Star Wars Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast
Encyclopedia
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 2002. Powered by the Quake III: Team Arena game engine
, the game primarily revolves around ranged and melee
combat. The player can wield classic Star Wars weapons such as blasters, lightsaber
s and Force powers
.
The game features both single-player and multiplayer modes. The story-driven single-player is set in the Star Wars
universe two years after the events of Mysteries of the Sith
, Jedi Outcasts predecessor. It follows the protagonist
Kyle Katarn
as he fights against the Dark Jedi Desann and his followers. The game was critically well-received on all platforms, with scores between 75 and 89/100 according to Metacritic
's composite averages.
In 2003 a sequel titled Star Wars Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy
was released for the Xbox, Mac OS and PC. In 2006 the PC version was re-released with four other Star Wars games in a pack entitled Star Wars: The Best of PC
. On September 16, 2009, the game was re-released with its sequels and the expansion to Dark Forces II onto Steam
and Direct2Drive
.
As a first
/third person shooter set in the Star Wars universe, Jedi Outcast puts the player into combat wielding a variety of firearms from the universe, as well as lightsaber
s and Force powers
. The player can choose perspective for every weapon, including the lightsaber (although in the sequel, Jedi Academy, first person lightsaber is only accessible through console commands).
The shooter combat is typical, offering players an array of energy and projectile weapons, as well as explosives. Players have a health and shield meter, each which is replenished separately.
Jedi Outcast places a strong emphasis on lightsaber combat. As in the films, lightsabers can be used to deflect shots from blasters. The game offers three lightsaber styles. Each style is different in terms of the speed of attacks and damage dealt. There are a number of combos which can be used, often unique to the selected saber style.
Force powers (such as Push, Jump, and Lightning) are available in singleplayer and multiplayer, but more powers can be used in the latter. The use of powers is restricted by a "Force Meter", which depletes with use of powers. The "level" of a Force power determines the strength of the power and the amount of Force "power" required for its use. The multiplayer mode divides players into Light Siders and Dark Siders, and will pit these sides against each other in team modes. Each side has access to both shared "Neutral" Force powers, which are mostly focused on increasing speed and manoeuvrability, and some unique Light Side and Dark Side powers. As in the previous games, Light Side powers are mainly focused around protection and healing, while Dark Side powers are openly aggressive. Unlike previous games, however, Kyle does not exclusively select Light or Dark side powers in the single-player, instead receiving a selection of both.
, as Kyle Katarn
, moves through the single-player in a linear manner, meeting friendly and hostile NPC
s. Friendly NPCs will occasionally assist the player in combat. In addition to combat, the campaign features a variety of puzzles.
The game starts as a shooter only, as Kyle has forsaken The Force after the events of the previous game. However, after a few missions, the player gains access to the lightsaber and some Force powers. As the single-player game progresses, the number of powers available and their level increase. Progression of Force abilities is fixed, and cannot be customized unlike the sequel, where the player chooses which powers to "level up".
and Macintosh
versions, these can be played over LAN
or the Internet
, but is limited to two players on the console versions. There are a variety of game modes (examples are free-for-all
, team deathmatch and capture the flag
) which can be played with other players, bots
, or both.
Each player has limited customization control over his or her avatar
. He or she can choose the player model (giving access to nearly every character in the game as well as some film characters not seen in the campaign) and lightsaber color.
Before a match, the server specifies the game rules, including Force ranking. Force ranking controls how many points the players have available to allocate into Force powers. Players then customize their powers for the match. The server can also choose to disable normal weapons to create lightsaber-only matches.
Some players adopted rituals such as "bowing" (crouching and bowing one's head down before a duel). The one-on-one master/padawan training system from the films has been used by some clans
.
. As with the previous game in the series, the player controls Kyle Katarn
, a former Jedi
who cut his link with The Force
after almost succumbing to the Dark Side
. At the start of the game he is a mercenary working for the New Republic
.
Kyle is joined by other characters throughout the game. Three of the most prominent are Jan Ors, a fellow mercenary and love interest; Lando Calrissian
(voiced by Billy Dee Williams
), the sophisticated baron-administrator of Cloud City
seen in The Empire Strikes Back
and Return of the Jedi
; and Luke Skywalker
, protagonist of the original film trilogy and leader of the Jedi Academy on Yavin IV. The player also receives help from Jedi
and other New Republic soldiers. Mon Mothma, Chief-of-State of the New Republic, gives Kyle and Jan objectives during the game.
There are four main antagonist
s: Desann, a former Jedi who killed a fellow student before leaving the Jedi Order
; Tavion, Desann's apprentice; Galak Fyyar, one of the leaders of the Imperial Remnant; and Reelo Baruk, a crime lord posing as a "respectable garbage collector" on Nar Shaddaa. They are supported by Imperial stormtrooper
s, numerous thugs and Dark Jedi.
