Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast (PC-ROM)
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First, let's start off with a bite of reality -- LucasArts has had a bumpy track record lately. When before every game coming from their shop was guaranteed to be a keeper, over the last several years, the one or two keepers were overshadowed by some real clunkers. For every Rogue Squadron, there were two Obi-Wans. Rebellion, Battle for Naboo, Demolition ... all were poor uses of the Star Wars franchise. However, LucasArts has started outsourcing game concepts to shops that are tops in the various genres. For example, the upcoming RPG for the Xbox, Knights of the Old Republic, is being developed by BioWare, the company responsible for Baldur's Gate. LucasArts' latest PC game, Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast, was developed by Raven Software, the shop that gave us the fantastic Soldier of Fortune.

Admittedly, I am a first-person shooter (FPS) junkie, and Soldier of Fortune is a classic. So, when I heard that Raven was working on Jedi Outcast, I was very pleased and hopeful. Now that I've played through several levels (at this writing, I've just finished level 10 out of 24), I can say that the curse has been lifted. In short, Jedi Outcast is a fantastic game.

Built using a modified Quake III engine, Jedi Outcast does a very good job at balancing the speed of a traditional FPS with the puzzle solving that one usually sees in platform games. The frame rate is fast and smooth, I never experienced any stuttering or slowdowns. Characters move fluidly, whether you're in first-person or in third-person view. The storyline is deep and favorites like Luke Skywalker and Mon Mothma have cameo appearances.

Force abilities are key to the story and to the progression of the game. Kyle Katarn, everyone's favorite mercenary-turned-Jedi-relapse, is back as the main protagonist. He had shunned his Force powers, fearful of falling to the Dark Side as he nearly did in Jedi Knight: Dark Forces II. (If there's anyone reading this who knows why Jedi Outcast isn't Dark Forces III, drop me a line!) In the early going of the game, Kyle has to relearn the use of the Force in order to continue his mission. As you progress through the game, Kyle attains higher rankings in the basic skills (Throw, Pull, etc.) and learns new ones, such as Force choke and lighting.

When you first start a game, you have four difficulty levels to choose from: Padawan, Jedi, Jedi Knight and Jedi Master. The differences are mainly seen in the enemy AI -- for example, when playing in Padawan mode, the stormtroopers miss you from point-blank range. The higher the difficulty setting, the better the enemy reacts to you. Troopers and thugs look to flank you, they dive for cover and pick off shots on you from ungodly distances.

One of the main selling points to Jedi Outcast is the multiplayer capability. Modes for an in-house LAN party and online play are easy to configure. Get a few friends together and you can experience a full-on lightsaber fragfest! There's also a way to play alone in multiplayer by using "bots," opponents running off the game's AI. This is a great way to practice before taking your skills online against seasoned veterans.

Graphics:

The system requirements are rather steep if you want to play under the most optimal conditions. I have my video settings in the medium range, as my video card is no longer considered top of the line. Even with the lower settings, the game still looked great. Not as smooth as I would have liked, but now all I have to do is get someone to buy me a new video card for my birthday (that happens to be in June, if anyone wants to indulge me).

The cutscenes use the in-game character renders, not full-motion video as in Dark Forces II. It worked for me, the development was good enough to see emotions on the character faces. Non-playable characters Lando Calrissian, Mon Mothma and Luke Skywalker were faithful to their film counterparts, the likenesses were remarkable.

Attention to detail abounds in Jedi Outcast. Scorch marks appear on walls, glass shatters when shot and grasses wave in the breeze on Yavin IV. Little things add up to make the game look as good as it plays.

Voice Acting:

This is usually a pet peeve of mine in a game, it's hard to enjoy a good story when the characters utter illogical dialogue or sound as if they've just inhaled helium. This is not the case with Jedi Outcast. Kyle is gruff and rugged, just as you would expect a mercenary to sound. In fact, I have a suspicion that the voice actor used for Kyle is the same guy who voiced John Mullins in Soldier of Fortune. Lando, Luke and Mon Mothma are right on target -- a far cry from the pathetic voice acting in Obi-Wan.

Camera / Controls:

Raven did a monster job in getting the controls and camera angles down right. Players can alternate between first and third-person views as it suits them. However, when you activate the lightsaber, you shift automatically into third-person. I thought this would be an issue at first, but after getting used to it, I really like how that works.

The camera never gets in the way, nor does it suddenly stay behind while you move forward. You're never surprised by enemies around corners because of the camera; if you are, it's because you're not prepared for the unexpected.

The only issue I have with the controls is that there are so many buttons to deal with. Weapons keys are assigned to the number row, Force powers are controlled by the F keys and movement can either use the arrow keys or the A-W-S-D combination. Weapons are fired with the mouse, the left button is the primary fire and the right button is the alternate fire. This is a major bonus, and one of the reasons I so love Unreal Tournament. For example, the disrupter rifle (which is an absolute joy to use) fires like a standard blaster in primary mode. But use the alternate fire, and you have a truly delectable sniper rifle at your control. Keys can be fully customized to your preference, and may take several trial-and-error games to find the best setup for your style of play.

