80%PC

Pretty amazing that in a genre that today now loves to avoid story unless it's from a big budget modern counterpart, this game was so groundbreaking in it's use of narrative using cheesy and oftentimes quirky FMV Cutscenes that mixed live action actors with computer animated characters while telling one of the best narratives in FPS Gaming with a very likeable protagonist who you want to root for. It's rare that an old school shooter would even dare tell a tale before Half-Life, but since this was squished in between two other narrative driven FPS Games, Chasm: The Rift and the forementioned Half-Life, it is almost equally as impressive as Valve's debut despite it still leaning heavily towards genre mechanics and tropes at the time. It's not a perfect game mind you as even with the OpenJKDF2 source port, menus are astonishingly clunky, despite the fact you can quick save there is no way to quick load back into the game, meaning having to dive into the clunky menus to load a quick save which seems contrarian, little things like switches in huge levels become a hide and seek game to find them, the geometry of levels can be clunky, strafing is basically useless and moves like mud, there can still be progress blocking bugs that force you to noclip, mainly one at the end of the game and Jedi Battles mostly consist of whacking the opponent in circles until they're dead. The Jerec fight was the only fight in the entire game that in general required some sort of skill. Not to mention after that epic battle with him, the story ends on a whimper as if there wasn't any powerful moments to end on as well as the credits crawl using some of the most downer music of the series.

But this was certainly one of the most immersive games I've played in the FPS Genre. I loved being in the Star Wars universe with these charming, late 90's 3D Graphics. I love small things as well like how the lightsaber has a more flat design like it did in the 1977 film, which makes like look like a proper "Saber" (It's in the name!) The places you travel to are vast in scope and like with the best FPS Games, make you feel like you're going on a proper big adventure. The guns in general are all pretty good but a lot of them use the same ammo type as there are only 3 or 4 types of ammo in the entire game and some ammo can be used up to three guns in total which makes weapon management a bit shit in this game. Thankfully also get the lightsaber which pretty much one shots anything it touches with the exception of a couple beasts. The game isn't particularly hard in general, but what's hard about it is the fact the controls can be super cumbersome to use. Not to mention it feels you get bounced back by geometry half of the time you're trying to do force jumps. Still, with a roster like this it's pretty useful and most enemies will die in a couple hits of almost any blaster. I found the Thermal Detonators however to be nearly useless as it doesn't control well and doesn't give you a good idea of how far you're aiming.

There's loads to like in this game despite the issues. Lots of Star Wars music is in this and they picked some appropriate ones for the 21 levels you go through. The game's length is appropriate and took me around 6 Hours to complete, but it could have been shorter if I wasn't stuck trying to find paths or switches to pull to progress. The length still is worth it in general and doesn't overstay it's welcome. With the story, I've said it's one of the best in the FPS Genre for a reason. You got a great protagonist alongside a sidekick to care about, twists and turns, Kyle trying to stop the influence of the dark side from getting to him and the FMVs make the story of it's time in a good way, while still feeling engaging. Most importantly, the game never becomes stale at any point, even during the rougher moments. I wanted to see how the story turned out and since the gameplay/gunplay/swordplay is compelling from beginning to end, it gave me a reason to continue playing.

It's certainly one of the most influential games in terms of Narrative in FPS Gaming and maybe even just Action Games in general. The fact that this came out in 1997 with this good of a story showcased that alongside great gameplay, a strong narrative could enhance the player's enjoyment of a game. Sure, RPGs existed but those were on a totally different level than this. Having a 5-6 Hour Action/FPS game with characters you care for and a story to be excited about really made this worthwhile. I had a really good time with this, even if by the end some of the magic was wearing off. Check it out. I don't like to associate myself with many Star Wars fans considering I find a LOT of them are incredibly toxic, but this made me want to play more Star Wars games in general, so that's another plus!

60%PC

Jedi Knight: Dark Forces 2 is the sequel to 1995's Dark Forces, where the game moved to a new 3D engine. You get to experience FMV cutscenes, which were in vogue at the time, and actually pretty decent here. The game itself has a good story and you have lots of light vs. dark side decisions to make. To smooth things out on modern systems, you should look for the remastered mod.

70%PC

Firstly ill say that this game is in dire need of a remaster, as a lot of technical elements just do not hold up very well. Sure the graphics arent good, but they have a certain charm to them. What is a problem however is poor controls and UI, pixilated cutscenes and wonky AI. The nightdive remaster was really what led to me enjoying the last game so much, so I'm sure that if this game got that same treatment then it would be in the same quality as the last one. In regards to the actual game however, I had pretty high expectations for this game after the last one, and while I don't think this is a bad game or anything, I do find it to be a step down in a lot of ways.

The story of the first game is really what impressed me, where a "doom clone" actually had a pretty well thought out and told story, where each level added something to the narrative. This is not the case in this game. What I loved about the last game was how each mission took place on a new planet and skyrocketed the story ahead, however in this game, sometimes you stay on certain planets for 3+ levels. I don't think this is terrible or anything, but star wars is just such a big universe that I'm not sure why they decided to have most of the levels take place on desert planets or in imperial halls. The actual story here too isn't quite as well told, with the villains being kinda just there and never really explained. In fact, a lot of stuff kinda just happens in this game and you sorta have to go along with it. Its certainly not the worst star wars story, and I'm sure for the time it was good, its just I expected so much more after the last game.

