in 1997 I was 12, our family had just got our first home computer, a pentium 133 with a 3DFX card. The Special Editions were out that summer so Star Wars was very much back in the zeitgeist for many kids including me. I remember seeing a review for this game in PC format magazine and begged for it for Christmas. Man...what a Christmas Day that was... Seeing the live action cut scenes was unlike anything I'd ever seen before in a game. Running around Nar Shaddaa and just soaking in being in that universe, being Kyle Katarn... Dark Forces 2 is a very special game to me. I sunk hours in this, and Mysteries Of The Sith. I loved playing with the cheats that allowed you to jump and fly, simple things like finding a grate you could slash open, cantina's playing the cantina music, it made it feel like a part of the universe. Characters such as Jerek and 8T88 have stuck with me a long time since. This game was a masterpiece
I still go back and plays games like this and Dark Forces every couple of years to recapture those moments of my childhood. We lived in a golden era of gaming gents. Glad to see guys like who still love these specific games and know it’s not just me.
My brother and I played this game a lot when we were kids. We had no internet back then, so we just ran around the empty multiplayer maps, with our imagination filling in for the other players. Man, do I still love this game. Also, it‘s cool how much of it they connected to the broader EU, even though all that happened retroactively. It‘s a real shame they stopped putting put Star Wars content after 2014.
@@DeicideBlues I tried so hard to get into the soulslike gameplay of the Jedi series, but it's just not my cup of tea... Which is a shame, what I saw from Jedi Fallen Order was story-wise was quite good
This is one of my favourite games of all time. I got it for Christmas 1997 and was so enveloped by the feel of the world, it was the first time I really felt I was in the Star Wars universe. Getting to wield a lightsaber in first person for the first time was amazing, I loved the live action cutscenes, everything about it was awesome.
My grandparents brought it home for me to Toronto from a trip down south to the US. It was one of the most epic games I have ever played to this day! It was also the very first game I played using a "3D Accelerator", when games first went from software driven graphics to hardware driven. It was a mind blowing moment in my PC Gaming life that I will never forget. That it occurred while deeply entrenched in this Golden Age Epic made for a most profound memory to this day! This Review is tremendous and beautiful! Greatly appreciate the deep dive and reliving the game once more!
This game was what first introduced me to the Star Wars Expanded Universe. To this day it holds a dear place in my heart. Jerec and the Seven Dark Jedi remain my favorite antagonists from the strong impression they left on me as a kid.
Back when it came out, the Dark Forces 2 multiplayer servers were totally lit, and completely loaded with modders. We had lightning lightsabers my man.
Maaaan, I wish I got that experience, by the time when I was old enough to play the game in '02-'03, I don't think the servers were that active anymore and my internet wasn't good, so I used to just roam the multiplayer maps using different characters and making a narrative out of the empty maps lmfao Jedi Knight is one of the goats for sure
Wait I own this on PC… it had multiplayer? I don’t remember this? How did I miss out on something that would’ve been amazing. I remember outcast having multiplayer but that was something I miss out on
@@JediWarrior2007 everyone stopped playing jedi knight and moved to jedi knight 2. the mods were awesome back then, rainbow light sabers, different colors, it was fun... especially for 11 year old me.
I would love a HD remaster or even a remake of this game I know they’re updating dark forces but Jedi knight is even more nostalgic for me. I remember it had a massively thick manual and it was one of the first PC games I ever owned that came on multiple discs. Plus I just love that box art
I also found it funny as just at the end of your video you mentioned you played the first three levels of mysteries of the Sith on a demo disk which is the most i did aswell haha that first level was lasered into my brain. Also Jedi outcast is an absolute must play if you haven’t already, It’s sort of similar to Jedi Knight gameplay progression wise, but once you do get the force and lightsaber its all you want to use the rest of the game.
I somehow lost the manual the day I got the game, so my very young self *struggled*. But it became such a core memory that I had to buy it again as an adult and actually beat the game. I must have seen the intro a thousand times from all my restarts lol They can hd it up all they want, BUT IF THEY TOUCH MY LIVE ACTION CUTSCENES LUCAS ARTS BURNS
I watch a lot of retro TH-camrs who play games I loved growing up, and the thing that Makes you special and better than all the rest, is that you don’t punch down. You’re enthusiastic and positive about the games. I know my nostalgia makes them *seem* perfect. And obviously these games have flaws. But so many people just make fun of these and eventually say something like “worth playing tho!” I really appreciate how you respect these game’s legacy
Kyle's story arc in this game and JKII makes one of the best complete duology stories imo. The trauma of him losing his father, struggling with the dark side, losing his emotional crutches, and living with the guilt of killing people makes the game so good. I can compare those games to others like Ocarina of Time/Twilight Princess, Breath if the Wild/Tears of the Kingdom, NieR Replicant/Automata, Devil May Cry 3/5, and Kingdom Hearts COM/II because they're that good to me.
