Comments on: Eurogamer: Jedi Knight Retro

By: SanguineAngel

SanguineAngel — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 13:47:03 +0000

Everything that the article says about DFII is true. I really DO NOT understand why this sort of interesting level design has gone out of fashion. I miss it. I miss the genuinely virtigous level design. And I REALLY miss having to actually think about and figure out where to go and how to get there.

I particularly dislike how most games seem to signpost every move you are supposed to make now.

By: Wedge

Wedge — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 01:21:28 +0000

I remember having a lot of fun with DFII, and the level design was definitely something unlike any other FPS I can think of. I had the demo on my laptop way back when and played the level over and over and over (it was the fuel tanker level I think). And I know I played a lot of it with a friend who had the game at his house. I do miss running about cutting off Tusken Raiders arms.

I should look into getting this with the fancy remaken mods and all..

By: Pod

Pod — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 16:10:29 +0000

Minor point: But DFII:JK featured dismemberment, but never made a fuss out of it. (I’m looking at you, Solider of fortune)

By: We Fly Spitfires

We Fly Spitfires — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 20:10:28 +0000

I honestly loved the cut scenes in that game. Now everything is just so cheesy…

By: Nick

Nick — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 17:20:35 +0000

I’m glad I wasn’t mis-remembering how good the level design in JK1 was. I recall even when JK2 was released that I frequently though, whilst playing it, that it barely compared to the level design of its prequel and that the lightsaber combat was all it had going for it.

By: Jon

Jon — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 16:54:44 +0000

Inspired by the article, I tried to install the game on my machine, but when the installer launches it complains that my OS is x64.
Tried googeling, didnt find anything though.

Someone know of a workaround?

By: bill

bill — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 16:22:57 +0000

That was pretty controversial at the time. I remember a lot of people hated it. I loved it, it felt really star wars. (though i agree it was a little clunky in implementation).

While MotS has a different vibe than DF2, i think i love them both equally. And MotS has to be one of the best expansion packs ever.

By: cyrenic

cyrenic — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 13:00:28 +0000

Anyone remember the final boss fight from Mysteries of the Sith? It was a bit clunky, but I appreciate that it was trying to do something different. I remember it taking me forever to figure out what the game was trying to get me to do :).

Also, the first level of that expansion pack was awesome.

By: EBass

EBass — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 11:25:47 +0000

Much much overlooked in the Panetheon of early FPS games. Forget Quake 2 and Unreal (which aside from a couple of clever narrative techniques and beautiful vistas in Unreal were very much descendants of the basic doom FPS template), Jedi Knight more than those two really set the ground for Half Life. An actual progressing story, friendly NPCs, huge variety in level design and scope (admittadly Unreal had that too), Enviroment puzzles, good pacing.

Don’t think I could play it today though.

By: woppin

woppin — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 10:40:48 +0000

I played through DF1, DF2, and JK:JO, but couldn’t be bothered with academy. I don’t remember them very well, but as a series I feel they were games that complimented each other. DF2 was great because it had a solid shooter grounding and you also got the saber for the first time in an FPS, but I’m not sure I’d want to dismiss JKJO as easily as some on here, simply because I had an absolute blast with the lightsaber fighting.

As a trilogy it evolves from a standard FPS to a lightsaber game….kind of like the storyline from DF2, which is a neat bit of symmetry. In terms of gameplay mechanics the later games were an improvement I think – the force powers and lightsaber styles and whatnot were great features, but I think the early games were in a class of their own from the storytelling perspective.

Any mention of JK reminds me of the atrocious voice acting in Outcast… AAAAH…ADMIRAL FYAAAAAA.

By: Vandelay

Vandelay — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 10:16:13 +0000

To make Outcast’s Nar Shadaa level even worse, it was the level that immediately followed getting your lightsaber. So, when you eventually actually get the thing you’re playing the game for (and the only decent weapon in the game) you are forced down sniper alley, where you have to rely on the horrid inaccurate and dull weapons.

Outcast doesn’t get good until the cloud city levels (even those are hit and miss – basically when the stormtroopers turn up), and then it becomes fantastic. But the previous levels are a complete slog. Outcast is by far the weakest of the series, for all its excellent lightsaber mechanics.

I think I know what I’m going to be playing in the coming weeks.

By: Stense

Stense — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 09:25:58 +0000

I only played Jedi Knight the once, back when it came out (I lost the disc to the eons since). But that one polay through was enough to leave some great memories of massive and brilliant levels. The sense of scale was impressive then, and thinking back to it its still pretty impressive.