Star Wars Jedi Knight: Dark Forces II
Encyclopedia
Star Wars Jedi Knight: Dark Forces II (abbreviated to Jedi Knight and Dark Forces II) is a first person shooter computer game. It was developed and published by LucasArts
and released on October 9, 1997. It was made available on Steam on September 16, 2009. It is based on the Star Wars
franchise and is a sequel to Star Wars: Dark Forces
. Jedi Knight was received very well by critics, obtaining an 87% aggregate score on Game Rankings
and 91% on Metacritic
.
The storyline in Jedi Knight follows Kyle Katarn
, the protagonist of Dark Forces. Katarn's father has been murdered by a Dark Jedi
over the location of The Valley of the Jedi. Katarn follows the Dark Jedi to the valley to confront his father's killers.
Jedi Knight adds some technical and gameplay improvements over its predecessor. It uses a more powerful game engine
that supports 3D acceleration
using Direct3D
5.0. Jedi Knight also includes a multiplayer mode that allows players to compete over the internet or a local area network
. On January 31, 1998, Star Wars Jedi Knight: Mysteries of the Sith
was released as an expansion
to Jedi Knight. The game was a large success and as a result, the next game in the series was followed in 2002 by Star Wars Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast
.
but offers the choice of a third person view
. The game consists of 21 levels with objectives that the player must complete before being able to continue to the next level. There are weapons available in each level and after level three the player has the use of a lightsaber
, along with the Force. In addition to being an effective weapon, the lightsaber is also a useful tool for the player, providing light in dark areas, deflecting incoming blaster fire and cutting through some obstacles.
There are three types of Force powers; light, dark and neutral. Light Force powers provide nonviolent advantages such as being able to restore health or persuade enemies to ignore the player. Dark Force powers are violent and give the ability to throw objects or choke enemies. Neutral powers enhance athletic abilities such as being able to jump higher or run faster. There are fourteen powers in total, four of each type and a bonus power in each light and dark if the Jedi stays true to that path. Players earn stars to allocate toward Force powers by completing specific levels. By finding all the secrets in a level, a player can also gain one bonus star to use. Between levels, the player can choose which Force powers to enhance by allocating stars to that power. Stars cannot be reclaimed from powers later on.
Levels contain puzzles that may require use of the Force to overcome, or by locating objects in the level. There are a variety of hostile and non-hostile non-player characters (NPCs) within each level that the player can interact with. Other enemies include monsters and vehicles.
There are two endings to Jedi Knight which depend on how the player plays the game. If the player does not harm non-hostile NPCs and focuses on collecting light Force powers then the game will end with the light side ending. Conversely if the player harms non-hostile NPCs and collects dark Force powers then the game will end with the dark side ending.
and up to four people online. Online gaming was hosted by the MSN Gaming Zone.
The player creates an avatar
within Jedi Knight and selects a ranking. The higher the ranking the more Force powers will be available to use by the avatar. The player can also edit their avatar's "skin" and lightsaber color. There are two types of game that can be played in Jedi Knight's multiplayer mode, capture the flag
and Jedi Training mode, similar to deathmatch
. The players can customize the settings to play the deathmatch the way they desire, for example limiting the use of Force powers or playing on teams.
. The player controls Kyle Katarn
, who made his first appearance as a mercenary in Dark Forces. Katarn meets with an information broker
droid named 8t88 who tells Katarn that his father, Morgan Katarn, was killed by a Dark Jedi named Jerec, who also intends to rebuild the Empire
. Kyle retrieves a disk from the droid that can only be read by a droid belonging to Morgan at his home. The disk's message, coupled with the droid giving Kyle a lightsaber, compel Kyle to undertake a journey to confront his father's murderers and to discover his own latent Force abilities. While on this journey, Kyle learns that seven Dark Jedi are intent on finding the Valley of the Jedi, a focal point for Jedi power and a Jedi burial ground.
Katarn retrieves the Valley's location and travels with Rebel
agent and close friend Jan Ors to Ruusan, the planet on which the Valley is located. Jerec captures Ors and offers Katarn the decision to execute her or die. The choice Katarn makes here depends on the player's actions within the game to this point. If Katarn falls to the dark side
he kills Ors, but if he remains true to the light path he spares her. With both paths, Katarn has a final confrontation with Jerec in the Valley of the Jedi's core. If the player chose the dark path, the game ends with Katarn becoming the new Emperor; if the player chose the light side, the game concludes with Katarn being reunited with Ors and carving a monument to his dead father.