Believing Jan dead, Kyle first travels to the Valley of the Jedi to regain his Force powers, and then to the Jedi Academy to get his lightsaber. There, he learns of Desann's origins from Luke Skywalker. Luke offers Kyle his lightsaber back if he can complete a set of trials. Katarn completes the trials easily - too easily, and Luke quickly deduces that Kyle has charged himself at the Valley of the Jedi. Warning Katarn that his path is a dangerous one, he nevertheless gives Kyle the information he seeks, linking Desann to Reelo Baruk, a Rodian crime lord on Nar Shaddaa. Reelo proves to have little information, but Kyle nevertheless stumbles upon Lando Calrissian, who was kept imprisoned in Baruk's dungeons. From Lando, Kyle learns that Desann is a part of a huge operation of smuggling cortosis crystals through Cloud City on Bespin.
Escaping Reelo, the two make for Bespin in Lando's ship, the Lady Luck.
Lando drops Kyle off at the bottom of Cloud City. Katarn works his way upwards, where he first encounters Dark Jedi known as Reborn. Kyle fights several Reborn, and, on the upper level, stormtroopers until he finds Tavion, who is about to board a ship headed for Galak Fyyar's Star Destroyer
, the Doomgiver. Losing to Kyle in a duel, Tavion pleads for her life, telling him that Jan is alive and on board the Doomgiver. Jan's faked death was just a ploy to trick Kyle into going to the Valley of the Jedi - in order for Desann to follow him there and tap its power. In exchange for her life, Tavion lets Kyle use her ship to travel to the Star Destroyer.
After fighting his way past some stormtroopers at Cairn Installation - an Imperial base hidden on an asteroid in the Lenico Belt where the Doomgiver is docked - Kyle meets up with Luke Skywalker. From him, he learns that Desann, having found the Valley of the Jedi, has used its energy to empower an army of Reborn, which could number in thousands. After battling several Reborn together, they part ways. Kyle then sneaks across the Cairn base and finds out it is also a large assault ship construction facility, which is preparing for a full-scale planetary assault. Kyle confronts more Dark Jedi, including a new kind of them, known as "Shadowtroopers" - Jedi, equipped with armor, which is both lightsaber-resistant, and also allows some measure of invisibility. Kyle manages to sneak into the Doomgiver before the ship leaves Cairn, but Luke is left behind. After the Doomgiver completes its jump to hyperspace, Katarn uses the ship's communications array to contact the Rogue Squadron. Though he manages to find Jan in the detention block, Kyle's joy is short-lived. In a nasty surprise, he learns that Desann was not as interested in the Valley of the Jedi as he was bent on invading the Jedi Academy, located on the satellite Yavin IV. Kyle destroys the Doomgiver's shield reactor, and kills Galak Fyyarr, in spite of the latter's use of an armored suit that is both lightsaber-resistant and ray-shielded. Narrowly escaping the ship's destruction, Katarn and Jan use an escape pod to land on Yavin IV.
Crossing the misty swamps and windy valleys, Kyle travels to the Jedi Academy, while Jan heads to a hangar to assist in the aerial battle. Kyle soon finds the academy overrun with Imperial forces, but with the help of the New Republic troops, he fends them off. Together with other Jedi Academy students, he engages in a fight against Reborn warriors and Shadowtroopers. After crossing underground tunnels, Kyle finally confronts Desann. Katarn reveals the Dark Jedi of the Doomgiver's destruction as well as the defeat of the Imperial forces, but Desann rejects Kyle's offer to rejoin the Jedi and a duel between them begins. Kyle prevails and kills Desann.
Emerging from the tunnels, Katarn reunites with Luke and Jan. Kyle politely rebuffs Luke's offer to safeguard his lightsaber, saying that he is not ready to forsake the Force again.
, Yavin IV, Smuggler's Moon and planets original to the game were to feature. The following day at E3, LucasArts gave a demonstration of the game, showing the lightsaber and Force combat as well as the "buddy" system: in which certain NPCs
would fight with the player. Technical details were given: the game would use id Software
's Quake III: Team Arena engine. The GHOUL 2 animation system, seen in Raven's Soldier of Fortune II: Double Helix
, would be implemented. The polygon
capacity of the engine had been doubled. The game was also on display at id's QuakeCon 2001
, where enemy AI and combat were shown. LucasArts announced that the game would feature multiplayer, although due to being early in development little information on the subject was given.
On July 17, 2001, multiplayer lead Pat Lipo made a post on his .plan
file, revealing that Rich Whitehouse
had been brought onto the development team to handle development of the game's multiplayer bots
. Rich moved on to tackle the entirety of the game's multiplayer codebase, and was subsequently credited as the game's sole multiplayer programmer.
On January 16, 2002 LucasArts launched a new website
for Jedi Outcast. It featured an overview of the game and information regarding the game's characters, weapons and Force powers. An FAQ
, screenshot
s, concept art
, images of player models and downloadable wallpapers
were also available. A trailer
was released on February 8, showing the game's combat, weapons, characters and environments.
LucasArts announced on March 13, 2002 that the game was on track to go gold later in the week. Two days later, LucasArts announced Jedi Outcast had gone gold. The game was to be on sale by March 29, 2002 at a retail price of US$
49.99. A new trailer was also released. Jedi Outcast shipped on March 29, 2002.
The game's SDK
was released on April 22, 2002. This included a level editor
, map compiler
, model
viewer, shader
editor and viewer. Since its release, hundreds of mods
have been submitted to sites such as FileFront
. A 66 MB
demo
was released on May 10, 2002. It featured the same level shown in an incomplete form at E3 2001 and did not feature in the final version of the game. Two patches
were released: version 1.03 and 1.04.
