Dark Forces(1995)
This is a fantastic old-school shooter in the same vein as DOOM and such. Big open levels, keycards, medpacks, ammo drops, easter eggs, puzzles, boss fights, it's all there. The sprite cutscenes and the in-game sprites look neat, although that comes as no surprise seeing as it's a Lucas Arts game. The level design is top notch, I can recall at least one or two levels that let me progress via multiple paths along with plenty of shortcuts hidden throughout. The characters and story are alright, nothing too special... Yet. To be honest, I'm sort of surprised that this doesn't get much more attention. I would put it up there with Duke Nukem 3D, DOOM I/II, Hexen etc. without a doubt.
If you like old school FPS games, give it a shot.
Dark Forces II / Jedi Knight(1997)
Absolutely magnificent game. I can already hear A Black Falcon running over to praise it as well
Like Dark Forces, it's a classic old-school shooter, and as you can sort of see above, we now have 3D graphics similar to Half Life and Quake. However, what makes this so different from the previous entry?
Lightsaber. Force powers. Skill tree.
Holy shit. Force powers certainly help make the game unique, and I would imagine at the time it was mindblowing. You got Force Pull, Push, Heal, Speed, Choke the works! The lightsaber combat is pretty fun too, particularly in the duels with other Jedi.
Of course, that's not the best part.
Live action cutscenes baby. And they're awesome.
Kyle Katarn is one of the most lovable and badass protagonists I've encountered, Jan is a cool sidekick, and overall the story really feels like an actual Star Wars adventure. I was always looking forward to the cutscenes at the end of each level! Always enjoyed them.
It's a better game than the previous Dark Forces in just about every area. Again, if you like old school FPS games, buy this. Also, at one point,
Mysteries of the Sith Expansion(1998)
Expansion for Dark Forces II. Not much is different, although you do get to play as Mara Jade, protagonist of the adored Thrawn Trilogy. Kinda cool. However, they replaced my beloved live action cutscenes with in-game cutscenes... The story is kind of boring too.
Still, it's just about as good as the base game, so if you like that, it's certainly worth playing through.
Jedi Knight 2(2002)
THE FUCKING LIGHTSABER COMBAT IN THIS FUCKING GAME IS AS PERFECT AS IT GETS
Now that we've got that out of the way, yes, it's an excellent game. The first few levels are kind of a drag, and while I can't quite put my finger on it, the shooting feels... Floaty. There were moments where me and a Stormtrooper were right next to each other and our shots kept flying around each other like the bullets from Wanted.
However, once you get that lightsaber... GODDAMN. They perfected it. It's absolutely amazing, and combine this with the force powers, you actually feel like a Jedi. Almost never need to use those pathetic things called guns ever again. The fights with other Jedis are just fantastic, I love how fights can literally end in just one unlucky hit, even at full health. Then you add different lightsaber styles and it's just UGH SO FUCKING GOOOD OOOOOOOOOOH IT'S LIKE THIS AND LIKE THAT AND LIKE THIS AND A IT'S LIKE THAT AND LIKE THIS AND LIKE THAT IT'S LIKE THIS AND LIKE THAT AND LIKE THIS AND A
I can't. I just can't. I can't stress how good the lightsaber combat is. And then there are those mods / commands for dismemberment I haven't even tried...
Oh, uh, other parts of the game, right. Well, it looks pretty good. The level design is alright, although those Rodian sniper sections are really damn annoying. Story is fun once again, Kyle Katarn rules, the main villain is a dinosaur Jedi, and they got Billy Dee Williams to voice Lando! YAY! Also Luke Skywalker is in it. Cool.
Basically play this game if you like Star Wars or fun
Jedi Academy(2003)
Well, this is it. This is my favorite entry in the entire series. Possibly one of my favorite games ever now.
It still contains the superb combat from the previous game, but it adds more weapons(the staff and dual blades) and force powers. The campaign is incredible. You get to choose the main characters gender / race(Rodian Jedi woo), there's a mission hub, and quite a suprising amount of variety in how the missions play, which range from riding a swoop bike to carefully platforming to avoid being eaten by a giant sandworm. Unlike JK2 you start off with a lightsaber and there's only one level where you need to use guns, but it's an optional mission, and you also have your force powers to make it easier. Like JK1, you get to level up your force powers once again. It's clearly much more focused on the excellent lightsaber combat as there are tons and tons of other Jedi to fight. Everything just feels more polished and I feel like the campaign is much stronger.
My only gripe is how short it is. It took me roughly 6 hours to finish, and I did every mission. However, there are multiple ending and combat styles / powers I couldn't try on my first playthrough, so the replayability is definitely there. I hear the multiplayer is unbalanced, but I strongly prefer the single player in JA to Outcast / JK2.
Welp, that's that. I've been playing through a lot of Star Wars games thanks to that Star Wars collection sale, so I thought I'd throw this up along with the other two LTTPs I did(KOTOR and Republic Commando). I don't think Star Wars games will get better than this series. It's a masterpiece.
