| Star Wars Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy | |
|---|---|
| Developer(s) | Raven Software Vicarious Visions (Xbox)[1] |
| Publisher(s) | LucasArts, Activision |
| Series | Star Wars: Jedi Knight |
| Engine | Quake III: Team Arena (with Raven's custom SDK) |
| Version | 1.01[2] |
| Platform(s) | Microsoft Windows, Xbox, Mac OS X |
| Release date(s) | September 17, 2003 |
| Genre(s) | First-person shooter, Third-person shooter |
| Mode(s) | Single-player, multiplayer |
| Rating(s) |
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| Media/distribution | Optical disc, Download |
| System requirements
Windows:
Mac: |
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Star Wars Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy is a first and third-person shooter action game set in the Star Wars universe. It was developed by Raven Software and published, distributed and marketed by LucasArts in North America and by Activision in the rest of the world. Jedi Academy was released in September 2003 and received positive reviews, achieving an 81% aggregate score. In September 2009, the game was re-released along with its 3 predecessors through Steam and Direct2Drive.
Jedi Academy is powered by the same version of the Quake III: Team Arena engine used in its predecessor, Star Wars Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast, containing modifications to the Quake code to include lightsaber combat. In a new feature to the series, the player can modify the character's gender and appearance, and can construct a lightsaber by choosing the hilt style and blade color.
The player takes control of the character Jaden Korr, a student at the Jedi Academy under the tutelage of Kyle Katarn. The player must complete various missions assigned to them by Kyle Katarn and Luke Skywalker. There is a multiplayer mode that allows the player to play against other people over a network.
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As a first/third person shooter set in the Star Wars Expanded Universe, Jedi Academy puts the player into combat wielding a variety of firearms from the universe, as well as lightsabers and Force powers. The player can choose perspective for every weapon but the lightsaber, which can only be used in third person.
The shooter aspects of the game are typical, including a variety of projectile and energy weapons and explosives. Players have a health meter and a shield meter, which are replenished separately.
In both single player and multiplayer, the player character is a Force-user, who has access to a variety of Force powers in addition to his or her lightsaber(s). Powers include pushing and pulling, jumping, healing, lightning, and other abilities from the Star Wars universe. Force powers are categorized into Light (defensive), neutral, and Dark (offensive), and each Force power has three ranks. The power will increase in effectiveness with each rank. In both singleplayer and multiplayer, players choose how to rank up their powers, adding a layer of customizability. During gameplay, the player has a "Force meter" which is depleted when powers are used, and recharges when no powers are in use.
Jedi Academy places a heavy emphasis on lightsaber combat. The player can create a custom lightsaber by selecting a hilt and one of five blade colors.[3] The player can choose to wield a single saber, one saber in each hand, or a "saber staff" similar to Darth Maul's double ended lightsaber in Star Wars: The Phantom Menace.[4] The different sabers each have unique styles and special moves. When using a single saber, the player can choose between three stances which affect the speed and power of attacks; if using dual sabers, the player can switch off the second saber and use the "Fast"-style single-saber stance.
The player initially chooses the character's species and gender, and begins the game with a single lightsaber. Midway through the game, the player can choose to use dual sabers or a saber staff if desired.
The campaign alternates between linear missions and user-selected missions. During user-selected missions, the player is given a list of five missions, and chooses what order to complete them in. The player is only required to complete four of the missions before advancing.[5] Between missions the player can choose one of their force skills to improve. This will increase the impact of each force power and so makes the character more powerful as the game progresses.[6] The game also introduces player-controllable vehicles and vehicle-based levels.[7]
In multiplayer mode, one can play online or on a local area network (LAN) with other players as well as computer-controlled bots. The player can create their avatar using a series of options similar to the character creation in single player. Alternatively the player can choose to play as one of almost all of the existing characters from Jedi Outcast and Jedi Academy.
Before a match begins, the server specifies the Force ranking that will be used; this controls how many points the players have to invest in different Force powers. Players can then customize their powers for the match. The server can also disable normal weapons to create a lightsaber-only game.
There are different multiplayer modes such as capture the flag, Power Duel and Siege. Depending on the mode, players can play on their own or as part of a team. There are six multiplayer modes in total.[8][9]
There are many third-party multiplayer modifications for Jedi Academy. One is Movie Battles II which allows players to take part in lightsaber duels that featured in the Star Wars films.[10] Movie Battles lets players choose different classes of character, ranging from Jedi Knight to Wookiee. The maps are designed to closely recreate the locations seen in the films. The modification was led by Richard Hart, who took the project on as a hobby.[11]
The player takes the role of Jaden Korr, a new student arriving at Luke Skywalker's Jedi Academy on Yavin IV. Jaden Korr, along with fellow student Rosh Penin, becomes an apprentice to Kyle Katarn, the main protagonist of the previous games. As an apprentice, the player is dispatched on various peace-keeping missions across the galaxy.
As the game progresses, Jaden encounters the 'Disciples of Ragnos', a Sith cult who are stealing Force energy from various locations across the galaxy. The player learns that the cult is led by Tavion, the former apprentice of Kyle's nemesis Desann from Jedi Outcast. Tavion has recovered the Scepter of Ragnos, which has the power to drain and release Force energy. She plans to restore the Sith to power by using the stolen Force energy to resurrect an ancient Sith Lord, Marka Ragnos.[12]
The story has two different endings, depending on which side of the Force the player chooses. After learning that Rosh has betrayed the Jedi and joined Tavion, the player can choose either killing him and turning to the dark side or letting him live thus staying on the light side.
