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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...

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.

An oldie, but not neccessarily a baddie

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 2 / 3
Date: February 04, 2002
Author: Amazon User

"Dark Forces" (or as fans say, "DF") was the prequel to "Star Wars: Jedi Knight" (JK), the game which LucasArts and Raven software expect to follow up this spring with "Star Wars Jedi Outcast". Though all of these games fit the so-called "first person shooter" category, the difference in time is marked by the relative advances in graphics, sound and overall gameplay. Unfortunately, because DF is the oldest, these weaknesses are most obvious in that game. DF introduces the character of Kyle Katarn, a former Imperial Commando who went solo rather than torture captured rebel spy Jan Ors. Not entirely won over by the rebel cause, Katarn nevertheless carries out certain high-priority, low-profile missions that require him to sneak and shoot (actually run and blast) his way into highly fortified areas. In the opening mission, Kyle breaks into an imperial fortress to steal plans for the first Death Star, allowing Princess Leia to obtain them on her way home to Alderaan. The meat of the story that forms the rest of the game has Kyle tracking down a new Imperial weapon - the "Dark Trooper", a sort of souped up version of the regular stromtroopers who've been dropping like flies since May of 1977. When a rebel outpost is mysteriously wiped out, Kyle goes in to investigate. Further levels send Kyle to other planets - ice planets, completely urbanized planets (Coruscsant is a stop), planets that appear to be all cliffs, and one planet where you spend a lot of time floating in a sewer (Anoat, which I think was the planet that Han and Leia decided not to go to in "Empire"; despite what happened in Bespin, it was still a wise choice). You also travel to Nar Shadaa (the floating city) get captured by Jaba the Hutt (you escape, but not with your weapons), and slink around various spaceships. The story doesn't carry that well into the game - if not for cutscenes and mission briefs, you wouldn't know what the point of all the shooting was. The missions themselves seem hodge-podge (you go to various planets to get clues about the new weapon and where it can be located, but little else links one level to another) but come together to form a more cohesive story by the end (the final levels are more closely linked, hinting of the climax). Though a shooter, DF is also a puzzle game, requiring you to drop your blaster and think for a moment (the power to destroy a wave of stormtrooper is nothing compared to the power you'll need to reach the center of the maze they were guarding).

Time hasn't been kind to this game, and anybody raised on the likes of "Quake 2" or DF's own sequel, JK, will likely be appalled by its low-end graphics (this game is circa 1994, and has a minimum hardware req. of a 386!) and MIDI sound (which is similarly unkind to John Williams famous music). What really kills it is how the game simulate the first-person perspective - there are separate controls for turning Kyle's head sideways AND for looking up and down. That is problematic enough when having to deal with dangers above (probe droids and mind-probe droids) and below (the sewer monsters). Combine that with the artificial feeling of Kyle's movements, and you'll feel like you're seeing the world less through his eyes and more through the windshield of a car he's driving (sustained gameplay reportedly induces nausea). Nevertheless, the thinking-shooter's aspect of the game is more than enough to warrant a shot at this pre-modern game. Those who complete the game and tire of its levels can download third-party levels designed by fans as well as mods (you can play Boba Fett). If you are stuck with something lower than a 100 Mhz Pentium and will do anything short of buying one to get the Star Wars experience, this may be the game for you.

Not a bad game fot it's day, but it's looking very dated

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 0 / 0
Date: June 20, 2001
Author: Amazon User

This game is an old DOS based game, the graphics are terrible, the charechters are flat, and the resolution is stuck in 320x240. I dont know how the sound is because it wont work with my windows ME sound card driver. The game play is not that bad and the levels are interesting but the lousy graphics serve to somewhat ruin this. This isn't a bad game it's just not as good as some of the other FPS's out there.

Dark classic

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 4 / 4
Date: August 24, 2002
Author: Amazon User

I can't believe this game is still in circulation! It couldn't have been any earlier than seven years ago that I last played this. Therefore.... my memory is a bit sketchy. But what I do remember I really liked. If you enjoyed Doom or Duke Nukem, or any kind of first-person shooter, here's one that utilizes the Star Wars name in a very effective way. While it plays no relative plot to the Star Wars trilogy, it's fun (and satisfying) to kill familiar enemies with familiar weapons. I did notice that while levels grew progressively harder, the game itself grew progressively easier. This is because you collect so much armor along the way that only direct attacks (like bites or punches) tend to hurt you. Regardless, Dark Forces is an expansive game with a large variety of weapons and gameplay. A little outdated, yes, but I always did like the classics.

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.

A classic

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 0 / 0
Date: December 11, 2001
Author: Amazon User

This is a PC gaming classic. Got an old PC and looking for some fun? This is [dollar amount] well spent. I paid [dollar amount] for it when it was the hottest game on the market (6 years ago?).

Not bad for it's day.

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 1 / 3
Date: February 12, 2002
Author: Amazon User

It was very cool when it first came out, and would be a good buy for any fan who wants to experience the thrill of blasting stormtroopers, especially for it's current price.

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

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.

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