Using the power of the Force on the hapless Imperial lackeys is another key ingredient of JK II. Unlike the original, where points could be allocated to whatever powers you wanted, the powers here are handed out at predetermined points. This makes a huge amount of sense from a developer standpoint, since it will be known what powers players will possess at each level, and so levels can be designed accordingly, without worrying about unusual player templates. It also, I think, works very well in terms of game enjoyment too. I fretted over picking either the Light or Dark sides in the original JK, and didn’t want to have to play through twice to sample all the force powers. JK II solves this by picking all your powers for you – and they’re not all wimpy Light side powers either – meaning you don’t have to worry if you accidentally slaughter all the droids/innocents in a level. Some will undoubtedly chafe at the lack of choice, but I think it’s a good thing. Each power has three levels of strength, and by the third rank in each power you feel like you could give Vader and Yoda a good kicking, at the same time. Many of the game’s great moments come about from exotic experimentation with your powers. Should you cut this next trooper’s arms off with a sabre throw? Perhaps push him into an abyss with force push? Lightening him? Choke him, banging him through all the glass panels in the room? All of the above? The choice is yours…and by God, it’s such damn fun.

This is the absolute key to the game’s success. It makes you feel like a real Jedi Master, much more than Jedi Knight ever did. Later on, the game throws increasing numbers of AT-ST’s, droids and Dark Jedi’s at you, simply because you wipe the floor with normal troopers. Dropping through a vent into a room of stormtroopers as they scream in fear, and leaving them all dead in your wake without even breaking a sweat is one of the best gaming experiences I have had recently. As mentioned, the game falters slightly when it complicates things – the puzzles are ok, but I just wanted to get on with the fighting. I have heard other reviews state that the game is also slightly too hard. Personally I would not agree with this. The game is extremely difficult in the levels immediately before and after you gain your powers, and quick save is likely to be your favourite button for a while, but it actually gets easier as you become more proficient at the controls and stronger in the Force, and by the end you’ll be mopping up hordes of stormtroopers, and taking on two or three Jedi at once. Some of the level design can be frustrating, but not too often, and some of the powers are a bit useless (I almost never used Mind Trick). The plot is good, the is Star Wars, and the graphics are mostly excellent. There are some great locations (Cloud City a favourite of mine) and some less good ones, and the weapons are varied and fun. But once you get that lightsabre you’ll never look back. The combat is of such high quality that you will find yourself loading certain saves time and again as you endeavour to be more creative in the use of Force assassination. To say it all – I have not had this much fun with a game for a long, long time.

The Force is strong in this one - has turned Lucasarts back to the Light…

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By Nick McCrea