Below are user reviews of Star Wars Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy and on the right are links to professionally written reviews.
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User Reviews (1 - 11 of 141)
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More Force to be reckoned with...
5
Rating: 5,
Useful: 77 / 88
Date: July 24, 2003
Author: Amazon User
After a healthy wait, the third installment of the Jedi Knight saga continues in this latest release. Fans of the earlier games will be at home with the basic setup: run around lovingly crafted Star Wars locales, zwapping Storm-Troopers with a lightsaber and generally spoling the Evil Galactic Empire's plans. Where this latest installment differs from the older games is that for the first time you WON'T be playing as spy-turned-Jedi, Kyle Katarn.
"Horror," you gasp, "don't tell me he's gone forever!". Well no, he'll be making a special guest appearance, but this time as one of your Jedi instructors. As the title suggests, the game offers players the chance to join Luke Skywalker's Yavin IV Jedi academy - a sort of Hogwarts School of witchcraft and wizardry, but for Jedi. Instead of playing as a familiar Star Wars character, the game allows players to create their own, unique, Jedi apprentice by customizing your species, sex, clothing etc, allowing for literally thousands of configurations.
Even better, as you progress through the non-linear missions that you'll be dispatched on by your instructors, you'll be able to specialise in a particular saber style...the basic single-saber, the Anakin-inspired two-saber approach or the pyrotechnic staff-saber, of Darth Maul fame. Saber combat is the main focus of the game, but you can still grab a handy blaster to zap things with.
After you've sufficiently honed your skills in the one player game you can take the fight online (with your custom character, naturally). New multiplayer modes include an objective-based team game called 'Seige', and the ability to re-enact the climactic Qui-Gon/Obiwan/Darth Maul threesome from Episode One in the new 'Power Duel' mode - its a two against one saber showdown...what better way to prove your force mastery than by thwapping 2 birds with 1 stone?
So, loads of new tricks up the Lucasarts' sleeve, no doubt all wrapped up in the usual gorgeous graphics and sound. If Jedi Outcast is anything to go on, this game will be a must-have in any Star Wars fan's collection.
fun
5
Rating: 5,
Useful: 0 / 4
Date: August 11, 2003
Author: Amazon User
This Is gonna be fun!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!you get to pick you gender,
your speices,your clothing,your lightsaber blade,handle ,you
can have 2 lightsabers if you prefer,or a Double Bladed Sith Lightsaber. Not Kyle ,but atleast hes not gone forever
Looks Great So Far
5
Rating: 5,
Useful: 0 / 0
Date: August 15, 2003
Author: Amazon User
Finally it is here, the third installment of the Jedi Knight Saga!! The past two games have been great and this one looks better than the rest! In this new game, you will not be Kyle Katarn anymore, but a Jedi knight that you can customize yourself with looks, gender, clothes, and many other amazing details! I highly look forward to the game and what else could i say? Buy it!!
Another Jedi Outcast,I Don`t think SO!!!!
5
Rating: 5,
Useful: 0 / 7
Date: August 23, 2003
Author: Amazon User
Forget KOTOR have you seen the new trailer on the website!!You can see footage of making a lightsaber and character!Just to say something you can only have one lightsaber in the beginning in the game.But later on you can be a Anakin Skywalker dual lightsaberist,a Dath Maul with a Saberstaff,or just be a single Lightsaberist like Luke Skywalker.The Character selection looks wonderfull.When you begin you go to the Academy a train to be a Jedi or betray the Jedi and join the Sith.Take your pick the Academies are waiting for.Are you up the challenge,are you?
Exceptional but limited
4
Rating: 4,
Useful: 0 / 1
Date: August 23, 2003
Author: Amazon User
Got this already :)
Exceptional just like Outcast and more streamlined. None of those silly items you never use, just weapons and powers. Which is much better.
The levels are varied and original, I paricularly liked the one with the giant worm that tries to eat you from underground whilst you try and repair your ship as well as the one where you're chased by a rampaging unkillable mutant cyborg rancor beast whilst fighting evil jedis. Excellent stuff.
