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Best Star Wars Console-Combat to Date

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 75 / 79
Date: May 20, 2000
Author: Amazon User

Star Wars: Jedi Power Battles, an action title based on the Episode 1 movie, may not live up to the greatness that you may expect from LucasArts, but it certainly offers the best lightsaber combat of any Star Wars console title (perhaps even greater than the hit PC game Jedi Knight). Jedi Power Battles is devoted to Jedi and lightsabers, and the creators did a commendable job of creating a fighting system centered around Force powers and sword combat. Jedi Power Battles' graphics are below that of many current PSX games, but certainly adequate; the great droid and Jedi animations help redeem the visual effects. The Graphics rate a 6/10. The gameplay is by far JPB's strongest aspect (this is what really counts, isn't it? ). You get a choice of five different Jedi warriors (plus a few extra characters including the mysterious Darth Maul) who all require alternate strategies to use them successfully. All the Jedi and unlockable characters possess different Force powers, combos, special items, and abilities, making the game's replay value virtually limitless. In addition, the Dual Shock controller vibrates every time you take damage, telling you when your block timing is off. But perhaps the best feature of JPB and new to the Star Wars gaming world, is the Jedi co-op mode in which you can battle alongside a friend, and progress through the levels, to beat the game together. The Gameplay rates a 9/10. The difficulty level is where this game falters. The difficulty settings on this game are "Jedi" and "Easy", but sadly there is little difference between them. Some reviewers complain that the controls are overly hard to use, but I found that they are simple and intuitive, and can be mastered with practice. The learning curve is about an hour, but once you've mastered the basics you'll find yourself spinning to thrust your saber through the chest of a battle droid, reflecting a deadly laser bolt back to its owner, diving around a third droid to unleash a devastating combo into his undefended back, then hurling your Jedi weapon toward another approaching enemy, all in the space of a few heart beats. While the combat becomes second nature and can leave your fingers twitching and reacting to imaginary battles long after you've set the controller down, the platform-style jumping is rarely conquered and definitely the game's greatest drawback. Due to poor background shading and a virtual lack of depth perception, it is VERY difficult to perform all those impossible leaps over bottomless chasms. More often than not you'll find yourself staring at the screen in disbelief after what you thought was an accurate hop, but turned out to be twice as far as the situation called for, resulting in your instant demise. These jumping areas are the most aggravating and exasperating aspects of the game and may discourage some players. Patience is necessary at first, and I suggest you purchase the Prima strategy guide. It provides helpful melee tips that greatly enhance your gaming experience, facts about the various enemies, and strategies and combos for all the Jedi and hidden characters. This game's difficulty is medium/hard. Finally, the game's "atmosphere", which is described as the feel of the game: the sounds, music, lighting, and level design. The sound is high quality and straight from the movie, setting that wonderful Star Wars mood. The same may be said about the music, which is rich and varied. The lighting is average and the level design is engaging and diverse (though a tad too restrictive in areas). The atmosphere rates an 8/10. Over all, Star Wars: Jedi Power Battles is an absolute MUST for any Star Wars fan. The completely lightsaber and Force based combat is what every Star Wars lover has been waiting for since the opening of "A New Hope" in 1979. This game is less about reliving the movie than it is about slicing things in half with a lightsaber, and lets the player know what it is like to fight like a Jedi, think like a Jedi...to be a Jedi.

The best star wars game yet...

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 36 / 41
Date: April 28, 2000
Author: Amazon User

Over all the best star wars game yet,however the only way I can prove that to you without you actually playing it is contrasting{comparing} the good things and the bad things about the game,first the bad.1.The controls are a bit difficult to learn at first,but after a little bit of playing you'll have them down just fine. 2.When running with your jedi,you cannot leap into the air and bring your light saber down to damage the enemy,you have to wait till you are on the ground.3.This games plot is the very same plot as the movie and as movie,which would be alright except they already made a game with the plot of the movie,the phantom menace.Now the good, 1.The graphics are good in comparison to all of the other star wars games.2.You get to choose from five different jedi.3.there are four secret levels and three hidden characters including the queen,captain panaka,and our very own dearly departed sith,darth maul.4.Each jedi has his/her own moves,combos,and special items.5.Each jedi is completly different,some have speed and quickness while others have strenth and dexterity,some are stronger in the force than they are at fighting.6.Each jedi has three special force moves which can be deployed throughout the game.7.As you progress through the game you can earn combos and force powers that were not available to you in the previous level.well that's about it.But heres some more info anyway,there are ten levels{not counting the four bonus levels}of fast and furius action,after the fourth level you have to step it up a notch but you'll be fine,and as a last piece of info,at the last level you have a little "chat" with darth maul about his attempts to terminate you on tattoine.

