Star Wars Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy

This story begins with a lot of rambling about the situation before actually playing the game, so if you want to jump to the bit where I actually talk about the game... search for 'So I actually start the game'. You'll be missing the 'amusing' problems I experienced before I could actually play the game...

So like, around four or so years ago, I was in the post office for reasons I do not entirely remember anymore... and in one of their little 'bins', was around six or so copies of this game. Curious - or maybe I really was that bored - I picked up one of them and was astounded at the price.

Four dollars.

Yes, a copy of a PC game released just the year before (and I'm not too sure on when I bought the game either - I could've bought it in 2003 for all I know... I've just had this game for years), was selling for a measly four dollars.

Now, this wasn't some terrible game (garnered scores around the average of 8.1 out of 10 on several reputable review sites), so I wasn't -and still am not - sure as to why it was on sale. Really, I wonder why the post office would have them anyway, so perhaps it was just a bid to get rid of items they weren't supposed to have in stock in the first place.

Anyhoo, impulse purchase (lol), went home, discovered old computer was old (no shit) and that I wouldn't be able to play it until I replaced some parts. Or got a new computer. As I was nearing the time when I would be getting a new one anyway, that was all cool - I'd wait it out. It was only four dollars, anyway.

Motherboard on desktop is replaced, machine passes the system requirements... and I install it.
For some reason, it just stops at the splash screen. *rolls eyes*

So I pretty much give up on it, it being such an impulse and cheap buy in the first place. Wasn't as if I'd really, really, really wanted to play the game anyway, it would've just been nice to.

And now to this year. Winter break, I'm looking for things to do (kinda burned off visual novels at the moment, I think I've played too many XD)... and I come across my old discs.

I install on the desktop. Still stalls. Whatever. Try on my laptop.

Voila! Success! Vista! *cough*

Anyhoo~ So I actually start the game. Finally.

After playing the first 'mission' (ahahaha!! of course you won't get a mission briefing - it's not as if they'd plan for the ship taking you to the Jedi Academy to be shot down!), I thought it needed a bit more customisation. So now my character was wielding a lance saber. To be honest, I was surprised the mod would also affect the 'true' length of the blade - giving my character a reach advantage over those filthy Disciples of Ragnos.

On my next run through, I think I'll use the Darth Vader mod. >_>

The 'story' is pretty much you running around on missions, slicing down people that shoot at you (it's only fair to respond in kind) and sometimes people that aren't (because they were going to shoot at you, or perhaps that robot was blocking your way and the AI isn't advanced enough to have it let you through the doorway first). Also, using the missile launcher to blast Dark Jedi off elevated platforms is really cool. Until you get the smarter ones that use Force Push to knock the missile back at you...

There's some interesting missions - I especially liked the one where you're on a bike-speeder most of the time, and you're zooming around through the valleys... The ones that piss me off, however, are the ones that require you to find the place to set a signal so that some idiot in a fighter can fire bombs at it... and then you have to find the next place, figure out how to get up to the roof (!!), set another one... rinse and repeat. And after all that, you're still not done! You have to find explosives to deactivate - or activate, depending on whether or not what's going to be blown up is what you want destoryed or not. Trying to find your way without a navi? Not fun.

Sure, you could argue that there's no way the Jedi could get blueprints of the Imperial Strongholds or the exact design of some "random" tomb where ancient Jedi and Sith were laid to rest. Honestly, it would have been an improvement if a navi would show the map of where you'd been, and where you were relative to it.

And seriously, playing the game on mute is not an option. There are times important instructions are given by voice... which was particularly true for the mutant Rancor mission. Eurgh. I even set twenty cheat-spawned Luke Skywalkers and Kyle Katarns at it... all were killed. :( That's some mutant...

A lot of the missions were pretty fun, but I really dislike how NPCs have some shitty AI. Especially with regards to changing levels in a building... I don't know how many times the lift got stuck because the accompanying NPC was standing in a position that caused it to stall. ~__~ And then, when you're going from one room to another, some of them don't follow you and just stand there at the doorway... so you have to go back, get them to enter the room, then continue on. In the last level, there's like... five Jedi that stand there and don't follow you down the stairs because the AI is just that weird. Their danger sense to heights is also bad... several of them fell to their deaths. <_<

On the other hand, adversary jedi AI was much better. Stormtroopers and officers were real bad, although some did run away - but not far. There were also a few cases of them just surrendering, arms up in the air... The Reborn, Disciples of Ragnos and bosses were a different matter. Much more advanced, and certainly required a lot of jumping and backpedalling to avoid being cut down.

What was interesting was that those Dark Jedi that specialised in using the Force to attack you (e.g., by using Push to knock you down so their accompanying lightsaber-wielding partner could stab you, using Force Choke or Force Drain, etc.), would be killed by a single full-Force-meter Force Lightning blast. While their lightsaber-wielding company would need a few additional slashes with the lightsaber to take them out as well... You'd think the Force wielder would have higher resistance. *rolls eyes*

A rather unique method of 'telling the story', the requisite 'choose between the Dark and the Light side' scene, good customisability of the character (at the time, and further improved by the user made modifications)... quite a good game. I wouldn't mind seeing a similar product made with better graphics... but I doubt there ever will.