Well LucasArts is at it again as they follow up with a sequel to their 1997 smash hit game Star Wars Jedi Knight: Dark Forces II. Star Wars Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast picks up several years after Katarn successfully avenged his father and defended the Valley of the Jedi from powerful Jerec and his group of Dark Jedi. Katarn has since abandoned his allegiance to the Force for fear that he might fall prey to the temptations of the dark side. However, as fate would have it Katarn learns of a powerful new Dark Jedi who must be prevented from creating a technology to harness the power of the Force. Katarn's destiny and the future of the Star Wars galaxy once again hang in the balance as he confronts his dark past to face another seemingly insurmountable evil. Gameplay Jedi Outcast is developed on the Quake III: Team Arena engine, which is heavily modified and adapted by Raven Software. So if you were a fan of any Quake III game and the controls and gameplay of it, then you’ll be able to jump right into JK: II without any sweat. Jedi Outcast is placed in the FPS category as it does alternate between 1st Person and 3rd Person view modes. The 1st Person perspective mode is the standard viewing mode throughout the game and the 3rd Person perspective-viewing mode is only accessed when the lightsaber is in use. Just like many other Star Wars games, Jedi Outcast will support the Jedi Force powers: --Force Jump --Force Push --Confuse --Force Heal --Force Speed --Force Lightning --Force Choke --Force Pull You’ll will also be able to use the force to throw his lightsaber and exercise varying degrees of control over it while it's airborne. Jedi Outcast spands from eight missions made up of twenty-four levels in the single-player game so there is plenty to do. Speaking of the single-player game, Jedi Outcast will also support a massive multiplayer mode. Before you even ask....NO, Star Wars Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast will not support Xbox Live. However in multiplayer, there are many various types of modes in which you can have up to 14 AI opponents (Bots) so if that adds any excitement there it is. In the multiplayer mode you will be able to chose the color of your lightsaber but in the single-player campaign you are just stuck with the generic blue lightsaber that Kyle sports. In relation to multiplayer, these are the multiplayer modes in Jedi Outcast: --Capture the Flag --Free for All --Team FFA (Free for All) --Duel --Jedi Master --Deathmatch --Saber-Only Deathmatch -- Team Capture the Flag And like I said above, in each and every one of those modes you can have up to 14 AI bots to play along with you so you can have some great 16 player fun. Also you can play multiplayer alone with bots even if you don’t have any other people to play with so in that case you would have 15 AI bots. So you can see that Raven didn’t forget about multiplayer, as this multiplayer is really massive.... Just like I said. So if you are one of those people that won’t like the single-player campaign much, then you are surely going to like the multiplayer game even if it isn’t Xbox Live. Sound The sound of the game is one of its major strong points. All of the Star Wars sounds like the lightsabers, doors, lasers sounds will all be there in it’s own Star Wars authentic way. Also the soundtrack is taken straight from John Williams.... Yes that is right, the same guy that makes the music for all SW films and won a Grammy for his work on Star Wars: A New Hope. So expect to hear the Force theme, Imperal March (Darth Vader’s theme) and many more.... "I really hope the Duel of the Fates song is in". And if you guys are wandering what the Duel of the Fates song is, well that is the song that was being played when Obi-Wan, Qui-Gonn, and Darth Maul was fighting at the end of Episode I: The Phantom Menace. There is one downfall though, there is no option for you to rip music off of your own CDs onto the game, so people like me can have the Duel of the Fates song on the game. But the same music that helped John Williams win a Grammy is in this game, so you can’t be too upset. I mean how many games out there has a soundtrack that also won an Grammy? Other then other Star Wars games. Graphics Many of the PC gamers were making complaints of the graphics on Jedi Outcast being too generic even on a high quality video-card. Well on the Xbox you don’t have to worry about that because the development team took time to redo the visuals of the game for the Xbox release. So for you Xbox gamers out there who is feeling like as if this is just another PC port, well you can think again.... Also remember know that this game is based off of the Quake III: Team Arena engine so you would get the feeling like as if you are in Quake III but with just a Star Wars look. Whether that is a good thing or a bad thing to you? I do not know. Other Notes Well by just the looks of it, this seems like Raven (The developer) is doing a good job with this project. There has been many Star Wars game in the past, some were liked and some weren’t. As for this one it was a smash hit on the PC market which later on opened the doors to develop this game on the Xbox and also on the Gamecube. I really feel that any Star Wars fan on that owns a Xbox should enjoy playing this game when it comes out for the simple fact that it is an SW game and it also has a wide variety of options and modes. On the other hand this game probably won’t do to good for the knowing that this game doesn’t support Xbox Live and this game will be released in the same month as the XBL launch. I do feel that this could’ve made a strong and valuable addition to the XBL list of games to launch with it. But lets just look at the bright sides of this, first and foremost this game would attract major SW fans (Like myself) and it will also be a great game to play while Xbox gamers await future Xbox SW games such as the MMRPG Star Wars: Galaxies and the non-linear Morrowind style RPG Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic which is both scheduled to release next year. You can become one with the Force as Star Wars Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast hits the shelves this November. May the Force be with you.... Xbox only Features    -- The ability to save anytime, anywhere.    -- Graphics and performance optimized for the Xbox gaming system.    -- 2 player split screen multiplayer (known as Jedi Arena) with up to 14 AI controlled characters (aka 'bots').    -- Game modes including: Capture the Flag, Free for All, Team FFA, Duel, and Jedi Master.    -- A bonus single player mission called "Mission at Alzoc III" which is unlocked after the single-player game has been completed.    -- A new exclusive multiplayer "Weapons Only" option for decidedly uncivilized combat. Game Features    -- Expanded and enhanced use of the lightsaber features a slew of attack and defense moves    -- Tap into the powers of the Force including Jump, Push, Jedi Mind Tricks and more    -- Employ combat or stealth, depending on the situation. When a fight is necessary, be at the ready with An arsenal of weapons: stun baton, Bryar blast pistol, blaster rifle to name but a few.    -- Explore breathtaking Star Wars locales--Cloud City, the Jedi Academy on Yavin 4, Nar Shaddaa, the smugglers' moon--plus some never-before-seen locations    -- Multi-player options including, deathmatch, saber-only deathmatch, and team capture the flag.    -- Developed in conjunction with the critically acclaimed Raven Software using a modified Quake III Team Arena engine Tyrell "Draco" Jackson -- FunXbox Contributor
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