At E3 2002, LucasArts announced that Jedi Outcast would be converted to the GameCube and Xbox. On May 31, 2002, LucasArts and Aspyr Media
announced that a Macintosh version of the game would be released. The Macintosh version was released on November 5, 2002 and the Xbox and GameCube versions were released on November 20 in North America and two days later in Europe.
On November 15, 2006 LucasArts announced that Jedi Outcast would feature with Star Wars: Battlefront
, Star Wars: Empire at War
, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic
, Star Wars: Republic Commando
and a 14-day trial of Star Wars Galaxies
in a compilation release entitled Star Wars: The Best of PC
. It was released during the 2006 holiday season, retailing at US$39.99.
and Metacritic
.
IGN
praised the game, describing it as "not only is this one of the greatest Star Wars games [the reviewer] ever played, [but] one of the best action games period". It commended the "mature plot", "fantastic" graphics and "intelligent" level design. However, it did criticize the puzzles, the lightsaber interface and complained that "the game starts too slowly". Despite this, it was given a rating of 9.0 out of 10 and an Editor's Choice award. It received a score of 9.5 from Game Informer
, whose reviewer said, "Without question, Jedi Outcast is the most enjoyable and accomplished Star Wars game yet".
Many other outlets had similar criticisms of the opening and puzzles. Although it gave the game 93%, Game Over Online called it an "an intriguing juxtaposition of pieces of incredibly intense FPS action that had me on the edge of my seat combined with puzzle-like sections of such opacity that they made me want to kill myself". GameSpot
's review acknowledged the "slow start" and "too much puzzle-solving", but concluded by saying "the game's strong points - especially its combat - overshadow whatever problems Jedi Outcast may have early on". In one of the few negative reviews of Jedi Outcast, X-Play
criticized it as a "disturbance in the Force". Although it called the story "pretty good", the graphics "fantastic" and the audio effects "just right", it complained that the level design "succumbs to the Dark Side", describing "illogical and frustrating situations". The reviewer also considered the multiplayer "not very impressive" and gave the game 2 out of 5 stars.
While the Xbox and GameCube versions also received generally positive reviews (the Xbox version was described as "truly fantastic" and "the best Star Wars experience on the Xbox" and the GameCube version as "worth spending time with"), their aggregated scores were not as strong as the PC and Macintosh versions'. Many critics had issues with the translation from computer to console, citing the controls and graphics as hindrances. The Xbox version was criticized for a lack of Xbox Live
support.
Action game
Action game is a video game genre that emphasizes physical challenges, including hand–eye coordination and reaction-time. The genre includes diverse subgenres such as fighting games, shooter games, and platform games, which are widely considered the most important action games, though some...
developed by Raven Software
Raven Software
Raven Software is an American video game developer. The company was founded in 1990 by brothers Brian and Steve Raffel. In 1997, Raven made an exclusive publishing deal with Activision and was subsequently acquired by them...
and published by LucasArts
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 Activision
Activision
Activision is an American publisher, majority owned by French conglomerate Vivendi SA. Its current CEO is Robert Kotick. It was founded on October 1, 1979 and was the world's first independent developer and distributor of video games for gaming consoles...
. The PC
Personal computer
A personal computer is any general-purpose computer whose size, capabilities, and original sales price make it useful for individuals, and which is intended to be operated directly by an end-user with no intervening computer operator...
version was released in March and the Mac OS X
Mac OS X
Mac OS X is a series of Unix-based operating systems and graphical user interfaces developed, marketed, and sold by Apple Inc. Since 2002, has been included with all new Macintosh computer systems...
, Xbox
Xbox
The Xbox is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Microsoft. It was released on November 15, 2001 in North America, February 22, 2002 in Japan, and March 14, 2002 in Australia and Europe and is the predecessor to the Xbox 360. It was Microsoft's first foray into the gaming console...
and Nintendo GameCube
Nintendo GameCube
The , officially abbreviated to NGC in Japan and GCN in other regions, is a sixth generation video game console released by Nintendo on September 15, 2001 in Japan, November 18, 2001 in North America, May 3, 2002 in Europe, and May 17, 2002 in Australia...
versions were released in November 2002. Powered by the Quake III: Team Arena 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...
, the game primarily revolves around ranged and melee
Mêlée
Melee , generally refers to disorganized close combat involving a group of fighters. A melee ensues when groups become locked together in combat with no regard to group tactics or fighting as an organized unit; each participant fights as an individual....
combat. The player can wield classic Star Wars weapons such as blasters, 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...
s and Force powers
Force (Star Wars)
The Force is a binding, metaphysical and ubiquitous power in the fictional universe of the Star Wars galaxy created by George Lucas. Mentioned in the first film in the series, it is integral to all subsequent incarnations of Star Wars, including the expanded universe of comic books, novels, and...
.
The game features both single-player and multiplayer modes. The story-driven single-player is set in 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...
universe two years after the events of 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...
