| | |  | | Home » Star Wars Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy | | | | | | | Description: | | The latest installment of the highly acclaimed Jedi Knight series. Take on the role of a new student eager to learn the ways of the Force from Jedi Master Luke Skywalker. | | | Product Details: | | | Product Weight:
| 0.2 pounds | | Package Length:
| 5.6 inches | | Package Width:
| 4.9 inches | | Package Height:
| 0.4 inches | | Package Weight:
| 0.25 pounds | | Release Date:
| July 11, 2005 | | Average Customer Rating:
|  based on 27 reviews |
| | | Game Information: | | | Platform:
| Windows 98 / Windows 2000 / Windows XP | | Media:
| CD-ROM | | Item Quantity:
| 1 |
| | | | Customer Reviews: | |
Average Customer Review:
 ( 27 customer reviews )
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
31 of 33 found the following review helpful:
 Use the Force... really, put down the blaster and use the ForceMay 06, 2006
By Gadget Fan in CA
I bought this game when it first came out. I thought it was an okay Star Wars FPS, but that some of the bosses were kind of hard to beat. Blasters and thermal detonators were iffy so I just flailed away with the lightsaber while mainly trying to run away. One of the big problems was that a regular mouse, even a wheel mouse did not have enough buttons to smoothly use the Force powers. It was similar to what I thought after seeing Episode IV and V: "What's the big deal with the Jedi Force powers and those light sabers? They have to be pretty close to use them so what good are they in a large scale fight?"
After watching Episode II I replayed it, but this time with a Logitech mouse with a ton of extra controls on it. Whoa! BIG difference. Now instead of stabbing blindly at F-keys I could control the Force powers and deploy them quickly and accurately. Then it was more like "Whoa, if the Jedi Knights could do *this* no wonder people/aliens thought twice before messing with them!".
At this point the game became interesting, especially after watching Episode III. Pay attention to what the enemy Force users and Kyle can do, because they will give you hints at what you can do. Note all the combo lightsaber attacks and their counters. At that point some enemies that were problems are no longer particularly significant.
Because you can select different Force powers as your character develops, it changes how you deal with each level and type of enemy. This means if you like the game you can keep replaying it and experimenting.
As far as good and bad Force powers go, note that Kyle says that it's not so much which powers you select but how you use them (so ignore Luke I guess). For example Kyle uses Force Lightning a lot.
As I type this I'm wondering if it might be possible to play all or most of the upper levels without using weapons at all. I may have to give it a try.
If you think you might want to replay it, be sure to save some of the higher levels where you have to make decisions about selecting specialized Force powers so you don't have replay the whole game if you don't want to.
Unfortunately increasing the single player difficulty decreases the rate at which your Force powers charge and your maximum shield charge instead of adding more enemies, etc. However, at one of the higher levels you get to make the big decision and if you choose the Dark Side you get to fight twice as many enemies.
Then there is a second aspect to the game. Playing single player using the Force Powers shows why the Jedi were so powerful in the movies. But if you didn't rely too much on Force Powers you now know how to fight with a light saber. Besides the basic moves, combo attacks, the counters there are also three combat styles and three diffent types of light sabers. This means there are a LOT of combinations. If you've learned those, go on-line and try your new skills against other Jedi Academy players. I haven't looked recently so I don't know how many servers and on-line players are out there (due to the game's age).
It's an old game so it's hardware requirements are not too demanding compared to 2006 titles. But in my opinion the game play and chance to play as a Jedi Knight make it a fun game even today. For ten bucks I think it's a deal.
13 of 14 found the following review helpful:
A game for the Jedi in all of usAug 11, 2006
By accolademaiden
This is my first Star Wars game I've played as a Jedi and it was the most fun I've had in a pc game. The only trouble I had was in getting used to using my keyboard and mouse to move my player around (only the first few tries). There aren't many choices of species but, the choice of sabers and colors make up for that.
The beginning is nice and easy so you can get used to using your force abilities. As you progress you get stronger and faster as well as bigger challenges. I really got into this game and came to like the characters alot. You get to travel all over the place and fight with a nice selection of weapons. The Wookie Bowcaster is my favorite!
The imagery is very good. Planets, creatures, and bad guys/gals were done very well. The cut scenes are fun to watch because they tie in with the whole story line. I especially loved the fight scenes with the Sith. The slow motion effects during these battles were awesome.
Overall, I had a great time playing this game. Some parts were easy while others were alittle bit of a challenge. Take your time and "use the force" to guide you. You will have so much fun and probably laugh at what those Stormtroopers have to say! Enjoy!
13 of 14 found the following review helpful:
 I like it. I like it a lot.Feb 28, 2006
By Christopher Wilson
"sushi_cw"
I'll keep this simple. Some of my favorite things about Jedi Academy:
1. Lightsaber combat! It's fun, fast, and intense, and you get a high degree of control over the saber. It's a blast against both gun and saber-weilding enemies. The dramatic saber/force power duels with dark jedi are the highlight of the game.
2. I like the power of creativity the game gives you. If you want to try something, it will probably work. You can pull weapons out of the hands of your enemies or push them off cliffs. You can use the vader-style grip to pick up enemies and choke them, or throw them off cliffs, or through windows, or hold them over a fire and let them roast, or throw your saber at them while they are suspended in the air, or simply beat them senseless against the walls. Stealth is a viable option, if you want to use it. If someone fires a rocket at you, you can dodge it, or use the force to send it right back at them.
