Later in that level, Rosh killed himself repeatedly because he was Force-jumping too high over another short gap and dying on impact, and I had to revert to yet another previous save to continue. Despite his incessant pleading, he refused to budge the first time I did so - I had to restart the level and try again, at which point he ran across without hesitation. After crash-landing on Yavin 4, a fellow trainee named Rosh needs you to cut down a tree with your lightsaber so he can cross a fairly short gap across a stream. There's arguably a bit of polish missing from Jedi Academy as well, which shows up as early as the opening level. The good news is that system requirements aren't as demanding as other games being released these days, which makes sense considering the popularity of the series and the mass appeal of the license. Some of the textures have been improved and there are new lightsaber animations, but there's not much 'wow' factor here.

There are small improvements, to be sure, but overall they're the kind of minor enhancements you'd expect in an expansion pack, not a true sequel.

While Jedi Knight II looked (mostly) fresh and new when it was released early last year, the Quake 3-powered engine really shows its age in Jedi Academy. This gets taken to a somewhat ridiculous extreme when you find yourself fighting uber-Stormtroopers outfitted with jetpacks would it be so wrong to come up with a few more original enemies?Ĭhewbacca is only one of many characters that make cameo appearances in Jedi Academy. You'd think this would be a good thing, but it feels overdone ultimately, most of the levels feel like average shooter fare dressed up in Star Wars clothes. In varying moments, you'll run into Chewbacca and the Millennium Falcon, Wedge Antilles, Jawas, Tusken Raiders, Tauntauns, a Rancor and a Wampa - and this list only scratches the surface. Two of the first five missions are set on Tatooine, while another is set on Hoth. Interestingly, it sometimes appears as if there was a quota of classic Star Wars references established for Jedi Academy. The early missions are simply too easy, but become much more enjoyable later on. It's sometimes hard to tell if you're really pulling off moves or just button-mashing, but it's still fun as in Jedi Knight II, the best parts of Jedi Academy are the missions where you get to let loose with your lightsaber and Force powers, slicing, dicing, flinging and crushing enemies at every turn. Combat has been enhanced with more complex moves and combos, and in addition to the standard lightsaber, you can also upgrade to fighting with two lightsabers at once, or a Darth Maul-esque dual-bladed staff. Thankfully, things get much better about two-thirds of the way in, as you come up across more lightsaber-wielding enemies and you also gain access to new sabers and fighting styles.

Evolution of combat jedi academy