DooM Nexus: Jedi Knight: Dark Forces II

My 2 Cent Take on Jedi Knight: Dark Forces II

Seven years after it screamed into stores on the wings of Imperial TIE fighters I finally installed JK: DFII and gave it a run for its money. [My money, actually, considering I paid close to full price for the game back in 1997.] Back when I had bought the game I did try to play it, but my computer hardware wasn't up to the task -- particularly at the resolution I wanted, and using graphics acceleration. As a result the visuals were poor and the controls sluggish. I quickly lost interest and uninstalled the game to make way for other games that I subsequently bought -- HeXen II, Unreal, Quake II....

In the intervening years my interest in the Star Wars universe didn't wane, despite my poor opinion of Episode 1 and Episode 2 -- George Lucas' release of the much-anticipated prequels to the original Star Wars Trilogy. As a matter of fact I spent quite a bit of my spare time expanding and embellishing the tale. And then in September 2004 Lucas released the Trilogy in DVD format, replete with the digital bells and whistles one associates with DVDs in general, and Star Wars DVDs in particular. When there was no more entertainment I could squeeze out of the four-disc set, I gravitated to my stack of unplayed games and dusted off Jedi Knight: Dark Forces II.

A Long Time Ago, In A Galaxy Not Unlike Our Own. Playing JK is almost like being in a Star Wars movie. The game is based on a strong story-line -- Morgan Katarn, the father of Kyle Katarn (whose identity you assume in the game) has been betrayed and viciously murdered by Dark Jedi who are after the mythical Valley of the Jedi. This Valley is a source of untold power, and only you can prevent the Dark Jedi from acquiring this power and bringing the Universe to its knees. [Well, maybe I exaggerated the whole Universe to its knees bit, but you get the idea.]

The story is told through cinematic cut-scenes that serve to heighen the emotional element of the game and draw the player into the role. While the visuals are stunning, in my opinion the acting steals the show. Jerec, the baddest of a bad lot, appears genuinely evil, more so even than Dath Vader in the movies. His sidekicks are portrayed as being no less ruthless -- the beautiful but heartless Sariss, the wickedly gleeful Boc, the eager Yun. A bonus was Kyle Katarn, who is shown to be profoundly human as he struggles with the conflicting feelings of retribution and redemption.

To Be or Not to Be, That is the Question. I hear you going: "Wha...? I didn't come here looking for a lesson in philosophy, buddy, and if you don't shut the [censored] up I'm going to take this here light saber and slice your [censored] up into pieces the size of a rat's gonads!" To which my response is: "Listen, pal. You ain't seen the rats on Rauna VII -- they've got 'nads as big as your fist. Unless you're a sissy boy and can't make a fist!"

But I digress. The whole Hamlet reference was aimed at defining a crucial aspect of the gameplay -- your ability to choose between the Dark Side and the Light Side. Depending on your proclivity for senseless violence (e.g., wantonly blasting away at harmless bystanders and otherwise molesting farm animals) you get to choose the path you take. I thought that this aspect of the game was very cool, and adds replay value to it. I completed the game on the Light Side, but I intend to go back and play it as a Dark Jedi too.

Picture Perfect? For being a seven year-old game JK has excellent visuals, but then you'd expect nothing less from LucasArts -- plenty of starlit and space vistas, massive battle cruisers, sleek Imperial shuttles and TIE fighters, gigantic control rooms and machinery, giant ducts and fans, precarious catwalks above precipitous drops. There were a wide variety of textures, put to good use particularly in the tech and base parts of the game. Although the areas themselves were not overly detailed, they looked well-filled out because of the marvellous textures.

Architecturally, the levels are marvels. Each level is enormous, often with multiple available routes. Within each level the areas are sometimes gigantically proportioned, lending a magnificence to the game. From the buildings to the structures within them, the sheer size of it all is meant to overwhelm and inspire awe. The architecture is believable, and definitely in keeping with what one expects to see in a Star Wars environment. Having said that, I should point out what I didn't like about some levels -- because of their size it is easy to get lost. But more about gameplay later.

