Star Wars Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast Review

"The Force is Strong"

Campaign

October 2, 2019 at 3:52am
By Jason Stettner

This is definitely one of the most iconic Star Wars games ever created. Jedi Outcast was a rather bold title at the time, with a great narrative driven campaign. Following Kyle Katarn, agent of the New Republic you’re sent in on a mission to find out what exactly is going on. There was a disrupted signal sent out, and using a variety of weapons you’ll blast your way through Imperial outposts to figure it all out.

Now, I should mention that this is only the single player component of the title. The multiplayer has been removed for this release, which is slightly disappointing for sure. That aside, this is still a rather compelling tale that holds up even now. The missions are linear in nature, but offer freedom as you set out exploring ways to get things done.

You’re not exactly shown what’s up, and you might find some secret areas along the way which is rather exciting to rediscover quite honestly. This was a lot of fun to revisit and I say it holds up quite well. The cinematics for the story are a bit stiff, but not too bad. There are twenty four missions to engage in, and some surprises along the way if this is your first time through.

Gameplay

This is a game that can be played in multiple ways, do so in first person or in third with the option to switch on the fly. There are thirteen classic weapons present, from blasters to a lightsaber. Now, this series has always been known for its fantastic lightsaber usage and it’s still a lot of fun to battle with here.

That’s the same situation with the blasters, a neat firing style that has awesome ragdoll effects on those Stormtroopers. The visuals hold up quite well, some of the video clips are a bit aged. That aside, it does actually look great considering its age. It still plays well, the cinematics are fine and it runs well on this version.

There are a variety of unique environments to visit, with an authentic take on the Star Wars universe. Everything looks as though it’s right from the movies which is great, and of course captures the now non-conical extended universe. There are many switches to hit, iconic characters and it’s a rich presentation of this galaxy. I will note that the saving could have been updated, it’s a bit hardcore these days.

The Conclusion

Star Wars Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast holds up, bringing one excellent narrative driven campaign and sadly loses its multiplayer. It’s not a huge deal that the multiplayer isn’t included I suppose, but it would have been nice to get the online play in modern times. Even if there wasn’t online support, playing locally with bots would have been great. It’s disappointing, but not the end of the world and still worth checking out.

This has a great story, the levels are well designed and the gameplay feels great. There are things to discover, many iconic Star Wars experiences to be had and it’s great to see this classic title return once more. I would have never anticipated this would return, so I’m blown away by the fact that it has. I feel it’s worthwhile to play, even in this day and age. Many games have released within the Star Wars series since, few deliver quite like this one has.

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Star Wars Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast Review on Playstation 4
Review Code Provided by Zebra Partners

Rating Overall: 7.5