Jedi Knight uses both 3D graphics and sound. It is one of the early games to adopt the use of 3D graphics hardware acceleration using Microsoft
Direct3D
. The 3D sound technology was tweaked extensively to give an immersive feel to the game. This was achieved by experimentation using many different sound effects and playback styles. Between levels Jedi Knight features full motion video
cutscenes. The characters are represented by live actors while the backgrounds are pre-rendered graphics. The cutscenes included the first lightsaber footage filmed since Return of the Jedi in 1983.
as an expansion pack
. It was released on January 31, 1998 and received positive reviews from critics. The expansion includes a single-player mode and fifteen multiplayer maps. There are also technical improvements over Jedi Knight, including colored lighting, new textures and models
, and developments to the artificial intelligence
.
The single-player story in Mysteries of the Sith is set five years after the events of Jedi Knight. The player once more takes control of Kyle Katarn, but later in the game is given control of Mara Jade
, one of the most popular Star Wars Expanded Universe
characters according to Star Wars Insider
.
Jedi Knight was compared positively with Doom, a significant game in the first-person shooter genre. The gameplay did not escape criticism, with Tom Chick reviewing Jedi Knight for IGN
criticising the layout of the levels: "The levels can be awfully linear, throwing you up against some frustrating brick walls where you don't know where to go or what you're supposed to do next. There are some bald key hunts."
The artificial intelligence of hostile NPCs received mixed reactions. GameSpot
praised the AI of the enemies in Jedi Knight, saying that they help the suspension of disbelief. Chi Kong Lui of Gamecritics.com gave the opposite view: "Enemy artificial intelligence is still pretty mindless and blasting them doesn't require much skill."
Jedi Knight's graphics received mixed reviews. Critics stated the non-3D accelerated version of the game looks poor. Other graphical aspects received praise. The character animations were considered more detailed than similar games. The design of the levels received specific praise from IGN: "No other first person shooter has come close to Jedi Knight's dizzying sense of scale and its vast levels." The full-motion video sequences between levels received both praise and criticism.
The use of John Williams
' soundtrack from the Star Wars films was met with praise, though one reviewer believed that the music is overused in Star Wars video games. The sound effects also received praise and provide a good atmosphere to the game, in particular the lightsaber sound and its implementation.
The addition of a multiplayer mode to Jedi Knight was met positively, but questions arose to why there are so few multiplayer maps and why single-player maps cannot be used in the multiplayer mode. Tom Chick of IGN believes this was corrected with the release of Mysteries of the Sith.
Due to banning of the prequel, Dark Forces
in Germany, the version of Jedi Knight published in Germany had the subtitle "Dark Forces II" removed from both the game logo and the intro textcrawl.
LucasArts
LucasArts Entertainment Company, LLC is an American video game developer and publisher. The company was once famous for its innovative line of graphic adventure games, the critical and commercial success of which peaked in the mid 1990s...
and released on October 9, 1997. It was made available on Steam on September 16, 2009. It is based on the Star Wars
Star Wars
Star Wars is an American epic space opera film series created by George Lucas. The first film in the series was originally released on May 25, 1977, under the title Star Wars, by 20th Century Fox, and became a worldwide pop culture phenomenon, followed by two sequels, released at three-year...
franchise and is a sequel to Star Wars: Dark Forces
Star Wars: Dark Forces
Star Wars: Dark Forces is a first-person shooter video game developed and published by LucasArts. It was released in 1995 for DOS and Apple Macintosh, and in 1996 for the PlayStation. The storyline within the Dark Forces is set in the Star Wars fictional universe and follows the character Kyle...
. Jedi Knight was received very well by critics, obtaining an 87% aggregate score on Game Rankings
Game Rankings
GameRankings is a website that collects review scores from both offline and online sources to give an average rating. It indexes over 315,000 articles relating to more than 14,500 games.GameRankings is owned by CBS Interactive...
and 91% on Metacritic
Metacritic
Metacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
.
The storyline in Jedi Knight follows Kyle Katarn
Kyle Katarn
Kyle Katarn is a fictional character in the Star Wars universe, the protagonist of the video game Star Wars: Dark Forces and its sequels....
, the protagonist of Dark Forces. Katarn's father has been murdered by a Dark Jedi
Dark Jedi
Dark Jedi is the name given in the Star Wars universe to fictional characters attuned to the Force and adept in its dark side. They exist by that name only in the Expanded Universe, including video games such as Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic and the Jedi Knight series; the term is never...
over the location of The Valley of the Jedi. Katarn follows the Dark Jedi to the valley to confront his father's killers.
