Wars idea (most notably choosing the light or dark side) at work here as well.
~ Christopher Michael Baker, All Game Guide
Review: Overall
Well, I think I'll just come out and say it: Star Wars: Jedi Knight -- Dark Forces II just isn't that great. (I hope I'm not hunted down by the legions of Star Wars fans for not liking this game!)
First of all, the graphics have been completely redone since Dark Forces. This isn't necessarily a great thing, because the visuals in Jedi Knight are completely uninspired. Its engine uses bland and boring textures for walls, floors, ceilings and characters, which themselves are very blocky and look quite stupid. What detail the characters do have doesn't help out much from their looking like the rest of the game: uninspired. A 3D graphics accelerator helps out a tad, but characters still remain similar in texture.
On the other hand, the FMV story sequences are nicely done, with a solid story for any Star Wars fan. High in production quality, they also actually feature good acting (for the most part).
The gaming engine is one of the worst since 3D Realms' Build Engine. It never emits any kind of real feeling -- other than shallowness. Maybe that's not the right word, but there's just something about it I cannot explain. (Stiffness perhaps?) The game itself controls well and precisely, with fully customizable button configurations.
One thing Jedi Knight does have going for it is innovative level design. It looks like the developers actually spent some time and care building them. They're very big and complex with lots of puzzle solving, clue searching and item collecting needed to complete missions. It's a shame that ugly and uninspired textures were laid over top of them.
Your impressive arsenal includes a lightsaber, thermal detonators, a bowcaster (great for sniping), sequencer charges and several other weapons. Also spiffy are the different Jedi powers you can obtain throughout the game. The powers you get depend on your choice to join the light side or the dark side of the Force. Light side abilities include healing and purer powers, while the dark side consists of more destructive and evil forces such as lighting and destruction.
In the end, I just couldn't get into Jedi Knight. Maybe it was because I'm not a big Star Wars fanatic that I found it quite boring and uninspired, but there was nothing here that grasped my interest. However, there's no doubt in my mind that Star Wars fans will love this game regardless of what I've said. Non-fans, though, should probably stay away from Jedi Knight and spend their money on a much better 3D shooter like Unreal.
~ Michael L. House, All Game Guide
Review: Enjoyment
Maybe it's because I'm not a Star Wars fan, but I found this game dull. The level designs are very good, but weren't capable enough to hold my interest.
~ Michael L. House, All Game Guide
Review: Graphics
The colorful textures are ugly and uninspired. Enemies and characters are quite blocky-looking, though they have lots of detail. The FMV scenes are nicely done.
~ Michael L. House, All Game Guide
Review: Sound
There are lots of ambient effects like ships flying around in the background. Gun effects sound very realistic. The acting is pretty good as well. The soundtrack, on the other hand, is your typical Star Wars fare. Nothing too new or exciting about it.
~ Michael L. House, All Game Guide
Review: Replay Value
There's a nicely done multi-player feature that adds quite a bit of life to the game. New mods and deathmatch levels are constantly being made for it.
~ Michael L. House, All Game Guide
Review: Documentation
The manual is very informative and well written. It covers everything players need to know about the {%Jedi}, weapons, Force powers, etc.
~ Michael L. House, All Game Guide
Production Credits
