Reception
The game was generally well received among players and critics alike, the PC version on average scoring in the 85–90% region according to review aggregates by IGN and Metacritic.
IGN praised the game, describing it as "not only is this one of the greatest Star Wars games ever played, one of the best action games period". It commended the "mature plot", "fantastic" graphics and "intelligent" level design. However, it did criticize the puzzles, the lightsaber interface and complained that "the game starts too slowly". Despite this, it was given a rating of 9.0 out of 10 and an Editor's Choice award. It received a score of 9.5 from Game Informer, whose reviewer said, "Without question, Jedi Outcast is the most enjoyable and accomplished Star Wars game yet".
Many other outlets had similar criticisms of the opening and puzzles. Although it gave the game 93%, Game Over Online called it an "an intriguing juxtaposition of pieces of incredibly intense FPS action that had me on the edge of my seat combined with puzzle-like sections of such opacity that they made me want to kill myself". GameSpot's review acknowledged the "slow start" and "too much puzzle-solving", but concluded by saying "the game's strong points - especially its combat - overshadow whatever problems Jedi Outcast may have early on". In one of the few negative reviews of Jedi Outcast, X-Play criticized it as a "disturbance in the Force". Although it called the story "pretty good", the graphics "fantastic" and the audio effects "just right", it complained that the level design "succumbs to the Dark Side", describing "illogical and frustrating situations". The reviewer also considered the multiplayer "not very impressive" and gave the game 2 out of 5 stars."
In June 2007, Gametrailers made a countdown in which the top 10 best Star Wars games are listed, and in said list Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast ranks as number one; the narrator mentions that "this may not be the first time in which you play as a Jedi in a video game, but this is the first time in which you actually felt like one". The Countdown also compliments the deep light saber and Force combat system, a story that is consistent with the movies as well as cameos from virtually all the key Star Wars characters.
While the Xbox and GameCube versions also received generally positive reviews (the Xbox version was described as "truly fantastic" and "the best Star Wars experience on the Xbox" and the GameCube version as "worth spending time with"), their aggregated scores were not as strong as the PC and Macintosh versions'. Many critics had issues with the translation from computer to console, citing the slightly inferior, yet still solid controls and sharp graphics as hindrances. The Xbox version was criticized for a lack of Xbox Live support.
Read more about this topic: Star Wars Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast
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