, Jedi Outcasts predecessor. It follows the protagonist
Protagonist
A protagonist is the main character of a literary, theatrical, cinematic, or musical narrative, around whom the events of the narrative's plot revolve and with whom the audience is intended to most identify...
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....
as he fights against the Dark Jedi Desann and his followers. The game was critically well-received on all platforms, with scores between 75 and 89/100 according to 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,...
's composite averages.
In 2003 a sequel titled Star Wars Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy
Star Wars Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy
Star Wars Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy is a first and third-person shooter action game set in the Star Wars universe. It was developed by Raven Software and published, distributed and marketed by LucasArts in North America and by Activision in the rest of the world. Jedi Academy was released in...
was released for the Xbox, Mac OS and PC. In 2006 the PC version was re-released with four other Star Wars games in a pack entitled Star Wars: The Best of PC
Star Wars: The Best of PC
Star Wars: The Best of PC is a compilation of five Star Wars games that have been released for Windows over the previous five years. It was released in North America on November 21, 2006 and in Europe on November 24, 2006. It is a limited edition compilation that was only available for a short time...
. On September 16, 2009, the game was re-released with its sequels and the expansion to Dark Forces II onto Steam
Steam (content delivery)
Steam is a digital distribution, digital rights management, multiplayer and communications platform developed by Valve Corporation. It is used to distribute games and related media online, from small independent developers to larger software houses...
and Direct2Drive
Direct2Drive
Direct2Drive is an online game store offering PC videogames via direct download. On May 25, 2011, Gamefly acquired Direct2Drive from IGN Entertainment Group .- Competition with Steam :...
.
Gameplay
First-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...
/third person shooter set in the Star Wars universe, Jedi Outcast puts the player into combat wielding a variety of firearms from the universe, as well as 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...
s and Force powers
Force (Star Wars)
The Force is a binding, metaphysical and ubiquitous power in the fictional universe of the Star Wars galaxy created by George Lucas. Mentioned in the first film in the series, it is integral to all subsequent incarnations of Star Wars, including the expanded universe of comic books, novels, and...
. The player can choose perspective for every weapon, including the lightsaber (although in the sequel, Jedi Academy, first person lightsaber is only accessible through console commands).
The shooter combat is typical, offering players an array of energy and projectile weapons, as well as explosives. Players have a health and shield meter, each which is replenished separately.
Jedi Outcast places a strong emphasis on lightsaber combat. As in the films, lightsabers can be used to deflect shots from blasters. The game offers three lightsaber styles. Each style is different in terms of the speed of attacks and damage dealt. There are a number of combos which can be used, often unique to the selected saber style.
Force powers (such as Push, Jump, and Lightning) are available in singleplayer and multiplayer, but more powers can be used in the latter. The use of powers is restricted by a "Force Meter", which depletes with use of powers. The "level" of a Force power determines the strength of the power and the amount of Force "power" required for its use. The multiplayer mode divides players into Light Siders and Dark Siders, and will pit these sides against each other in team modes. Each side has access to both shared "Neutral" Force powers, which are mostly focused on increasing speed and manoeuvrability, and some unique Light Side and Dark Side powers. As in the previous games, Light Side powers are mainly focused around protection and healing, while Dark Side powers are openly aggressive. Unlike previous games, however, Kyle does not exclusively select Light or Dark side powers in the single-player, instead receiving a selection of both.
Single player
The playerPlayer (game)
A player of a game is a participant therein. The term 'player' is used with this same meaning both in game theory and in ordinary recreational games....
, as 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....
, moves through the single-player in a linear manner, meeting friendly and hostile NPC
Non-player character
A non-player character , sometimes known as a non-person character or non-playable character, in a game is any fictional character not controlled by a player. In electronic games, this usually means a character controlled by the computer through artificial intelligence...
s. Friendly NPCs will occasionally assist the player in combat. In addition to combat, the campaign features a variety of puzzles.
The game starts as a shooter only, as Kyle has forsaken The Force after the events of the previous game. However, after a few missions, the player gains access to the lightsaber and some Force powers. As the single-player game progresses, the number of powers available and their level increase. Progression of Force abilities is fixed, and cannot be customized unlike the sequel, where the player chooses which powers to "level up".
Multiplayer
Jedi Outcast features a set of multiplayer modes. In the PCPersonal computer
A personal computer is any general-purpose computer whose size, capabilities, and original sales price make it useful for individuals, and which is intended to be operated directly by an end-user with no intervening computer operator...
and Macintosh
Macintosh
The Macintosh , or Mac, is a series of several lines of personal computers designed, developed, and marketed by Apple Inc. The first Macintosh was introduced by Apple's then-chairman Steve Jobs on January 24, 1984; it was the first commercially successful personal computer to feature a mouse and a...
versions, these can be played over LAN
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...
or the Internet
Internet
The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
, but is limited to two players on the console versions. There are a variety of game modes (examples are free-for-all
Deathmatch (gaming)
Deathmatch or Player vs All is a widely-used gameplay mode integrated into many shooter and real-time strategy computer games...
, team deathmatch and 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...
) which can be played with other players, bots
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...
, or both.