Great idea but....

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 20 / 27
Date: April 14, 2000
Author: Amazon User

I've loved two player beat 'em up games since Final Fight and have been pretty dismayed how side-scrollers have more or less been abandoned with very few, and often less than desirable exceptions. JPB is what seems like a good attempt to make just that--a sort of senseless beat 'em up. As other reviewers have said, this game certainly has some plusses: good graphics, excellent soundtrack, outstanding droid animation, and the overall concept is something I love (IE sidescroller, not starwars)... But in putting in about 5-6 hours on this game I've found myself answering my Jedi Partner's questions 'just what would you change about this game?' And the list started getting pretty long.

Consider this:

-You can select from several controller layouts but not select your own layout.

-If you save a game as one player, another character can not enter later. If you decide you want to play with someone else you will have to throw out your level 5 jedi and start over.

-Unless you start a new game and specify easy mode (and you will want to play in easy mode), and then quit out, the game will automatically decide your saved game was in hard mode.

-Sometimes your combos will 'dissapear' in combat. Apparently a glitch.

-3D jumps are extremely annoying (poor level design), especially when you have a very limited number of credits. You don't get more credits with two players--in truth, you have half the amount.

-On that same note, in two player mode the whole 3D jumper phenomena takes on a whole new level of annoyance. Quite often characters can end up off the screen, despite having to make a critical jump. Sometimes your character will fall off a ledge and not be dead, but since you cannot see your character, the most humane thing to do seems to be to move the controls until your character does die! Two player mode in this game seems rather like an afterthought, especially when you have to make -lots- of jumps with two people.

-How the credit system works is inconsistant. Sometimes in two player mode when one character dies, two credits will be used. Why?

-Just nit-picking here, but the targeting system is really garbage. Lucas arts should definitely take a hint from Eidos's Soul Reaver.

For a rental, this is not a bad game, and will at times provide a great deal of entertainment for a group, however there are times you will be so frustrated with it that all you can do is turn the machine off and walk away. I have continuously been dissapointed with the Lucas Art games, and this again shows them coming up with a good idea but not really knowing how to execute it. Perhaps they should have their game produced by companies who know how to make games.

Star Wars: Jedi Power Battles

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 10 / 12
Date: April 06, 2000
Author: Amazon User

Star Wars. What more needs to be said. Well, maybe a little should be said. Like the fact that other Star Wars games on the psx were really disappointing. Now, close your eyes, and imagine no other Star Wars title has ever been made for the little grey box. Got it? Good. 'Cause this game is great. If ever as a child (or as a cool adult) you have wanted frenzied lightsabre combat like in the movies, now is your time. Jedi Power Battles takes an old concept (Super Star Wars on the NES) and brings it to the next level. With stunning locations that mirror the movie, and a wonderful soundtrack, this is the best Star Wars experience thus far. Ok, so there is a slight drawback, but I feel it is a plus. The difficulty is a high factor, but if it was a breeze to beat, what would the point be? Sure hoardes of robotic enemies are waiting to pounce on you around every corner. But you are jedi,(resist the dark side, hmm?) and jedi rely on the force as thier ally. No robot could weild the force as jedi do. Stand up, clear your mind, and cut those stupid robots to shreds with your sizzling electric sword. Call on the force (or dark side if you go that way), and unleash a barrage of sword attacks in 360 degrees, disorient your feeble minded enemies, and use a force push to escape certain death. And if you are bad enough...(yeah! yeah!) I mean good enough, you too can have an awsome lightsabre death-duel with that dearly departed baddie, Darth Maul! Final thoughts: Impressive.. Most impressive

Star Wars Episode 1: Jedi Power Battles

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 10 / 12
Date: July 02, 2001
Author: Amazon User

If you buy this game you will definitely get you money's worth...One problem is if you want to follow the movie plot with this game (I don't really care about it) it's not for you-it follows the places the Jedi go, but it's more about hitting things with a lightsaber. The other problem is there are too few checkpoints on the levels. If you are playing a one player game you better not mind doing a lot of the same level over, because if you die the game makes you do over what seems like the entire level. The rest of the game is good, though. The graphics are great, it's non-stop action, and a few extra things that aren't in the movie. Each of the 5 (8 characters if you beat the game with 3 of the Jedi) characters have a special object-like a thermal detonator or something. If you beat the game as all 5 characters you can eventually unlock secret levels. There are a few things that wouldn't be true in the movie though. A Jedi wouldn't survive even a single direct laser hit, but since the Jedi would act differently in the situation and have unlimited Force it balances out. This game also has good development, your character starts out with a very small health and Force bar, an object, one force attack, and 1-3 lightsaber combos. By the final level your character gains 2 more Force abilities, larger health and force bars, and attack and defensive bonuses. The game however does have low replay value, except for showing your friends how cool the game is so they can buy it. If you like a game that has really good graphics, sound effects, action, and development, then it's worth more than every penny you spend on it.

