[Zack]

Originally Posted by Intrepid Homoludens

I'm getting Jedi Academy once I find enough more change under the couch.

Intrepid, I played the demo for Jedi Academy tonight, and I didn't like it too much. I had a frustrating time with it because I kept dying a lot. But, I do love the fact that you can choose how you want your character to look, and that you can choose the lightsaber (or lightsabers) you want for your main weapon. I ended up using the double-bladed saber that Darth Maul used in Episode I. It felt very smooth and powerful to use.

I wanted to like the demo, but the main beef I had with it was that the dark Jedi were too tough in this demo. They kept using the Force Drain and Force Choke moves on me.

One more thing: Is Knights of the Old Republic as good as everyone says it is?.

[Intrepid Homoludens]

You've got to be joking. Right? You may not have entered the game with the right frame of mind. Were you playing it properly, and did you study all the combat moves? You might want to re-map your keys to optimize access to your force powers, as well as develop particular strategies. Remember that there are sudden moments where your quick reflexes are needed (bridges blowing up, snipers, etc.), and stay fully aware of your environments. You don't always have to run into a fight, it's possible to take evil Jedi out one at a time, and even use the environment to your advantage.

In the menu screen take advantage of the force powers upgrade system and maybe focus on your favourites. For your weapons, choose accordingly. For example, long range guns for huge environments (disruptor, blaster, etc. for the Chandrila levels) and short to medium range guns for smaller places (fletchette, etc.). The gameplay can be really fun and intricate, you just have to explore the nuances and tailor them to you. Play around with the various moves of each style of light saber until you feel comfortable with them. Also, remember that you can do special stunts like walk walking and jumping. The light saber combat alone is extremely intricate, take some time with it.

Remember that certain force powers can be countered with other powers. I know that force grip and lightning can be dispelled with force push.

[Crunchy in milk]

Originally Posted by Zack

Intrepid, I played the demo for Jedi Academy tonight, and I didn't like it too much. I had a frustrating time with it because I kept dying a lot. But, I do love the fact that you can choose how you want your character to look, and that you can choose the lightsaber (or lightsabers) you want for your main weapon. I ended up using the double-bladed saber that Darth Maul used in Episode I. It felt very smooth and powerful to use.

I wanted to like the demo, but the main beef I had with it was that the dark Jedi were too tough in this demo. They kept using the Force Drain and Force Choke moves on me.

One more thing: Is Knights of the Old Republic as good as everyone says it is?.

See my posts on why this is so, or simply replace the bold text with "I kept bending over backwards asking the dark Jedi to ride me like a pony"

The dark jedi use force powers in clever combinations throughout Academy and they only get cheesier and more powerful as you go. In groups they work together. The dark temple mission in the demo is actually quite late in the game and is a very difficult one even with a lot of practice (vs 3 and vs 2 reborn battles).

With your force 'pool' always so low (and the enemies practically unlimited), its not practical to use energy and force protections all the time while hacking away at them with the cool looking dual or double sabers (your force wont regenerate while the protection is up). Its far more practical to have these powers bound to a key and switch them on/off on the fly when needed, keep your distance and use your jedi powers to pick them off one at a time... either throw them over a cliff edge (of which there are entirely too many in the game) or gut/cleave them using the force abilities that gel with your saber stance (there are more with single saber which is why I laud it).

Academy is no saber monkey's game which was a total let down, short of maximising 'force rage' which protects you from everything and costs little at 3rd rank there's no style/option to finesse the heck out of the bad guys with 'mad saber skills' Its really force ability focused.

A lot of the later missions where total let downs, a bridge/cliff every bloody where and all you had to do was fake bad guys out with a little lightening, they ALWAYS jump in the air leaving themselves open to force push and zoom zoom off they go. After a whole string of this they set you up on a raised platform to fight a boss... who behaves exactly the same only there are 'invisible' barriers that prevent them going over the side (not you though!). Say cheese.

Visually its a nice game to run through and on easier difficulty settings, a lot of fun... not much of a challenge though if you fight cheese with cheese.

[ConcreteRancor]

Yeah, but pushing dark jedi over cliffs never got old for me. Possibly the MOST entertaining way of disposing of a single enemy is gripping them, then doing a third-level force jump and dropping them at the height of your leap. You land just in time to see them hit the ground with a crunch.

