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© St. Petersburg Times, published May 20, 2002
Jedi Knight II: Outcast
SYSTEM: Windows
COMPANY: Raven
PRICE: $56.99
Jedi Knight II: Outcast comes just in time for the release of Episode II: Attack of the Clones.
Even if Episode II falls flat for some moviegoers, JKII just flat out rocks.
It picks up the adventuring career of Kyle Katarn, a former Jedi hopeful who handed over his light saber and went back to mercenary work after Dark Forces II: Jedi Knight.
The upside: It's got great graphics, adrenaline-charged combat and a good story.
The downside: If you're a short-attention-span gamer, you're going to get antsy wondering just when you'll get to start playing with those cool Force powers -- such as the Jedi Mind Trick, the Force push, Force lightning and Force choke. It takes too long to get to what really sets JKII apart from other first-person shooters such as Return to Castle Wolfenstein.
Once you get those Force powers, you get that feeling you're in the Star Wars universe, using Jedi tactics to overwhelm the deadly remnants of the Empire.
But, if you're a gamer who enjoys an actual story with your action gaming, it's a good thing it takes a while, because you get a feel for what Katarn is like before something major shifts him back to the path of the Jedi.
You'll also run into some familiar Star Wars characters, such as Luke Skywalker and Lando Calrissian.
But, thank the maker, no Jar-Jar Binks.
Although, on second thought, put Binks in a game and give me a light saber. That'd make me happy.