Each player has limited customization control over his or her 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...
. He or she can choose the player model (giving access to nearly every character in the game as well as some film characters not seen in the campaign) and lightsaber color.
Before a match, the server specifies the game rules, including Force ranking. Force ranking controls how many points the players have available to allocate into Force powers. Players then customize their powers for the match. The server can also choose to disable normal weapons to create lightsaber-only matches.
Some players adopted rituals such as "bowing" (crouching and bowing one's head down before a duel). The one-on-one master/padawan training system from the films has been used by some clans
Clan (computer gaming)
In computer and video gaming, a clan or guild is an organised group of players that regularly play together in a particular multiplayer games. These games range from groups of a few friends to 1000-person organizations, with a broad range of structures, goals and members. The lifespan of a clan...
.
Setting and characters
The single-player game is set approximately two years after the events of 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 with the previous game in the series, 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....
, a former Jedi
Jedi
The Jedi are characters in the Star Wars universe and the series's main protagonists. The Jedi use a power called the Force and weapons called lightsabers, which emit a controlled energy flow in the shape of a sword, in order to serve and protect the Republic and the galaxy at large from conflict...
who cut his link with The Force
Force (Star Wars)
The Force is a binding, metaphysical and ubiquitous power in the fictional universe of the Star Wars galaxy created by George Lucas. Mentioned in the first film in the series, it is integral to all subsequent incarnations of Star Wars, including the expanded universe of comic books, novels, and...
after almost succumbing 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...
. At the start of the game he is a mercenary working for the New Republic
New Republic (Star Wars)
The New Republic is a government in the fictional Star Wars universe.When the Rebel Alliance re-established the Old Galactic Republic after the downfall of the Galactic Empire, it became known as the New Republic, just as the original Galactic Republic had become known as the Old Republic by that...
.
Kyle is joined by other characters throughout the game. Three of the most prominent are Jan Ors, a fellow mercenary and love interest; Lando Calrissian
Lando Calrissian
Lando Calrissian is a fictional character in the Star Wars universe. He is portrayed by Billy Dee Williams in Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back and Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi...
(voiced by Billy Dee Williams
Billy Dee Williams
William December "Billy Dee" Williams, Jr. is an American actor, artist, singer, and writer.-Early life:Williams was born in New York City, New York, the son of Loretta...
), the sophisticated baron-administrator of Cloud City
Bespin
Bespin is a fictional planet, a gas giant in Star Wars films and books. The planet was first seen in the 1980 feature film Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back...
seen in The Empire Strikes Back
Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back
Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back is a 1980 American epic space opera film directed by Irvin Kershner. The screenplay, based on a story by George Lucas, was written by Leigh Brackett and Lawrence Kasdan...
and Return of the Jedi
Star 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...
; and Luke Skywalker
Luke Skywalker
Luke Skywalker is a fictional character and the main protagonist of the original film trilogy of the Star Wars franchise, where he is portrayed by Mark Hamill. He is introduced in Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope, in which he is forced to leave home, and finds himself apprenticed to the Jedi master...
, protagonist of the original film trilogy and leader of the Jedi Academy on Yavin IV. The player also receives help from Jedi
Jedi
The Jedi are characters in the Star Wars universe and the series's main protagonists. The Jedi use a power called the Force and weapons called lightsabers, which emit a controlled energy flow in the shape of a sword, in order to serve and protect the Republic and the galaxy at large from conflict...
and other New Republic soldiers. Mon Mothma, Chief-of-State of the New Republic, gives Kyle and Jan objectives during the game.
Antagonist
An antagonist is a character, group of characters, or institution, that represents the opposition against which the protagonist must contend...
s: Desann, a former Jedi who killed a fellow student before leaving the Jedi Order
Jedi
The Jedi are characters in the Star Wars universe and the series's main protagonists. The Jedi use a power called the Force and weapons called lightsabers, which emit a controlled energy flow in the shape of a sword, in order to serve and protect the Republic and the galaxy at large from conflict...
; Tavion, Desann's apprentice; Galak Fyyar, one of the leaders of the Imperial Remnant; and Reelo Baruk, a crime lord posing as a "respectable garbage collector" on Nar Shaddaa. They are supported by Imperial stormtrooper
Imperial stormtrooper
The Imperial Stormtroopers are fictional soldiers from George Lucas' Star Wars universe. Stormtroopers are the soldiers of the imperial army under the leadership of the evil Sith Lord and Emperor Palpatine and his commanders, most notably Darth Vader and Grand Moff Tarkin.They are shown in...
s, numerous thugs and Dark Jedi.