Jedi Knight adds some technical and gameplay improvements over its predecessor. It uses a more powerful game engine
Game engine
A game engine is a system designed for the creation and development of video games. There are many game engines that are designed to work on video game consoles and personal computers...
that supports 3D acceleration
3D computer graphics
3D computer graphics are graphics that use a three-dimensional representation of geometric data that is stored in the computer for the purposes of performing calculations and rendering 2D images...
using Direct3D
Direct3D
Direct3D is part of Microsoft's DirectX application programming interface . Direct3D is available for Microsoft Windows operating systems , and for other platforms through the open source software Wine. It is the base for the graphics API on the Xbox and Xbox 360 console systems...
5.0. Jedi Knight also includes a multiplayer mode that allows players to compete over the internet or a local area network
Local area network
A local area network is a computer network that interconnects computers in a limited area such as a home, school, computer laboratory, or office building...
. On January 31, 1998, Star Wars Jedi Knight: Mysteries of the Sith
Star Wars Jedi Knight: Mysteries of the Sith
Star Wars Jedi Knight: Mysteries of the Sith is an expansion pack for the first person shooter Star Wars Jedi Knight: Dark Forces II. It was developed and published by LucasArts, and released on January 31, 1998. The expansion includes a single-player mode and fifteen multiplayer maps. The...
was released as an expansion
Expansion pack
An expansion pack, expansion set, or supplement is an addition to an existing role-playing game, tabletop game or video game. These add-ons usually add new game areas, weapons, objects, and/or an extended storyline to a complete and already released game...
to Jedi Knight. The game was a large success and as a result, the next game in the series was followed in 2002 by Star Wars Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast
Star Wars Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast
Star Wars Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast, often abbreviated JK2 or JO, is a first- and third-person action game developed by Raven Software and published by LucasArts and Activision. The PC version was released in March and the Mac OS X, Xbox and Nintendo GameCube versions were released in November...
.
Single-player
Jedi Knight is primarily a first-person shooterFirst-person shooter
First-person shooter is a video game genre that centers the gameplay on gun and projectile weapon-based combat through first-person perspective; i.e., the player experiences the action through the eyes of a protagonist. Generally speaking, the first-person shooter shares common traits with other...
but offers the choice of a third person view
Third-person shooter
Third-person shooter is a genre of 3D action games in which the player character is visible on-screen, and the gameplay consists primarily of shooting.-Definition:...
. The game consists of 21 levels with objectives that the player must complete before being able to continue to the next level. There are weapons available in each level and after level three the player has the use of a lightsaber
Lightsaber
A lightsaber is a fictional weapon in the Star Wars universe, a "laser sword." It consists of a polished metal hilt which projects a blade of light about 1.33 metres long. The lightsaber is the signature weapon of the Jedi order and their Sith counterparts, both of whom can use them for close...
, along with the Force. In addition to being an effective weapon, the lightsaber is also a useful tool for the player, providing light in dark areas, deflecting incoming blaster fire and cutting through some obstacles.
Levels contain puzzles that may require use of the Force to overcome, or by locating objects in the level. There are a variety of hostile and non-hostile non-player characters (NPCs) within each level that the player can interact with. Other enemies include monsters and vehicles.
There are two endings to Jedi Knight which depend on how the player plays the game. If the player does not harm non-hostile NPCs and focuses on collecting light Force powers then the game will end with the light side ending. Conversely if the player harms non-hostile NPCs and collects dark Force powers then the game will end with the dark side ending.
Multiplayer
Jedi Knight includes a multiplayer mode that allows up to eight people to compete with each other on a local area networkLocal area network
A local area network is a computer network that interconnects computers in a limited area such as a home, school, computer laboratory, or office building...
and up to four people online. Online gaming was hosted by the MSN Gaming Zone.
The player creates an avatar
Avatar (computing)
In computing, an avatar is the graphical representation of the user or the user's alter ego or character. It may take either a three-dimensional form, as in games or virtual worlds, or a two-dimensional form as an icon in Internet forums and other online communities. It can also refer to a text...
within Jedi Knight and selects a ranking. The higher the ranking the more Force powers will be available to use by the avatar. The player can also edit their avatar's "skin" and lightsaber color. There are two types of game that can be played in Jedi Knight's multiplayer mode, capture the flag
Capture the flag
Capture the Flag is a traditional outdoor sport generally played by children, where two teams each have a flag and the objective is to capture the other team's flag, located at the team's "base," and bring it safely back to their own base...
and Jedi Training mode, similar to deathmatch
Deathmatch (gaming)
Deathmatch or Player vs All is a widely-used gameplay mode integrated into many shooter and real-time strategy computer games...