If the player follows the non-canonical dark side, Jaden kills Rosh but refuses to join the Sith or help resurrect Marka Ragnos. Jaden kills Tavion to steal the power of the Scepter of Ragnos and, after defeating Kyle in combat, embarks on a campaign of conquest. Kyle, who is found to have survived the duel with Jaden by Luke Skywalker, laments losing both Rosh and Jaden and vows to hunt Jaden down. Luke, wishing Kyle good luck, notes that though Jaden has turned to the dark side, there is always hope and Jaden is not beyond redemption.
On the canonical light path, Kyle and Jaden rescue Rosh. Jaden goes to the Tomb of Ragnos to confront Tavion. After besting her in a fight, her body is possessed by Ragnos' ghost. Jaden defeats Ragnos and destroys the Scepter, banishing Ragnos' spirit back into its tomb after defeating it.[13] In both endings Tavion is killed.
After Star Wars Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast was completed, LucasArts approached Raven to develop a sequel. Production began and Raven was set a one year development cycle.[14] Like Jedi Outcast, Jedi Academy uses a heavily modified Quake III: Team Arena game engine. The development team was made up of people who worked on Jedi Outcast, as well as Star Trek: Voyager – Elite Force.[15]
An early decision to be made during development was whether or not to use Kyle Katarn as the playable character. This was due to the character already being a powerful Jedi Knight, and starting off with the force skills would affect the gameplay.[14] To resolve this issue, Raven chose to make the playable character a student in a Jedi Academy. By using a completely new character, the developers were able to insert features that allowed the player to customize their character. Customizable features include the race and gender of the character, as well as the lightsaber color, hilt, and type. The Kyle Katarn character was then made an instructor in the academy and integral to the plot to ensure that Jedi Academy was built upon the existing Jedi Knight series storyline.[14] Raven extended the customization further as the game progresses by allowing the player to choose specific force powers to train upon completion of missions. This was done with the intention of giving freedom to choose the way and style the game is played.[16]
Another decision made early on was to include locations and aspects from the Star Wars movies. The designers desired locations such as Tatooine and Hoth, as well as the Rancor creature.[14] To develop the map for Hoth, a location featured in The Empire Strikes Back, the designers obtained as much source material as possible so to create an authentic reproduction. Level Designer Justin Negrete says that Hoth was one of the most challenging areas to design.[17] The general level design process started by planning out the level on paper. These ideas were then "fleshed out" to get the size and flow of the level. Once this had been done, features of the Quake III engine were used to add more detail such as lighting effects. The final stage of level design was adding aspects that improved the gameplay and fun of the level.[18]
The mission based format of Jedi Academy was used by Raven to reduce the linearity of the game, allowing the player to progress through levels mostly in the order they desire. The reduction in linearity was also achieved by only requiring 80% of levels be completed before the plot can move on.[5]
Raven provided modding tools with Jedi Academy, however the company specified that they're unsupported by customer support, so to avoid receiving many calls on the subject. Brett Tosti, a producer for LucasArts stated the opinion that the customization of the player that is provided by the game out of the box will mean that people are less likely to need to create their own "skins".[16]
Star Wars Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy was published and distributed within the United States by developer LucasArts. Activision took control of publishing and distributing the game in territories outside the USA.[19]
| Reception | |
|---|---|
| Aggregate scores | |
| Aggregator | Score |
| GameRankings | 81%[20] |
| Metacritic | 81%[21] |
| Review scores | |
| Publication | Score |
| GameSpot | 8.4/10[12] |
| IGN | 8.8/10[22] |
Both the PC and Xbox versions of the game were well-received.[23] Positive reviews praised the fact that, unlike Jedi Outcast, players could use a lightsaber from the beginning.[21] Game Over Online Magazine commented that "You start instantly with your lightsaber, rather than wading through six painfully bland FPS levels to get your lightsaber as you did in Jedi Outcast".[24] Critics lauded the lightsaber and player customization options: "You choose not only the gender and race of your character, but also which powers and fighting styles to develop," noted Gaming Age. "Third person adventure games rarely offer that much customization."[25]
Critics noted that, despite its age, the Quake III engine was used well.[26] "The Quake III engine, which although hardly groundbreaking any more, perfectly evokes the glow of the lightsaber and the grimy, metallic backgrounds of the films," commented PC Gamer UK.[27] Some critics did, however, note that the engine was starting to look dated.[24][25][26] The multiplayer, in particular the objective-based Siege mode, was well-received.[12][22] Jedi Academy's music,[27] sounds effects,[22] and voice acting[26] received acclaim, though some critics found it odd that all aliens spoke English.[22][28]
The story and level design received mixed reactions. Some critics commended the levels as varied (both in terms of length and content): "Some are a fast blast that can be beat in ten or so minutes. Others... can take as long as hours", GameZone observed, "The change of pace is very refreshing."[25][26] The story was described as "great"[28] by GameZone and as "strong"[25] by Gaming Age. Game Over Online was more critical of the mission structure: "This kind of free-form mission assignment... only serves to weaken the plotline. It also leads to a disjointedness to the missions... it seems more like roaming than any actual story advancement."[24] IGN remarked that "Jedi Outcast was more satisfying in terms of involvement with the story. Jedi Academy dishes out more action sooner but fails to put it in as solid a context as the previous game."[22]
The AI was criticized by PC Gamer UK as "laughable": "Every encounter you have is filled with people too stupid to realise that running away or taking some sort of cover would be the best option... [Jedi Academy] requires little to no skill to play through."[27] This opinion was echoed by GameSpot: "Stormtroopers usually just stand there shooting away at you... Dark Jedi rush at you, even after watching four of their brethren plummet to a horrible death. Occasionally, you'll see an enemy accidentally commit suicide by falling off a cliff or falling into lava, enemies will not even dive for cover or try and throw it back if you throw an uncooked thermal detonator at them."[12]
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