The combat in this game is pretty similar to how it is in the last game, although with a 3d twist similar to the jump from doom to quake. I do think this game is fun, and maybe even almost better than in the first game. Theres more guns, a few more enemies and even a lightsaber which I used for about half the game. The combat does start off really slow and boring, but once you get more stuff it gets a lot better. My problem is just that the level design is so boring and repetitive that it doesn't really help the flow of combat at all, leading to me liking the first game a lot more. This game is almost double the length of the first game, and honestly I don't think any of that extra time is earned. Sure there are some cool levels like the falling ship one, but most of them are really just the exact same kinda thing over and over again for 5 hours.

I do think this is a good game, and I can definitely see how people may prefer it to the original game, but what I loved so much about that first game was how it subverted my expectations of just being a star wars doom clone, and was instead a really well told star wars story. This game tries to do the same, and even expands on that in some ways, most notably how it does a really great job showcasing some of the lesser known parts of the world not seen in the movies, and how it makes the whole world seem a lot more "normalized" outside of the wizard space magic movies. This story is just not up to par, nor is the level design and pacing however, and even though the jump to 3d is fun, I don't think this game is good enough for a replay. This is definitely an important part of star wars history, and I would recommend you at least give it a try, but I cant see many people loving this.

70%PC

Если первая часть это Star Wars Doom, то вторая это Star Wars Quake. Игра вроде и отличается от прошлой части, но многие моменты остались такими же, либо слегка изменились. Во-первых, игра стала 3д полноценной, никаких больше спрайтов, честные пятнадцать полигонов на все: враги, оружие, локации, предметы. Во-вторых, появились ролики с модными на то время видео с реальными актерами и ухх, вот они точно не прошли проверку временем, какой-то театральный кружок собрался снимать гачи видосы с кринжовыми репликами и актерской игрой. Вообще сюжет хрен пойми какой, он занимает больше времени, чем в 1 части, но стал таким хуевым. Почему мы летим за кем-то, почему злодеи дохнут как мухи, почему гг ничего не умел, но уже стал мастером джедаем. В первой части сюжет был минималистичен, прост, но оттого и доебаться было не до чего, все было просто и прямо, здесь же намутили крутых штук типа ооо гг джедай махаешь мечом виувиу, а как он научился силу юзать, а чо а почему хер знает. Это же касается и построения уровней, вроде они стали комплекснее, проработаннее, но зачастую это приводит тупо к запутыванию, хер пойми куда идти, чо делать, чтобы добраться до точки Б, нужно какими выебистыми путями пробежать зигзагами не пропустив ни одной кнопки или ключа, и потом как-то доползешь до конца уровня. Вместо Темных штурмовиков теперь полноценные боссы джедаи, но файты с ними полная дрисня, ты просто накручиваешь круги вокруг них и бьешь их пол часа. Добавили световой меч в игру и типа вау круто наверное, но какой-нибудь бластер в сто раз надежнее, безопаснее и спрашивается нахера мне этот меч, он буквально ничем не отличается от какого-нибудь меча, ножа или дубинки, только светится вау. В игре еще ублюдский платформинг когда ты не можешь запрыгнуть на какой-то маленький уступ, это привет 3д надо сказать, ибо в прошлой части все было удобнее. И еще ворох каких-то мелких хуевин типа мирных нпс на локации которые мешают ходить и подобного, и вывод появляется, что в попытке сделать больше лучше графонистее, разрабы явно перемудрили и не довели до ума многие аспекты, отчего игра играется хуже первой части
Сложность: Нормальная (Normal)
Управление: Клавиатура + мышь
Язык: Английский

60%PC

More of a 3.5/5. Has a lot of flaws of the time that make it feel dated and frustrating, such as the emphasis on awkward platforming and the graphics making it difficult to tell where to proceed. Still a lot of fun, I've definitely gained an appreciation for this series and Kyle Katarn as a character.

65%PC

The level design is poopie, maze like and easy to get lost, enemies pop up on you at every corner, every door enemies to chunk you. The movement is cool but also funky your top speed is in relation to the direction you are facing so strafing is interesting. Played it with the modded textures so it looked good. Old fashion high HP chunky bosses you just keep swinging at. Overall not too bad just had some minor greviences. Acting was the best part hands down.

50%PC

I have fond memories of Jedi Knight 2 and Jedi Academy, but I didn't enjoy this after the first few levels.

Levels are mazelike, and get worse the further you get in the game. I played on normal and bosses take way too many hits (~15 on medium versus ~3 for easy), and there's no way to lower difficulty half-way through, other than starting over on a new profile. I eventually resorted to putting on godmode for the bosses. Some of the levels are also quite frustrating and seemingly expect you to know where enemies are if you don't want to get chunked 100hp instantly after opening a door. I cannot imagine what this game is like on hard.