Project Leader, Writer, Game Design: Justin Chin ; Lead Conceptual Designer and Storyboards: Peter Chan ; Production Manager: Brett Tosti ; Production Coordinator: Lori Beck ; Additional Story Editing: Garry M. Gaber ; GAME PROGRAMMING Lead Programmer: Ray Gresko ; Simulation Engine Programmer: Robert Huebner ; Level Editor, Gameplay Programming: Che-Yuan Wang ; Level Editor, User Interface, Tools: Winston Wolff ; COG Programming: Yves Borckmans ; Additional UI Programming: Aaron Giles ; Installer: Darren Johnson ; Additional Tools Programming: Bret Mogilefsky, Matt Russell, Hwei-Li Tsao ; 3D LEVEL DESIGN ; Lead Level Designer: Ingar Shu ; Level Design: Duncan Brown, Matthew Tateishi, Reed Knight Derleth, Steven Chen, Jacob Stephens, Doug Shannon, Yves Borckmans, Serge Debroeyer ; Game Tuning/Enemy Placement: Christopher Ross, Brett Tosti, Jim Current ; Level Texture Artwork: Chris Hockabout, Martin Yee, Kevin Evans, Bill Stoneham ; 3D SIMULATION ; Lead Character Animator: Leonard Robel ; Character Animation: Jim Rice, Jon Knoles, Lea Mai Nguyen ; 3D Models: Clint Young, Lea Mai Nguyen, Leonard Robel, Andrew Holdun ; 3D Art Technician: Anthony Chiang ; Industrial Light & Magic Animation Supervisor: Miguel Fuertes ; ILM Animation Team: Trish Schutz, Julija Learie, Jenn Emberly, William R. Wright, Neil Michka, David Parsons, Victoria Livingstone ; ILM Production Manager: Suzie Tooley ; Mgr. Digital Animation & Creature Development ILM: Ken Maruyama ; Additional 3D Work: Steven Baker ; SoftImage Technical Assistance: Craig Rundels ; CUT-SCENES Lead 3D Artist: Ralph M. Gerth IV ; 3D/Art: Garry M. Gaber, Lea Mai Nguyen, Bill Stoneham, Andrew Holdun, Clint Young ; Creature Sculpting: Bill Stoneham ; Lead Effects Compositing Artist/Video Editor: Michael Levine ; Video Effects & Compositing: C. Andrew Nelson ; Scene Compression & Color Reduction: Christopher Ross ; Jedi Knight Uses Smacker Video Technology ; SOUND AND AUDIO Original Music: John Williams ; Misic Editing and Sound Quality Control: Peter McConnell ; Cut-scene Sound Design: Larry the O ; Interactive Sound Effects: David Levison ; Voice Directors: Tamlynn Niglio, Darragh, O'Farrell ; Khris Brown ; Senior Voice Editor: Khris Brown ; Asst. Voice Editor: Coya Elliott ; Specialized Dialog Editing: Larry the O ; Voice Production Coordinator: Peggy Bartlett ; TESTING AND QUALITY ASSURANCE Lead Tester: John Hannon ; Asst. Lead Testers: Tim Miller, Geoff Jones ; Testers: Jo Ashburn, Matthew Azeveda, John Buzolich, Joe Chiang, John Castillo, Albert Chen, Tim Chen, Leyton Chew, Michael Dillon, John Drake, Erik Ellestad, Derek Flippo, Morgan Gray, Buddy Hannon, Brent Jalipa, Ari Kanter, John Kathrein, Greg Land, Tim Longo, Stuart Malkin, Jesse Moore, Colin Munson, June Park, Dan Pettit, Jeff Sanders, Charlie W. Smith, Christopher John Snyder, Todd Stritter, Leon Susen, Randy Tudor, Trey Turner, Jason Yunker, Paul Zabierek ; Senior Compatibility Technician: Chip Hinnenberg ; Lead Network Compatibility: Doyle Gilstrap ; Compatibility Technicians: Jim Davison, Lynn Selk, Kevin Von Aspern, Dan Mihoerck, Jason Lauborough ; Burning Goddess: Wendy "Cupcake" Kaplan ; Burning Assistant: Kellie "Twinky" Walker ; VIDEO CAST Kyle Katarn: Jason Court ; Jan Ors: Angela Harry ; Jerec: Christopher Neame ; Rahn: Bennett Gilory ; Sariss: Valerie Wildman ; Boc: Time Winters ; Maw: Morgan Hunter ; Gorc: Himself ; Pic (Voice): Denny Delk ; Yun: Rafer Weigel ; 8t88 (Voice): Denny Delk ; Morgan Katarn: Jacob Witkin ; Bounty Hunter 1: Dan Bloom ; Bounty Hunter 2: Dylan Haggerty ; Greedo (Voice): Roger L. Jackson ; The Computer (Voice): Roger L. Jackson ; VIDEO PRODUCTION CREW Director/DP: Scott Ewers ; Producer/AD: George Young ; Production Manager: Beth George ; Production Coordinator/Second AD: Jeff Fisher ; Fight Director: Rick Sordelet ; Gaffer: Bob Krebsbach ; Best Boy: Jack Guberman ; Key Grip: John Brunold ; 2nd Grip: Joel Prescott ; Swing: Don Chong ; Video Tech/Ultimatte: Jim Rolin ; Script Supervisor: Lisa Ginsburg ; Sound: Greg Von Buchau ; Boom Op: Steve Klinghoffer ; Makeup: Michael Burnett ; SF Stylist: Anna Bies ; LA Stylist: Marie Burk ; Seamstress: Carol Williams ; Prop Construction: Don Bies ; Production Assistant: Joel Friedman ; PA/Video Assist: Lee Cuellar ; PA/Props: Garin Bougie ; Craft Service: Laura Bagano ; Intern: Nick Friend ; Caterer: What's Cookin Good Lookin ; MARKETING Marketing Manager: Barbera Gleason; Manual Writers: Mollie Boero, Jason Yunker, Doyle Gilstrap, Brett Tosti, Barbera Gleason, Jo Ashburn; Technical Writing: Lynn Selk, Chip Hinnenberg, Doyle Gilstrap, Jason Yunker; Manual Design: Mark Shepard; Package Design: Terri Soo Hoo; Package Art: Lea Mai Nguyen; LUCASARTS ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY President: Jack Sorenson; Director Of Production: Steve Dauterman; Director Of Marketing: Mary Bihr; Director Of Art: Judy Rosenfeld; Manager Intnl Business: Lisa Star; Manager And QA: Mark Cartwright; Supervisor Of QA: Dan Conners; Manager Of Sound And Development: Michael Land; Tools Manager: Aric Wilmunder; Product Support Manager: Dan Gossett; Product Support Supervisor: Dave Harris; National Sales Manager: Meredith Cahill; FInance Manager: Tom McCarthy; Business Affairs: Jeremy Salesin; Senior Manager Sales Operations: Jason Horstman; PR Manager: Tom Sarris; PR Associate: Heather Twist; Web Specialist: Jason Deadrich; Brooding Morale Coordinator: Tim Schafer