Trouble is there's not much of it. From the character selection screen onwards I felt shortchanged. 4 different races? That's all? I wanted to be a Wookie! :( Not enough maps, not enough new powers, 1 or two new guns, only a couple new enemies.
Good story tho, the bits that are there are excellent. Just not enough meat on the strong bones. 4/5
The best standalone expansion ever
5
Rating: 5,
Useful: 35 / 37
Date: August 27, 2003
Author: Amazon User
I realize it's marketed as "Jedi Knight 3", but this is in every possible way an expansion to Outcast. It doesn't really continue the JK story, and it has almost the exact same engine and force powers and weapons, etc, with very little modified. Movement is identical, etc. If you played Outcast, you'll be right at home immediately.
That said, this is one of, if not the, best games I've ever played. Every modification it makes to the Outcast engine is an improvement, however small they are. As with the original Jedi Knight, you now get to choose what Force Powers to receive (to a certain extent...half are given to you, half are by choice), and you also get to choose light or dark side at a certain point in the game. All of the JO multiplayer powers are now in single player, plus one extra (that lets you see people through walls and stuff like that), and all of the weapons return, plus a jaw-dropping new version of the Concussion Rifle from JK.
The most important change, though, is in the format of the game itself - instead of a linear progression of levels, there are three sets of five levels, within which you may do the levels in any order. Between each set is a plot-advancing mandatory mission. In each set of five, you only need to complete four, so you can continue on if one of them stumps you, but you'll miss getting another force star (one per level you play). For the first set, your core powers (jump, push, pull, sense, lightsaber defense, lightsaber offense, lightsaber throw, and speed) are at level one, for the second set they're all at level two, and for the third set and the whole endgame, they're all at level three. This means you get a HUGE amount of game in which you are an uber-Jedi, unlike Outcast in which you only had two levels at full power.
Also, this means that instead of having long missions with multiple parts, the game mostly consists of small "vignette" levels, short and sweet. There are good and bad sides to this, the bad being that you don't feel as involved with the storyline, but the good being that there is INSANE variety in level design. Almost every planet looks different, and levels range from working your way down a speeding train to escaping from jail (lightsaber-less) to leaping back and forth across a giant chasm that a jedi temple has been built into (and since been turned into ruins). The sheer variety of visual and gameplay styles is mind-boggling. Every major Star Wars scene or place that wasn't recreated in Outcast is back here, too, from speeder bike chases (exhilaratingly fun) to the ruined Hoth base. It's insane how much is packed in to these levels.
The best thing about JA as compared to JO, though, is that JO's first two missions sans-lightsaber are GONE. You start out the very first level with a lightsaber, and the one level where you're forced to be without it you have massive force abilities, and if you really hate it you can skip it anyway. The worst part of Outcast is gone completely, and all that's left is pure Jedi gaming goodness.
Multiplayer is also back, with a couple of new modes (including an incredibly fun 2-on-1 power duel), but fewer levels. It averages out to about the same amount of MP goodness from Outcast, not really better or worse. The improvements in this game are mostly single player.
Finally, a minute detail for most but extremely important for me, if you liked Force Lightning in the old game, your head may explode when you see this one. It blows people back, has more than double the range, and is just generally the most insane offensive ability possible. Everyone - GET FULL LIGHTNING AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.
Overall, an absolutely incredible game, fixing everything that was wrong about Outcast, my previous favorite game of all time. The only downside is that they didn't change enough - this simply isn't a full-fledged sequel. If you liked Outcast, you'll love this, but if you didn't, give it a pass. There's nothing terribly different to change your mind.