. The players can customize the settings to play the deathmatch the way they desire, for example limiting the use of Force powers or playing on teams.
Story
The story is set one year after the events in Return of the JediStar Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi
Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi is a 1983 American epic space opera film directed by Richard Marquand and written by George Lucas and Lawrence Kasdan. It is the third film released in the Star Wars saga, and the sixth in terms of the series' internal chronology...
. The player controls Kyle Katarn
Kyle Katarn
Kyle Katarn is a fictional character in the Star Wars universe, the protagonist of the video game Star Wars: Dark Forces and its sequels....
, who made his first appearance as a mercenary in Dark Forces. Katarn meets with an information broker
Information broker
An information broker, also known as an independent information professional or information consultant, is a person or business that researches information for clients...
droid named 8t88 who tells Katarn that his father, Morgan Katarn, was killed by a Dark Jedi named Jerec, who also intends to rebuild the Empire
Galactic Empire (Star Wars)
The Galactic Empire is one of the main factions in the fictional universe of Star Wars. It is a galaxy-spanning regime established by the series' lead villain, Palpatine, to replace the Galactic Republic in Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith. The Galactic Empire is introduced in Star Wars...
. Kyle retrieves a disk from the droid that can only be read by a droid belonging to Morgan at his home. The disk's message, coupled with the droid giving Kyle a lightsaber, compel Kyle to undertake a journey to confront his father's murderers and to discover his own latent Force abilities. While on this journey, Kyle learns that seven Dark Jedi are intent on finding the Valley of the Jedi, a focal point for Jedi power and a Jedi burial ground.
Katarn retrieves the Valley's location and travels with Rebel
Rebel Alliance
The Alliance to Restore the Republic is an interstellar faction of the fictional universe of Star Wars....
agent and close friend Jan Ors to Ruusan, the planet on which the Valley is located. Jerec captures Ors and offers Katarn the decision to execute her or die. The choice Katarn makes here depends on the player's actions within the game to this point. If Katarn falls to the dark side
Dark side (Star Wars)
The dark side of the Force is a prominent moral, philosophical, and psychic concept in the Star Wars universe. It is introduced in Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope, and appears in all subsequent Star Wars fiction...
he kills Ors, but if he remains true to the light path he spares her. With both paths, Katarn has a final confrontation with Jerec in the Valley of the Jedi's core. If the player chose the dark path, the game ends with Katarn becoming the new Emperor; if the player chose the light side, the game concludes with Katarn being reunited with Ors and carving a monument to his dead father.
Development
Development of Jedi Knight was led by Justin Chin. The most significant developments for Jedi Knight are the use of The Force and the lightsaber. The Force plays an integral role in how the player plays the game and shapes the way the game is played. The method of allocating credits to Force powers was designed with an RPG style in mind, allowing the player the choice of which powers to improve. Chin said in an early interview that progress in the game is based upon the abilities the player develops.Jedi Knight uses both 3D graphics and sound. It is one of the early games to adopt the use of 3D graphics hardware acceleration using Microsoft
Microsoft
Microsoft Corporation is an American public multinational corporation headquartered in Redmond, Washington, USA that develops, manufactures, licenses, and supports a wide range of products and services predominantly related to computing through its various product divisions...
Direct3D
Direct3D
Direct3D is part of Microsoft's DirectX application programming interface . Direct3D is available for Microsoft Windows operating systems , and for other platforms through the open source software Wine. It is the base for the graphics API on the Xbox and Xbox 360 console systems...
. The 3D sound technology was tweaked extensively to give an immersive feel to the game. This was achieved by experimentation using many different sound effects and playback styles. Between levels Jedi Knight features full motion video
Full motion video
Full motion video based games are video games that rely upon pre-recorded TV-quality movie or animation rather than sprites, vectors, or 3D models to display action in the game. In the early 1990s a diverse set of games utilized this format...
cutscenes. The characters are represented by live actors while the backgrounds are pre-rendered graphics. The cutscenes included the first lightsaber footage filmed since Return of the Jedi in 1983.
Mysteries of the Sith
After the release of Jedi Knight, LucasArts developed Star Wars Jedi Knight: Mysteries of the SithStar Wars Jedi Knight: Mysteries of the Sith
Star Wars Jedi Knight: Mysteries of the Sith is an expansion pack for the first person shooter Star Wars Jedi Knight: Dark Forces II. It was developed and published by LucasArts, and released on January 31, 1998. The expansion includes a single-player mode and fifteen multiplayer maps. The...
as an expansion pack
Expansion pack
An expansion pack, expansion set, or supplement is an addition to an existing role-playing game, tabletop game or video game. These add-ons usually add new game areas, weapons, objects, and/or an extended storyline to a complete and already released game...