This game was an absolute banger back in the day. It had a very active community on the MSN gaming zone. At least I think that’s what it was called. It also had a ton of mods and modded levels. There was some that had their own quests. I remember one level was just a casino. I have a lot of nostalgia for this game. A part of my childhood I remember fondly.
Also, it's fascinating that Jerec's master is that librarian from the prequels. I find this incredibly interesting as she seems very shrewd and stoic, which matches his personality even as a dark-jedi.
@@WTFisTingispingis Well, yeah. You kinda answered your own question. Though he's a dark jedi, not a sith... for some reason. Though, as an inquisitor, even I can't say I know the reason for that.
Kind of reminds me when George Lucas was asked about Darth Maul getting cut in half in TPM, he said he knew there would be fans that would want him back, so he wanted to let everyone know he was dead and gone for sure...I kept thinking, "but Maw from DF2 came back..." Well, so did Maul :)
I spent so many hours watching my older brother play this when my kid self couldn't understand the controls much less be brave enough to play it. Since then, I spent countless hours playing this game. I still have the cheat codes memorized from when I was terrible at games. Jedi Knight is still the nostalgic rubric which my mind compares all other fps games to. Great retrospective for such a memorable game.
While I was a huge fan of the Star Wars movies as a kid, Jedi Knight was my first step into the EU and it conpletely blew my mind. It managed to touch all the same bases as the OG trilogy while presenting them as something completely different.
When this game came out I bought my first 3D accelerator for my computer just to play this game. Seeing 3D accelerated graphics for the first time on this amazing game blew me away. I spent countless hours into it and I downloaded add-on levels that modders made. I had the same great experience in 2002 when Jedi Outcast came out.
“Morgan Katarn” - Dark Jedi Jerec. Repeating the clip moment every time there’s a mention of him. The factional break up of the Empire wasn’t something I understood all those years ago. It wasn’t until I got deeper into what was then the Star Wars EU that I saw this was a much larger universe.
I didn’t have it as a kid, but my friend at school did. He’d play it at night and then fill me in on the lore the next day. So I experienced it vicariously and for ages didn’t even know what the characters even looked like!
My favorite line from 8T-88 in the book and audio drama versions is "However I am not without a heart. Well actually I am without a heart. but still, I might allow you to live if you answer my questions." The character is so much more sassy in the book and the audio drama versions.
This video is amazing. The fact that you went to the trouble of changing the music in the cutscenes to put them in the video shows how much you care. Honestly, I really like your editing, narration, and overall video quality. And I also love Star Wars so it's the perfect combination. Although no matter how much of a fan I am of the saga, I have never played this particular game; for no specific reason, it just didn't happen. But I'm going to play it one of these days. It is part of Kyle Katarn's journey and I love the character; and also I love FPS games so it's another perfect combination.
Actually taking the original star wars music out of the video which is intended for the game experience really sucks. Copyright strikes are in no way negative to a channel but I get people just want to monetize and make money off their stuff. But you can't play a star wars game without John Williams it's almost a sin.
The scale you keep referencing is very under appreciated. I started modding games like Quake 2 and Half-Life about a year after this game came out. Making a simple map with spaces that were as large as was in DF2 would take days to compile and result in levels that were unplayable due to low performance. It's amazing that they pulled this off in 97.
Back when I was 8 or 9, before we had the internet and the capability of walkthroughs, I got stuck on that fuel depot mission for like 8 months! Finally one day I realized that you had to shut the huge round "door" behind you before it would let you open the one in front of you. Then I never got past mission 13 until a friend of mine bought the guide book and taught me the wonders of cheat codes. I played through the whole game many many times after that; I had a save for every level and would constantly go back and replay my favorites. It never really bothered me, until watching this video, how so many of the force powers (especially in the cutscenes) are not something seen in any other SW media. And the live action cutscenes were so epic! I can't imagine why no other video games have emulated that. Really made it feel like this story was part of the greater SW universe. Anyway, thanks for this trip down memory lane. I hope it can somehow be made available on a Mac someday so I can replay all this myself.