Synopsis
The game starts with Kyle Katarn and Jan Ors investigating a supposedly abandoned Imperial outpost on Kejim, which proves to be crawling with Imperial forces. Kyle and Jan fight their way through the base, discovering research in lightsaber crystals. Following their link on cortosis crystals, Kyle and Jan travel to Artus Prime, a mining colony turned into an Imperial stronghold, where miners are enslaved and even experimented on. Katarn thwarts the Imperial operations, but not before Jan is captured by two Dark Jedi: Desann and Tavion. Having forsaken the ways of the Jedi, Kyle is easily bested by Desann, who orders Tavion to kill Jan.Believing Jan dead, Kyle first travels to the Valley of the Jedi to regain his Force powers, and then to the Jedi Academy to get his lightsaber. There, he learns of Desann's origins from Luke Skywalker. Luke offers Kyle his lightsaber back if he can complete a set of trials. Katarn completes the trials easily - too easily, and Luke quickly deduces that Kyle has charged himself at the Valley of the Jedi. Warning Katarn that his path is a dangerous one, he nevertheless gives Kyle the information he seeks, linking Desann to Reelo Baruk, a Rodian crime lord on Nar Shaddaa. Reelo proves to have little information, but Kyle nevertheless stumbles upon Lando Calrissian, who was kept imprisoned in Baruk's dungeons. From Lando, Kyle learns that Desann is a part of a huge operation of smuggling cortosis crystals through Cloud City on Bespin.
Escaping Reelo, the two make for Bespin in Lando's ship, the Lady Luck.
Star Destroyer
Star Destroyers are capital ships in the fictional Star Wars universe. The Imperial Star Destroyer, which first appears in Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope , is "the signature vessel of the Imperial fleet"...
, the Doomgiver. Losing to Kyle in a duel, Tavion pleads for her life, telling him that Jan is alive and on board the Doomgiver. Jan's faked death was just a ploy to trick Kyle into going to the Valley of the Jedi - in order for Desann to follow him there and tap its power. In exchange for her life, Tavion lets Kyle use her ship to travel to the Star Destroyer.
After fighting his way past some stormtroopers at Cairn Installation - an Imperial base hidden on an asteroid in the Lenico Belt where the Doomgiver is docked - Kyle meets up with Luke Skywalker. From him, he learns that Desann, having found the Valley of the Jedi, has used its energy to empower an army of Reborn, which could number in thousands. After battling several Reborn together, they part ways. Kyle then sneaks across the Cairn base and finds out it is also a large assault ship construction facility, which is preparing for a full-scale planetary assault. Kyle confronts more Dark Jedi, including a new kind of them, known as "Shadowtroopers" - Jedi, equipped with armor, which is both lightsaber-resistant, and also allows some measure of invisibility. Kyle manages to sneak into the Doomgiver before the ship leaves Cairn, but Luke is left behind. After the Doomgiver completes its jump to hyperspace, Katarn uses the ship's communications array to contact the Rogue Squadron. Though he manages to find Jan in the detention block, Kyle's joy is short-lived. In a nasty surprise, he learns that Desann was not as interested in the Valley of the Jedi as he was bent on invading the Jedi Academy, located on the satellite Yavin IV. Kyle destroys the Doomgiver's shield reactor, and kills Galak Fyyarr, in spite of the latter's use of an armored suit that is both lightsaber-resistant and ray-shielded. Narrowly escaping the ship's destruction, Katarn and Jan use an escape pod to land on Yavin IV.
Crossing the misty swamps and windy valleys, Kyle travels to the Jedi Academy, while Jan heads to a hangar to assist in the aerial battle. Kyle soon finds the academy overrun with Imperial forces, but with the help of the New Republic troops, he fends them off. Together with other Jedi Academy students, he engages in a fight against Reborn warriors and Shadowtroopers. After crossing underground tunnels, Kyle finally confronts Desann. Katarn reveals the Dark Jedi of the Doomgiver's destruction as well as the defeat of the Imperial forces, but Desann rejects Kyle's offer to rejoin the Jedi and a duel between them begins. Kyle prevails and kills Desann.
Emerging from the tunnels, Katarn reunites with Luke and Jan. Kyle politely rebuffs Luke's offer to safeguard his lightsaber, saying that he is not ready to forsake the Force again.
Development and releases
On May 17, 2001 at E3 2001, LucasArts announced that Raven Software were developing a third game in the Dark Forces series. Some plot details were given, such as the locations visited in the game. Cloud CityBespin
Bespin is a fictional planet, a gas giant in Star Wars films and books. The planet was first seen in the 1980 feature film Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back...
, Yavin IV, Smuggler's Moon and planets original to the game were to feature. The following day at E3, LucasArts gave a demonstration of the game, showing the lightsaber and Force combat as well as the "buddy" system: in which certain NPCs
Non-player character
A non-player character , sometimes known as a non-person character or non-playable character, in a game is any fictional character not controlled by a player. In electronic games, this usually means a character controlled by the computer through artificial intelligence...
would fight with the player. Technical details were given: the game would use id Software
Id Software
Id Software is an American video game development company with its headquarters in Richardson, Texas. The company was founded in 1991 by four members of the computer company Softdisk: programmers John Carmack and John Romero, game designer Tom Hall, and artist Adrian Carmack...
's Quake III: Team Arena engine. The GHOUL 2 animation system, seen in Raven's Soldier of Fortune II: Double Helix
Soldier of Fortune II: Double Helix
Soldier of Fortune II: Double Helix is a video game created by Raven Software, a sequel to Soldier of Fortune. It was developed using the Quake III: Team Arena engine. Once again, Raven hired John Mullins to act as a consultant on the game...
