A point in the narrative sees Kyle forced to rediscover his old force abilities, and it’s here where the game finally earns putting ‘Jedi Knight’ in its title. Luckily, pushing through this abuse (which I did by dropping down the difficulty and save-scumming) holds an eventual award the coveted lightsaber. I thought Stormtroopers were known for their poor aim? If only your health and shields would hold up long enough for you to enjoy it more. John Williams’ score is out in full force, interior environments have that iconic retro-futuristic feel and the story is really engaging. This is a shame, considering that Star Wars Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast does such a good job elsewhere at convincing you that it should be considered a genuinely important piece of Star Wars media. Shooting from the hip feels imprecise, not helped by incredibly small enemy hitboxes. The objectives aren’t clear either and firing from the hip just isn’t accurate. Still, forcing your way through hallways quickly becomes a chore when you face overwhelming odds. You collect all manner of gun types throughout these early hours and many of them have cool alternate fires. You see, the entire first half of the game sees you tackle endless legions of stormtroopers from behind the barrel of a gun, but enemy hitboxes are so small that lining up a perfect shot becomes incredibly frustrating. Problems arise almost immediately, however, when you realise that Jedi Outcast doesn’t really work anymore as a shooter. Kyle himself is well voiced, as are most of the characters you meet, and you really feel for his plight as he’s slowly pulled back into the Light vs Dark Side struggle. I’m sure this idea was already cool at the time, but Jedi Outcast hasn’t lost any of its charm as an interesting side story. Picking up roughly 8 years after the events of Return of the Jedi, players take on the role of Kyle Katarn, a former Jedi turned mercenary now working jobs for the New Republic. While ultimately scrubbed by Disney, Jedi Outcast does a good job at slotting neatly into the Star Wars Legends. Unfortunately, this sheen has dulled somewhat in this recent Nintendo Switch remaster, not least because one half of this odd mixture has aged far better than the other. Star Wars Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast may have never quite reached these lofty heights, but its unique combination of first-person shooting and third-person lightsaber combat gave it a certain appeal. George Lucas’ galaxy far, far away has been the subject of many tie-in games throughout the decades, with a few – namely KOTOR and its sequel – being considered some of the greatest of all time.
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