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First person shooting at its (albeit primitive) finest

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 1 / 1
Date: July 06, 2006
Author: Amazon User

How many games have grinded against your nerves, yet left you thirsting for more action? How many games offer the most nerve racking of all enemies in the garbage monster? My list is very short--in fact, it only contains one item. Dark Forces is one of the finest first person shooters to ever grace the computer screen. It set the table for the line of Jedi Knight games, and it did so magnificently. Though there were many difficult puzzles along the way, I actually felt like trying to beat them myself instead of giving up, or heading for the walkthrough.

I hope many agree with me when I say that Dark Forces has no rival in what it brings to the table. While the graphics are somewhat dated (which has been stated many times over in these reviews), gameplay is not sacrificed one bit.

Since technology is improving so quickly, I fear that many gamers in the world may miss out on this classic. For all of us who have played through the 14 levels of pure gold, though, it will be with us forever.

Old-School Shooter with a Star Wars Flavor

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 2 / 2
Date: August 09, 2005
Author: Amazon User

Many frown at the idea of old-school FPS games. "Wolfenstein 3D", "Doom", "Duke Nukem"...they all were great for their time, and are still good, but they just haven't aged very well. "Star Wars: Dark Forces" however, has not lost as much of its punch in the 10 years that have passed.

STORY
The story of Kyle Katarn is actually one of the better stories that "Star Wars" games have put out. He's not the Jedi bad-ass from the "Jedi Knight" games (by the way, those are all purchase-worthy!), but he does have a gruff attitude. I don't think nostalgia is the reason for my interest in this story. Boba Fett, Darth Vader, Jabba The Hutt, and an Imperial Commander (sorry, can't remember the name) make appearances in this chapter, where the advanced Dark Troopers obliterate planets. Kyle Katarn and partner Jan Ors are paid to eliminate this threat. It's not Shakespeare, but instead of going the for the campy sense-of-humor that "Rogue Squadron" and other "Star Wars" flight-combat games go for...this one is dark and serious. It's not heart-felt drama, but it does have a gripping tone to it.

GRAPHICS
The graphics, of course, are outdated (what game's from 10 years ago isn't?). However, I still felt comfortable with the levels' environments because they are colorful and imaginative. An icy terrain hides a factory underneath...the shadows of some sewers hide unfriendly creatures underneath...a seemingly empty room reveals a 20 soldiers ready to blast you. The graphics aren't terrific, but they don't hurt your eyes, and you can still appreciate the craftiness from back in the day.

SOUND
The music is in MIDI format, but it is excellent music. There are 6 tracks that are used for 2 levels each, plus 2 more for the intense final stages. The weapons all sound like intimidating pieces of machinery. You'll get a sadistic chuckle when a petty officer proclaims "You're not authorized to be in this area!", but your grenade says otherwise. The voice-acting is also good, but there aren't too many cutscenes to prove that. But what you get is top-notch, as LucasArts always did back then.

CONTROLS
You can customize the keyboard functions however you want, or you can use a Mouse and/or Joystick. It's all up to you. There are only basic features such as jumping (this really was a breakthrough back then), crouching, using switches, and opening doors. There's not much room for confusion.

GAMEPLAY
The level design is still pretty good, because the game doesn't get carried away with hundreds of hallways and doors just to find one key. You will traverse 14 levels that large, yes...but with a Map function and some colorful visuals, you won't feel frustrated. About the key business, you'll still be doing it, but with plenty of Stormtroopers to eliminate and 10 weapons to do it. The puzzles in this game aren't necessarily hard, but there are some brain-scramblers. Although this is nice because the game doesn't hold your hand, there are a few puzzles that seem to come out of nowhere. It's nice to know that the game is a little challenging, but the game doesn't make it clear whether you have a puzzle in front of you, or whether it's just a piece of colorful scenery. That does take its toll on a few occassion. But with the smart AI (err, tough...there's not much strategy here) and "Star Wars" feel...this FPS stands out above other shooters from the past.

This game is fun, but is a little outdated and has been outdone by countless games. But it still a lot of fun. The 14 levels are all fun, and with some bosses thrown in (who can be a real pain-in-the-ass), "Dark Forces" is worthy trip down memory lane.

A Classic

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 2 / 2
Date: December 27, 2004
Author: Amazon User

Dated now I know, but games are about so much more than high-end graphics. This game was revolutionary in it's time, and is still even 10 years later, great fun to play. Very challenging and so engaging that you forget about the low quality graphics after a while.

Very little that I can criticize about the game, seeing as they pretty much put together the best they could with the technology of the time. A lot of people might be put off by the fact the background music is tinny MIDI files, but I find them amusing. They are rather *good* MIDIs at any rate.

oldie but goodie

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 3 / 3
Date: August 03, 2004
Author: Amazon User

Played this game a lot when I was younger, great game and a classic FPS w/ great sound effects, awesome music!, and great gameplay plus a storyline to boot. If you can pick this up for cheap, you can't go wrong.

Very Very Fun

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 4 / 4
Date: February 23, 2004
Author: Amazon User

I had bought this game ooo a bunch of years back, when it first came out, but at the time i was pritty young so i never really got into it. Now that im older i can see what a fun game this is. Its a first person shooter and the controlls are very easy. The sound is amazing and the enimies guns ect. are awsome. The only thing i have to warn you about is the graphics suck major, sometimes if your foe is to far away it looks like just a rock. Putting graphics aside you will find underneath the pixels and polygons a very unique and fun game with a good plot may i add.

Not bad but dated...

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 1 / 3
Date: January 22, 2004
Author: Amazon User

When this game was released it was a great game. But it is a few years old now, and it really shows. There are much better versions available as freeware now. This game is at the level one would expect for cell phones or cheap PDAs.

A gamer would be better to spend the extra money for Jedi Academy or Knights of the Old Republic.

Great Game

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 1 / 1
Date: September 29, 2003
Author: Amazon User

Great game for its day but can be anoying when you get stuck.
My advice to you is if you have Jedi Outcast don't buy this becuase dark forces is currently be remade with jedi outcast engine as a mod for jedi outcast. It is rumored though that the mod may be completed for jedi academy. For more information on dark forces mod go to www.darkforces.jediknight.com

An old one, but man what a ride!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 1 / 1
Date: August 29, 2003
Author: Amazon User

This game(at the time it was made) was one of the coolest and meanest first person shooters around. The action was fast paced the story line was great and I loved to play the main charecter wise cracking mercinary that he was.

This tradition was continued in JEDI KNIGHTS II: OUTCAST. For you younger folks think of this game as an earlier version of that game but without all the bells and special effects that you find today.

My lord makes my wish I could find some spare parts for the old 4.86(thats the generation before pentium processors).

It will probably still run in 95/98 if you make a bootdisk

Star Wars: Dark Forces

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 2 / 5
Date: October 23, 2002
Author: Amazon User

I love Dark Forces. I like the graphics--not as sharp as Jedi Knight, but not as 'conical' either. I enjoy the music. But, more than anything, I love the storyline. Dark Forces is lively and fun, with interesting puzzles.

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.

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.

Fun, but be warned.

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 1 / 7
Date: September 21, 2002
Author: Amazon User

I am a big fan of FPS games so I bought this. I had played Jedi Knight (An awesome game) and thought this would be similar. I was very wrong. The graphics were lo-res sprites, I was stuck firing at a blob of black and white dots that was supposedly a storm trooper, and I was stuck with "find the key, open the door" game mechanics. Once I got used to the game It wasn't so bad. An okay game, but know what you're buying...

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