Hard Light Productions Forums
Off-Topic Discussion => General Discussion => Topic started by: mikhael on October 05, 2003, 11:22:36 pm
-
Just finished this game, and I have to say that it far exceeded my expectations.
The Demo presented two levels: one that was heavy on targets--er, people with guns, and one that was heavy with Dark Force users. The run-n-gun level left me pretty cold, but the Force heavy level gave me quite a thrill. If the game had been balanced like the demo, I'd not have enjoyed it so much.
It turns out that the game mixes up the action pretty well between Force use and run-n-gun, but leans toward the Force. Indeed, I can't talk terribly intelligently about the weapons in the game, becuase I barely ever used them. After all, why would a Jedi need anything other than his trusty saber(s)? :D
The game is structured into three main 'acts'. Each act presents five missions that you can play in any order, as well as at least a couple of missions 'forced' missions. The forced missions introduce or close out an act, and represent major plot points, so have in-engine cutscenes and the like.
The missions are mostly go-here-do-that-defend-yourself sorts, but there are some pretty interesting off the wall ones too. You'll find yourself runng from a Rancor, racing speeder bikes, escaping a prison, and squaring off with notorious bounty hunters.
Before each of the player-selectable missions, you can allocate a single point to one of your non-core force powers (stuff like Force Sense and Mind Trick). Core force powers (like Force Jump or Saber Defense) only increase after the 'forced' missions. There are exactly enough missions, if you take them all, to get three levels in each of five (out of eight) force powers.
I went the Light-side route and got Healing, Protection, Mind Trick, and Absorb maxed out. With my spare three points, I went for the only Dark power that is worth a damn (in my opinion): Force Grip. There's nothing like choking the living crap out of a Dark Force user while you throw your lightsaber through his guts.
Some of your powers, like Force Speed and Force Jump can be used to pull of some nifty moves, like running along a wall sideways, or running straight up a wall and backflipping off. Both are excellent in saber duels.
Speaking of sabers, you start out with your own lightsaber, which is, in my opinion, one of the smartest things they did in this game. Every other Jedi Knight game has you start without it. Through the course of the game, you'll be able to select from two saber styles (fast or strong, you already have the default medium style). Late in the game, you'll be able to elect to use two sabers, or a Darth-Maul style double-saber. Double saber and dual saber modes take over your medium saber style slot (becoming the default). I went with two saber style and was immensely pleased. Because the game goes into slow-motion when you slay a Dark Force user, you get treated to some flashy kills. With two sabers, you can get into a saber-lock with your opponent. While you press him with one you'll sometimes release the other to fly around behind your target and cut him down. Its lovely.
You'll face a huge number of Dark Force users in this game--more than there were in Jedi Outcast, certainly. The designers did a far better job using the Dark Force users in Jedi Academy than they did in Jedi Outcast too. In Academy, they will work in teams, sometimes both attacking with sabers, and sometimes one standing back and using Force powers (and sometimes guns too!).
You'll also meet more stormtroopers than ever before. Everything from heavily armed tank-like armored troopers, to flying troopers, dark troopers, and the various sorts of vanilla troopers will come after you.
The maps for the various levels vary from medium to absolutely huge. One level took me almost six hours to work my way through, it was so large. Others, you'll finish in no more than an hour or two. The textures and the model use in the levels are good, though sometimes its hard to tell if something is an object you can interact with or if it is just decoration.
The only bad point about this game (and there is only one) is that it lacks stealth play. You can't play this game as Shinobi, Jedi Ninja. It just won't let you. Stormtroopers, Dark Force users, Noghri (did I mention them? Its got Noghri ;)) and mercenaries will notice you instantly when you walk into an area, even if they can't really see you. Its gotta be those Jedi boots. They're loud.
I can't recommend Jedi Academy enough. It easily outdoes its predecessor in every way possible. The game is engaging and entertaining and most of all, addictive. I played obsessively through to the end over the course of this last week, which is something I seldom do (and never with first person shooters). Hell, I even played without cheats!
Other things to note: you create your character. He's not premade. You can play a male or female Human, female Zabrak (think Darth Maul) or Twi'lek (tentacle head), a male Kel Dor (crab faced guy), or a male Rodian. I went with the Kel Dor. They look cool. You get to pick from several different heads, torsos and legs, as well as set a primary color, with various effects (on a Kel Dor, the color changes the clothes, but on a Twi'lek, it changes the skin color).
