Star Wars Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy

Star Wars Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy
"You're not "serving under me." I'm gonna teach you, and you're gonna learn. That's it. " - Kyle Katarn.
Protagonist(s): Jaden Korr Genre(s): First-person shooter Third-person shooter Adventure Action Hack and Slash Platform(s): MacOS X Microsoft Windows Xbox Xbox 360 Xbox One Xbox Series X/S Nintendo Switch (Remaster) Playstation 4 (Remaster) PlayStation 5 (Remaster) Release: Mac OS X NA: September 16, 2003 Microsoft Windows NA: September 17, 2003 EU: September 19, 2003 WW: September 16, 2009 (Steam) Xbox NA: November 18, 2003 EU: November 21, 2003 Xbox One WW: April 26, 2018 (also available for Xbox 360 and Xbox Series X/S) Nintendo Switch (Remaster) PlayStation 4 (Remaster, also playable on PlayStation 5) WW: March 26, 2020 Engine: Id Tech 3 Developer(s): Raven Software Vicarious Visions (Xbox) Aspyr (Remaster) Publisher(s): LucasArts (North America) Activision (Worldwide) Disney Interactive Studios (Digital) Aspyr (Mac OS X, Remaster) Series: Star Wars: Jedi Knight Predecessor: Star Wars Jedi Knight: Jedi Outcast

Star Wars Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy is a first- and third-person shooter video game developed by Raven Software and published by LucasArts for Microsoft Windows, OS X, and Xbox in 2003. Vicarious Visions was responsible for the development of the Xbox version. The game is a sequel to 2002's Star Wars Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast and the fourth and final installment in the Star Wars: Jedi Knight series.

Jedi Academy received largely positive reviews upon release. In September 2009, the game was re-released on Steam and Direct2Drive alongside the rest of the Jedi Knight series. A Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 4 port was announced in September 2019 and published by Aspyr in March 2020, it's also backward compatible starting from April 26, 2018, for Xbox 360, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and in 2020 for PlayStation 5.

Plot

Star Wars Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy follows Jedi student, Jaden Korr, who is being trained in the ways of the force by Kyle Katarn. After learning the basics, Jaden begins doing missions to help the Academy defeat the Sith lord Tavion, who is trying to resurrect an ancient Sith lord.

Why It's a Jedi

1. The plot is interesting taking place two years after Jedi Outcast, which follows a "Jedi Academy" (hence the title), where the protagonist Jaden Korr travels on certain missions and at the same time learns the force of becoming a Jedi.
2. Interesting characters, especially Kyle Katarn and Luke Skywalker returning as side characters.
3. Just like No One Lives Forever 2 and Soldier of Fortune 2: Double Helix, the in-game cutscenes are very well animated.
4. The weapons variety is huge along with the ones returning from Dark Forces 2 such as the Concussion Rifle.
   • You can even choose the weapons and force powers loadouts you want to use at the start of each mission.
5. The graphics are mind-blowing for 2003 standards and still look impressive to this day, thanks to its use of the ID Tech 3 engine.
6. The gunplay is even more polished.
7. The lightsaber combat is just as awesome as it was in the previous games, and arguably even more polished.
   • Just like the previous game, there is also a cheat code to enable dismemberment.
8. This game has two new force powers to use: Rage and Drain.
9. There are lots of enemy variety including new types of imperials, gangsters, and Dark Jedi.
10. Amazing voice acting by the talents of: Jennifer Hale (Ms Kane from The Powerpuff Girls (1998) and Gladys (Billy's mom) from The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy), Jeff Bennet (The titular character of Johnny Bravo), Kath Soucie (Dexter's mom from Dexter's Laboratory), Grey DeLisle Griffin (Kitty Katswell from T.U.F.F Puppy, Daphne from 2002-onwards Scooby Doo and Amanda from Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker), Tom Kane, Chewbacca (who reprised his role), Nick Jameson (Vlada Veramirovich from The Critic) and Dee Bradley Baker (Klaus from American Dad!).
11. The multiplayer is fun.
12. The PC version has mod support which consists of multiple-level mods and graphic mods.
13. The environments are more varied and interesting, even more so than the previous games.
14. The force powers are even more fun to use than ever before.
15. Superb boss fights that are both challenging and fun.
16. There are lots of secret areas in levels that encourage exploration.
17. The skill point system from Dark Forces II makes a return, which encourages multiple playthroughs with different play styles.
18. Darkside and Lightside morality return in the form of a choice towards the end that dramatically affects the last two levels.
19. There are two different endings to choose from: Light Side (Spare Rosh) or Dark Side (Kill Rosh).
20. Some locations from the films return as levels such as Hoth and Mos Eisley.
21. Players can choose between a single saber, a double-bladed saber, and wielding two sabers. All of these play differently.

Bad Qualities

1. For some reason, Mark Hamil didn't reprise his role as Luke Skywalker in the game.
2. Some people might find Rosh annoying, which is no wonder if some picked the bad ending.
3. Some annoying enemy types, like the shielded droids appear on one level.
4. Higher difficulty levels are sometimes cheap rather than challenging.

Reception

Both the PC and Xbox versions of the game were well received. The PC version holds an aggregate score of 81 out of 100 on Metacritic based on 34 reviews, and 80% on GameRankings based on 51 reviews. The Xbox version holds aggregate scores of 76 out of 100 on Metacritic based on 30 reviews and 75% on GameRankings based on 45 reviews.

Positive reviews praised the fact that, unlike in Dark Forces II and Jedi Outcast, players could use a lightsaber from the beginning. Game Over Online scored the game 92% and 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". Critics lauded the lightsaber interface and player customization options. Ernie Halal of Gaming Age gave the game an A−, writing, "You choose not only the gender and race of your character, but also which powers and fighting styles to develop Third person adventure games rarely offer that much customization.

Videos

TBA

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