In single player mode, you are given your stats upon completion of a level. You can see how accurate you fire, how often you use your Force skills and how many secret areas you've uncovered.

Music / Sound:

A good mix of various pieces from the Original Trilogy is used in Jedi Outcast. Unlike Obi-Wan, there were no points where I was distracted when skulking by overly loud and fast music.

Sounds are reproduced faithfully: splashing through water, running on durosteel and shattering glass all sound realistic. Kudos to the sound guys!

Replay Value:

While PC games are by nature keepers, as in you can't rent them, I have some which I've never played more than once. Jedi Outcast is easily in the same league as Unreal Tournament when it comes to replay. Once you've exhausted the single-player mode, there are layers upon layers of multiplayer options to explore.

Mulitplayer games can be played as Free-For-All (fragfest), Duel, Capture the Ysalamari (a capture the flag variation) and Jedi Master. The server host can configure the rules in a myriad of ways, such restricting weapons choices, enabling only certain Force powers and more. Anyone who's ever played a rocket arena level in Unreal Tournament will know what this is all about.

Naturally, it wouldn't be a multiplayer FPS without smacktalk, which is allowed here. You can engage in team chat when playing a team-based game, or simply let someone know that you now own them when they've met the business end of your lightsaber.

Because the engine is the Quake III flavor, be on the lookout for downloadable levels, mods and skins in the future. It's my hope that the Jedi Outcast community will evolve as strong as the one for Unreal Tournament. Talented people from everywhere contribute by creating original levels, mods (modes of play) and skins (characters). Until those start hitting the Internet, Jedi Outcast comes with several mulitplayer maps, and players can choose to be any of the characters from the single-player mode. That's right, the most demented of fanboys can now be in an online arena as Luke Skywalker.

Tips:

This is just a few things I've learned in the first ten levels --

• Don't be afraid to skulk and snipe. Crouching up behind a Rodian with the disrupter rifle in sniper mode is not a bad thing, it's a good thing!
• When encountering a room full of Imperials, always take out the officers first. Their aim is much better than that of the stormtroopers.
• Crouch, crouch and crouch some more! Especially when you reach Nar Shaddaa and Rodians are camping to snipe in the city's walkways.
• When using the lightsaber, it will automatically deflect blaster fire. However, it will not deflect fire from disrupters. Also, be careful when encountering bowcaster fire. That stuff ricochets off walls and can hit you.
• Save, save, save! F12 is going to be your best friend. Always do a quick save after jumping a particularly tricky ledge or wiping out a room full of thugs.
• Grans are the evil spawn of the universe. Try to get them before they start throwing thermal detonators at you.

System Requirements:

• Operating System: Windows 95 OSR2/98/ME/2000/XP
• Computer: 100% DirectX compatible computer required.
• CPU: Pentium II or Athlon class 350 MHz or faster CPU required.
• Memory: 64MB required. 128 MB RAM required for Windows 2000 and XP.
• Graphics Card:16 MB OpenGL compatible PCI or AGP 3D Hardware Accelerator required.
• Sound Card: 16-bit DirectX 8.x compatible sound card required.
• CD-ROM: Quad Speed IDE or SCSI CD-ROM drive required.
• Input Device: Keyboard or mouse required. Joystick supported.
• DirectX: Microsoft DirectX 8.0a NOTE: Your system may require the "latest" drivers for your particular hardware.
• Installation: 665 MB of free hard drive space required. Additional free space required after game installation for Windows swap file and save games.
• Multiplayer Support: Pentium II or Athlon class 400 MHz or faster recommended for Multiplayer.
• Local Area Network Play: Supports up to 32 players via Local Area Network.
• Internet Play: Supports up to 16+ players via 56Kbps or faster connection to the Internet.
• Dedicated Server: DSL/Cable Modem required for Internet hosting.

Light Side Features:

• Smooth graphics, though you will need a high-end video card to enjoy all the goodness.
• Professional and accurate voice acting. No cheesy dialogue and a real attempt to make the guest characters from the films sound authentic.
• Controls are a little convoluted, even for keyboard/mouse veterans. The Force abilities require extra reaching across the keyboard, but it's not impossible.
• Music and sound are spot on.
• Can't ask for more replay value than what we get in the multiplayer mode. If you don't have a broadband connection, go get one. Now.
• This is the whole freaking show here! Thank you, LucasArts and Raven!

Dark Side Features:

• There are none. Imagine that!

Overall Grade: A

(Screenshots from official website used by permission of Lucasfilm.)

Purchase Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast for PC