You also get to pick your lightsaber. There's several different hilts and different colors of blades. The hilts have various names and some blades are more thicker and thinner than others. I used the the tapered hilt (Defender, I think) with a yellow blade and a Firebrand (dark, simple hilt) with a lavender blade. None of these make any difference whatsoever, but they certainly look cool. :D
-
It wasn't THAT good but better than Outcast and enjoyable.
I prefer saberstaff, it suits my style better. :)
Devs overdid with the new sabers though, in later levels there's almost nothing but dual sabers and saberstaffs. There should have been more enemies with single sabers.
Jedi Academy is damn too easy. Easier than Outcast was. At least in Outcast, that Desann was damn hard to beat without the tricks laid in the level. But JA was easy as hell. Even final bosses were easy to win.
-
Easy? It was hard as hell! I kinda suck at these sorts of games, so I found it pretty challenging.
I have to agree with you though about the dual-saber users and saber-staff users. They were everywhere. Man are saber staff users hard to fight! The whipped my tail more than anyone else.
I gush with praise about this game mainly because it was good enough to hook me totally. First person shooters (even ones I like, like Deus Ex and System Shock 2 and Thief) usually don't lchain me to my seat like Jedi Academy did.
-
yeah it was fun game
-
I can't say I found it easy, either, mainly because I'm outrageously crap at lightsabre duelling.
-
I dunno. I hardly ever even play JO anymore, and plopping down another $50 so I can play another Jedi game using the same engine doesn't seem worth it. After all, I can always use JediMod++ if I want two sabers.
-
Well I bought it on impulse, without reading a single review or playing the demo, and I throughouly enjoyed it.
-
Hmmm, that's interesting what you've concluded, Mik - because I played the demo and had a very similar experience with it (holding off on the full game because my computer can't really run it that well). I always did just use the saber and relished fighting the force users - I'll put JA on my to-do list. :yes:
-
Originally posted by GalacticEmperor
I dunno. I hardly ever even play JO anymore, and plopping down another $50 so I can play another Jedi game using the same engine doesn't seem worth it. After all, I can always use JediMod++ if I want two sabers.
I have mastered the multiplayer game. I play MP for JO for a year now. I know every move, every advantage every bug( and how to use it to mu advantage ;) ) for instance to climb up very high where normally it would be impossible. JO is a great game, but I got sick of MP music so I listen to something intense while i am playing it.
JA demo was pretty good, when I played on Jedi Knight level of difficulty I fought at the end of the level: 1 ssingle saber cultist, 2 dual saber cultists and 1 staffer. I used a staff. Killed them all with ez. I play that "against all odds" game everyday on MP CTF.
Now....who wants to play MP against me? ;7
-
Did anyone else notice that force protection also protects you from high falls? Also it was odd that wall jumping did not...
-
i on the other hand liked outcast more :)
-
Originally posted by Mr. Fury
Did anyone else notice that force protection also protects you from high falls? Also it was odd that wall jumping did not...
Yes it does but it's normal. The force protection protects you from all kinds of physical dammage. For example, when your character says: How am I gonna get down there without breaking my neck. Easy, use highest level of protection and juts jump there.
-
Yes I know it's normal for force protection. But wall jumping should also prevent you from taking falling damage. It's just odd if last wall jump is a few meters above the ground and when you hit the ground, you die instantly. If you use force protection instead, 90% (lvl3) of the damage is absorbed and you stay alive.
-
I didn't use Force protection much. I didn't think of it for high falls at all, though it makes sense. Truthfully, I didn't use many of the "tricks' (like wall runs) until the end of the game.
In the early game, I used Force Push and Pull a great deal. Once I built up my Mind Trick, I used it to keep fights far away from me (especially useful for armored and flying troopers). In the middle game, I used Force healing a lot. As the game slid toward the end, and Dark Force users were everywhere, I started using Force Absorbtion during every saber battle. I'd stay back and wait for them to hit me with Lightning, Grip, Push or Pull and turn that around into Grips or saber-throws of my own.