Even better than Jedi Outcast
4
Rating: 4,
Useful: 0 / 0
Date: September 04, 2003
Author: Amazon User
A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far, away *dramatc silence* TADAAA! Star Wars: Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy is now in stores even in Sweden! A whole lot of new features is available - you can for example design your own character and you own lightsabre - YAAY! I recommend a Purple Arbiter, it's just...beautiful. You can't choose red in sp though =( okay, this game will blow your brains out, it's great! You play Jaden, a male/female with nothing to loose. On the way to the Jedi Academy you ship crashes and on the way to the academy, you'll find youself in the middle of the action. There's some kind of scepter that can ressurect an old Jedi Sith, and if summoned, who knows what he will do?! It's better to destroy the scepter and be on the safe side of things, right? Yep. Anyway, there's this cult, called the Desciples of Ragnos, a group of dark jedis fighting to protect their leader so that that person can ressurect Ragnos himself. The story is great, trust me. I won't tell you anything else, and spoil the fun. When you move up from student to knight, you'll get a new kind of sabre - either a Darth Maul-inspired two-handed lightsabre, of a double, with two lightsabres, one in each hand. You'll LOVE it! You can also choose between the Light and the Dark side near the end, and both endings are GREAT! I won't reveal more info, but this: BUY IT! It's a wonderful game with a great story and effects! The reason it gets 4 stars instead of 5, is that you'll need to have played Jedi Outcast before this to keep up on things. A lot of characters and envirements are still in place, and LucasArts have choosen to believe that everyone who play Jedi Academy has played Jedi Outcast, but they haven't said anything about it in their press-releases. I have, but not everyone has. So if you haven't played Outcast yet, do it before playing Academy! It will make your life easier.
The best Jedi Game to date
5
Rating: 5,
Useful: 0 / 0
Date: September 08, 2003
Author: Amazon User
Take the best form Jedi Outcast, and make it better: You get Jedi Academy. The Raven team evolve as they learn and they present us with a game that fullfils a Jedi Wannabe dreams. You get to choose you own saber, your own character and your own missions.
Start as a Jedi Student who with no previous training has built his own saber, and develop your skills under the vigilan eye of Jedi Master Kyle Katarn.
The graphics in this game (for PC) are just amazing. Color and textures come to life as you progress in the game and visit new and exotic locales. While missions may not be complicated (rescue a droid, for example) the enemies you encounter and the characters that acompany you (some great cameos, by the way) inmerse you in the Star Wars Universe.
Multiplayer gaming is wonderful. A lot of new locales to fight on, like the Reactor Chamber from EI or new Hoth white-plains. Again,you get to choose your weapon (saber, two sabers, double saber) color, character and force powers. Play agains bots or human via a LAN or Internet.
All in all, a true Star Wars experience, just one word of advice: Minimun requirements for this game are high, not all cards taht were supported by Jedi Outcast are supported now. Check the official site and if you can, this is a great game to upgrade your PC for.
Great game but missing 2 things
5
Rating: 5,
Useful: 0 / 0
Date: September 19, 2003
Author: Amazon User
Jedi academy is great game but lacks infra-red goggles and Macro-binoculars which always came in handy in the other Jedi games. The lightsaber combat is good with lots of speciality moves(my fav is the forward lunge from a roll). Visually and audio are very good with sound effects.I would recommend it very highly to any Jedi Knight:Dark Forces Fan.
Jedi Outcast Revisited
2
Rating: 2,
Useful: 0 / 0
Date: September 19, 2003
Author: Amazon User
Don't get me wrong, If I had never played Jedi Outcast (to which jedi academy is its succesor) I would think Jedi Academy is a wicked cool game! BUT, it seems LucasArts has simply re-released Outcast with a SLIGHTLY different look, the same graphics engin, the same weapons, virtually the same force powers, the same characters...and only with a slightly different setting and different locations. Ok, yeah, you can choose which color your light-saber you use and what you look like etc.... wow - I've never had that in a game before (note the sarcasm). In my opinion, games in a series are meant to evolve and change over time - like Warcraft for example...the graphics and characters and story changed dramatically between the 3 games. An even better example would be the Ultima series -each game was different than the one before it (with some similarities inherant in being a part of the same game series.)
In the end, Jedi Academy = Jedi Outcast - take your pick.
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