Star Wars: Jedi Knight
Star Wars: Jedi Knight | |
---|---|
First release | Star Wars: Dark Forces 1995 |
Latest release | Star Wars Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy 2003 |
Star Wars: Jedi Knight is a series of first- and third-person shooter video games set in the fictional
The Jedi Knight series began in 1995 with the release of
The games in the Jedi Knight series have received generally favorable reviews. Multiple publications have commented on the quality of the series as a whole. The use of the lightsaber in the series, a prominent gameplay element in all but the first game, has received specific praise for its implementation.
Games
1995 | Star Wars: Dark Forces |
---|---|
1996 | |
1997 | Star Wars Jedi Knight: Dark Forces II |
1998 | Star Wars Jedi Knight: Mysteries of the Sith |
1999 | |
2000 | |
2001 | |
2002 | Star Wars Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast |
2003 | Star Wars Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy |
- Macintosh,[1] and on November 30, 1996 for PlayStation.[2] It was the first officially produced first-person shooter set in the Star Warsuniverse.
- Star Wars Jedi Knight: Dark Forces II was again developed and published by LucasArts, and released in North America on October 10, 1997 for Microsoft Windows.[3][4][5]
- maps.
- Vicarious Visions for the Xbox and GameCube. LucasArts published the Windows version worldwide and the Xbox and GameCube versions in North America,[7][8][9] Activision published the Xbox and GameCube versions in Europe,[8][9] and Aspyr published the Mac version worldwide.[10] The PC version was released in North America on March 26, 2002,[11] the Mac version on November 5,[12] and the Xbox and GameCube versions on November 19.[13][14]
- Vicarious Visions for the Xbox. LucasArts published the Windows and Xbox versions in North America,[15][16] Activision published them in Europe,[15][16] and Aspyr published the Mac version worldwide.[17] Jedi Academy was released on September 16, 2003 for Mac,[18] on September 17 for Windows,[19] and on November 18 for Xbox.[20]
Overview
Gameplay
The Jedi Knight series is composed primarily of first/third-person shooter gameplay elements, with a number of variation on the norms of the genre within each game. All of the games use a
In the first game, Dark Forces, the focus is on combat against various creatures and characters from the Star Wars universe, and includes environmental puzzles and hazards, whilst following a central storyline outlined in mission briefings and cutscenes.[27] For combat, the player may use fists, explosive land mines and thermal detonators, as well as blasters and other ranged weapons, with the gameplay leaning more towards ranged combat.
In Dark Forces II, the player has the option of a
Unlike its predecessor, Mysteries of the Sith has a single, morally positive course,[30] as the player progresses through the game in a linear fashion. The game includes most of the enemies featured in Dark Forces II, plus some new monsters.[31] The player has access to Force powers and projectile weapons such as a blaster or railgun, as well as a lightsaber.
Jedi Outcast's gameplay is similar to that of its predecessors, with some small additions, such as access to
Jedi Academy features very similar gameplay to Jedi Outcast, although one new feature is that the player may customize their lightsaber at the outset of the game.[33] Later, the player has the option of choosing dual sabers, or a "saber staff", similar to Darth Maul's double ended lightsaber in The Phantom Menace.[34] Instead of moving linearly from one level to the next, the player chooses from a selection of different missions which can be played in any order.[35] The game also introduces player-controllable vehicles and vehicle-based levels.[36]
Starting with Jedi Knight, a multiplayer mode has been included in every game, in which up to eight people can compete with one another via a LAN or up to four people online.[25][37] In Jedi Knight, the player creates an avatar, and then selects a ranking, with higher rankings having access to more Force powers. There are two types of multiplayer game available; "Capture the flag" and "Jedi Training".[25] Mysteries of the Sith includes fifteen multiplayer maps,[38] four of which only allow players to battle with lightsabers,[39] and a ranking system that tracks the player's experience. The multiplayer mode allows the use of pre-set characters featured in both Jedi Knight and Mysteries of the Sith,[40] as well as characters from the Star Wars films, such as Luke Skywalker, Darth Vader and Boba Fett. In Mysteries, the "Capture the flag" mode is altered, with the gradual reduction of the Force powers of the player who is carrying the flag.[39]
Jedi Outcast features several multiplayer modes, which, in the PC and Mac versions, can be played over a LAN or the
Story
The Jedi Knight video games are set in the Star Wars universe. For the majority of the series, the player controls
Prior to the events of Dark Forces, Katarn was a student studying to follow in his father's career of agricultural mechanics. However, while at an academy, he was told by officials that the Rebel Alliance had killed his parents. His anger led him to enlist in the Imperial army, where he soon met Jan Ors, an undercover double agent working for the Alliance. Ors uncovered the real information about Katarn's parents; they had actually been killed by the Empire. Shortly thereafter, Ors' cover was blown, and she was taken prisoner. Katarn helped her escape, thus ending his career with the Empire. He then became a mercenary, and due to his hatred for the Empire, regularly took on jobs for the Alliance.[50]
