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Intro It was back in 1995 when LucasArts released Dark Forces and first introduced gamers to Kyle Katarn - a good natured scoundrel plunged into the midst of the Rebellion and their ongoing fight against the Imperial forces. Since that fateful game, Kyle has gone on to discover he had metachlorines and the Jedi powers that accompany them in Dark Forces 2: Jedi Knight. Powers that he then loses and regains in the course of last year's Jedi Knight 2: Jedi Outcast. In the newest Jedi Knight title (for those keeping score, it's technically Dark Forces 4), Kyle's back-but only as an instructor in Luke Skywalker's Jedi Academy. Instead, Jedi Academy focuses on the academy and the Jedi training of a new student - you. But unlike previous titles in the series, Jedi Academy foregoes all the unnecessary, tedious training and lightsaber retrieval missions that made last year's offering a chore, and instead thrusts players in control of a Jedi Apprentice - complete with basic force powers and a lightsaber to boot, for maximum Jedi fighting enjoyment. And you know what? It's a whole lotta fun. Gameplay: 8/10 Taking place sometime after Return of the Jedi, Jedi Academy takes place in the Extended Universe where Luke Skywalker runs a fledgling Jedi academy in hopes of repopulating the New Republic with Jedi guardians. You play as Jaden, one of these new Jedi hopefuls traveling to the academy with aspirations of joining their famed ranks. However, Jaden is unique; for the first time ever, he (or her, it's up to you) has constructed a lightsaber on his own, without any formal Jedi training. But on the transport ship headed to the academy, something goes wrong-the ship is attacked! Luckily, Jaden is one of only two students surviving the attack and reports to the academy as planned. Because of the circumstances surrounding the attack and the immediate danger it poses to the academy, Luke quickly assigns students to masters in order to start investigating the attack. You and Rosh, the other crash survivor, are assigned to Kyle Katarn, now a practicing Jedi and academy faculty member, and the game starts… From the outset of the game, players can customize Jaden to their liking. Six species/gender combos, multiple head, shirt, and pants options, and color options are all available for obtaining this year's "in" Jedi look. But what's really cool: lightsaber customization. Because Jaden already has a lightsaber, gamers are able to customize their weapon from the get-go, and Jedi Academy offers up nine hilt designs and five colors (purple, yellow, blue, orange, and green - sorry dark Jedi, no red) for the discerning Jedi amongst us. Jedi Academy unravels fairly predictably. First, students are given their base eight force powers, including active powers like pull, push, jump, speed, throw, and sense and passive powers like lightsaber offense and defense. Then, students choose between five available missions, each investigating a different facet of the storyline. At the beginning of each of these missions, Jaden is allotted an additional Force Point that he/she may contribute towards additional force powers - 4 light side and 4 dark side, with no restriction on which powers to take. The light side powers include protection, absorb, heal, and mind trick, while the dark side powers (the fun ones) include grip (or choke), drain, lightning, and rage. Once 4 of the 5 available missions have been completed, Jaden is given a choice to either return to the academy to continue the story and his training or to complete the remaining fifth mission - the advantage being an additional force point. At any rate, after returning to the academy, a special mission is given along with force power upgrades and then 5 possible new missions are assigned (once again, only requiring 4 to be completed). After these 4 or 5 are completed, Jaden once again returns to the academy for a new mission and his final force powerups, then 4 or 5 new missions, last level, and end. Overall, Jedi Academy is about a 10 hour game. Anytime a mission-centric game fails to deliver fun, exciting, and original level designs and objectives, it's usually a dreadful experience. Jedi Academy, I'm happy to report, fails to fail, and provides some great moments, tense battles, and lightsaber combat that promises to keep any gamer gleefully whacking at stormtrooper fodder until long after the sun goes down. An early mission has gamers helping Chewbacca secure the Millennium Falcon at a spaceport - an escort mission where, for once, the escortee isn't some helpless bimbo, but rather a large, over-powered, dog-smelling Wookie (just kidding about the dog part big guy). Early missions tend to be filled with lesser enemies like the standard Imperial stormtroopers and poorly-armed