The movement is extremely clunky, also when compared to games from the same era such as Unreal, Quake, Thief, Hlaf-Life. Strafing is extremely slow and turning also redirects momentum in a weird way. Bonking your head on a slightly sloped ceiling will redirect your momentum like you'd expect a ball to bounce off of a wall. It means that if you slightly graze a wall or ceiling you'll completely miss your jumps.

The default controls are awful, but if you change one you need to change a dozen as all easily accessible keys are in use. Using force powers is awkward as you either have to select a power by scrolling through them with q/e or select some of the powers with the function keys.

The cutscenes are badly acted but fun in a campy sort of way. It's a shame they become shorter as the game goes on.

A lot of things aren't explained in-game, such as how you acquire force powers, and how you become light/dark (I was surprised to suddenly be classified as a dark jedi). So without a manual the game can be a bit disorienting at first.

Overall it's not awful, but it hasn't aged particularly gracefully, and I'm not talking about the graphics.

90%PC

A classic (if you can tolerate the controls lol)

70%PC

Star Wars - Jedi Knight: Dark Forces II is a true sequel and a big improvement of the original Dark Force game. The continuation of Kyle Katarns story is more fun and exciting this time around. The gameplay has much more depth and variety, and the graphical fidelity is much improved. The live action cut-scenes were a cool and funny concept, even though a bit corny its still very memorable. So far I'm really enjoying the Jedi Knight series and looking forward to trying out the other remaining games. If you like the classic Star Wars action adventure genre and don't mind outdated visuals and gameplay mechanics I would definitely recommend Dark Forces II. (7.5/10)

PS!
I have finished the game, however since I used the "enhanced upscale JKGFX mod" Steam didn't track my hours. Would definitely recommend the mod as this game is quite old and doesn't support modern resolutions natively.

100%PC

This is probably my favorite game in the series.

70%PC

This would be a great game without this horrendous confusing level design and working hardware acceleration. The lightsaber battles are acceptable for such an old game. I like the cheesy videos with real actors.

80%PC

Was able to play this game like a modern dual analogue shooter due to the wonders of the Steam Deck. Excellent game that hearkens back to the golden era of Star Wars. Before the dark times, before Disney....

70%PC

Fine.

100%PC

I love this game to the degree that the mere mention of it's name or a single screenshot brings me untold joy. The whole Jedi Knight series has become a favorite, Dark Forces II most of all.

Kyle fucking Katarn kicks ass in FMV. This game's cutscenes make me jizz(star wars music).

70%PC

It's still a fun playthrough but the level design is frustratingly confusing and makes most of the game just chore to play. Also the lightsaber duels are just horrible.

80%PC

The fancier visuals and more modern control scheme are great and you might even enjoy it more than its predecessor, but it falls short in the lack of innovation and the new Jedi abilities being rather gimmicky and not coming into play that often. Also the bosses are awful. I also thought it was pretty cheap that they used music from the movies when the previous game had a stellar original score.

80%PC

I thought I had beaten this in the past, but I guess I never did because those final levels were new to me. There were some disorienting levels, and that falling ship level was awful, but it was pretty fun to go back and play through the first game I got when we got a PC in the house.

80%PC

Great old school shooter/slasher, the cutscenes where fantastically cheesy and really added to the game and the levels were good challenges to overcome. Really enjoyed the boss fights which were pure lightsaber duels.

80%PC

Great game; one of the best Star Wars games, and the first to portray decent lightsaber content. The cutscenes were well done, and the acting was decent (except for the insane Twi'lek dark Jedi), although the story itself was a bit of a letdown as far as pay-off goes. Some fun and varied levels, including escaping a falling starship and various underwater segments. No vehicles, but lots of weapons. Definitely worth a play, Star Wars fan or not!

80%PC

Went to hell and back to make it run on a modern PC but it was worth it. Awesome game.

100%PC

Man, graphics aside this game has reallly aged well. So ahead of its time.

80%PC

Jedi Knight was a day one purchase for me, and back when it blew my young mind and confused me. The story itself was a breathtaking focus back in '97, a landmark for storytelling in FPS games a year ahead of Half-Life--but in a more traditional sense, with a swath of cutscenes with acting and CGI reminiscent of the Beast Within. It was some seriously good shit, especially for Star Wars fans. (The Jedi Knight series has featured some of the more entertaining EU stories, which I admit to having a soft spot for.)

The level design returns from Dark Forces, this time with full 3D fancy. Occasionally impressive--visually speaking (of course)--and occasionally just balls-out confusing. Where the eff do you go half the time?

But still, man, outside of the sewer crap, I loved this game. The evolution of Kyle Katarn over the course of the story felt amazing to be in control of, even if the lightsaber combat was a huge, clunky letdown. And, as a youngster, the boss fights were the coolest thing ever to look forward to.

80%No Platform Specified

I can't deny that a lot of the lasting appeal of Jedi Knight has more to do with its licensing and less to do with its technical acumen. If it has been a generic fantasy or sci-fi game, it wouldn't hold up so well. Jedi Knight is no Unreal Tournament. But then again, Unreal Tournament is no Star Wars game. It's a trade-off, to be sure, but one still worth making.