| Game Reviews From a Parental Perspective! | |
|
|
|
| Home | Forums | Review Archive | Columns | Feature Articles |
|
Home >
Review Archive >
Video Games
> Results: Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy
Format For Printing | Tell A Friend | Digg | Slashdot | del.icio.us Scroll down for our Kid Factor. 
A Jedi Like Your Father?Raise your hand if you ever wanted to learn the ways of the Force and be a Jedi like your father? Well, nowﾒs your chance to jump into the full 3D first-person/third-person Star Wars world, and wield a light saber, and the Force, from the get go, as a character of your own creation, rather than old and musty Kyle Katarn. We first met Kyle in LucasArtsﾒ Dark Forces. He became a Jedi in Jedi Knight and then the series lay fallow until Jedi Knight: Jedi Outcast from a couple years ago. Raven Software continues the post original trilogy plot with Kyle and Luke Skywalker as masters of the Jedi Academy on Yavin IV and you as a male or female Jedi in training. You can play one of a handful of races, including whatever Greedo was, but, disappointingly, you get the voice acting of a petulant teen no matter what you do. Regardless, this is Raven responding to fans. Theyﾒve given new powers, new options, the ability to use one saber, two sabers, or Darth Maulﾒs saber staff, and theyﾒve placed a deserved emphasis on the level design. Going so far as to take a couple risks and experiment with the usual 3D shooter formula.  First off: the mission structure. Apparently some book or comic or maybe Episode II, whatever, stated that Jedi train by accompanying their masters on do-gooder missions throughout the galaxy. So the missions in Academy are multiple choice affairs. There are a handful available and you can do them in any order, so if one gets annoying or frustrating, youﾒre not stuck. These missions tend to be pretty interesting: A high-speed hover-train ride, recovering a droid from Jawas and the Sand People who captured them. Deal with Stormtroopers in a secret base, etc., Raven noted that fans enjoyed hanging out with Luke and Lando during the last outing, so this time they upped the guest list to include Chewbacca, the Millennium Falcon, and a few more. Occasionally youﾒll be forced into (pun not intended) a story-based mission that furthers the main plot, which is pretty drab this time out. Thereﾒs the Remnant again, thereﾒs a betrayal thatﾒs clumsily telegraphed from the opening cutscene, the only thing missing is a villain as memorable as Vader, or the bad guy from the original Jedi Knight, or heck, weﾒd even settle for someone like that purple dinosaur bad guy from the last gameﾅ. Thatﾒs what makes Jedi Academy a bit disappointing. It feels rushed. The missions are good and overall itﾒs a much more complete product than its predecessor but itﾒs lacking when compared to the best of the genre and especially what was achieved by BioWare with Knights of the Old Republic. Worse, the Quake III engine is getting a bit long in the tooth. The addition of clever environments, wide-open spaces, drivable vehicles, and familiar locations like Mos Eisley and Hoth go a long way to making this a great diversion for Star Wars fans looking for some action on their PC.  Multiplayer is great fun and so are the new lightsaber options and the clever ways you can combine Force powers, but combat remains a random affair where two people frantically swing their sabers with little sense for style or strategy. All told Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy (real title should be Dark Forces IV: Jedi Knight 3: Jedi Academy) feels like the expansion pack it should probably be. It's long enough, it's got enough new features, but it isn't quite as polished as a brand new game in the series ought to be. Well worth the money for Star Wars fans and anyone hungry to continue the adventures begun in Dark Forces so long ago, but not for anyone tired of the last game. Kid Factor: Lucas crafted a universe that features thrills, chills, violence, and action but doesnﾒt show blood. The result is something violent, but something that feels as safe and familiar as a pair of old slippers. Itﾒs Star Wars; parents know whether or not thatﾒs safe. Thereﾒs dismemberment with the saber (arms only) but thereﾒs a patch on the net thatﾒll let you chop up foes like crazy. Also the game has you lean toward the Dark or Light side (by choosing good or evil powers); eventually leaning to far in one direction or another will change the gameﾒs ending. Reviewerﾒs Recommended Ages: 12+ ESRB: T-Teen (13+ Violence) Publisher: LucasArts/Activision Developer: Raven Software 
Lucas crafted a universe that features thrills, chills, violence, and action but doesnﾒt show blood. The result is something violent, but something that feels as safe and familiar as a pair of old slippers. Itﾒs Star Wars; parents know whether or not thatﾒs safe. Thereﾒs dismemberment with the saber (arms only) but thereﾒs a patch on the net thatﾒll let you chop up foes like crazy. Also the game has you lean toward the Dark or Light side (by choosing good or evil powers); eventually leaning to far in one direction or another will change the gameﾒs ending.
Kid Factor by Andrew Bub
Format For Printing | Tell A Friend | Digg | Slashdot | del.icio.us Home > Review Archive > Video Games > Results: Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy |
Read the GamerDad 2007 Holiday Guide!
|
Please Note: GamerDad is not intended to be read by anyone under 18. We stay clean, but be warned! Content Management System developed by Redbird Solutions. |
