Jedi Knight III: Jedi Academy
Ah, the Star Wars Universe. I'd be pretty hard pressed to think of another franchise that has been realized in such a broad range of genres and systems, or one that has been so consistently hit-or-miss with its quality. In the pantheon of SW games, two PC series have stood head and shoulders above even the best of the console endeavours: turns out the license makes for some bitching space flight pseudo-sims and FPSs. What we have here is the latest chapter in the Dark Forces saga, and while it is slightly disappointing story-wise, the fun is still there.
Let's get the bad out of the way: the weakest aspect of this package is definitely the story. The game is broken down into 3 sets containing 6 missions each, which can be done in any order. Completing a mission allows you to power up a 2ndary Jedi ability (healing, choking, mind control, etc), while your primaries (speed, jump, saber skills, etc.) will increase when you complete a set. This setup, while a nice break from the standard mold, makes each mission a short story only marginally related to the plot. Couple that with a drastic drop in frequency and quality of the cutscenes, and the story quickly becomes unimportant. Now add to that the fact that not only do you not play as Kyle (MGS2, anyone?), but that this game completes the pussyfication of Katarn into a mellow and boring Jedi totally NOT consumed by anger. The story can now bite my nuts.
Graphically, the game is pretty average. Definitely not ugly, but nothing really impresses. I noticed a bug when played with a Radeon card (turn off dynamic lighting), but nothing game-stopping. The CAJ (create-a-jedi, HAR!) is terribly lacking... I'm really hoping a later update will add to the roster here. I made Generic Blonde Human 2.
Now, the good stuff: LIGHTSABERS. Right from the start, your custom student is some kind of Jedi prodigy who has managed to build a saber without any proper training. Oooh. Stop rolling them eyes: I'll tell you why you should care about such a trite plot point. It means you will never use a blaster again. There's almost no need for them, and I can count the times I've used a weapon that is not a lightsaber on two hands. Control-wise, if you've played the prequels, you know what to expect: the same control setup stands. New to the game are dual sabers, two-sided sabers, and a plethora of useless but awesome special moves that keep the battles fun and exciting. You can run up walls! Useless? Yeah... AWESOME?? HELL YEAH!!
Your enjoyment of this game is 100% dependent on how much you like killing things, Jedi style. Granted, this means the first set of missions will be pretty meh, since you won't be at full power. Stick with it, though, and you'll be rewarded with all the ass-kicking abilities your dark heart could ever desire. And giant bombs that you somehow hide in your pants.
Is this game worth a buy? I'd say do. Don't worry too much about the story (which hurts after Outcast) and have fun with it. Killing Imps is like killing nazis: you never really get tired of it. There are plenty of dark Jedi running around to duel with, and kicking them off cliffs (complete with their screams of shock and alarm) is way more satisfying than it should be. There's even a moderately fun speeder bike stage (required by law!), a (lame) face-off against an old friend I keep thinking is dead but never really is, a great joke about Imperial architecture, specifically locked doors and the locations of their corresponding unlocking consoles, AND more lightsaber battles than you can shake a promotional and etremely homosexual multicolored lightsaber keychain at!
THUMBS UP!