, would be implemented. The polygon
Polygon
In geometry a polygon is a flat shape consisting of straight lines that are joined to form a closed chain orcircuit.A polygon is traditionally a plane figure that is bounded by a closed path, composed of a finite sequence of straight line segments...
capacity of the engine had been doubled. The game was also on display at id's QuakeCon 2001
QuakeCon
QuakeCon is a bring-your-own-computer computer gaming event with a competitive tournament held every year in Dallas, Texas, USA. The event, which is named after id Software's game Quake, sees thousands of gamers from all over the world attend every year to celebrate the company's gaming dynasty...
, where enemy AI and combat were shown. LucasArts announced that the game would feature multiplayer, although due to being early in development little information on the subject was given.
On July 17, 2001, multiplayer lead Pat Lipo made a post on his .plan
Finger protocol
In computer networking, the Name/Finger protocol and the Finger user information protocol are simple network protocols for the exchange of human-oriented status and user information.-Name/Finger protocol:...
file, revealing that Rich Whitehouse
Rich Whitehouse
Rich Whitehouse is a game designer and programmer. He is well known for several famous game modifications, including the Jumbot and Scientist Hunt mods for Half-Life...
had been brought onto the development team to handle development of the game's multiplayer bots
Computer game bot
A bot, most prominently in the first-person shooter types , is a type of weak AI expert system software which for each instance of the program controls a player in deathmatch, team deathmatch and/or cooperative human player. Computer bots may play against other bots and/or human players in unison,...
. Rich moved on to tackle the entirety of the game's multiplayer codebase, and was subsequently credited as the game's sole multiplayer programmer.
Website
A website, also written as Web site, web site, or simply site, is a collection of related web pages containing images, videos or other digital assets. A website is hosted on at least one web server, accessible via a network such as the Internet or a private local area network through an Internet...
for Jedi Outcast. It featured an overview of the game and information regarding the game's characters, weapons and Force powers. An FAQ
FAQ
Frequently asked questions are listed questions and answers, all supposed to be commonly asked in some context, and pertaining to a particular topic. "FAQ" is usually pronounced as an initialism rather than an acronym, but an acronym form does exist. Since the acronym FAQ originated in textual...
, screenshot
Screenshot
A screenshot , screen capture , screen dump, screengrab , or print screen is an image taken by a computer to record the visible items displayed on the monitor, television, or another visual output device...
s, concept art
Concept art
Concept art is a form of illustration where the main goal is to convey a visual representation of a design, idea, and/or mood for use in films, video games, animation, or comic books before it is put into the final product. Concept art is also referred to as visual development and/or concept design...
, images of player models and downloadable wallpapers
Computer wallpaper
Wallpaper is an image used as a background of a graphical user interface on a computer screen or mobile communications device. On a computer it is usually for the desktop, while for a mobile phone it is usually the background for the 'home' or 'idle' screen...
were also available. A trailer
Teaser trailer
A teaser campaign is an advertising campaign which typically consists of a series of small, cryptic, challenging advertisements that anticipate a larger, full-blown campaign for a product launch or otherwise important event. These advertisements are called "teasers" or "teaser ads"...
was released on February 8, showing the game's combat, weapons, characters and environments.
LucasArts announced on March 13, 2002 that the game was on track to go gold later in the week. Two days later, LucasArts announced Jedi Outcast had gone gold. The game was to be on sale by March 29, 2002 at a retail price of US$
United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
49.99. A new trailer was also released. Jedi Outcast shipped on March 29, 2002.
The game's SDK
Software development kit
A software development kit is typically a set of software development tools that allows for the creation of applications for a certain software package, software framework, hardware platform, computer system, video game console, operating system, or similar platform.It may be something as simple...
was released on April 22, 2002. This included a level editor
Level editor
A level editor is a software tool used to design levels, maps, campaigns, etc and virtual worlds for a video game. In some cases the creator of a video game releases an official level editor for a game, but other times the community of fans step in to fill the void...
, map compiler
Compiler
A compiler is a computer program that transforms source code written in a programming language into another computer language...
, model
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...
viewer, shader
Shader
In the field of computer graphics, a shader is a computer program that is used primarily to calculate rendering effects on graphics hardware with a high degree of flexibility...
editor and viewer. Since its release, hundreds of mods
Mod (computer gaming)
Mod or modification is a term generally applied to personal computer games , especially first-person shooters, role-playing games and real-time strategy games. Mods are made by the general public or a developer, and can be entirely new games in themselves, but mods are not standalone software and...
have been submitted to sites such as FileFront
FileFront
GameFront is a video game website that provides patches, demos, modifications, and other user generated game related content.- History and ownership :...
. A 66 MB
Megabyte
The megabyte is a multiple of the unit byte for digital information storage or transmission with two different values depending on context: bytes generally for computer memory; and one million bytes generally for computer storage. The IEEE Standards Board has decided that "Mega will mean 1 000...
demo
Game demo
A game demo is a freely distributed demonstration or preview of an upcoming or recently released video game. Demos are typically released by the game's publisher to help consumers get a feel of the game before deciding whether to buy the full version....
was released on May 10, 2002. It featured the same level shown in an incomplete form at E3 2001 and did not feature in the final version of the game. Two patches
Patch (computing)
A patch is a piece of software designed to fix problems with, or update a computer program or its supporting data. This includes fixing security vulnerabilities and other bugs, and improving the usability or performance...
were released: version 1.03 and 1.04.