Oh, I did beat Force Unleashed 1 and 2 and didn't make a LTTP. In summary, they're pretty shit, okay bye
This is a fantastic old-school shooter in the same vein as DOOM and such. Big open levels, keycards, medpacks, ammo drops, easter eggs, puzzles, boss fights, it's all there. The sprite cutscenes and the in-game sprites look neat, although that comes as no surprise seeing as it's a Lucas Arts game. The level design is top notch, I can recall at least one or two levels that let me progress via multiple paths along with plenty of shortcuts hidden throughout. The characters and story are alright, nothing too special... Yet. To be honest, I'm sort of surprised that this doesn't get much more attention. I would put it up there with Duke Nukem 3D, DOOM I/II, Hexen etc. without a doubt.
If you like old school FPS games, give it a shot.
Dark Forces II / Jedi Knight(1997)
Absolutely magnificent game. I can already hear A Black Falcon running over to praise it as well
Like Dark Forces, it's a classic old-school shooter, and as you can sort of see above, we now have 3D graphics similar to Half Life and Quake. However, what makes this so different from the previous entry?
Lightsaber. Force powers. Skill tree.
Holy shit. Force powers certainly help make the game unique, and I would imagine at the time it was mindblowing. You got Force Pull, Push, Heal, Speed, Choke the works! The lightsaber combat is pretty fun too, particularly in the duels with other Jedi.
Of course, that's not the best part.
Live action cutscenes baby. And they're awesome.
Kyle Katarn is one of the most lovable and badass protagonists I've encountered, Jan is a cool sidekick, and overall the story really feels like an actual Star Wars adventure. I was always looking forward to the cutscenes at the end of each level! Always enjoyed them.
It's a better game than the previous Dark Forces in just about every area. Again, if you like old school FPS games, buy this. Also, at one point,
you get to fucking punch dragons.
Mysteries of the Sith Expansion(1998)
Expansion for Dark Forces II. Not much is different, although you do get to play as Mara Jade, protagonist of the adored Thrawn Trilogy. Kinda cool. However, they replaced my beloved live action cutscenes with in-game cutscenes...
The story is kind of boring too.Still, it's just about as good as the base game, so if you like that, it's certainly worth playing through.
Jedi Knight 2(2002)
THE FUCKING LIGHTSABER COMBAT IN THIS FUCKING GAME IS AS PERFECT AS IT GETS
Now that we've got that out of the way, yes, it's an excellent game. The first few levels are kind of a drag, and while I can't quite put my finger on it, the shooting feels... Floaty. There were moments where me and a Stormtrooper were right next to each other and our shots kept flying around each other like the bullets from Wanted.
However, once you get that lightsaber... GODDAMN. They perfected it. It's absolutely amazing, and combine this with the force powers, you actually feel like a Jedi. Almost never need to use those pathetic things called guns ever again. The fights with other Jedis are just fantastic, I love how fights can literally end in just one unlucky hit, even at full health. Then you add different lightsaber styles and it's just UGH SO FUCKING GOOOD OOOOOOOOOOH IT'S LIKE THIS AND LIKE THAT AND LIKE THIS AND A IT'S LIKE THAT AND LIKE THIS AND LIKE THAT IT'S LIKE THIS AND LIKE THAT AND LIKE THIS AND A
I can't. I just can't. I can't stress how good the lightsaber combat is. And then there are those mods / commands for dismemberment I haven't even tried...
Oh, uh, other parts of the game, right. Well, it looks pretty good. The level design is alright, although those Rodian sniper sections are really damn annoying. Story is fun once again, Kyle Katarn rules, the main villain is a dinosaur Jedi, and they got Billy Dee Williams to voice Lando! YAY! Also Luke Skywalker is in it. Cool.
Basically play this game if you like Star Wars or fun
Jedi Academy(2003)
Well, this is it. This is my favorite entry in the entire series. Possibly one of my favorite games ever now.
It still contains the superb combat from the previous game, but it adds more weapons(the staff and dual blades) and force powers. The campaign is incredible. You get to choose the main characters gender / race(Rodian Jedi woo), there's a mission hub, and quite a suprising amount of variety in how the missions play, which range from riding a swoop bike to carefully platforming to avoid being eaten by a giant sandworm. Unlike JK2 you start off with a lightsaber and there's only one level where you need to use guns, but it's an optional mission, and you also have your force powers to make it easier. Like JK1, you get to level up your force powers once again. It's clearly much more focused on the excellent lightsaber combat as there are tons and tons of other Jedi to fight. Everything just feels more polished and I feel like the campaign is much stronger.
My only gripe is how short it is. It took me roughly 6 hours to finish, and I did every mission. However, there are multiple ending and combat styles / powers I couldn't try on my first playthrough, so the replayability is definitely there. I hear the multiplayer is unbalanced, but I strongly prefer the single player in JA to Outcast / JK2.
Welp, that's that. I've been playing through a lot of Star Wars games thanks to that Star Wars collection sale, so I thought I'd throw this up along with the other two LTTPs I did(KOTOR and Republic Commando). I don't think Star Wars games will get better than this series. It's a masterpiece.
Oh, I did beat Force Unleashed 1 and 2 and didn't make a LTTP. In summary, they're pretty shit, okay bye
