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Dark Forces 2: Jedi Knight
LucasArts
First-Person Action
REQUIREMENTS:
- Computer: 100% Windows 95 DirectX compatible computer required.
- CPU: Pentium 90 or faster required.
- Memory: 16MB RAM required. 32MB RAM recommended.
- CD-ROM: Double speed CD-ROM drive required. Quad speed or faster recommended.
- Graphics Card: PCI graphics card required.
- Sound Card: 100% Windows 95 compatible 16-bit sound card required.
- Input Device: 100% Windows 95 compatible keyboard, mouse, or joystick required.
- DirectX: Microsoft DirectX 5.0 is included with the game and must be installed to play Jedi Knight. Note: Your system may require the "latest" Windows 95 drivers for your particular hardware.
- Installation: Minimum Installation requires 33 MB free hard drive space (plus an additional 20MB free hard drive space after the install for the swap file).
Quintin Stone
Dark Forces 2: Jedi Knight has the benefit of taking place in a universe we're almost all familiar with: the world of Star Wars. Now you can actually play a Jedi Knight... or a Dark Jedi. The choice is yours.
The new engine has full 3D perspective, a great leap over the previous game's limited view point. Of course, all objects and enemies are completely 3D models. Most of the weapons are the familiar favorites from the previous game, including the blaster, stormtrooper rifle, imperial repeater, and the concussion rifle. The most heralded new weapon is the famous light saber. Now you too, with a little experience, can deflect enemy laser fire and turn their own shots against them!
As you progress through the later levels, you begin to increase your abilities as a Jedi. There are some basic powers, such as speed, jumping, telekenesis, and improved sight. Beyond that, there are Light and Dark abilities that you can choose. But once you make a choose which side of the Force you are on, you'll lose all of your points in the powers of the other side.
You receive stars to put in your Jedi powers after each level. I wasn't real clear on what determined how many stars I received, but I do know that if you find every secret on the level, you'll get an extra star. I was rather annoyed that defeating a Dark Jedi in hand-to-hand combat never gave you any force stars. If there's anything that should be advancing my Jedi training, that would be it! Be careful when putting stars into Force Jump. It's one of the most necessary skills of the game, but with enough stars it's possible to jump so high you nearly kill yourself when you land. Not fun! Am I the only one who found that a little silly?
The levels take a long long time to load, but fortunately once you load a level, you can load a saved game from that level fairly quickly. Enemies are pretty clueless. It's great fun to use Force Pull on stormtroopers and then cut them down with your light saber as they run around crying. Why they don't try to punch you, I don't know. But at least the Kell Dragons in this game can't be killed by slapping them around like in the original Dark Forces. In Jedi Knight, you have to use explosives. Which reminds me, the sequencer charge is nearly useless, except to kill someone chasing right behind you. Unless you are running full speed, it will detonate before you have a chance to run out of its blast radius. How annoying!
Overall, Jedi Knight is a pretty enjoyable game. I've never gotten to play it multiplayer yet, but I've heard that the force aspect makes Jedi Knight deathmatch a unique experience. I only played the game once all the way through, and then pretty much lost interest in it so far. I don't think it's the greatest game of all time (like PC Gamer does), but it is a good experience.
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