I have to admit. I'm a total Star Wars junkie. I've seen all the movies about a billion times. I bought the special editions. (Although Kingpin's wife packed them away when I loaned them to him, and I didn't see them for over two years. *ahem*) I have a huge collection of all the books. We hosted the Tribes 1 Star Wars mod. I even bought Episode One, despite my heavily mixed feelings on it.

I'm not sure what it is, but Star Wars just grabs me in a way that Star Trek never did. Perhaps it's that the SW universe just feels more gritty and alive.. more... real. (Sorry Darksiege.. but it's true.) Also, watching a few hundred idiots in Vulcan ears parade around would turn me off anything, even vanilla fudge icecream. And of course there's the jedi and their light sabers. Quite possibly the coolest weapon to ever be invented by mankind. I've always wanted one, even if only to slay my enemies and dismember their corpses.

When Dark Forces first came out, waaaaay back in the day, I played the hell out of it. It was essentially just Quake with Storm Trooper models, but it was still very cool. Then along came Jedi Knight. Oh. Your. God. Now this was what a Star Wars game was supposed to be. Epic land and cityscapes. Dramatic music. Great graphics, light saber duels. Highly entertaining multiplayer. ("Deadeye becomes one with the wall.) The choice between light and dark, good and evil. After several disappointing and some downright horrific (Think Rebellion) games, Jedi Knight 2 arrives. I begin this review with some trepidation. Star Wars games are either terrible, or simply mind-blowing. For some reason there is no middle ground. This may be some sort of Dark/Light side thing, where there is no middle ground, I'm not sure. Anyhows, on with the review!

Premise

After Jedi Knight, and his experience with the Valley of the Jedi Kyle Katarn has disavowed the force and now makes with way as mercenary in the employ of the the New Republic, along with his long time partner Jan. You stumble into some mysterious Remnant (imperial) activity at a supposedly abandoned base involving illegal experiments on Republic citizens. And so the adventure begins...

Gameplay

The usual shooter fare here. Find the switch that opens door that gets you a key that opens the gate that allows you to do a jumping puzzle to another switch that opens another door and kick the crap out of some enemies along the way. You'll travel across a half dozen worlds, including Lando Calrisian's Cloud City, (Lando's voice is actually done by Billy Dee Williams, which I was impressed by for no real reason.) secret imperial bases, The Smuggler's Moon, factories, abandoned temples and more, attempting to find a Dark Jedi and put a stop to the Empire's evil machinations. Along the way you'll get your force powers back, which is when the game really gets interesting in my opinion. There's a hell of a lot more saber dueling in JK2, which is so very, very sweet. I did discover that it's easier to defeat Dark Jedi by planting a detonation pack around a corner and blowing his ass up then it is to duel him fair and square however. :)

Graphics

Hey, it's the Quake III engine. That's usually a good indication that there's some sweet eye candy ahead, and JK2 doesn't disappoint. There's some truly impressively massive, and detailed city and landscapes. The whole game just has a very large feel to it, much like the first Jedi Knight game. Weapon effects are especially impressive, most notably our much mentioned friend the light saber. This thing just has to be used to be appreciated, but lets just say it's got some very, very cool visuals associated with it. The only thing that detracts from the visual appeal of the game is some of the textures. Frankly, some of them are just plain hideous. Others are gorgeous. Dunno, an odd mix. Overall I'm impressed. Oh, as an interesting sidenote if you're on a planet with rain, drops will actually hit your saber blade. :) Attention to detail is great.

Sound and Music

Excellent, as is the norm with the Star Wars games. All your favorite music from the movies are back, as is also the norm for Star Wars games, along with some new stuff that's almost as nice. I thought the tunage on the last level was particularily good. Sound effects are very sweet, especially the hiss and crackle of the sabers. Aliens all yell dire things at you in their own lanugage, which you ignore as you slice them to pieces.