In the first level of Dark Forces, which is set prior to
This incident causes Katarn to distance himself from the Force and return to mercenary missions with Jan Ors.[49] In Jedi Outcast, Ors is captured by Desann, a former pupil of Luke Skywalker who has turned to the Dark Side. Katarn believes Desann to have killed Ors, and so he returns to the Valley of the Jedi in an attempt to reconnect to the Force so as to stop Desann.[52] Eventually, it is revealed that Ors' death is a ruse by Desann for the express purpose of having Katarn return to the Valley, so Desann may learn of its location. Desann, in league with the Imperial Remnant, uses the power of the Valley to endow his troops with Force power, before using them to launch an attack on the Jedi Academy. However, Katarn defeats Desann and discovers his true path, becoming a tutor at the Academy. In Jedi Academy, Katarn takes on two students: Jaden Korr and Rosh Penin.[53] The protagonist of the game is Jaden, who is dispatched on various peace-keeping missions across the galaxy, sometimes with Katarn, sometimes alone. Jaden eventually encounters a Sith cult led by Tavion (Desann's former apprentice) who plans to restore the Sith to power by using stolen Force energy to resurrect an ancient Sith Lord, Marka Ragnos.[54] After learning that Rosh has betrayed the Jedi and joined Tavion, Jaden may either kill him and turn to the Dark Side or let him live and remain on the Light Side.[53] If Jaden chooses the Dark Side, they kill Tavion, defeats Katarn, and flees with Tavion's staff, which is capable of absorbing the Force. The game ends with Katarn setting out in pursuit of Jaden. If Jaden chooses to spare Rosh, they ultimately defeat both Tavion and the spirit of Ragnos, and is lauded for their actions by Katarn and Luke.
Development
Production of Star Wars: Dark Forces began in September 1993, with Daron Stinnett as project leader and Justin Chin as lead writer. The developers wanted to adapt the first-person shooter format to include strategy and puzzles, which at the time, had never been done. Dark Forces thus features numerous
Even before the release of Dark Forces, Justin Chin had planned out Katarn's role in Dark Forces II, indicating that Katarn would face a "big trial" in a game that would be a "rite of passage."
Nearly four years after the release of Dark Forces II, LucasArts announced at
Many years later, games from the series were
Reception
Game | GameRankings | Metacritic |
---|---|---|
Star Wars: Dark Forces (PC) | 77%[1] | |
Star Wars: Dark Forces (PS) | 60%[2] | |
Star Wars Jedi Knight: Dark Forces II (PC) | 89%[4] | 91/100[5] |
Star Wars Jedi Knight: Mysteries of the Sith (PC) | 76%[66] | |
Star Wars Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast (PC) | 87%[67] | 89/100[68] |
Star Wars Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast (Xbox) | 79%[69] | 81/100[70] |
Star Wars Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast (GameCube) | 75%[71] | 75/100[72] |
Star Wars Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy (PC) | 80%[73] | 81/100[74] |
Star Wars Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy (Xbox) | 75%[75] | 76/100[76] |
The Jedi Knight series as a whole has been well received. The series itself has been described as "highly acclaimed,"[77] and has been noted by IGN as one of few Star Wars themed video game franchises that is of consistently high quality on the PC.[78] GamersMark.com called the series "rather entertaining,"[79] whilst GameNOW rated it as "consistently great."[80]
Individually, each game in the series has been generally well received. In 1995, Dark Forces became LucasArts' highest sell-in with more than 300,000 copies accounted for at launch.[81] Games in the series have achieved consistently favorable review scores from most publications, and hold high aggregate scores on both Metacritic and GameRankings. The only exceptions are the PlayStation version of Dark Forces, which was perceived to have graphical problems[82] and the GameCube version of Jedi Outcast, which was seen as considerably inferior to the PC and Xbox versions.[83]
Games in the Jedi Knight series have also received specific commendation and awards. Dark Forces II was judged the best game of the year for 1997 by five publications, and was number one in PC Gamer's "50 best games ever" list in 1998.[84] Jedi Outcast was a finalist in the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences "Interactive Achievement Awards" in the 2002 Computer Action/Adventure Game of the Year category. The game also received commendations from PC Gamer and Computer Gaming World.[84]
Gameplay aspects of the series have also been well received. The lightsaber charted at number 7 in UGO Networks's countdown of the 50 best weapons in video games. The publication commented that using such a weapon in a game was "extremely satisfying," and stated that lightsaber usage had been refined as the series continued.[26]
Kyle Katarn has also received a positive reception.
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