39:35 - To be fair, Yun was down on the ground and unarmed. Kyle has always killed people who posed a threat to him and others, but to kill a defenseless person? That's the difference. Jedi can kill in self-defense, but to take a life at will is a whole different thing. And by either sheer coincidence or intentional design, Level 8 - the level right after the Yun duel - is where Kyle finally learns to use Force Pull, meaning you don't need to kill anyone anymore - just disarm them. I've done pacifist runs of the game because of that ability.
Yun’s lightsaber has always been yellow, that’s how it’s depicted in art from the time as well. It appeared maybe more printer in Mysteries of the Sith, but it’s definitely yellow here, and according to wookiepedia
The mod community for this game was incredible and very active multiplayer community after its release all the way up to the Jedi Outcast release. There were complete roleplaying maps where you would take a role and make money and buy weapons and crazy stuff like "Caesars Palace" casino and "Purgatory". Highly underrated. Along with a very competitive saber dueling and clan scene on the MSN gaming zone.
I remember playing this game's multiplayer on MSN Zone for years. There were clans and a lot of creative multiplayer maps and modes people came up with. I also remember "builders" or something that was kind of like Fortnite.
The crazy part about the MSN gaming zone was that the rooms only allowed 4 concurrent players which is crazy because JK itself could have up to 16 players per session, so that's where I heard about alt-tab for the first time where people would join in through the zone to connect to the mp game, then once they were in they would alt tab (basically had to do this to get back to the browser since the game was running fullscreen) and leave the zone room. Even though the zone room might only show as having 1-2 people there could actually be a lot more once you actually joined the game. Other unspoken rules like "fist = peace" were in place because before outcast there wasn't a way to holster weapons or actually turn the lightsaber off while still equipped but there was fists as it's own weapon so that always meant you shouldn't be attacked as your were busy RP'ing, chatting, or AFK. Some mods for outcast and academy actually put back the fists as a weapon since it did still exist for use with some NPCs.
The multiplayer for the game was the most fun I ever had playing online and was SO much fun. It wasn’t just a small community, there were tons of players and the mod community was massive. You could download levels people made and there were level editor programs available that you could easily learn how to make your own levels. This video was amazing and in depth, but this game is even deeper than the video gets into because the multiplayer was so massive that it really deserves a video unto itself. One of the best StarWars games of all time but somehow doesn’t get much attention these days. I play through this game every so often and always love it. There is still a small community who plays some online games occasionally also which is really cool too. Thanks for giving this game some love.
I loved Dark Forces so much but Jedi Knight came out when I was 17 and it just blew me away. It was an amazing experience. Level 5 - upon emerging from that dark hallway into the massive courtyard with a giant tower I was stunned. I mean I had never played a game that had something like this and gave me such a spine tingling feeling. It was unbelievable. I start rambling like a little kid when I reminisce about my experiences playing these old Star Wars games for the first time. The excitement was off the charts lol. Then we had an actual light sabre with a 3rd person camera which made for epic sabre battles. And don't get me going on having Force Powers. Force Pull is a personal favorite. "Stand at your post!" ha! I just finished playing through this with the remaster mod. I strongly recommend it as well. Thanks for this video! 👍👍 1:02:41 Jason Court's acting was just epic here. Even I got wrapped up in it and felt his rage whenever I watched it.
I played the multiplayer extensively as a youngster. There was a thriving online community mainly built around lightsaber dueling without force powers. The crashed ship valley where you face off against one of the two human dark jedi depending on your choices was the multiplayer map of choice back then. Good times. I was so good at it back in the day.
I honestly want to maintain that Yun's lightsaber is yellow. Compare it to the ones used by Gorc and Pic and you can see the difference. Also, it is a yellow as yellow can be in the cutscenes.
Even for dark side Kyle, killing Jan never made sense. He fell for her pretty quickly. If anything he would be determined to use his power to make sure no one could ever hurt her again.
Awesome retrospective! This was one of the games that sparked my love for video games in general and it elevated my love for Star Wars to a whole new level. Your video really brought back some great memories. Thank you so much!
