Despite my intention to play the Star Wars games in their correct order (ie order of release), I somehow ended up playing this game after playing Jedi Academy. In my defence, the naming conventions for these games is extremely confusing!
In any event, I didn't play this game until after Jedi Academy. Which is a bit of a shame as I think I would actually have enjoyed it more if I played it before Jedi Academy. But I am getting ahead of myself.
Jedi Knight II continues the story of Kyle Katarn from the previous Dark Forces games. You start off with no force powers as Kyle has rejected being a jedi and the start of the game actually has you playing it as a standard FPS. A couple of missions later, events transpire to force Kyle to take up the lightsaber again at which point you start to gain access to your force powers. Naturally, you start off underpowered and need to build up your levels again before you get access to the full suite of powers.
The FPS gameplay mechanics in this game are actually fairly solid and have held up well. What amazes me though is how difficult the game is. Not just in terms of how tough the bad guys are but also how rough the puzzles are.
Not long after I started the game, I had to actually stop and check my settings to make sure I was playing on the Normal difficulty (I was). I then had to stop regularly (once each level) to check an online FAQ to find out how I could make progress in the game!
It's been a looong time since I've had to check online FAQs. Not a particularly great feeling. :)
My next surprise was finding out that, not long after getting the lightsaber, I wasn't actually having much fun with the game. I suspect this was due to me coming to this game after playing Jedi Academy which seems to have a tightened engine - particularly in relation to the lightsaber combat. Possibly, it was also having to play the game with an "underpowered" jedi (in relation to my powered up character in Jedi Academy).
Ultimately, I didn't finish the game which is a shame. I understand the game was well reviewed when it came out and from my limited time with it, I can see that it is a good game. Just not one I had the drive to finish.
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