Techtite's Macintosh Game Reviews!

" Evidence of [this game's imaginative new characters] is your new arch enemy,  Dasaan, who is one of the greatest character creations ever conceived from-scratch by Raven Software. Imagine a T-Rex dinosaur, evolved into humanoid form, complete with dark Jedi powers. Cooool!"

---from the review

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A bug that may not be patched yet; beware!... While I never had this problem myself --even though I played that game level three times already!-- word is that there is a bug in the game, near the detention level of the enemy ship near the end of the game. I won't spoil it for you as to who you're saving at the time, though let's just say prior to using mind-trick on the detention area guard, SAVE YOUR GAME. The prisoner you're saving is needed to help you get out of the prison, and they can get stuck when walking away from their cell...or so I hear. I never had this problem myself, though, so maybe the bug has been patch already...? Either way, be forewarned!

Awwww; no "collector's edition? A Collector's Edition of Jedi Knight Outcast was available upon initial release of this game, which is another reason it stinks to be a Mac owner sometimes, because the initial release of the game was for PC's. A tin collector's box included the game itself, and both prior Dark Forces games, plus a light saber key chain that flashes an eerie blue glow when pressed. True, you can get those mini sabers at any Target stores, and you probably got the earlier games already. Still, it's a cool collector's tin, although to the best of my knowledge, Dark Forces 2 never came out for the Mac (!), so that may be one reason a Collector's edition of all 3 games was scrapped for the Mac. What a shame.

Can anyone remember the last time a Jedi Knight game came out for the Macintosh computer...? Oh, right; it never has! Dark Forces came out for the Mac, yes, though that was back in the early 1990's, when people were still playing DOOM. As for Dark Forces 2, Jedi Knight, forget it: that was in 1995, when Mac was too busy burying its head ion the sand to keep itself alive as a gaming platform. Now that Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast is finally released, the feeling is not unlike watching a trilogy without having been offered the middle installment. Hey, guys; whatever happened to Jedi Knight 1 for the Macintosh...?

In case you missed the news (which if you're a diehard Mac owner/non-PC owner, you probably have); Kyle Katarn, the hero of the original Dark Forces game, learned in Dark Forces 2: Jedi Knight that he had a Jedi as a dad. He tries to follow in Dad's footsteps, though is tempted towards the dark side along the way. This was a strikingly cool FPS from the first days of 3D accelerated gaming, made even cooler by dual endings, depending on your light-or-dark-side choice. Of course, it would be too complicated to continue two story arcs, so this game presumes you were a good little Jedi and chose the light side. Of course, again, this choice was not available to Mac owners because the game was never released for Mac. However, I'm sure if offered the choice, we would've all chosen the light side and chosen to help the good guys, right? Of course. Anyway; the story picks up from here...

We learn that all that soul-searching between the light and dark side caused Kyle to rethink his desire to become a Jedi. He has given his light saber to Luke Skywalker, denouncing his force powers forever. He's still the best fighter for the New Republic without them, and is quickly sent to his next mission, to investigate a small faction of imperial troops called The Remnant, and their plans to restore their Empire. Rest assured, this latest mission includes stormtroopers, Imperial Officers, and yes, even a few dark Jedi; what every good Star Wars game needs. What I did not expect, was a surprisingly gripping romance subplot between Kyle and his female pilot friend, Jan Ors, enhancing the emotional appeal.

While this game already has its share of imaginative "new" characters, classic Star Wars characters are also present! Evidence of the former is your new arch enemy,  Dasaan, who is one of the greatest character creations ever conceived from-scratch by Raven Software. Imagine a T-Rex dinosaur, evolved into humanoid form, complete with dark Jedi powers. Cooool! As for classic Star Wars cameos, they include both Luke Skywalker (whose voice is well imitated by Bob Bergen) and Lando (voiced by Billy Dee Williams himself!). True, these cameos are only during an in-game cinematic or two, though it enhances the game's story to know you're part of the world created after the movie trilogy. Oh; you also learn Luke Sywalker has made the former Rebel Base on the Yavin moon (from the first film) into the new Jedi Academy; which, so I'm told, is a prelude to Jedi Knight 3.

One element of the game that takes some getting used to is the strength of your powers, which is decided by the game, not you. Sorry, but if you wanted to configure your strengths like an RPG where you'd allocate all your force power to one skill like "evil lightning"; sorry, it doesn't work that way. You will instead slowly hone your skills "automatically," as the game progresses. However, at least this guarantees you'll have the exact strength you need in various fights with the Sith, so it's all for the best. Even better, these powers include the lightning attack (shown here) as well as the Jedi Mind Trick, among others. You just have to be patient while these skills "grow" by themselves.

Some may wonder if this FPS offers merely a single weapon --your light saber-- and that's it. Wisely, no. The interesting thing about Kyle is that he's not your average Jedi Knight, since he never went to the Jedi Academy, nor was he ever visited by the spirit of Obi-Wan or Yoda. This means his weapon of choice is not just the light saber, if you don't want it to be. He can use whatever weapons he comes across. In fact, you can use the "quicksave" option to explore a little, see which corner a garrison of stormtroopers will launch a surprise attack, then restore your game and place half a dozen laser trip-mines there. Sure, it's a little un-Jedi-like to use such a tactic...what's it to you?

Other weapon options means other ways to solve any mission. A sniper rifle can be used to get those long-distance targets long before meeting them face-to-face (particularly a batch of pesky three-eyed aliens who toss grenades like they were M&M's!). There's even a few mounted cannons on occasion, and even a whole AT-ST tank you can ride for a while! I would've preferred it if you could commandeer a tank more often (you can only do it in the near-to-last mission), yet still, it's an awesome game addition when it happens.

Gripes are few though worth mentioning. For one thing, as someone who's played the prior game on PC's, this story is not as involved as that one was. Of course, how could it? The prior game was so well thought out it could offer the possibility of multiple endings. This game does have some cool level maps from a game perspective --including Cloud City!-- though it could've been a far better story, as greedy as that may sound. The bar has been raised in FPS games and action-adventures, and unless a story is as good as No One Lives Forever, it isn't as good as it could have been. However, this is nitpicking; you're a Jedi, you have a light saber, and you get to fight whole armies of stormtroopers...what more could you really want here?

In the end, storyline simplicity notwithstanding, this is a great game in the Star Wars tradition. After all, how many games for the Macintosh allow for the possibility to be a Jedi Knight? The truth is, when compared to other shooters, as well as other current Star Wars games, this is still the best there is. Any enhancements can only make the inevitable Jedi Knight 3 even better. Let's just hope Lucasarts doesn't pass up the Macintosh again, like they did Jedi Knight 1. If so, not even Obi Wan can keep us from feeling our "dark side" growing restless...

---Techtite