Is there something I didn't like about the visuals? The one thing that comes to mind immediately is the models, which are primitive at best. In particular are the non-player characters, who are constructed of crude polygons and sidle around. Makes one want to whip out the old Stormtrooper Rifle and feed them a liberal helping of energy blasts. [Oh, wait, that's necessary if one wants to play the Dark Side, isn't it?] Still, considering that this game is seven years old, I really shouldn't complain.

Dum..Dum..Dum..Da-Da-Da-Dum. OK, OK, so the Emperor's March is not the easiest tune to hum .... wait, what am I saying? John Williams' beloved piece of music that, in the movies, signalled the arrival of the sinister Lord of the Sith is probably the easiest popular tune to hum. It's just not easy to use the alphabet to express it. So what was the point I was trying to make? I forget .... My doctor tells me it's normal for a vegetable my age, but I think it's a secret government plot to erase people's memories and replace it with elevator muzak. And speaking of music, I think that John Williams' music is used very effectively to create the Star Wars mood. Granted the music seems like it is looping, but whether by coincidence or not I was sometimes startled when faced with a nasty surprise that was accompanied by a change in the tempo. In my opinion one can't go wrong when using the original score for a game. I have done it myself during my forays into mapping in the Star Wars universe.

A Wretched Hive of Scum and Villainy. In keeping with the Star Wars universe there is a goodly assortment of bad guys (and one particularly bad gal, and I don't mean 'bad' in a good way). Most enemies, naturally, are cannon fodder, ranging from Imperial troops and bounty hunters to droids and gun turrets. In general these enemies are too easy, although they can occasionally be pesky when they venture out in numbers. A couple of notable exceptions are the mechanical AT-STs and the fearsome-looking Kell Dragons (which are really pussycats if you offer them some kitty chow; unfortunately, aforementioned kitty chow is not in abundance in the game and so the Kells naturally go for your arm, or your foot, or your ear. Don't blame them, blame their trainers in the obedience schools they attended). Both these types of enemies requires some agility and reasonable firepower, but they seldom appear in the game. Too bad.

And then there are the bosses, Dark Jedi, all seven of 'em. Fortunately you're fed small doses of these baddies, and only once do you encounter more than one at a time. Unfortunately, they're a major pain in the butt-hocks to deal with. The best word I can think of to describe battles with the bosses is 'tedious'. Although they can be weakened with conventional weapons (when the weapons aren't Force-pulled away from you by your opponents), they can only be defeated with a light saber. It often takes five to ten minutes of circling, parrying, slashing, and retreating to recover health and Force abilities before they can be defeated. IF you haven't been hit during the duel. More often than not they take a whack at you that wipes out half your health, and then they move in for the kill -- I got so proficient at bringing up saved games when I repeatedly cashed in my chips, that I've put in on my resume. I guess I'm griping to compensate for my lack of skill with the light saber, and perhaps if I was better at it I wouldn't think of the duels as tedious. You'll have to be the judge of that. Overall, I thought that most of the enemies were too easy or too tough, with very little in the mid-range.

UPDATE: It turns out that a great way to dispatch the Dark Jedi is to stack a bunch of sequencer charges and lure the Dark Jedi to them. KABOOOM. Mission Objective Accomplished.

Weaponry is more than adequate. Starting with the Bryar pistol, you quickly move up the hardware ladder and acquire repeaters, rail detonators, concussion rifles, and a light saber. A note on some of the weapons -- when I first picked up the bowcaster I was using it all the time, but as soon as I picked up the Imperial Repeater Rifle (which uses the same ammo) I forgot about the bowcaster completely. The concussion rifle, while powerful, is not very easy to use with accuracy, making it a mixed blessing. The light saber, which might be thought of as the most powerful weapon in your arsenal, is naturally ineffective as a long-range assault weapon. It provides some defensive capability against energy blasts, but is best used in close combat. Mastering the use of this "elegant weapon of the Jedi" is something I was obviously unable to do, although I did fine against the minor enemies, and managed to get lucky with the bosses. Still, I expect that with practice a player can become proficient in its use -- I just didn't have the patience or time to keep practicing.

