Star Wars Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy

Rating:
Summary: Not bad for the money
Review: Okay, just to put this in perspective: Compared to KotOR, this is a mediocre game, however, on it's own it's not bad at all, though entirely too short for my tastes (I completed it in about 14 hours in padawan difficulty). The game has 4 difficulty settings: Padawan, Jedi, Jedi Knight and Jedi Master.

The previous reviewer mention he had system crashes. I have experienced nothing but perfectly flawless game play, even while multitasking, so I can't agree there.

Good:
Smooth game play
multiple missions on various environments
Various puzzles that you must solve
"NPC's" in certain missions that assist you in combat
(somewhat) Customizable characters
At higher levels, you get to choose between a lightsaber, paired lighsabers, or a double-bladed lighsaber
You get to choose your light/dark force powers (each has 3 levels that you can increase) and neutral force powers increase as you complete each mission
You can select particular weapons before each mission
You can customize the keyboard controls
How much damage you do depends on how accurate you strike and whether your opponent is in position to block or not (some fights I got killed over and over, but a lucky strike just when the bad guy's defenses are off line, killed him in one stroke, so luck/skill *IS* a factor in the game!)
You CAN accidently (or intentionally) kill your allies
A decent variety of weapons and force powers to choose from

Bad:
The default controls are less than intuitive (so you're going to want to customize them)
The NPC's are NOT interactive (you can't talk to them and they tend to get in the way fo a fight as often as they help in one)
You can't throw a double-bladed lightsaber in combat like you can with a normal one
The game is WAY WAY WAY too short! (this is by biggest complaint!)
There is ONLY one situation which tempts you to the dark side or affirms your devotion to the good side

All in all, not bad for $20 and I plan on buying Jedi Outcast next

Rating:
Summary: Multiplayer was the best
Review: Yeah. It was. Sorta ruined it for me on the already long, boring, and tedious single player mission game. Why work up to all the levels when you can go on multiplayer mode and battle it out with multiple enemies with dual sabers and awesome moves? I have yet to learn.

It's a pretty good game. Even if you're not into Star Wars (I haven't even seen the movies yet :))you'll like it. But remember - it's all about the multiplayer. :)

Rating:
Summary: Fun but short
Review: This game was really fun and actually I thought that it was going to last a lot longer. I felt like the end was quite a few mission-sets away (mission-sets are 5 missions and then you move on...i call them mission-sets for lack of a better word). Then all of a sudden when you feel like you've only played about half the game they tell you its time to fight the main baddie (I won't reveal who). In JK I: Dark Forces II when your fate of light or dark was decided you were actually only halfway through the game. In this you were 9/10 of the way done when you decide your fate. The game had the potential to be magnicifent. There needed to be more freedom. It needed to be more similar to an RPG game if they were going to implement the star system again. The freedom to talk to other apprentices and have a large storyline should be added in JK 4...should it come out. I'm pleased with the game, just disappointed by the quick ending.

Rating:
Summary: Great Game!
Review: Jedi Academy is a fun, creative, and ultimately great game. The gameplays good, graphics great, and storylines o.k. I have few complaints for this game, because this game is a true heir to Jedi Outcast, and more! It gives players the chance to change the looks of their character (species, clothes, sabers, ect.), which is great, because now you girls don't have to play as guys!

Pros:
-Great levels
-Good gameplay (if you like lightsabers)
-Star Wars feel
Cons:
-Only able to get double-bladed. dual lightsabers near the end.
-Can only turn to the dark side near end.

Rating:
Summary: Well done, if lacking full potential.
Review: Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy is the follow-up to Jedi Outcast, which is a FPS with third person melee elements involved.

To begin the review: If you don't like Star Wars don't expect to like this much. It is very well done in all respects but tends to fall behind in some areas.

CONS:

Uses an older game engine. With Half-Life 2, Doom 3 and Farcry out it shows its age.

Texture clipping. Due mainly to that old engine I'd wager.

Needs more freedom. How about the ability to walk around the Academy and talk to other Jedi and Apprentices? This would really help make the Jedi experience.

Some less than clever puzzles.

Story can't compete with KotoR's.(Unfortunately)

Short. This game is choked full of fun but ends kind of quickly.

Multiplayer. Multiplayer needs some major tweaks. A better emphasis on team-based objectives would help replay value. Deathmatch (even with lightsabers) doesn't last very long. More time spent on CTF and other kinds of gameplay modes would really be appreciated.


That's the major problems that hold this game back. The next installment in the Jedi Knight series would need to be based off a new engine, have more freedom, and have a more engaging storyline. The multiplayer aspects would need to be tweaked as well, include a slew of original maps and possibly devise better net coding to help with lag and such.

The Pros need not be mentioned, if you can get past those Cons and enjoy FPS's or love lightsabers this game is worth a shot at least. It has a fun single player that's addicting, but sadly lacks the replay value of games such as Half-Life and its mods, BattleField 1942 and its mods, Call of Duty and its mods. But every few months you'll get the itching in your palm for a lightsaber, and this game will fulfill that need to great lengths.

Highly recommended for casual and hardcore gamers looking for a refreshing take on the shooter market.

Rating:
Summary: Fun Game
Review: I really enjoyed one aspect of the game---variety

The game overall is good, but where the game is at is in the multi-play area. You can disregard the system requirements somewhat, I have 3 copies of the game for our network at home (ranging from AMDK7-650--AMDTBIRD-1.4, 512Ram, 64-128MB video cards) and In multiplayer it runs great.
The effects are good and the moves add some fun to it.
The storyline is a little sorry, I'd wish that they used 'real' cutscenes like in Jedi Knight: Dark Forces II (it's a little sad that they dropped the Dark forces name, I know a few people that would never know that it was DF if I haven't told them)

THEY BROUGHT BACK THE CONCUSSION RIFILE! Woot!

Single Player: 1)Fun
2)Fight Boba Fett
3)Most 'special' moves don't sap force energy
4)Alternate endings, depending upon force alliance
5)Mercnenary feel (selectable missions)

Multiplayer: 1)This is the part where this game shines
2)Power duel makes a nice 2v1 duel
3)Seige mode: makes the game feel like HL:Team Fortress Classic, the Avanti and dustbowl maps. (Classes, team objectives, special powerups)
4)Better balanced

My reccomendation---Buy it for multiplayer, great LAN party game, little shakky single. If you buy it for single, you may be dissapointed.