My childhood was this game and FFVII. Countless hours spent that I still remember the levels and most exploits. It's mindblowing you have almost 10k subs. With your content should be more. Thank you for this nostalgia packed video!
1:31:53 Yeah, I remember first time I played it was around 2007. I had no idea how this morality scale worked. I knew I did something wrong when Kyle killed Jan because I played Jedi Outcast years before. In the end, when Emperor Kyle pulls out the holorecording again, I was totally hopeful that "yeah, I knew there's still good in him!" And when he drops it and crushes it with his foot I went like "oh... shit". :D
1:15:09 I think that these Kell Dragons may be intended to be Nashtah Which are darkside attuned monsters, from a different world, but ones that could possibly be in a place like Ruusan or even the Kells could be leftover warbeasts from the campaign of Lord Hoth vs the Brotherhood of Darkness
43:58 this shot right here of 88 in the shadowy hangar always looked SO ahead of its time visually when compared to the rest of the game. They did an amazing job with the shading on that particular CGI shot.
You are making crazy detailed videos about the best Star Wars games ever made. I was hoping to see Star Wars Theory doing something similar but man it's a real pleasure to follow your work. It's like documentaries mixing passion for gaming, pre disney Star Wars and Lore. Thank you
Played Dark Forces and loved it (on PlayStation). When we got a new computer my mom got me this for christmas. Was blown away by the live action cut scenes
I was 12 years old in 1997 when this game came out. Such great memories! Played multiplayer alot on the internet gaming zone, I'm sure you all remember playing on battleground Jedi and canyon oasis... Plus all the countless custom maps and mods like manowars, bfp skin pack, too much to list!
I used to play this game at least once a week when I was younger. I would start on Sunday morning and finish in the evening. I always played the same way, light side, but once, after like 10 runs, I decided to choose the dark side powers. I had no idea there were 2 endings. I was SHOCKED when Kyle killed Jan. Great job with this video, man!
Great analysis. It’s hard to get across how groundbreaking this game was when so many future games refined and improved upon the formula. But as you said, nobody was doing these things back then. This video took me way back to hours spent in my basement as a teen trying to find hidden rooms. Also, I totally forgot how much inspiration the prequels took from this game. Thanks for posting.
I've been with this game ever since the beginning. Started with the demo disc, and then shortly after my friend gave me the full copy! Ever since JK:DF2 has been my favorite Star Wars game of all time, and I am extremely loyal to this masterpiece as I have been an avid member of the JK community since the Zone was closed in the early 2000s. I ran an IRC channel for years after that keeping the multiplayer community alive and well, and I have even gone as far as creating a large multiplayer level series called the Dralloc Series which were insanely popular amongst the community. This game has a special place in my heart, and I will always consider it one of the greatest games of all time!
As someone who didn't have a PC growing up and missed out on so many games like these, it's sooo nice to get to experience them in your videos when i may not ever have a chance to play them. Thank you for all the hard work you put in creating this 🙌 you a real one, my guy 💯
1:10:56 Imperials build Prefabs very very quickly. And in the novela/audiodrama Jerec's people had been excavating around the area trying to find the fore for weeks or months by the time Kyle catches up.
You nailed my excuse at the end there - I never played this simply due to lack of access to a competent Win 95 system at the time. Instead I loved and played Dark Forces, but leaped completely over the following generation, playing the hell out of Jedi Outcast, and entirely missing out on Jedi Knight. Thanks for putting this together, it really wraps it up in a nice package, and gives me a good sense of what I missed out on. The 90s were very exciting for Star Wars games. It was a time when I think a lot of us just assumed they'd never make another movie, and so while it was the dark ages for Star Wars movies and TV, the games were booming. And it's amazing the work they put into the lore here, it doesn't just rest on good gameplay. I may have to go back and play this (and mysteries of the sith) some day.
If you've got a good enough PC, you might be able to setup a win95 or 98 system with the 86Box emulator and play them on there. I play a lot of classic retro games with that that won't run on modern systems.
Man, I remember being like 11 or 12 and playing this game. Took me forever to figure out some of the levels, but it was fantastic! This was the game that introduced me to Kyle Katarn and EU as a whole.