For the saber-duels, I found that the import thing is to not run in swinging your saber like a bat. you reallly have to mix it up with some ducking, rolling and lateral movement. I also try to keep up a steady use of Push (especially near cliffs, flames or deadly machinery) during the fight. The opponent will expend force blocking the push, or will get shoved back. Either way is good for you. Unless you have twin sabers, I recommend against throwing your saber in a duel. The most important thing though, is to use the terrain to your advantage. Beating and pushing a Dark Force user onto a conveyor belt so he gets sucked into some machinery saves you from having to fight him. Shoving them off a cliff, or gripping them and dropping them off the cliff works too. Hell, if you've got Grip three, just grab'em by the throat and beat them on a wall. ;) Oh, and if you just happen to be somewhere with lots of storm troopers and you have Pull 2 or 3, jump over them and use pull whilst you're in the air. It'll rain dead storm troopers. :D
Is this game moddable, by the way? I'd love to be able to dowload new levels for it. :D
-
Originally posted by mikhael
Oh, and if you just happen to be somewhere with lots of storm troopers and you have Pull 2 or 3, jump over them and use pull whilst you're in the air. It'll rain dead storm troopers. :D
Hey, you do that too? It was my favourite lethal method back in Jedi Outcast, right next to Grip 3, motion up in the air and push, with similar effects. ;)
-
:D
I believe in fighting in ways that are least likely to ge me hurt, so choking the hell out of someone or throwing them about whilst they are far away from me is a high priority.
-
I wuv the saberstaff. The only thing that I didn't really like was the voice acting. :ick (except Kyle and possibly Luke)
-
I never used mind trick and other dark force powers except lightning. They're just useless in my opinion.
Level 3 lightning is quite usefull against large number of weaker opponents. ;)
By the way, if you go for dark jedi ending instead, it will prove to be more challenging...
-
I have a saved game at the moment of choice, Fury, so I'll give that a shot.
Mind Trick is awesome for turning armored troopers into allies. Since I like to stay back and let people kill each other off, Mind Trick is super handy. I don't like Lightning until its level three. I just couldn't justify it in the short run. Grip is the only one that I spent on for its long term benefits.
-
Originally posted by Mr. Fury
By the way, if you go for dark jedi ending instead, it will prove to be more challenging...
Ouch ouch ouch ouch!
The last two levels are a hell of a lot harder if you go the Dark Jedi route. I got absolutely mobbed by three Dark Force users and three Jedi at once within five minutes. :D This is AWESOME. :)
-
Okay, I just finished the Dark side ending. I won't bump this anymore promise.
Taking down Kyle was pretty groovy, but Jaden should have finished the job. The Dark Side is sloppy. All in all I liked the Light ending better.
Here's hoping there's addons for this one. :)
-
Well, I like the dark jedi ending more. :) Probably because of the star destroyer bridge scene. :lol:
Anyway, it's been rumoured that in next JK game you'll be playing Kyle again who chases evil Jaden. :drevil:
-
That'd be funny. :D
I hope whatever they do with the sequel or the add on, it keeps the same mission-tree structure. It was the best FPS level structure I'd ever seen.
-
Originally posted by mikhael
I won't bump this anymore promise.
That's what they all say. ;)
You guys have really perked my interest. I hope JA will have gotten cheaper by the time I buy my new computer. :nod:
-
Originally posted by Setekh
That's what they all say. ;)
You guys have really perked my interest. I hope JA will have gotten cheaper by the time I buy my new computer. :nod:
You really think you have to BUY the game if you wanna play it. :drevil: J/K Yeah you need to buy it if you wanna play multiplayer of course.
Anyway, which PC config, do you have?
-
Originally posted by mikhael
That'd be funny. :D
I hope whatever they do with the sequel or the add on, it keeps the same mission-tree structure. It was the best FPS level structure I'd ever seen.
*shrug* I'm still partial to the hub system Raven started. Most games now do the seamless transitions that started with Hexen II, but they're very linear levels.
Mixing the mission tree structure with a few large hub-based levels I think would be the best mix.
-
I haven't read throught any of the post completely, so excuse if I write a thing far evident by now.
The story is already shot at Mysteries of the Sith, it just had a few other branches and focus. Outcast had far better story.
This 'Get to the sith temple(or anywhere else), where unlimited force is located' is VERY boring, and it is full with exegenerations.
But at least its difficulty is not exegenerated. It is easy. It is an advantage. The best thing is that all force powers are available in Single player, and are switchable. So if you no longer has use for one of your force powers, you can disable it.
The WORST mission ever designed was the one when you had to ride a Swoop(Advanced Speeder). Its difficulty is quite exegenerated, and the swoop is UNCONTROLABLE. The rancor reborns is quite weak. Additionally, every second of my enemies is a dark jedi. Exegeneration again. Light jedi with Sith(dual-bladed) lightsaber? Ehhhh .... no comment. We are playing light Darth Maul.