At E3 2002, LucasArts announced that Jedi Outcast would be converted to the GameCube and Xbox. On May 31, 2002, LucasArts and Aspyr Media
Aspyr Media
Aspyr Media, Inc. is an Austin, Texas based company that specializes in porting Windows games to Mac OS. It has been in business since 1996, and as of 2003 owns 60 percent of the Mac entertainment market...
announced that a Macintosh version of the game would be released. The Macintosh version was released on November 5, 2002 and the Xbox and GameCube versions were released on November 20 in North America and two days later in Europe.
On November 15, 2006 LucasArts announced that Jedi Outcast would feature with Star Wars: Battlefront
Star Wars: Battlefront
Star Wars: Battlefront is a first and third-person video game based on battles in the Star Wars film series. It was developed by Pandemic Studios and LucasArts and released on September 20, 2004 for PlayStation 2, Xbox, Macintosh and Microsoft Windows, the same day as the release of the Star Wars...
, Star Wars: Empire at War
Star Wars: Empire at War
Star Wars: Empire at War is a 2006 real-time strategy game developed by Petroglyph Games and published by LucasArts. Set between Episode III and Episode IV, it focuses on the fledgling struggle between the Empire and the Rebels. It uses Petroglyph's game engine Alamo. The most recent patch was...
, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic is a role-playing video game developed by BioWare and published by LucasArts. It was released for the Xbox on July 15, 2003, for Microsoft Windows on November 19, 2003, and on September 7, 2004 for Mac OS X. The Xbox version is playable on Xbox 360 with its...
, Star Wars: Republic Commando
Star Wars: Republic Commando
Star Wars: Republic Commando is a first-person shooter Star Wars video game, released in the US on March 1, 2005. It was developed and published by LucasArts for the Microsoft Windows and Xbox platforms. The game uses Epic Games' Unreal Engine...
and a 14-day trial of Star Wars Galaxies
Star Wars Galaxies
Star Wars Galaxies is a Star Wars themed MMORPG for Microsoft Windows developed by Sony Online Entertainment and published by LucasArts.-History:...
in a compilation release entitled Star Wars: The Best of PC
Star Wars: The Best of PC
Star Wars: The Best of PC is a compilation of five Star Wars games that have been released for Windows over the previous five years. It was released in North America on November 21, 2006 and in Europe on November 24, 2006. It is a limited edition compilation that was only available for a short time...
. It was released during the 2006 holiday season, retailing at US$39.99.
Reception
The game was generally well-received among players and critics alike, the PC version on average scoring in the 85–90% region according to review aggregates by IGNIGN
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...
and 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,...
.
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...
praised the game, describing it as "not only is this one of the greatest Star Wars games [the reviewer] ever played, [but] one of the best action games period". It commended the "mature plot", "fantastic" graphics and "intelligent" level design. However, it did criticize the puzzles, the lightsaber interface and complained that "the game starts too slowly". Despite this, it was given a rating of 9.0 out of 10 and an Editor's Choice award. It received a score of 9.5 from Game Informer
Game Informer
Game Informer is an American-based monthly magazine featuring articles, news, strategy, and reviews of popular video games and associated consoles. It was formed in August 1991, when FuncoLand started publishing a six-page magazine, free in all its retail locations...
, whose reviewer said, "Without question, Jedi Outcast is the most enjoyable and accomplished Star Wars game yet".
Many other outlets had similar criticisms of the opening and puzzles. Although it gave the game 93%, Game Over Online called it an "an intriguing juxtaposition of pieces of incredibly intense FPS action that had me on the edge of my seat combined with puzzle-like sections of such opacity that they made me want to kill myself". 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...
's review acknowledged the "slow start" and "too much puzzle-solving", but concluded by saying "the game's strong points - especially its combat - overshadow whatever problems Jedi Outcast may have early on". In one of the few negative reviews of Jedi Outcast, X-Play
X-Play
X-Play is a TV program about video games, known for its reviews and comedy skits...
criticized it as a "disturbance in the Force". Although it called the story "pretty good", the graphics "fantastic" and the audio effects "just right", it complained that the level design "succumbs to the Dark Side", describing "illogical and frustrating situations". The reviewer also considered the multiplayer "not very impressive" and gave the game 2 out of 5 stars.
While the Xbox and GameCube versions also received generally positive reviews (the Xbox version was described as "truly fantastic" and "the best Star Wars experience on the Xbox" and the GameCube version as "worth spending time with"), their aggregated scores were not as strong as the PC and Macintosh versions'. Many critics had issues with the translation from computer to console, citing the controls and graphics as hindrances. The Xbox version was criticized for a lack of Xbox Live
Xbox Live
Xbox Live is an online multiplayer gaming and digital media delivery service created and operated by Microsoft Corporation. It is currently the only online gaming service on consoles that charges users a fee to play multiplayer gaming. It was first made available to the Xbox system in 2002...
support.