3. There is a strong modding community. There are gigabytes and gigabytes of extra maps, missions, player models, and weapons available for download. Jedi Academy helps by being very mod-compatible, and the result is a lot of extra replay value.
4. The missions are nicely done, and have a pretty good variety of objectives and environments.
Some things I didn't like as much:
1. The storyline is pretty weak.
2. Except for the very last mission, there is no real lightside/darkside choice, and no real consequence for using the powers of the dark side.
3. Some of the vehicle code seems a bit unpolished.
4. There are other weapons besides lightsabers, but they are rarely useful except for taking out the rare enemy you can't get to with a lightsaber. They're generally well done, but they feel somewhat extraneous (in almost all situations). Fortunately, you generally have the option of simply ignoring them and sticking with the lightsaber.
5. The lightsaber occasionally feels a bit underpowered. Against more powerful enemies, it may take several clean cuts through their body before they actually die, which is a bit annoying. 3rd party mods are available that fix this though.
Overall, highly recommended.
6 of 7 found the following review helpful:
Very good - yet not great - leap over Jedi OutcastSep 27, 2006
By Rottenberg's rotten book review
"Jedi Academy" is the latest in a long-line of Star Wars shooter games that began with "Dark Forces" (1994) and followed the adventures of Kyle Katarn and other new Jedi Knights. As with "Jedi Outcast", "Academy" has you fighting various enemies across the Star Wars universe as rendered by the QuakeIII engine. Rather than play Kyle, you lead the fight as Jaden Kors, one of his assistants - an acolyte jedi (who ya' callin' Padawan!?). Looking and sounding little different than Outcast, Academy stands apart in more flexible gameplay. You can alter the appearance of your race, gender, skin color, dress and (before this becomes less a game than some Supreme Court case) your lightsaber. Choose the color and style of your saber - single or double sabers, or the double-bladed saber-staff made famous by Darth Maul in "Episode 1". A semi-centralized mission/level structure allows you to play various unconnected levels - each with its own unique challenges and styles - in the order that you choose. You play a set of small-level missions, then one big-compulsory mission which ramps up the running story of the game.
The problem? While it's always fun to play "Star Wars", I spent much of my time just reminding myself that this was supposed to be a sequel to Outcast, with all the improvements that sequels should be expected to have. Using the same graphics engine as Outcast means that the game overall looks the same. Gameplay is new, but the differences aren't really big improvements. Levels are typically shorter (enhanced by the fact that the levels don't form a single, compelling story as they had on previous "Jedi Knight" games, or even the original "Dark Forces"). Puzzles are simpler, and enemy AI seems less overwhelming. Sabre battles seem much easier than on "Outcast", though the evil Jedis will still be at least incredibly challenging. The levels themselves fall into two categories - traditional Dark Forces-style fighting and shorter gimmicky missions. (One mission has you fighting from car-to-car on a huge flying train; another has you salvaging components needed to repair your ship while your stranded on a desert planet inhabited by gigantic and voracious sandworms; another has you battling your opponents while riding "speeder bikes" ala "Return of the Jedi; still another has you infiltrating a floating Imperial fortress, leaving marker-beacons for attacking X-Wings.) Just as in "Outcast", there's a point where the story becomes more compelling and sharply broadens the scope of the game - In "Outcast", it was the Imperial prison planet where you went from navigating hallways to fighting for your life in a warzone in the canyons above. In "Academy", the "Money Mission" sends you & Katarn to Vijun, home to a fortress once owned by Darth Vader and now infested with vicious evil Jedi known as "reborn". Unfortunately, Academy then reverts back to "choose your next generic SW mission" with missions that are probably better than the first ones, but don't measure up to the complexity and sophistication of Vijun.
Being able to customize your appearance and your missions seems niftier than it plays. It doesn't really add to the experience - you're just a generic character in a generic Star Wars story (young and untrained Jedi students against former imperial forces and darker jedis who try and kill you with their fast moves and taunts). Anyway, players have been able to "mod" their appearance and play user-designed missions since the days of "Dark Forces", so even that feature isn't so new (I played that game as Boba Fett). Though a technological leap over the first "Jedi Knight" game of 1997, neither "Academy" nor "Outcast" match it in making you feel like you're inside a Star Wars movie. Even forgetting about narrative, Academy is still less of a leap in technology over "Jedi Knight" than that game was over "Dark Forces". I'm not sure why it was even released at all (the only real effect is that the on-line communities that craft mods for Star Wars games stopped working on Outcast mods, and turned to Academy exclusively).
Being little advanced over Outcast, the same system specs should apply. I played this on my P4-2ghz, GeForce3, WinXP system (remember when that sounded like more horsepower than you'd ever need?) and had no problems. Remember to check LA's website to make sure your graphics card is on the approved list - though I was able to play it flawlessly on a 2.4 ghz notebook equipped with GeForceGo. Whatever your specs, make sure you have some kind of gamepad - the Rotten Review has sworn by the Nostromo Speedpad since 2002. In short, if you missed on Outcast, get Academy. If you got Outcast, Academy is still a worthy game, but not one that will rock your universe.
5 of 6 found the following review helpful:
Love Jedi KnightSep 18, 2006
By Spendsters
Star Wars Jedi Academy is a lot of fun. I found myself unable to turn off my computer until I finished playing it. I completed Jedi Academy in a little over a week, playing about 2 hours per day on the average. I highly recommend this game to anyone who likes Star Wars. There is nothing like wielding a lightsaber and fighting dark jedi. I found that I rarely used the first person mode with a gun/blaster. The lightsaber was too much fun!!
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