When I was little, my pc was utter shit and we didnt have many games. One of my first games was the Star Wars Episode 1 game, which your reviewed but the rest were all demos. This game was one of my most played demos, it started you in a rebel base while the imperials attacked, blasting "Imperial Troops have entered the base" and you had to escape. It even made you fight an AT-ST before the demo ended. A few years later I managed to get Jedi Outcast and I didnt understand the story at all! Because I only had the demo back then! Such great memories. I hope you keep reviewing the games! Good luck!
A huge huge deal in 1997. Mind-blowing. Even if my 7 year old self had to use level select cheats eventually in most levels after a while getting lost in the labyrinths! Damn seeing some of these areas is making memories flood back. Thanks for an excellent video!
Today it is hard to believe but when the first previews for this game appeared in gaming magazins it has been so huge for me as a Star Wars Fan. Not only was there a new Jedi but you could also become one! And Jerec was so god damn cool. I played this game at least 30 times over the years and it still is amazing. Finding Max for the first time :D ... it made my day back then
Geeky fact: The actor that played Jeric in the cut scenes, Christopher Neame was also in the Hammer movie Dracula AD 1972 - the film had both a Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing in it; so basically 3 Starwars actors in one movie… ok 2.5 lol.
I am glad that I have discovered your channel. You do justice to the SW saga and their respective legacy in terms of old games. It's refreshing to see commentary that doesn't focus to much on all of the new stuff and takes the games as they were released. You entertaining and have a good pace. The videos fly by and are really satisfying to watch. The editing is also great. Hope you continue with some other SW games. Have you ever heard of Force Commander? It is an odd RTS game that got released way back where you also play as the Empire and it seems somewhat lost to time and overshadowed by Empire at War. I'd love to see someone comment on that game.
I have to admit, I can't recall hearing the music heard at 23:53. I know you said you replaced the soundtrack but what is that track and where is it from?
I think I remember hearing somewhere that a Lightsaber mod for Dark Forces is part of the reason why one is in this game. I always felt that after the medical treatment before going home that Kyle should have held the disk up so he was looking at the large flat part and the camera saw the edge and the either right before or after he says "I'll find out when I get there" turn the disk so that the camera has the circle for the cut to the planet. After Kyle defeats Yun the first time and is deflecting blaster bolts at the end of the clip he swings around the saber while grunting and I always thought it should have had a last second blaster bold get deflected right into the camera. (39:25) Kyle batting his eyes saying that Jan will bail him out of trouble when they are at the Valley is great. I like the FMV in this game. It does have echo in the sound and to much green screen but full sets would have been to much money. Just like Wing Commander 3 vs 4 for example. I think the actor playing Boc probably had lots of fun. Maw was cut in half by Ran in the opening video. Somewhere about 8:00 I always remembered Yun's saber as yellow.
I played Mysteries of the Sith and Jedi Outcast the most. I love Mara Jade. So MotS is excellent in my opinion. Plus I love the voice acting of Rino Romano, and he voices Kyle, so I love that too. Jedi Outcast gave me more Luke, so I automatically loved that game. The bad guy in that game is cool too. And I love the original Dark Forces. I never cared about Jedi Academy. Except for seeing more Luke.
Thank you for this incredible video. This game was a huge part of my childhood and I’ve been feeling so nostalgic about it as of late. What a special special game this was!
Some of the multiplayer fan-made maps for JK are insane in scope. I remember a Death Star themed map that blew my mind, level after level, huge bottomless pits, hanger bays, the works.
Thank you for making this video. I was around 12-13 when it came out and mom wouldn't let me own shooters because they were "too violent". I saw JK at a game store and convinced my dad to let me buy it. Mom wasn't happy with Dad, but I was happy haha. Game was mind blowing and revolutionary. I had forgotten that HL hadn't come out yet when this was released. Crazy. One thing not mentioned was how you can launch objects at enemies with force throw. I hadn't seen something done like that before (tossing around objects at enemies) much, if at all. Also, PLEASE do Mysteries of the Sith. I put SO many hours into that game, mostly the multiplayer. The community support for MotS was crazy.
Jedi Knight was one of the best Star Wars games and really got me into Star Wars when I was growing up. Was also the very first game I ever played online with a friend. I even downloaded a mod and played as Darth Maul in the multiplayer. Was a wonderful experience and still one of the better lightsaber combat games.
58:44 Oh wow I really had a mandella effect memory of starting on the Sulon star as if I'd stowed away. But yeah in the Novela the Sulon Star straight up explodes on Sulon and a whole different freighter used to get there (That freighter also never lands, so there's no "Escape a crashing freigher" sequence. I feel like the Sulon Star was originally intended to explode, then they got the cool idea for the crashing level and changed the story last minute.