It's true though, that the dark side path was a lot harder in general, although it compensated by having an easier final boss. It's probably on purpose that LA made the dark side path less entertaining, so that they'd lead more players towards the "right" storyline. I have to say it was a lot of fun in the Sith Temple level to run around with my tiny army of jedi knights and getting into royal-rumble-style saber battles.

And what was interesting to me was that the hardest enemies in the game for me weren't even jedi. They were the Dark Troo- I mean, ROCKET Troopers. Those guys were a pain in the ass when they were alone, never mind more than one of them.

[ConcreteRancor]

By the way, for any who haven't tried it, I recommend binding Force Push and Force Pull to the mouse wheel, if you have one. The fluidity of the controls is incredible this way, and so immersive. Push the mouse wheel away, stormtroopers fly over the ledge. Pull it towards you, silly little rodian comes flying into your lightsaber. Ah... so satisfying.

[edlglide]

To answer someone's question, yes Knights of the Old Republic is great. Could it have been better? Of course, what game couldn't. But it is still a quality game that I began playing through again immediately after beating it the first time.

[Rizu]

Originally Posted by ConcreteRancor

By the way, for any who haven't tried it, I recommend binding Force Push and Force Pull to the mouse wheel, if you have one. The fluidity of the controls is incredible this way, and so immersive. Push the mouse wheel away, stormtroopers fly over the ledge. Pull it towards you, silly little rodian comes flying into your lightsaber. Ah... so satisfying.

True. Force Pull and Push were my two favourite Force powers. Pushing dark jedi off of bridges, or pulling stormtroopers right into the path of tripwire mines... It also felt strangely stisfying to get a dark jedi into a choke grip, carefully suspend him over the the edge of a cliff and then let him go to let gravity take over

[ConcreteRancor]

Originally Posted by edlglide

To answer someone's question, yes Knights of the Old Republic is great. Could it have been better? Of course, what game couldn't. But it is still a quality game that I began playing through again immediately after beating it the first time.

I just bought it. My God, it's the most addictive game ever. I'm at work now, and the workday is DRAGGING on because I want to get home and play it. I'm trying to go for the same "tortured jedi" character that I did in Jedi Academy, but that's probably going to hurt me when I start getting force powers and they all cost a hell of a lot because I'm not dedicated to a specific side of the force.

As it is, my level 6 scoundrel is doing quite well. He's got a few level-ups waiting in the wings, but I'm saving those for when he becomes a jedi so he can get more powers that way.

[Intrepid Homoludens]

Is he as sexy as your baby in Jedi Academy?

[redhotray]

I enjoyed Jedi Outcast

It was a very different style of FPS, and I enjoyed the capabilities of the lightsabre. There's something satisfying about darting all over the place, hacking people with the sabre, and then doing backflips all over the place, like a supreme baaaaaaddd assssss!!

Kyle Katarn is a very dry, very hard edged protagonist, and is believable as a renegade jedi, and it also makes the experience all the more compelling, as you know, you wouldn't feel so bad if you broke the laws of the jedi code. . Not that any of us would do that, right?

Seriously, it is a very good game, and like Trep, I completed this not to long ago, and found it to be a pleasurable experience. Certainly worthwhile for anyone interested in this style of game, and even for those who are not.

Although...it's published by Lucasarts.

:s

[Starflux]

I've already said it, but what did YOU think of the ending of Jedi Outcast? (in spoiler-brackets of course)

[redhotray]

Spoiler:

The ending didn't particulary stand out to me, nor did it rank as a bad ending. It just simply...ended, if you know what I mean. It set the tone for a sequal, and I'd imagine they will produce a Jedi Knight III eventually. The whole relationship of Kyle and Jan Ors had been built up since the beginning, so you had to know it would reach a conclusion of romance between the two. It also worked, because, as I previously aluded, Kyle is a rogue Jedi. Though, the ending could also be looked at, as his rite of ascension, back into the realms of being a Jedi Knight. So, technically, love becomes an impossibility. *shrug*. It is difficult to perceive.

As for the final battle, once you knew what to do, it was ridiculously easy. Though, the continued pulling powers that were used against you became frustrating. I quite enjoyed the mind trickery in the last level, that was quite cool, and it made sure you had to save, otherwise, you'd be pretty steamed.