. It was released on January 31, 1998 and received positive reviews from critics. The expansion includes a single-player mode and fifteen multiplayer maps. There are also technical improvements over Jedi Knight, including colored lighting, new textures and models
3D modeling
In 3D computer graphics, 3D modeling is the process of developing a mathematical representation of any three-dimensional surface of object via specialized software. The product is called a 3D model...
, and developments to the artificial intelligence
Artificial intelligence
Artificial intelligence is the intelligence of machines and the branch of computer science that aims to create it. AI textbooks define the field as "the study and design of intelligent agents" where an intelligent agent is a system that perceives its environment and takes actions that maximize its...
.
The single-player story in Mysteries of the Sith is set five years after the events of Jedi Knight. The player once more takes control of Kyle Katarn, but later in the game is given control of Mara Jade
Mara Jade
Mara Jade Skywalker is a fictional character in Star Wars Expanded Universe books, comic books, and computer games. She is also wife to Luke Skywalker, and mother to Ben Skywalker. In the different video games, she is voiced by Heidi Shannon and Kath Soucie.-Concept and development:Mara Jade was...
, one of the most popular Star Wars Expanded Universe
Star Wars Expanded Universe
The Star Wars Expanded Universe encompasses all of the officially licensed, fictional background of the Star Wars universe, outside of the six feature films produced by George Lucas. The expanded universe includes books, comic books, video games, spin-off films like Star Wars: The Clone Wars,...
characters according to Star Wars Insider
Star Wars Insider
Star Wars Insider is the official Star Wars magazine. Its contents include stories, articles relating to the Star Wars universe, letters, and the fan newsletter "Bantha Tracks". It began in 1987 as the official magazine of The Lucasfilm Fan Club...
.
Reception
Star Wars Jedi Knight: Dark Forces II was received well. The combination of puzzles and gameplay drew praise from critics, indicating that the game builds upon the good qualities present in Dark Forces. The user control of the game was praised, especially control of the lightsaber.Jedi Knight was compared positively with Doom, a significant game in the first-person shooter genre. The gameplay did not escape criticism, with Tom Chick reviewing Jedi Knight for IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
criticising the layout of the levels: "The levels can be awfully linear, throwing you up against some frustrating brick walls where you don't know where to go or what you're supposed to do next. There are some bald key hunts."
The artificial intelligence of hostile NPCs received mixed reactions. GameSpot
GameSpot
GameSpot is a video gaming website that provides news, reviews, previews, downloads, and other information. The site was launched in May 1, 1996 by Pete Deemer, Vince Broady and Jon Epstein. It was purchased by ZDNet, a brand which was later purchased by CNET Networks. CBS Interactive, which...
praised the AI of the enemies in Jedi Knight, saying that they help the suspension of disbelief. Chi Kong Lui of Gamecritics.com gave the opposite view: "Enemy artificial intelligence is still pretty mindless and blasting them doesn't require much skill."
Jedi Knight's graphics received mixed reviews. Critics stated the non-3D accelerated version of the game looks poor. Other graphical aspects received praise. The character animations were considered more detailed than similar games. The design of the levels received specific praise from IGN: "No other first person shooter has come close to Jedi Knight's dizzying sense of scale and its vast levels." The full-motion video sequences between levels received both praise and criticism.
The use of John Williams
John Williams
John Towner Williams is an American composer, conductor, and pianist. In a career spanning almost six decades, he has composed some of the most recognizable film scores in the history of motion pictures, including the Star Wars saga, Jaws, Superman, the Indiana Jones films, E.T...
' soundtrack from the Star Wars films was met with praise, though one reviewer believed that the music is overused in Star Wars video games. The sound effects also received praise and provide a good atmosphere to the game, in particular the lightsaber sound and its implementation.
The addition of a multiplayer mode to Jedi Knight was met positively, but questions arose to why there are so few multiplayer maps and why single-player maps cannot be used in the multiplayer mode. Tom Chick of IGN believes this was corrected with the release of Mysteries of the Sith.
Due to banning of the prequel, Dark Forces
Star Wars: Dark Forces
Star Wars: Dark Forces is a first-person shooter video game developed and published by LucasArts. It was released in 1995 for DOS and Apple Macintosh, and in 1996 for the PlayStation. The storyline within the Dark Forces is set in the Star Wars fictional universe and follows the character Kyle...
in Germany, the version of Jedi Knight published in Germany had the subtitle "Dark Forces II" removed from both the game logo and the intro textcrawl.