Soooo many late nights playing MP over gamespy arcade. The modding scene was lit as well. Saber Battle X, JKrpg - Barons Hed , GoldenEye the list goes on. Heck the biggest modding site for the game is still operational.
You missed a difference when going dark side. Every boss fight starts with a cutscene with Rahn explaining who the dark Jedi you’re facing are. Once you go dark enough, he stops narrating
I actually got both Star Wars Dark Forces and Star Wars Dark Forces II back to back. Dark Forces copy I got came with a demo version of Dark Forces II. The demo version of Dark Forces II consisted of the Nar Shaddaa levels if I remember right. It piqued my interest enough at age 11 to install the full game. I wasn’t very well read on Star Wars lore at the time but the live action cutscenes were amazing to me. Also being fresh off finishing Dark Forces I was eager to continue the adventures of Kyle Katarn. The Dark Troopers also reminded me of the Terminator albeit the machine look. As to the vertical city and the aliens of the same well that was exciting to my younger self. Kyle’s journey towards becoming a Jedi Knight had some interesting points. It was first game I experienced with a morality system and different endings resulting from actions taken as Kyle. Admittedly Jerec’s actor certainly made his screen time engaging especially the way he spoke and later I swore I saw the actor in other shows like Babylon 5. The on screen dynamics between the actors was well written. I also found books on tape that were adaptations of Dark Forces and Dark Forces 2. I later picked up Mysteries of the Sith and Jedi Outcast. So I became more invested in Star Wars Expanded Universe which was later rebranded as Legends. Kyle and Jan continued in the EU content so I was happy that authors writing for the EU kept finding more adventures for them.
@@evprince yeah looks so cool I wanted to use it to update the images in the mod Installer for the next version is that ok? Would be cool to have the original too if so! Thanks!
I have no idea what your problem is with Fuel Station Launch. That has always been my most memorable level to use blasters instead of the saber. I kinda liked it in the demo too back in the day! It literally convinced me to want to own a PC myself back when it was new!
You forgot to mention a few things: The Valley of the Jedi is what made Darth Bane who he is and gave way to the Rule of Two! There used to be a lot of promotional picture releases of the in-game Baron's Hed tower. You never mentioned because you probably weren't alive back then how cool it was in 1997 to fight AT-STs!!! Ughnaughts are maybe a little too tall and sound too weird. There is no way Tuskens can be formed into a swoop gang! Too much liberty with the license here. Yun had the first depiction of a Yellow Saber, which you use later. Somehow that turns Orange later for MotS??? You never mention the alternate names of Lord Cronal. Pic is a Kowakian Monkey Lizard turned fully sentient. Maw is seen being cut in half in the intro!!! Unlike Maul, Maw actually mastered Force Levitation. (Like Dooku in the early Clone Wars cartoon.) To make better use of his repulsor lift waist, he can use the force to fly! Maw was probably the first appearance of the phrase "Jedi Shadow". Maw is also the only appearance of a Boltrunian. Somewhat resembling a Noghri. Maw has the first appearance of an Orange Saber!! My favorite color! Maw's saber style is actually determined to be Trispzest, suited for flying and winged individuals! You didn't even mention that the Sulon Star's Descent was for decades the only diagonal map ever made! Sariss' Blue Saber color usage was quite rare! NO, Yun's saber is definitely YELLOW. The later MotS Orange blade is due to some change in the equipment. A little detour: After Dark Forces II Jedi Knight, Kyle actually joined Luke's Praxeum on Yavin to truly train as a Jedi Knight and constructed a Blue lightsaber. But for New Republic black ops missions, I think Kyle constructed a different saber for himself for some purpose. And sometime between finishing Luke's Academy and going back to agent work, he took up Mara Jade as an occasional unorthodox padawan, who at some time became Luke's wife. You forgot to showcase the AT-AT on Ruusan! Jerec's remnant facilities on Ruusan are too elaborate for one week of work? Remember, we are in a world where simple cargo ships can be as large as to not be fully visible to the naked eye, seen on the very first level. And this guy has been preparing for this excursion possibly ever since even the Clone Wars!!! (edit: Oh but you do mention this part later.) Kell Dragons were inhabitants of Ruusan before the remnant arrived, animals can hybernate, and particularly force-attuned fauna can feed off of residual environmental force power, especially being near a Force Nexus! But I do love how you tried to over-analyze the situation, more of that is needed! But