Didn't try the multi part yet, so I am talking about single player about 'being easy'.
-
I have just played the demo so far. Dual bladed saber 0\/\/NZ. :D It's the bets saber in the whole game. i just love that saber. :D
-
Well I've managed to get as far as the first return trip to the academy,...but then the game errors out just prior to loading that scene :(
But so far I've been quite pleased, although MP mode is pretty boring :|
-
Originally posted by Warlock
Well I've managed to get as far as the first return trip to the academy,...but then the game errors out just prior to loading that scene :(
But so far I've been quite pleased, although MP mode is pretty boring :|
I heard they have power duel mode where you fight 2 on 1. That sounds cool I guess. That's the first thing I am gonna try out.
-
Top Ace, some days you boggle my mind. This game rocked.
The level where you were riding a swoop drove me nuts at first (I play racing games for vehicles. I play Jedi games for lightsabers). But later, I realized how important that level was. It broke up the slash-and-dash action. It gave you a whole different experience. Contrary to what you said, I felt that the level wasn't that hard. The Swoop was easy to control. The only thing I didn't like was that I had to put my lightsaber away to boost.
All the Jedi Knight games are exaggerated with power levels. Jaden becomes a full Jedi Knight in the course of 20 missions. Katarn became all powerful in Jedi Knight in about the same number. Its just supposed to be fun.
Finally, where did you get this crazy idea that the double-bladed saber was a Sith only weapon? You've confused "Maul had a double bladed saber." with "Since only Maul had the double bladed saber, only Sith have double bladed sabers.". There is nothing to back it up. If you want to stick to canon (IE just the movies) there is nothing to even SUGGEST that the double bladed saber is a Sith only weapon. If you want to deal with Star Wars titles other than the movies, then you'll notice that in one of the comic books there's a Jedi master with a Lightstaff. I believe you'll also find in the Jedi/Sith war issues, there are Jedi fighting with all sorts of light-blade style weapons, including batons and knives.
-
Originally posted by mikhael
... where did you get this crazy idea that the double-bladed saber was a Sith only weapon? ....
http://www.starwars.com/databank/technology/sithlightsaber/?id=eu
:p :ha:
Originally posted by mikhael
Top Ace, some days you boggle my mind. This game rocked.
....
Where the hell have I told I don't like it. It is better than JK2 and JK1. The moves are good.
-
Wouldn't a lightbaton just look like half a lightsaber? What's the point?
-
Tried it, hated it. Not my style of game.
And on top of that, I detest anything that has something to do with SW. Its more fantasy then sci-fi.
-
Probably easier to construct. Maybe some Jedi picked a small crystal by accident once and pretended he did it in purpose. :p
-
Originally posted by TopAce
http://www.starwars.com/databank/technology/sithlightsaber/?id=eu
:p :ha:
Umm... that does not say that saberstaff is a Sith only weapon. Actually it says that it was reserved for training purposes only until the fight between the two Jedi and Darth Maul. "Associations" states the only officially known saberstaff wielders.
But in any case, I am not an SW universe expert and I don't want to be one. In my opinion there's no real reason why a jedi can't use one if it is made like their normal sabers, by using natural crystals or whatever.
Because of this thread, I had an urge to start playing JA again. On hardest difficulty of course. I just love saberstaff, it's fun to kick cultists arses with it. ;7
-
Its name 'Sith Lightsaber'. I explains everything. If you ignore canon info(such as LucasArts), it can be used by a Jedi, too.
-
Well if you refer to Lucusarts as cannon....then it is not a Sith only saber. Knights of the Old Republic-Bastilla,...Jedi Sentinel with a Double Bladed saber.
But anyways it's all up to the fan to decide, personally I don't see any reason of a saber with two blades being in and of itself a Sith weapon. Deathstar,...yes,...double bladed saber,..no.
-
I stick to canon info. That's all. Let's end this 'Sith' saber or 'any' saber fighting here.
Enter deep meditation and calm down. This is true for all of us. Including me.
-
Define 'Canon', TopAce. Is it 'just source TopAce' likes, or what?
I mean, come on: is the Star Wars RPG canon? Are only the movies canon? or the novels canon? Is the Star Wars Christmas Special canon? How about the Ewok movie? Clone Wars the cartoon? Or Droids the cartoon?