Star Wars Jedi Knight: Dark Forces II (abbreviated to Jedi Knight and Dark Forces II) is a first person shootercomputer game. It was developed and published by LucasArts and released on October 9, 1997. It is based on the Star Wars franchise and is a sequel to Star Wars: Dark Forces. Jedi Knight was received very well by critics, obtaining an 87% aggregate score on Game Rankings and 91% on Metacritic.
The storyline in Jedi Knight follows Kyle Katarn, the protagonist of Dark Forces. Katarn's father has been murdered by a Dark Jedi over the location of The Valley of the Jedi. Katarn follows the Dark Jedi to the valley to confront his father's killers.
Jedi Knight is primarily a first-person shooter but offers the choice of a third person view.[1] The game consists of 21 levels with objectives that the player must complete before being able to continue to the next level. There are weapons available in each level and after level three the player has the use of a lightsaber, along with The Force.[2] The lightsaber is designed for Jedi Knight as a very useful tool. It blocks weapons fire, is an effective weapon and provides light in dark areas.[3]
There are three types of Force powers; Light, Dark and Neutral. Light Force powers provide non violent advantages such as being able to restore health or persuade enemies to ignore the player. Dark Force powers are violent and give the ability to throw objects or choke enemies. Neutral powers enhance athletic abilities such as being able to jump higher or run faster.[4] There are fourteen powers in total, four of each type and a bonus power in each light and dark if the jedi stays true to that path.[5] Players earn stars to allocate toward force powers by completing specific levels. By finding all the secrets in a level, a player can also gain one bonus star to use. Between levels, the player can choose which Force powers to enhance by allocating stars to that power. Stars cannot be reclaimed from powers later on.[6][7]
Levels contain puzzles that may require use of The Force to overcome, or by locating objects in the level.[1] There are a variety of hostile and non-hostile non-player characters (NPCs) within each level that the player can interact with. Other enemies include monsters and vehicles.[1]
There are two endings to Jedi Knight which depend on how the player plays the game. If the player does not harm non-hostile NPCs and focuses on collecting Light Force powers then the game will end with the Light Side ending. Conversely if the player harms non-hostile NPCs and collects Dark Force powers then the game will end with the Dark Side ending.[8]
Multiplayer
Jedi Knight includes a multiplayer mode that allows up to eight people to compete with each other on a local area network and up to four people online.[1][2] Online gaming was hosted by the MSN Gaming Zone.[9]
The player creates an avatar within Jedi Knight and selects a ranking. The higher the ranking the more Force powers will be available to use by the avatar. The player can also edit their avatar's "skin" and lightsaber color. There are two types of game that can be played in Jedi Knight's multiplayer mode, capture the flag and Jedi Training mode, similar to deathmatch. The players can customize the settings to play the deathmatch the way they desire, for example limiting the use of Force powers or playing on teams.[1]
Story
The story is set one year after the events in Return of the Jedi. The player controls Kyle Katarn, who made his first appearance as a mercenary in Dark Forces. Katarn meets with a droid named 8t88 who tells Katarn that his father, Morgan Katarn, was killed by a Dark Jedi named Jerec. Kyle retrieves a disk from the droid that can only be read by a droid belonging to Morgan at his home. The disk's message, coupled with the droid giving Kyle a lightsaber, compel Kyle to undertake a journey to confront his father's murderers and to discover his own latent Force abilities. While on this journey, Kyle learns that seven Dark Jedi are intent on finding the Valley of the Jedi, a focal point for Jedi power and a Jedi burial ground.
