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LTTP: Star Wars Jedi Knight 2: Jedi Outcast

SCB3

Member
So due to personal circumstances I’m not at my home right now, but I have my switch and thought it’d be a good time to dive into my backlog a bit

In said backlog one game I’ve not touched since the GameCube version, SW Jedi Knight 2 - I played the hell out of its sequel but I don’t remember too much about this one

Now I am a huge SW fan and Dark Forces is an amazing game, I plan on picking up the remaster soon as well, but for now let’s see how good this holds up


After 3 hours, I’ve still not beat the first damned level, this game is damned hard and though dated, kinda feels fair? There is a lack of health and ammo is a limited resource and the maze like levels are giving me the good feeling DOOM does
 

Hudo

Member
So due to personal circumstances I’m not at my home right now, but I have my switch and thought it’d be a good time to dive into my backlog a bit

In said backlog one game I’ve not touched since the GameCube version, SW Jedi Knight 2 - I played the hell out of its sequel but I don’t remember too much about this one

Now I am a huge SW fan and Dark Forces is an amazing game, I plan on picking up the remaster soon as well, but for now let’s see how good this holds up


After 3 hours, I’ve still not beat the first damned level, this game is damned hard and though dated, kinda feels fair? There is a lack of health and ammo is a limited resource and the maze like levels are giving me the good feeling DOOM does
Yeah, Jedi Knight 2 is on the harder side. But that's part of the charm. It's also the best Jedi Knight game, imho. Jedi Knight 3 is a good game as well but I think Jedi Knight 2 is the perfect evolution of Jedi Knight 1. Jedi Knight 3 tried some things, which is fair, considering that they've perfected their formula with Jedi Knight 2. Some things were great others were a bit of a letdown. But again, I want to emphasize that Jedi Knight 3 is still a really good game. I am essentially nitpicking.

That being said: Fuck Rosh.
 

SCB3

Member
Yeah, Jedi Knight 2 is on the harder side. But that's part of the charm. It's also the best Jedi Knight game, imho. Jedi Knight 3 is a good game as well but I think Jedi Knight 2 is the perfect evolution of Jedi Knight 1. Jedi Knight 3 tried some things, which is fair, considering that they've perfected their formula with Jedi Knight 2. Some things were great others were a bit of a letdown. But again, I want to emphasize that Jedi Knight 3 is still a really good game. I am essentially nitpicking.

That being said: Fuck Rosh.
3 went too far with having your own character but not far enough, like that was a cool idea but there was no point in being anything other than a male human as the VO was the same and it’s Jennifer Hales worst performance in a game, it was made in a year though so it explains it

2 is fun though, I do like the challenge and it doesn’t give you a Lightsaber for a long time either
 

Hudo

Member
3 went too far with having your own character but not far enough, like that was a cool idea but there was no point in being anything other than a male human as the VO was the same and it’s Jennifer Hales worst performance in a game, it was made in a year though so it explains it
That's actually a good point. I think you're right. I never could exactly pinpoint why Jedi Knight 3 didn't feel as good as Jedi Knight 2 to me.

Hot take: I also think that dual light sabers and dual-wielding light sabers were detrimental to the multiplayer. Everyone just having one light saber ended up being far more fun, which is why I never really got into Jedi Knight 3 multiplayer like I did with Jedi Knight 2.
 

The Cockatrice

Gold Member
never really got into Jedi Knight 3 multiplayer like I did with Jedi Knight 2.

You missed out. JKA MP was huge. We even had ESL matches and competitions. It was genuinely a skill based game. Staff and dual wield were just as good.

I made fragmovies for skilled players, tho others made better ones than me. Heres one of mine below. Almost 20 years ago, jesus, time flies.

 
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SCB3

Member
You missed out. JKA MP was huge. We even had ESL matches and competitions. It was genuinely a skill based game. Staff and dual wield were just as good.

I made fragmovies for skilled players, tho others made better ones than me. Heres one of mine below. Almost 20 years ago, jesus, time flies.


It still has an active scene which alone to me is amazing and that was before these remasters came out
 

The Cockatrice

Gold Member
It still has an active scene which alone to me is amazing and that was before these remasters came out

Indeed it does, I still have a few people asking me to play. Maybe I should when Im done with all my singleplayer stuff, if that ever happens.
 
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TintoConCasera

I bought a sex doll, but I keep it inflated 100% of the time and use it like a regular wife
Loved it back in the day, one of Raven's greatests.

