When Dark Forces came out years back, it was a decent enough first person shooter set in the Star Wars galaxy. The lead character Kyle Katarn was a agent for the Empire. When he found out the truth that they killed his father, he became a freelance mercenary. Eventually working for the Rebellion.

That's when Jedi Knight came out. Kyle attempted to become a Jedi in this game. He got Force powers and a lightsaber, but it just didn't seem like you had total control over the abilities.

Years later, fans were beginning to lose hope that a new game would come out in the already classic series. Well, Star Wars Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast is out, and it had surpassed anything the Star Wars universe has ever seen before...

Gameplay:
At the start of the game, we find Kyle on a mission with old time friend Jan for the New Republic. He has given up his old Jedi ways after being tempted by the Dark Side, and only carries a simple pistol. This part of the game is played in 1st person, and has the feel of the original Dark Forces.

I will admit right now, parts of this game are hard. While trying to save prisoners and find a key, you'll be attempting to hoard off dozens of attackers. With only weak guns to fight with, this can end up being a painfully daunting task.

Luckily, one level finds Kyle going to Yavin IV to find Luke Skywalker and get his lightsaber back. This gave me hope that the game would really get good now. Well, getting my lightsaber ending up being pretty hard.

Kyle is told by Luke that he has to undergo several tests to regain his powers in the Force. These are actually pretty confusing. The powers include Force pull, Force push, Force heal, Force choke, Force jump, Force speed, mind trick, and the best of all- Force lightning. Once you get all of these, the final task is to actually get the lightsaber.

After this is done, the game changes drastically. The feel goes from first person shooter to 3rd person action. Kyle attains some pretty sweet guns, but now that you have your lightsaber, you'll never go back. Using the saber is difficult at first, but once you the hang of it, you'll be cutting down trooper after trooper with ease. There are three different styles of saber fighting in the game. The first is medium. It's the most used and easiest for taking on enemies without lightsabers. Strong is where Kyle takes slow, powerful swipes. This is horrible for troopers, but if you get a hit on one of the dozens of Dark Jedi with this style, they are pretty much dead. Last is the fast style. This sucks for fighting off groups of enemies, but if you are about to duel, this is the best. It enables Kyle to strike much faster and block much better.

The rest of the game is in my opinion the most exciting game I have played in years. Levels get harder and harder, but they never lose their fun. The final boss is a Dark Jedi named Dasaan. I'll say it right now, if you play on any level above Jedi Knight, he's really hard.

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