Katarn retrieves the Valley's location and travels with Rebel agent Jan Ors to Ruusan, the planet on which the Valley is located. Jerec captures Ors and offers Katarn the decision to execute her or die. This decision Katarn makes depends on the player's actions within the game to this point. If Katarn kills Ors he turns to the Dark side, let her live and he goes on the Light path. With both paths, Katarn has a final confrontation with Jerec in the Valley of the Jedi's core. If the player chose the dark path, the game ends with Katarn becoming emperor; if the player chose the light side, the game concludes with Katarn being reunited with Ors and carving a monument to his dead father.[10]
Development
Development of Jedi Knight was lead by Justin Chin.[3] The most significant developments for Jedi Knight are the use of The Force and the lightsaber. The Force plays an integral role in how the player plays the game and shapes the way the game is played.[4] The method of allocating credits to Force powers was designed with an RPG style in mind, allowing the player the choice of which powers to improve. Chin said in an early interview that progress in the game is based upon the abilities the player develops.[11]
Jedi Knight uses both 3D graphics and sound. It is one of the early games to adopt the use of 3D graphics hardware acceleration using MicrosoftDirect3D.[12] The 3D sound technology was tweaked extensively to give an immersive feel to the game. This was achieved by experimentation using many different sound effects and playback styles.[13] Between levels Jedi Knight features full motion video cutscenes. The characters are represented by live actors while the backgrounds are pre-rendered graphics.[14] The cutscenes included the first lightsaber footage filmed since Return of the Jedi in 1983.[15]
After the release of Jedi Knight, LucasArts developed Star Wars Jedi Knight: Mysteries of the Sith as an expansion pack. It was released on January 31, 1998 and received positive reviews from critics.[16][17] The expansion includes a single-player mode and fifteen multiplayer maps. There are also technical improvements over Jedi Knight, including colored lighting, new textures and models, and developments to the artificial intelligence.[18]
The single-player story in Mysteries of the Sith is set five years after the events of Jedi Knight. The player once more takes control of Kyle Katarn, but later in the game is given control of Mara Jade, one of the most popular Star WarsExpanded Universe characters according to Star Wars Insider.[19]
Star Wars Jedi Knight: Dark Forces II was received well.[21][20] The combination of puzzles and gameplay drew praise from critics, indicating that the game builds upon the good qualities present in Dark Forces.[4] The user control of the game was praised,[8] especially control of the lightsaber.[6]
Jedi Knight was compared positively with Doom, a significant game in the first-person shooter genre.[8][22] The gameplay did not escape criticism, with Tom Chick reviewing Jedi Knight for IGN criticising the layout of the levels: "The levels can be awfully linear, throwing you up against some frustrating brick walls where you don't know where to go or what you're supposed to do next. There are some bald key hunts."[3]
The artificial intelligence of hostile NPCs received mixed reactions. GameSpot praised the AI of the enemies in Jedi Knight, saying that they help the suspension of disbelief.[8] Chi Kong Lui of Gamecritics.com gave the opposite view: "Enemy artificial intelligence is still pretty mindless and blasting them doesn't require much skill."[22]
Jedi Knight's graphics received mixed reviews. Critics stated the non-3D accelerated version of the game looks poor.[4][8] Other graphical aspects received praise. The character animations were considered more detailed than similar games.[8] The design of the levels received specific praise from IGN: "No other first person shooter has come close to Jedi Knight's dizzying sense of scale and its vast levels."[3] The full-motion video sequences between levels received both praise and criticism.[6][8]
The use of John Williams' soundtrack from the Star Wars films was met with praise,[3][8] though one reviewer believed that the music is overused in Star Wars video games.[22] The sound effects also received praise and provide a good atmosphere to the game,[3] in particular the lightsaber sound and its implementation.[8]
The addition of a multiplayer mode to Jedi Knight was met positively,[2] but questions arose to why there are so few multiplayer maps and why single-player maps cannot be used in the multiplayer mode.[8] Tom Chick of IGN believes this was corrected with the release of Mysteries of the Sith.[3]
References
^ abcdeBoero, Mollie; Yunker, Jason; Gilstrap, Doyle; Tosti, Brett; Gleason, Barbara (1997-10-09). Star Wars Jedi Knight: Dark Forces II Manual. LucasArts.