![]() ![]() Other than that, clicking down the left stick activates your currently selected power, which - as we suspected - feels a whole lot more natural than the keyboard Olympics the PC version demands from you, but in practise still isn't the most natural feeling combat system we've ever encountered. On the Xbox the D-pad houses both the weapons and Force powers menus - left/right cycles through the former, up/down the latter, with the ability to assign that power or weapon to the X button by holding it down for three seconds - readying it for instant recall during gameplay. Imagine playing a beat-'em-up that uses mouse control for the camera, and forces you to select your combos from a cyclical menu and you get some idea of how clumsy this feels. In the heat of a battle it was far too easy to select the wrong one and find yourself sliced up. On the PC version, we found ourselves struggling to cope with the need to cycle through the various force powers then select them (or reaching the distant shortcut keys). ![]() Occasionally you'll find an opponent that can only be defeated via a lightsaber attack (yes, apparently able to block missiles too), and as the game goes on you'll find yourself having to use this more and more - to the point where use of the numerous Force powers becomes a necessity rather than an option. Not only does the lightsaber act as an effective block to enemy fire, it slices them up good. However, during the majority of the game you can get by pretty well just either using the standard run and gun FPS mechanics, or panning out into third person mode and wielding your lightsaber at everyone you come across. Predictably, the more powerful and amusing powers are on the dark side, with the likes of Force Lightning, Drain and Grip a lot more fun than the light side's Force Heal or Absorb, although the Jedi Mind Trick has plenty of comedy value when you're sending foes falling to their doom. Some powers are granted automatically, while a selection of light and dark powers can be activated at your choosing, presenting you with the potentially interesting conundrum of becoming entirely evil. The first tier of missions are effectively five levels that you can attempt in any order, and the game progresses on that basis thereafter, gradually ramping up the challenge and allowing you upon completion to assign yourself new Force Powers or upgrade existing ones to level three. ![]() The opening level is a tad contrived to say the least, with a shoehorned sense of linearity as you carve trees down to make 'bridges' and in truth it takes several hours before the game becomes truly engaging as it takes you first through a basic refresher course on your Jedi powers, then through a handful of dreadfully uninspired levels. Unlike the similarly flawed Jedi Outcast, you actually get to wield the lightsaber right from the off, and the game gives you the chance to do just that when your ship crash-lands on route to the Academy. ![]() Create-a-Jediįunctionally the game is identical to the PC version, with four levels of difficulty, and the ability to create your own Jedi from a selection of species, heads, clothes and lightsaber styles. A newbie student who hopes to one day become a fully-fledged Jedi, and has enrolled at the Academy under the watchful eye of Luke Skywalker and your 'master' Kyle Katarn, who regulars will recall starred in previous Jedi Knight adventures. The whole game centres on the concept that you're a fresher. The PC version was one of those FPSs chock full of ideas that probably sounded good in the design doc, but when it came to putting them into practice Raven slipped up. Firstly it's a game which arguably has controls that lend themselves better to an Xbox pad than a finger-stretching PC keyboard configuration, and secondly it's being ported by Vicarious Visions - the team tasked with the Doom III port, of all things. There were two reasons we were curious to take a look at this quick-fire port. ![]()
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