Look at it this way: that website you pointed to lists a Sith saber that happens to be double bladed. That does not mean that all double bladed sabers are Sith sabers. All AK-47s are machine guns, but machine guns are not all AK-47s.
-
Ah, welcome back mikhael, how was your trip?
-
The lightsaber you know as 'Saberstaff' is originally named as 'Sith lightsaber' or 'Sith saber'. That's all. That's canon.
Nothing special to think about.
-
Saying double bladed lightsabres are Sith only is like saying red lightsabers are sith only.. not that AOTC helps discredit that... :nervous:
-
Originally posted by TopAce
The lightsaber you know as 'Saberstaff' is originally named as 'Sith lightsaber' or 'Sith saber'. That's all. That's canon.
Nothing special to think about.
So, this is "TopAce's Idea of Canon", I guess. Well, you're wrong. Why? Because it doesn't match Mik's Idea of Canon. That's all. Nothing special to think about.
Kamikaze: no, I'm not back yet. I have free internet in the hotel room (New York Hilton, nice place). Before going to bed, I check my mail and message boards.
-
Originally posted by mikhael
Kamikaze: no, I'm not back yet. I have free internet in the hotel room (New York Hilton, nice place). Before going to bed, I check my mail and message boards.
I didn't think it'd been a fortnight. How's your holiday, Mik? :)
-
Steak, my feet feel like... tenderized Steak! ;) We've walked almost everywhere, rather than try to mess with figuring out busses and the subway and all that--and we like the sightseeing that walking allows us.
The first day we checked into our hotel and went for a short walk--around 120 blocks. I dunno how much that works out to in real distances, though. We went out to a comedy show, which was pretty good.
The second day, we decided that we wanted to go to the Guggenheim Museum of Art. On the way there, we stopped at Tiffany's where I bought my wife a gorgeous pendant. We also checked out the a huge furniture and homewear store and F.A.O. Schwartz (an awesome toy store). There was a Latin American pride parade going (which rocked... mmm. Latinas lindas. :D). We followed it up Fifth Avenue for a good long way until we had to detour around an area that was cordoned off. Its about 35 blocks from our hotel to the Guggenheim so we were kinda weary when we got there. We spent some time in there looking around and walked back through Central Park (gorgeous).
Yesterday, we went to the Columbus Day Parade (which in New York seems to be like an Italian American pride parade). We ended up walking around downtown, zigzagging all over the place to take photos, and eat at Grand Central Station. Then we headed back to the hotel to get dinner and prepare for going to see Chicago in the theatre district. Chicago was amazing. I thought the movie was excellent, but the stage show just blew it away.
Today, we went to Madame Tousaud's Wax Museum and we got pictures of me chocking George W. Bush and Bill Gates and giving Lady Diana, Jennifer Lopez and the sublime Salma Hayek (the sexiest woman to ever appear on the big screen) kisses. Oh and I got a great picture of Madonna's bottom. ;7
Following that we took a long walk over to the pier where we boarded a boat for a three hour cruise all the way around Manhattan. The financial district look so wrong without the Trade Center towers, but the rest was gorgeous. From there we walked to the Empire State Building. There were way too many tourists (lots of french and germans, chain smoking cigarettes. foul). The whole ESB was a total loss. From there we ducked in and out of various stores for a couple more hours and finally worked our way back to our hotel by way of Time Square.
All in all, I've blown nine rolls of film on our old Pentax SLR (old like old as you Steak. Well, nearly. ;)) and a disposable camera (needed a flash inside Madame Tousaud's) and two mini-DV tapes. I don't know how well some of those pics are going to come out though. This Pentax is a manual focus, I've got no flash, nor do I have a tripod. Inside places like the Chrysler Building, the camera wants to do long (~1/30th-1/15th of a second exposures) and I don't trust myself to have held the cam steady. Also, I'm limited to a single 28-80 lens, so no nice tight close ups, no long long shots, no wide angle panoramas. This makes me sad.
Finally, as I right this, I am, for the first time ever, catching an episode of Cowboy Bebop and avoiding sleep. The show gets big props for the opening sequence, both for the music ("Tank", I think) and the visuals. On the other hand, the actual show seems to leave something to be desired. Not bad, just not 'great'.
Now I go to bed. G'night folks.
-
:lol: :lol:
Dude, what can I say. ;) Glad you're having a great time over there, nine rolls of film sounds like a pretty decent amount to me - keep enjoying yourself, bro.