star wars jedi knight jedi academy review

Star wars jedi knight jedi academy review Pc#
Star wars jedi knight jedi academy review series#

Not being able to select specific servers does make matchmaking more of a Russian roulette, but with the ability to customise match rules (such as Force powers and weapon types) the slapstick combat of Jedi Academy makes for a fun if forgettable online experience. You can jump into all the usual modes – including classic deathmatches with weapons, force powers, lightsabers and more – and with support for up to sixteen players online it’s a decent recreation of a popular multiplayer haunt.

Multiplayer was dropped from the port of Jedi Outcast, but it’s retained here – albeit with more than a few concessions.

Star wars jedi knight jedi academy review Pc#

PC death squads aside ( a fix is in the works), we’re pleased to see a retro online component retained in a modern port.

However, the inclusion of different stances and lightsaber hilts – which actively adjust your overall movement and position – does help add some much-needed strategy to the campaign if you’re willing to spend the time to learn their nuances. Playing the likes of Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order shows just how far we’ve come in terms of melee finesse, and while it is possible to ‘master’ the slash and pray combat model, it’s a tough ask when you trade the greater control of a mouse for the far less responsive analogue sticks of the Joy-Cons – an issue that’s been made very apparent since PC players recently found a way to access Switch servers, creating a crossplay bloodbath in multiplayer where non-keyboard and mouse players regularly paid with their virtual lives. You can choose to follow the Dark Side or the Light, and your choices will affect the game’s ending in true Jedi Knight fashion.Ĭombat is quite clumsy, but then again, that was part of its charm back in the day.

Star wars jedi knight jedi academy review series#

The plot itself isn’t the best the series has ever achieved (Jedi Knight’s wonderfully corny FMV scenes will forever wear that crown), but it does feature a huge variety of levels, many of which offer more than one way to approach a mission. While not being able to play as series antihero Kyle Katarn is still a bit a letdown after so many years battling the Sith (or joining them, depending on your Force persuasions), having the opportunity to play as a brand new character does make more sense as you, Luke and co head out into the galaxy to uncover a new Sith plot while fighting off the ever-present Imperial Remnant. It’s a simple RPG addition, but it immediately helps Jedi Academy feel a little more personable back when multiplayer gaming and online avatars were becoming more and more prevalent. You can even start off by customising the look of your lightsaber and the colour of its blade. So instead of a gruff, beardy human, you can select from a number of different species, genders and outfits. Unlike the previous games, the customisation of online and local play influenced the core story, trading series antihero Kyle Katarn for a fresh Force-sensitive progeny. That mode is fully present on Switch, but before we get into that feature, let’s take a look at the campaign. That’s right – Jedi Academy proved to be a real treat both on PC and the original Xbox (back when Xbox Live was still a bright young thing) with its own support for multiplayer. Much like Jedi Outcast, Jedi Academy benefits from improved visuals, modernised controls (including motion, naturally) and support for online multiplayer.

The Jedi Knight franchise (and its more traditional FPS progenitor, Dark Forces) was one such bountiful series, culminating in the expansive and varied action-adventure, Star Wars: Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy in 2003.įast-forward 17 years and the journey of young padawan Jaden Korr has been ported over to Nintendo Switch, following in the footsteps of the game’s direct predecessor, Star Wars: Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast. And while that did mean we were ‘treated’ to the likes of Star Wars: Demolition and Kinect Star Wars, it also meant the long-defunct LucasArts produced some of the best genre-crossing gems of the ‘90s and the ‘00s. Years ago, when the Star Wars franchise wasn’t under the world-dominating scrutiny of the House of Mouse, developers were farming out all games like no one’s business. Captured on Nintendo Switch (Handheld/Undocked)