User Reviews (1 - 11 of 47)

Show these reviews first:

Highest Rated
Lowest Rated Newest
Oldest Most Helpful
Least Helpful

Star Wars Jedi Knight: Dark Forces 2

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 1 / 11
Date: October 23, 2002
Author: Amazon User

What can I say? I was so disappointed by this game.

I love Dark Forces. I like the graphics--not as sharp as Jedi Knight, but not as 'conical' either. I enjoy the music--sure the Williams score is great, but it would have meant more to expand the Dark Forces theme instead of just lifting the sountrack (I also found the soundtrack distracting). But, more than anything, I love the storyline. Dark Forces is lively and fun, with interesting puzzles.

If I had to use one word to describe Jedi Knight, it would be "BORING." I found the game lifeless and dull. The storyline didn't involve me. I don't remember any good puzzles. And I hated trying to fight with the lightsaber (I used cheat codes to jump ahead every time I came upon a lightsaber duel).

My only complaint with Dark Forces was that they never offered an expansion pack. I'm currently installing a second OS on my computer so I can run Dark Forces again--it won't run under Windows XP.

Jedi Knight and the "Mysteries of the Sith" disk--which I never played--both went to Goodwill this last weekend.

I have no interest in "Jedi: Outcast."

And since it seems to be standard in these reviews... The Empire Strikes Back--best story, best visuals. Star Wars--great story, good action. Attack of the Clones--best action, decent visuals (more is not better), ok story. Phantom Menace--good visuals, good story. Return of the Jedi--good story.

GRAPHICS BITE...

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 0 / 17
Date: July 04, 2002
Author: Amazon User

THIS IS NOTHING LIKE JEDI KNIGHT 2 OUTCAST, THIS GAME IS HORRIBLE COMPARED TO "JEDI KNIGHT 2 OUTCAST" THAT'S GOT GREAT GRAPHICS AND PLAYING, I DONT RECOMMEND THIS GAME...

Must have been "good" back in the day

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 0 / 11
Date: May 22, 2004
Author: Amazon User

I bought this game by accident. I thought I was getting Star Wars: Jedi Knight 2 Outcast. Turns out it was Dark Forces 2 (my fault for not reading the description more carefully). Even so, I can't help but be dissapointed.

Jedi Knight Dark Forces 2 is the sequel to Star Wars Dark Forces. It follows the story of Kyle Kataarn. A young Jedi straddling the line between the Light and Dark side of the Force.

I realise that this game is over seven years old. But still when held against games such as Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six (which was released the same year) this game looks graphically challenged. The characters are rather stiff and rigid looking and the environments are extremely bland. The gameplay fares no better. It esentially consists of running around blasting and hacking various non-descript bad guys (and later Stormtroopers) with little rhyme or reason. Occasionally there are Boss battles but those are often frustrating. Eventually you are rewarded with different Force powers, none of which seem to work very well. The controls will often have you fumbling to find the right key for the right weapon or Force power. Also, our man Kyle is not exaclty the heartiest hero on video game. He is often easily overwhelmed and collapses in a heap making you restart the level. The level map is not very helpful either.

All in all I have to say that the game's biggest downfall is it's age. It just hasn't held up well over the years. Unless you're a collector or a Star Wars fanatic, it's best to stear clear of this game. It wasn't very fun to say the least. Spend a few extra bucks and either pick up Jedi Knight 2 Outcast or even Jedi Academy. One thing Dark Forces 2 does is let you see just how far technically video games have progressed over the last seven years. Other than that there's not much reason to play this game.

Disappointment....

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 0 / 0
Date: April 26, 2003
Author: Amazon User

Huh, probably most reviewers won't agree with me on this one, but I found this game extremely boring. I'm a Star Wars fan, so I can appreciate everything w/ a good story, decent visual, etc. I know this game is fairly old, but I still play old games (even ones from the early '90-s), so old graphics really don't disturb me that much. But the storyline should be MUCH better, that DF2's: I never felt any interest in the game, playing it was almost like playing Quake 3 Arena: pointless.

Acting is almost horrible in this one - they should've gone with graphical cut scenes inseat of live actors: acting is actually so bad that it hurts. Most of the B movies have better acting than in this game.

I'd say avoid this game at all costs, unless you're a really big Lucasarts/Star Wars fan. I got the game for a bargain price but still feel fairly dissapointed.

Overall, It's an okay game

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 1 / 1
Date: August 01, 2003
Author: Amazon User

I think that this game is okay. The good things are that it is action- packed and the cutscenes are cool. The bad things: horrible, horrible, horrible graphics. The game's graphics make the game look like it was made in the 1800s. the A.I. is kind of weak, too. I read the reviews here before i bought the game ... I was really surprised by the graphics. In conclusion, I would save up my money for a better Star Wars game like "Galactic Battlegrounds" or "The Phantom Menace".

Too old

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 0 / 3
Date: August 10, 2002
Author: Amazon User

The graphics are garbage in this game. You might as well have had stick figures running around. The acting in the cut scenes is also pretty bad. This game is worth getting only because of the ... price. It has ok game play and an alright plot.

A classic...in it's time....

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 9 / 11
Date: January 07, 2005
Author: Amazon User

This is a review for Dark Forces II: Jedi Knight. Amazon.com is grouping all the 'Jedi Knight' games together which is a huge mistake, because all of them are very different.