That pub level right after you get your lightsaber made you felt like a god, and the lightsaber fights that come up later were super cool and tense too.

I didn't find JKA's single-player to be near as fun or polished, but still a cool game for sure.
 

TheSHEEEP

Gold Member
The community is still very much active, but not really using the original game anymore.
Instead, most use a more modern "remake" of the engine:

And then some overhauls/mods on top, like:

(Cross-platform, too, played it on Linux about a year ago or so)
 

RagnarokIV

Battlebus imprisoning me \m/ >.< \m/
Went blind playing these games.

You really should be playing on PC though, they're made for keyboard and mouse, using number keys to rapidly bounce between force powers, tight control over movement and lightsaber attacks etc... Either way, shit proper kicks off when you get the lightsaber and go to Nar Shaddaa.
 

EverydayBeast

thinks Halo Infinite is a new graphical benchmark
I think Star Wars is the biggest movie to game franchise depending on the genre (flight and rogue squadron, multiplayer and battlefront etc.) they’ve demonstrated to make quality games.
 

SCB3

Member
Went blind playing these games.

You really should be playing on PC though, they're made for keyboard and mouse, using number keys to rapidly bounce between force powers, tight control over movement and lightsaber attacks etc... Either way, shit proper kicks off when you get the lightsaber and go to Nar Shaddaa.
Oh I know, I’m not at my house atm so limited to just switch for the time being, considering grabbing that Heritage collection and Bounty Hunter soon
 

Ristifer

Member
JK2 is one of my favourite games of all time. Getting that lightsaber was like a revelation in gaming at the time. SW games to this day have absolutely nothing on that combat. JKA is also really good, but I prefer JK2.
 

Hudo

Member
You missed out. JKA MP was huge. We even had ESL matches and competitions. It was genuinely a skill based game. Staff and dual wield were just as good.

I made fragmovies for skilled players, tho others made better ones than me. Heres one of mine below. Almost 20 years ago, jesus, time flies.


That's pretty cool.
 

ResurrectedContrarian

Suffers with mild autism
Dark Forces is always my favorite by a mile, replaying it now in fact (halfway through). It's brutal and strange in a wonderful way.

I did enjoy the first Jedi Knight entries but something felt lost compared to DF, when I originally played... maybe after this DF run I'll start them again and see if I my view has shifted.
 

SCB3

Member
Dark Forces is always my favorite by a mile, replaying it now in fact (halfway through). It's brutal and strange in a wonderful way.

I did enjoy the first Jedi Knight entries but something felt lost compared to DF, when I originally played... maybe after this DF run I'll start them again and see if I my view has shifted.
I kinda want the sequel and Mysteries of the Sith remastered as well, I missed those completely, hell up until a few months ago I have thought Jedi outcast was the direct sequel despite owning the others on steam
 

Romulus

Member
This is the way.



Actually made it feel completely new and fresh. Forgot how absolutely massive game worlds were in the 2000s. In VR, the level design feels incredibly expansive.
 

FeralEcho

Member
You missed out. JKA MP was huge. We even had ESL matches and competitions. It was genuinely a skill based game. Staff and dual wield were just as good.

I made fragmovies for skilled players, tho others made better ones than me. Heres one of mine below. Almost 20 years ago, jesus, time flies.


90% of that montage 😂:
star wars kid GIF


Cool montage though 👍
 

SCB3

Member
Damn took me long enough but finally past the first level, I didn’t realize how to find the 3 codes I needed to get through and man the health pickups in this level are close to non existent, I did manage to realize there is an alt fire mode which helped with the E11 Blasters hip fire though
 

A2una1

Member
I liked it back then when it released. But playing it today on PS5 is annoying control wise. It just feels sluggish to me. I myself enjoy the modern approaches like Fallen Order and Jedi Survivor much more, although I like Kyle Kataarn a little bit better then Cal Kestus.
 
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mrcroket

Member
I liked it back then when it released. But playing it today on PS5 is annoying control wise. It just feels sluggish to me. I myself enjoy the modern approaches like Fallen Order and Jedi Survivor much more, although I like Kyle Kataarn a little bit better then Cal Kestus.
It's a game designed for keyboard and mouse, something similar happened to me when I recently tried the "remaster" of PS5 and the controls with controller seemed horrible.