Finally I can be a Jedi too!

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 8 / 9
Date: May 13, 2001
Author: Amazon User

Upon hearing bad reviews for this game I went out with my friend to rent this game and see what all the fuss is all about. Before I continue I just want to mention that we are both Star Wars fans. From the introduction of the game we were pumped and ready to take on the dark side. We chose Obi-Wan and Gui-Gon and set off for the Federation Ship. The levels that the game takes place in are exactly the same as they are in the movie. From everything from the opening battle scene to the final battle scene with Darth Maul. Now the graphics for the game aren't the best however they aren't horrible, they are just right. The controls could have done with a better setup because it'll take you a while to get used to the awkward controls. The worst thing about the game is the depth of the game. Depth meaning it's very hard to see how far you have to jump from one platform to another. You'll find yourself repeatly wasting your Jedi to a unnessary death after surviving a horde of Battle Droids. This is the only reason I'm holding back from giving it a perfect rating of 5 stars. However taking on the role of one of five Jedi makes up for it with 3 other hidden characters, *cough*Darth Maul*cough*. If you ever wanted to become a Jedi and step into the shoes of your favourite characters, this is the game for you. It's even more fun taking on the dark side with a friend. If you are worried about replay value, don't worry you won't finish this game overnight. It'll take some hard friday nights with a buddy to complete this and even after completing the game there are still the option to do it all again with the hidden characters. Along the way you'll unlock a few extra mini-games and they come with extra rewards if you complete them such as the 'Ultimate Saber'. Overall if you are a Star Wars fan this is a game for you however if you aren't then this is nothing more than a rental because if this game was a Star Trek game I wouldn't even have given it a second glance.

This Game Rules!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 7 / 8
Date: April 10, 2000
Author: Amazon User

I just got this game and I think it is great. I think the 2 player mode is awsome. Why wouldn't you like to go chop down some droids with a freind? I think it is really cool how you can pick your own charachter. If your a Star Wars fan then you will love this game

The Force is with this game!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 5 / 5
Date: April 15, 2000
Author: Amazon User

First off, Jedi Power Battles is a tremendously fun game in one player mode and is off the charts with two players. The game provides ample difficulty even on the lowest setting. It is difficult but not impossible and improvement can be witnessed immediately. A must have for any Star Wars fight game fan. P.S.-Any game with Samuel L. Jackson(Mace Windu) has to be top notch.

Why can't Jar Jar have a weapon?

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 7 / 9
Date: June 18, 2000
Author: Amazon User

Okay, I just got done renting this game to see if I wanted to buy it. Being a huge Star Wars fan and current owner of Episode One for the Playstation, I was eager to test this one out. At first, the game is extremely frustrating and takes a while to learn the controls (especially if the video store has lost the instruction booklet!)...anyways, the game does grow on you once you start to become successful at it. I still hated it, but found myself playing it non-stop for three days...I guess it's one of those games that you love to hate...In summary, the pros of the game are that the graphics, animation, and sound are very well done. The Jedi's are all cool, although I wish they would let Jar Jar take a crack at it. The cons, and there are a few of them, really hurt the game and ruin it's potential. I don't even need to reiterate what people have said about the problems with jumping and depth perception. Killing driods does become tedious after a while too. However, my major gripe is with the game play. You have to be stationary in order to attack. You can't move while you are pressing an attack button, not even rotate the guy. His position will not move unless you cease pressing any attack button, which is really annoying...anybody who's played the game will understand what I'm talking about. Finally I got this feeling of deja vu...then I figured out why. This game is EXACTLY like the Ninja Turtle arcade games....just substitute Mace Windu for Donatello and you have very similar games. If you liked those games, then you'll definitely want to check this one out.

This game kicks butt!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 7 / 9
Date: April 22, 2000
Author: Amazon User

You have got to play this game.It has to be the best game onplaystation now.If you liked the movie you'll love this game.Thegraphics are incredible and the game play is easy to catch on to.There are a ton of moves you can do like you can run towards the battle droids and stab them with your lightsaber.You can also spin around and cut them and deflect there laser blasts back at them.So all you Star Wars fans out there,and even if you don't really like Star Wars,you have got to try this game....

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