I felt a bit let down by the lightsaber in both outcast and academy. When academy was being developed I was hoping in vain that they'd have a 'master' level of saber control on par with that available in die by the sword, or at least the inclusion of combos lifted from soul calibur 2 or the like.
They addressed some of the control issues in academy but there really wasn't enough combo's, especially ones that mesh with your choice of jedi powers. I actually found the saber choices in Academy redundant... if you want to look cool then sure, pick up the double bladed saber or dual sabers but from a game balance perspective you might as well bend over and ask to be spanked.
On anything higher than normal difficulty the lack of combos and weakened damage both styles bring with them make the game extremely difficult. Its a far easier game to finish on 'Jedi Master' difficulty when you stick with a single light saber and use the particular stances (light, medium, heavy) and their corresponding force combinations against appropriate enemies (ie: force stab, leap attack, greater cleave).
I agree 100% the game needs a kick in the ass in getting some clever force powers happening, the tired use of push/pull puzzles are frustrating, KOTOR is equally guilty of a lack of imagination with force related puzzles. I find the 'mana' system annoying too, especially when the bad guys are given near unlimited pools to draw from and you're stuck there swearing at the screen waiting for the little blue bar to fill up again...
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