There is at least a five-year gap between Jedi Knight and its sequel, Outcast. In this game, Kyle Katarn learns about his force heritage and must battle 7 Dark Jedi led by Jerec for control of the Valley of the Jedi. In all honesty, while this game was hailed as a classic and received many 'game of the year' awards during its initial release, it hasn't aged well. Most polygon-based shooters dont, and it's somewhat painful to look back on the rudimentary character models and textures (though the basic level design itself is still top notch). Outcast also improved on everything that Jedi Knight brought to the table, including a better lightsaber combat system and better implementation of force powers. I won't deny that the game was an absolute blast to play through years ago, but nostalogic value alone doesn't make this one worth picking up.

What DOES make it worth picking up though, is that the game featured an intricate story told through cutscenes with live actors. Everyone is shot on a bluescreen, sure, but the acting is mostly up to Star Wars standards, and it's worth buying to unlock all the cinemas and watch this cool Star Wars footage.

As a game, there's really no reason to pick up the original Jedi Knight anymore, but if you're interested in viewing the cutscenes, then this is an absolute must-have. I'm giving this game 3 stars because 5 stars, what it was worth upon original release, doesn't accurately represent the game today.

bad graphics

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 2 / 9
Date: June 24, 2002
Author: Amazon User

The gameplay is fun put you would beat it pritty fast because i think it is easy but you might not. the graphics are horrible that why i gave it a 3-star rating. i think the game was okay.

Pretty good.........minus the graphics

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 10 / 12
Date: May 20, 2002
Author: Amazon User

I just bought this game so u might not consider my review the most thought out. but anyway, this is a good game to buy (ecspecially considering the price) but only if your not someone like me who believes graphics are one of the most important part of the game. But besides the rather primitive graphics the game appears to be very well thought out, The game not only allows you to shoot down enemies to achieve your goal, but allows lightsaber duels. but probably the most interesting part about the game is you customize your jedi. You choose what force abilities he has and whether he is a good or evil jedi. This game is worth the ten dollars.

like getting into a "Star Wars" movie

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 0 / 0
Date: September 25, 2003
Author: Amazon User

What's with those amazon.com people - there are reviews for "Jedi Knight: Outcast" in this product listing and for "Jedi Knight" in the Outcast listing. The two are different games (JK was released in '97; Outcast followed in '02). This review is for the older game.

Though it's the older of the two games (and its age is showing, even if you haven't played the new game) JK is still a great and worthwhile game. Actually the second of the Kyle Katarn games (the first was "Dark Forces" from '94) JK was a huge leap over its prequel, and more relatively innovative than the newer JK. Both are shooter-games that have you play freebooting mercenary Kyle Katarn. (Katarn had begun as an imperial commando but was eventually turned against them. Not immediately a rebel ally, Katarn did undertake missions for them). The empire is gone when JK starts, but pockets of lawlessness and imperial power remain. Katarn, still not a member of the alliance, takes time off to hunt down the man who murdered his father. Unfortunately, Katarn learns that the killer is Jerec, an evil Jedi and master of other evil Jedi. Cruising the galaxy in a mother-huge star destroyer, Jerec searches for the legendary "Valley of the Jedi", a burial ground of jedi knights and a repository of their power. Should he locate the Valley and tap its energy, warns a dead jedi, Jerec will become "a supernova of stars". Complicating Katarn's situation is his betrayal at the hands of a greedy droid named AT-88, but he gets past that to link up with his frequent ally, Jan Ors (the lovely Jan Ors), and picks ups the trail of Jerec. As he makes his way through the game, Kyle learns the ways of the Jedi and picks up nifty Jedi powers while he's at it (the powers are sort of like cheats that are brilliantly incorporated into the story). He must also solve problems and navigate various levels (or maps). In another first (and not used again in Outcast) the game allows you to choose which direction you want to go - light side or dark Jedi. The differences are that each side has its own powers, and at least one of the last maps and cut-scenes are different depending on which side you're on. As a Jedi, you also finally (virtually, anyway) get your hands on a lightsaber. Your saber is handy for cutting through things, but mostly you'll need it for the game's "boss levels" when you must confront Jerec's army of evil Jedi. Saber and Jedi powers aside, the game also faithfully models the weapons and other technology of the Star Wars universe, and wraps things up with John Williams great score.

This is an old game - the graphics are not as fluid as in Outcast, the puzzles less imaginative and the enemies not as overwhelming. It's still a worthwhile game because it tries (and goes a long way) to being an interactive "Star Wars" movie. The levels are well designed and arranged in a way that supports the game's tight narrative. Unlike "Dark Forces" or "Outcast", JK's story is simple, which allows the game's maker to tell the hell out of it gamewise rather than simply seek new ways to toss enemies or challenges out at you. Rather than endure an endless series of levels and new foes, you actually feel like you're working to a big finish. The "movie" aspect is sustained with a series of cut-scenes using FMV - video scenes w/actors - rather than just short sequences animated with the graphics engine. (I admit, everybody hated FMV when it was used in the late `90's, but I loved the scenes here. It was the closest I'd gotten to watching a new SW movie until "Phantom Menace" came out and, if the acting isn't Oscar caliber, it certainly beats either of the last two flicks). In short, JK was pretty cutting-edge when it debuted about 6 years ago, but it still rules because its makers put storytelling on par with gameplay. Everybody lambasted this game when it came out for relying on its own proprietary game engine rather than using "QuakeII". I've played both games - while Q2 may have a better engine, JK has the overall better game.

One last warning: rather than jump to the sequel, LA released a companion disk a year later, "Mysteries of the Sith" - a flawed, bit still @ss kicking expansion set featuring Mara Jade. Though LA eventually released a single package with both games, the "Classics" AFAIK only offers JK. I'd check on-line auctions for awhile since both are great games. Until somebody decides to re-map JK/MotS for the Quake-III engine used for Outcast, "Jedi Knight" will reign as the empire of Star Wars games.

Review Page: 1 2 3 4 5 Next 

Actions