Star Wars: Jedi Knight - Dark Forces II

Exciting, epic, well-made, vertiginous... all these words are little to describe the triumph of this game. Featuring all too advanced display rates and graphics to the year it was made, this game is as crackingly good as the movies can be. For the first time we are able to use lightsabers and force powers, and this, combined with incredible environments, fluid graphics and a great storyline (the way we play is gonna influence the end of the game) makes this a winner in all aspects. Not only the best game of 1997, but also one of the best ever made by Lucasarts. Let's hope Jedi Outcast is even better.

I thought the original "Dark Forces" was good, but "Jedi Knight" blows it away. Quite simply, it's the best 1st-person action game EVER created (or at least, that I've had the good fortune of playing 8-} )

The graphics are excellent, the cutscenes are fun, and being able to choose the Path you follow is great. If you've only gone the Path of the Light Side, or the Path of the Dark Side, then RUN and get your CD-ROM and play again, going the other way... the cutscenes are different after your choice, and both endings are excellent.

Even 3 years after it's release, this is still my favorite first person game and my favorite Star Wars game. Nothing else has captured the feel of being a lightsaber-wielding Jedi in the Star Wars universe as well as this game has. While the engine is a little dated, most people will find the graphics still look good (in 1024X768 mode) and the gameplay is very well done. Numerous add-ons and skin packs greatly enhance the fun of gameplay.

One of the biggest complaints about the game is the limited multi-player options. The only kind of multi-player game seems to be a deathmatch where players try to kill each other the most number of times. While that is fun for a while, it quickly gets dull.

The only other problem I have is that the cut-scene videos in the single player game could have been made better. The soundtrack seems to be a second or two off with the lips of the actors and the acting in general is very amateur. At the time the game was made, however, video game cut-scenes were still fairly new and not perfected yet, so I let some of these faults slide.

Overall, the game is excellent and I highly recommend this title to any Star Wars fan. I just wish a sequel would come out with an updated game engine.

Remember Kyle Katarn? You know, the guy from Dark Forces? Well, the hero who stole the Death Star plans single-handedly(and blew up some droid troopers or sth.) is BACK and this time he's Force-sensitive so watch out! Kyle returns, but this time he ain't working for the Rebels. Instead, Kyle and his trusty E-11 Blaster Rifle are out to avenge the death of Morgan Katarn, Kyle's dad who was murdered by seven Dark Jedi who seek the location of the Valley of the Jedi, a Force nexus. Kyle claims his inheritance, which is a lightsaber and the Valley itself and becomes a Mercenary/Jedi hybrid with every intent to stop the Dark Jedi.

This game is awesome. With this, you can easily forget that the original DF even existed. Kyle turns from a blank character into the Chuck Norris of Star Wars in a second! Now that's an achievement. The game looks good, has fantastic FMV cutscenes and gives you the right atmosphere of Star Wars right away.

10 out of 10

Oh, and if you like this game, then I suggest you also find Jedi Knight 2 where an older Kyle returns again to save Jan Ors from another Dark Jedi.

This is the best first person game I've ever played. The fact that it was Star Wars made it even better. I haven't conquered it yet but I've only had it for a couple of months. But I have a feeling I'm in for more surprises. But my favorite part of the game is the awesome cutscenes between each level. This is probably the best Star Wars game I've ever played(I'm still sorting it out.). 10/10