...and when Kyle got raunchy with that Stormtrooper...ooops, this is out of the spoiler tags now...sorry, I just like gave the game away...:S

Damn that Trep, his perverseness is rubbing off on me!! 8)

[ConcreteRancor]

Originally Posted by Intrepid Homoludens

Is he as sexy as your baby in Jedi Academy?

Somehow I doubt you'd think so. I chose the bald-headed guy with the Fu Manchu mustache and gave him this weird head thing so that he looks like Lobot. He's also wearing this armor which works really well for a scoundrel, but is extremely stupid-looking.

On the bright side, though, in five consecutive battles I haven't seen him get hit once. The guy's slipperier than an oil slick on Hoth.

And might I add that Mission is extremely hot? A twi'lek with freckles is very attractive. I control her a lot when running around just to look at her.

[ConcreteRancor]

Originally Posted by redhotray

Spoiler:

The ending didn't particulary stand out to me, nor did it rank as a bad ending. It just simply...ended, if you know what I mean. It set the tone for a sequal, and I'd imagine they will produce a Jedi Knight III eventually. The whole relationship of Kyle and Jan Ors had been built up since the beginning, so you had to know it would reach a conclusion of romance between the two. It also worked, because, as I previously aluded, Kyle is a rogue Jedi. Though, the ending could also be looked at, as his rite of ascension, back into the realms of being a Jedi Knight. So, technically, love becomes an impossibility. *shrug*. It is difficult to perceive.

First off, LA announced as soon as JK2 came out that they will make Jedi Knight III. So that's something to look forward to.

Second of all, the whole backwards "Jedi can't love" attitude went out with the Old Republic. In the timeframe of Jedi Outcast, or a bit after, there are lots of Jedi with families. Thus leading to lots of little Jedilings.

Spoiler:

It's interesting how Jan has "died" twice now in the JK series.

[RLacey]

Am I the only one who found the level design TERRIBLE? The game was brilliant, but it was far too easy to get lost. Which is a shame, really, because it means I've still only reached the cloud city all this time later.

[ConcreteRancor]

Originally Posted by RLacey

Am I the only one who found the level design TERRIBLE? The game was brilliant, but it was far too easy to get lost. Which is a shame, really, because it means I've still only reached the cloud city all this time later.

I thought the level design could have been better, but in the opposite direction, because I found the levels very linear. I want to see Jedi Knight 3 be more like Deus Ex, where you can get by obstacles in a variety of ways, and how you did that would affect your force alignment. If you made it through the level relying on force persuasion and force stun to complete your objectives with a minimum of blood loss, you'd get a massive boost towards the light side. If you charged in lopping off heads and going out of your way to kill, dark side for you! (That doesn't mean that you couldn't still fight your way through if you were a light sider, it just means that you couldn't be gratuitous.)

[Intrepid Homoludens]

CR, that's asking too much of JKII. As is, I feel it was suitable and satisfying for what it strived for, an action/adventure with some fun features. What you want is Jedi Knight II: The RPG. And isn't KOTOR already that?

[ConcreteRancor]

Originally Posted by Intrepid Homoludens

CR, that's asking too much of JKII. As is, I feel it was suitable and satisfying for what it strived for, an action/adventure with some fun features. What you want is Jedi Knight II: The RPG. And isn't KOTOR already that?

It's asking too much of Jedi Knight 2, sure. But this is pure wishing on my part of Jedi Knight 3. And yeah, KOTOR is that, in a way, but there's a catch, and it's that KOTOR is a very flat game. By which I mean pretty much everything takes place in a 2-D plane. You can't sneak into a building by force jumping up on top of it and entering through an open window, for example. That's the sort of thing I'm looking for.

[ConcreteRancor]

Originally Posted by ConcreteRancor

And might I add that Mission is extremely hot? A twi'lek with freckles is very attractive. I control her a lot when running around just to look at her.

I just found out that Mission is supposed to be 14 years old. NO 14-YEAR-OLD LOOKS LIKE THAT! She's got... and she has....

I feel really, really dirty right now.

[AGA]

Indeed. That game has created thousands of paedophiles world-wide...