Games People Play. Do you like watching the Star Wars Movies? Do you like first-person shooters? Then Jedi Knight is your bag. However, while the game stays true to the Star Wars theme, in my opinion it deviates slightly from the mainstream FPS genre -- there isn't a shortage of enemies, and there is the occasional hunt for a key, but the emphasis seems to be on exploration, occasional puzzle-solving, and completing objectives rather than mindless blasting to advance to the next stage. Now one might say that completing objectives is just a different guise for a key-hunt, but the difference is that the former makes the game seem more interactive -- for example, draining fuel tanks so than one can reach an inaccessible area through the drainage vent makes the game more real.

And explore the levels I did. Many levels have areas that are irrelevant to the progression of the map and may easily be skipped in the interest of moving the game along. I insisted on checking them out, even when it meant taking damage from a long fall or staying underwater too long. I'm glad I did, not only because of the goodies often hidden in such places, but because these places added to the realism of the environment.

Another nifty aspect of the gameplay is the Force Powers you get. There are the neutral powers, such as Force Speed, Force Jump, and Force Seeing, each of which is invaluable in its own way. Then there are the Light Side or Dark Side abilities. I have only played the Light Side so far, and Force Healing and Force Absorb are essential when going up against the Dark Jedi. Force Persuasion is excellent in making one invisible to "the weak of mind", such as Troopers, Officers, and Commandos. Those are the moments to whip out one's light saber and slice-and-dice your way to making Salade Imperiale. In all this fun, however, there is a slight down-side -- in the heat of battle it is not easy to take your eyes off the action, hunt for the appropriate key on the keyboard, take your hand off either your mouse or keyboard, and press the key to call up your Force power.

Now a couple of discordant notes. As I mentioned before, it's easy to get lost in the maze of tunnels, ventilator and elevator shafts, multi-layered catwalks, and endless ramps. I also had problems with the controls in specific instances -- if there is an opening that requires crouching to enter, but is set a step above the floor it is very difficult to proceed. Neither walking/running, crouching, or jumping by themselves work. The only way I could enter was to crouch, use Force Speed to run towards the opening, and jump at the last minute while still crouching. In my opnion that is too complicated a maneuver for a simple action. Another peeve was trying to save games -- upon entering a new level I would naturally want to save the game into a new slot. The game would often crash, requiring me to go back to the previous saved game or quicksave, and complete the previous level before entering the new level again.

So, what's the bottom line? Would I recommend that soneone go out and spend the princely sum of USD 10 or 15 to legally acquire this game from the bargain bins of many electronics stores, thus filling the already overflowing coffers of the Lucas empire? Do people that are willingly and eagerly getting married to each other say "I Do"? Well then, there's your answer. Therefore, by the power vested in me by the Galactic Council, I now pronounce that the Force is with you.

UPDATE: I went back and played the Dark Side. While the game was fun to play again, and there was a certain perverse satisfaction in being able to blast everything in sight without exercising any restraint, the experience was not a whole lot different from playing the Light Side. The Dark Side powers appear cool at first -- Force Grip, Force Throw, Force Lightning, and Force Destruction seem like wickedly enjoyable abilities. Unfortunately they are difficult to use with any accuracy. Just like any weapon they have to be aimed fairly precisely at the target, but the difference is that one can't use the mouse to aim and "fire" the force. [Force powers are typically bound to specific keys on the keyboard.] Having to move the fingers across the keyboard to press the appropriate force key generally means the player isn't moving forwards, backwards, or sideways. In other words you have come to a standstill while yor fingers are off the movement keys, and are a sitting duck. Coming to a standstill is not a problem if you're behind an enemy that is unaware of your presence. In normal combat, however, particularly against the Dark Jedi, you can't afford to be a sitting duck. So I wisely chose not to use these force powers in real combat. When they could really have helped.

Another thing I expected was that the cut scenes would be different. In most instances they are identical to the Light Side cut scenes with minor edits. The exception is the final cut scene of the Dark Side, which is quite sinister and fun to watch.

In the final analysis I'm glad I played the game again, but I could very well have played it as a Light Side Jedi and not missed much.