officers, while later levels will send wave after wave of Dark Jedi and heavily-armored and cloaked troops at you. This variety coincides with your force powers, and makes for a very scaled and balanced fighting experience that insures that enemies will never be too strong or too weak for you. In fact, this title is one of the best when it comes to walking the fine line of balance and challenge. But for those Jedi seeking an even greater challenge, Jedi Academy provides four difficulties, ranging from the lowly Padawan to the majestic Jedi Master. Combat is another aspect of the game done right, and it makes properly and intelligently wielding a lightsaber in game appear to be the fluid, graceful, intense fencing the movies make it out to be. Of course, there are other weapons available like the standard E-11 Blaster Rifle and the lovable-but-condemned-on-every-planet Tenloss Disruptor Rifle, but it's entirely possible to play the entire game through with only a lightsaber (with the exception of the requisite jailbreak level), and most gamers will probably opt to do so. But choose to wield an ordinary rifle, and the game shifts to the traditional first person shooter mode. Switch back to the lightsaber, and the game adjusts accordingly with the wonderfully implemented third person camera. A.I. is another story unfortunately. Foot soldiers often act erratically, sometimes opting to chase you, while other times electing to stay in one spot and act as if nothing happened while you systematically cleave his buddy in tiny pieces a mere two feet away. Lightsaber wielding baddies fare a bit better, but most gamers will find some sort of little exception in the combat that allows easy kills. For me, no Dark Jedi could survive the onslaught of a well-timed circle strafe and horizontal swipe, and it seems that cheese is often the best way to overcome tough odds. There were some tougher boss battles that required a good mix of combat and puzzle solving that is the highlight in the otherwise mediocre combat. But how, with the A.I. problems, could a game's combat be enjoyable. Well the boys at Raven software outdid themselves with stellar, but subtle, RPG elements. Remember the mission layout? Well with growing force powers and the ability to choose between light and dark powers, players have the ability to tap into some really enjoyable force powers. Level 3 Force Grip, for instance, allows players to pick up and throw enemies at will-maniacal laughing guaranteed. Additionally, the game implements all kinds of neat lightsaber techniques and acrobatics that evolve as force power goes up, even providing a variety of stances that are unlocked based on progression. On top of that, new lightsaber varieties are available toward the last third of the game that allow the gamer to choose to wield double lightsabers or even a Darth Maul style doubled-sided lightsaber, each with their own set of moves and acrobatics. With all of these moves, techniques, powers, and customization thereof, the combat is almost inconsequential. You could put my character in a big room with a bunch of training dummies and I'd be more than happy to Jedi around for a couple hours. But luckily for us (and LucasArts) there is combat, and gamers are given the feeling that real Jedis must have - that of a kid in a candy store. But instead of delicious Gummy Bears to devour, there are only candy-coated Stormtroopers to electrocute and cleave in half. And
then there's the multiplayer. Offering standard deathmatch, team deathmatch, and
capture the flag options all with 2 player split screen, LAN, or Xbox Live support,
Jedi Academy is no slouch. But then they go and give us two unique modes
- Power Duel, where two lesser Jedis duel against one greater Jedi, and Siege,
an astonishing objective-based multiplayer mission where each side has a set of
objectives they must complete in order to win. While the other modes are fun,
they have been seen before, and Power Duel is pretty much a fun diversionary game.
The real meat here is Siege mode. In addition to the aforementioned objectives,
the mode also incorporates an elegant class system featuring six unique classes.
Planning and strategy are required and the voice support goes a long way toward
making the mode succeed. And for the broadband impaired, Jedi Academy has
included bots, so you can at least pretend that you're online. Online games using
the Live service support up to 10 players, and as of publication, I had no problem
jumping right into a game of Siege, as there is no lack of servers and good competition.
But be forewarned: human players don't fall for those cheesy computer-killing
moves, and an understanding of stances and moves is needed to compete.
Graphics: 7/10 Sound:
7/10 Control:
9/10 Overall:
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