Genre: First Person Shooter, Third Person Shooter, Hack and Slash, Action Adventure
Year: 2002
Developed by: Raven Software
Published by: LucasArts
Platforms: PC, Mac, Gamecube, Xbox, Switch, PS4
#149
Feeling Like: It’s offline
It’s been over four years since I posted Star Wars Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy. A blip on the galactic radar, but so much has changed in the Star Wars discourse that 2019 seems quaint by comparison. Rise of Skywalker, despite some cool individual moments, was a disaster. How did Disney not have a clear plan when forging a new trilogy? Thankfully, the Mandalorian is terrific and Andor may be the single best entry since The Empire Strikes Back.
While I’m still a massive fan of the series, I recognize that more isn’t necessarily better.
However, in March of 2002 we were in a very different place. Attack of the Clones was still a few months away and the fandom hadn’t quite turned on George Lucas just yet. Therefore, anything Star Wars was still treated with a certain amount of reverence. Since Knights of the Old Republic was still over a year away, the door was wide open for a video game to gain the kind of recognition the movies did.
Star Wars Jedi Knight 2: Jedi Outcast didn’t make that impact, but it sure did capture some the best parts of Star Wars. There’s enough force powers and lightsaber battles to quench even the thirstiest padawan.
But not at first.
It starts out, strangely enough, as a first person shooter. No magic Jedi powers, no flipping around, nothing but traditional shooting. It’s strange – you really don’t often see games switch genres like this and if you didn’t know what you were getting into, you may drop the game completely before you get to the good stuff. Regardless, the sublime sound design is still there. With all the familiar blaster noises, door swooshes and tie-fighter engine hollers, I felt right at home. Those noises are instantly recognizable, like a warm blanket for your ears. Star Wars does this better than anybody. The classic soundtrack is here too, and what’s Star Wars without a John Williams score?
Naturally, lightsabers soon come into play. You want to talk timeless sound design, how about the activation, the vwooms and clashes of the space-age laser sword? Fantastic. I’ll never get tired of it, even if Jedi Academy was overblown in this regard, I still was a fan. Here, however, it’s done perfectly.
You get three types of stances; the lightest one makes you spin around the room like Yoda, damaging enemies with fast, furious pokes. Heavy stance are just big home-run swings – satisfying when they land, but your batting average dips to about .125 so I never bothered. I mostly stuck with the normal stance, because why wouldn’t I? Duels with Sith enemies and upgraded storm troopers were just magnificent, a dance of death that culminated in a killing blow and exasperated bellow from my fallen foes. Combine that with a slew of force powers and I truly did feel like the second coming of Luke Skywalker.
Kyle Katarn was one of my favorite Star Wars protagonists, right up there with Dash Rendar from Shadows of the Empire. He’s an outcast (hence the title) and has to re-ignite his force powers, so there’s a cool sense of progression both story-wise and gameplay-wise. He’s got a nice beard. He has a gravely voice. He’s aloof. Likeable.
At one point in the game, you come across a computer panel and try to activate it.
(Kyle Katarn voice): “It’s offline”
*giggles* Sorry, what was that, Kyle Katarn?
(Kyle Katarn voice): “It’s offline”
For whatever reason, this clicked so much for Scott, Dave, Ian and myself that we’d quote this line ad nauseam for years afterward.
Did badly on a school test?
(Kyle Katarn voice): “It’s offline”
We’re out of ice cream?
(Kyle Katarn voice): “It’s offline”
Door locked?
(Kyle Katarn voice): “It’s offline”
Car in the shop?
(Kyle Katarn voice): “It’s offline”
Clearly we weren’t the only ones to think so, since I found a Youtube video entirely dedicated to it.
Aside from that, I enjoyed his story immensely. The t-rex villain and his devious associate were standard Star Wars fare, but I mean come on. How can you resist a dinosaur named Desann wielding a red lightsaber?
It wasn’t every day that this kind of game came out for PC. It was the only console that all my friends had, so whenever we could collectively enjoy an experience like this, it was a big deal. Doubly so for Star Wars and triply so for a game that was this much fun. Force pushing a group of Stormtroopers into the abyss with a single click of the keyboard is immensely gratifying. Clashing lightsabers with a foe, before dashing out of the way to evade a second threat feels straight out of the movies. I’ll never forget my final move, jumping off the high ground (!) towards Desann in a Jedi Temple. Force lighting to ensure he has to block, then slicing his abdomen twice for the coup de grâce. After a brutal back and forth encounter, I breathed a huge sigh of relief. What a terrific ending to Kyle Katarn’s journey…
You know, I say that, but I’m sure with the extended universe he’s made a few appearances here and there. But not for me, I’m perfectly content with his story in Jedi Outcast. I could’ve done without some of the platforming sequences, and the first few levels are pedestrian by comparison. But the progression of power that comes along with becoming a Jedi Knight is too much of a temptation to pass up. Star Wars Jedi: Survivor is on my list to play this year, but with 2023 being a juggernaut of releases, I may not get to it. But after writing this post, I may have to prioritize it. There’s no other game this year that will let me yield a lightsaber, is there?
The 500 