Especially the aiming and the (lack of) precision of the weapons are designed for mouse precision, the game was made at a time when console shooters had not yet proliferated.
 

rodrigolfp

Haptic Gamepads 4 Life
You missed out. JKA MP was huge. We even had ESL matches and competitions. It was genuinely a skill based game. Staff and dual wield were just as good.

I made fragmovies for skilled players, tho others made better ones than me. Heres one of mine below. Almost 20 years ago, jesus, time flies.


Bot killing?
 

SCB3

Member
It's a game designed for keyboard and mouse, something similar happened to me when I recently tried the "remaster" of PS5 and the controls with controller seemed horrible.

Especially the aiming and the (lack of) precision of the weapons are designed for mouse precision, the game was made at a time when console shooters had not yet proliferated.
Not exactly, I mean Dark Forces, Alien Trilogy and DOOM were around before this and controlled fine on consoles, remember this was PS2/GC/Xbox/DC era, a few years earlier I'd agree but console shooters were on the rise about this time, hell it came out a few months after Halo for example, by that point there were plenty of Console shooters around, especially Third Person ones
 

Trunx81

Member
Wait till you get to Nar Shaddaa, OP. THEN you will hate the game.
I played it on PC back in the days and bought it later for Game Cube. On PC, I cheated the hell out of it (I was still young), but on GC, I played it how it´s supposed to be played. And had a hell of a time! One of those all time classics. And the multiplayer was GOAT.
 
I don't recall it being a particularly hard game, I liked it okay. I was really hyped for it when it came out because I was a masssssive fan of Jedi Knight.

I still prefer the original Jedi Knight for a few reasons, mostly visual though. Jedi Knight has an iconic look (of that time) and I love 3D games that have that aesthetic, especially first person titles. To me Jedi Outcast looks soulless in comparison. It also, laughably, runs worse on modern PCs than Jedi Knight does.

Still a solid game.
 

mrcroket

Member
Not exactly, I mean Dark Forces, Alien Trilogy and DOOM were around before this and controlled fine on consoles, remember this was PS2/GC/Xbox/DC era, a few years earlier I'd agree but console shooters were on the rise about this time, hell it came out a few months after Halo for example, by that point there were plenty of Console shooters around, especially Third Person ones
I mean the "modern" dual-stick control simulating keyboard and mouse, it wasn't until halo that this form of console controls was defined, before each game had its own scheme and used to rely on auto-aiming or copied the goldeneye control system.

But besides that, the keyboard and mouse shooters of the 90s and early 2000s required a precision that is difficult with a controller even today, since the weapons, the aiming and the difficulty were adapted to the precision and speed of the mouse.
 

ResurrectedContrarian

Suffers with mild autism
I mean the "modern" dual-stick control simulating keyboard and mouse, it wasn't until halo that this form of console controls was defined, before each game had its own scheme and used to rely on auto-aiming or copied the goldeneye control system.

But besides that, the keyboard and mouse shooters of the 90s and early 2000s required a precision that is difficult with a controller even today, since the weapons, the aiming and the difficulty were adapted to the precision and speed of the mouse.
regarding control schemes.... I can play classics like Dark Forces great on a keyboard if I'm given the classic "strafe lock" key. I miss that control scheme; it even works well for single-stick.

I probably both enjoy it more and play better on single-stick FPS games with a strafe-lock button than I do on the annoyingly standardized dual-stick setup that everyone uses today. Plus, having my right thumb free to use face buttons means I can map all the secondary item / weapon / duck / jump misc buttons so nicely and comfortably, instead of trying to shoehorn those kinds of things onto triggers etc where they don't belong. Dual-stick should have never become an obligatory standard for controllers.
 

mrcroket

Member
regarding control schemes.... I can play classics like Dark Forces great on a keyboard if I'm given the classic "strafe lock" key. I miss that control scheme; it even works well for single-stick.

I probably both enjoy it more and play better on single-stick FPS games with a strafe-lock button than I do on the annoyingly standardized dual-stick setup that everyone uses today. Plus, having my right thumb free to use face buttons means I can map all the secondary item / weapon / duck / jump misc buttons so nicely and comfortably, instead of trying to shoehorn those kinds of things onto triggers etc where they don't belong. Dual-stick should have never become an obligatory standard for controllers.
Yep, I miss it too, besides feeling "more natural" it made every game play differently, the standardization of game controls and mechanics have made all modern games play almost the same.

(Old-man mode on)
 
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