they are definitely Krell Dragons! Mailocs were probably space-stowaway vermin! Boc is admirably cool. His Jar'Kai probably stems from Ataru and not Niman, although his force integration might. The coolest takeaway here is, this game has Force Destruction make an appearance! Twice! And you were supposed to make use of Force Throw in the Boc duel, in some side corridors. Jerec is my favorite elegant darksider in the franchise. Supposedly if he managed to drain the full force potential of the Valley, he would have become stronger than Palpatine's then current supposed power level! And incredible character design and costume! Christopher Neame acted incredibly, and would have put Ian McDiarmid to shame if they were on the same screen together! I always loved when he showed up in a lot of stuff, like MacGuyver, The Flash, JAG, and even SWTOR! I always wondered if Jerec's and Desann's remnant factions could be allied with each other while both were still alive. Due to only finalizing the lore later, in this game The Valley of the Jedi looks like it only has lightside spirits, while in fact it held darkside ones too. Though the place keeps this same visual style in Jedi Outcast. It was never a problem for me that the game didn't feature its own original score tracks. Back in the day, having John Williams was a minimum measure standard to reach to be considered good enough at all. And let us not forget how good he made the soundtrack in the first place! The fact that DFIIJK visits less planets honestly I never even noticed because the levels are so different. Also, you could in fact count the ship Sulon Star a different level! I think MotS visits more places (Altyr V, asteroid bases, Tatooine, some different ships both new republic and pirate, some pirate planet I forgot the name of, and Dromund Kaas). This is the statement I always say: Dark Forces II Jedi Knight is the best Star Wars story ever since The Empire Strikes Back! And while Mysteries of the Sith doesn't quite measure up to it, it is definitely a welcome addition to mention alongside it! Not because Return of the Jedi would ever be considered bad even with the lethal teddy bears, but DFIIJK is just so good! Whenever I look at any SW product now, I always measure it to DFIIJK because how perfect a lot of things are here. When a potential remaster comes, I hope it comes conjoined with MotS like how Tomb Raider 1 2 3 was released together! For several reasons: - MotS could start after DFIIJK's credits. - Implement MotS' enemy variety to JK in logical places! - Implement the extra weapon types from MotS to JK! - Implement the extra force powers from both games into each other, arguably Throw will need some extra effort for MotS. - It might be a good idea to overhaul the Force Jump system somehow. But not necessarily. - Though Pull and Push will definitely need to work how they did in Outcast/Academy. - It would be a great idea to outright REMAKE saber moves to be extremely similar to Outcast/Academy. - Implement new ways to get rid of rail detonator ammo stuck to you. - Make multiplayer viable again! Non-force blaster-only characters could have access to jetpacks, and there is a Boba Fett player model in one of the games. - There could be some extra levels made how Kyle first found Dromund Kaas before he got seduced!
This was my definitive game when I was a kid, I would play this game day after day. I wish this game would be remastered, no other FPS can scratch the same itch as this game for me.
May God have you, Gentleman. This game is my reason for childhood. At 7,I was playing X-Wing, then stunned when witnessing Rebel Assault, but this... *chef's kiss
An excellent retrospective! I really liked listening to what you used for the music over the live action bits. Also, I really appreciate all the background lore behind all the Dark Jedi. I never knew any of that, but I can see how it's added afterwards because there's not a whole lot of backstory to them in the actual game.
I played this for the first time back in like 2005, on a laptop. I was on vacation with my family and I spent a lot of downtime so I ended playing this game on that vacation. It's still one of my favorite games of all time, along with the rest of the Jedi Knight trilogy.
I used to play Dark Forces 2 demo as a kid, bought it on steam and finished the full game in 2021 as an adult, the nostalgia made me do it and i'm glad i played it. My only issue was the level design, it's easy to get lost, some of the more confusing levels took hours to complete. I found dark forces 1 to be a lot easier. ps. loving the swtor soundtrack in the background of this video
Thankyou so much for including the cutscenes! I never got to play this, but now I feel like I’ve gotten to experience it! So cool! Also, why on earth did they think it was logical for Jerec to propose Kyle’s final “step toward the Dark Side” would be killing Jan? 😂 That makes absolutely no sense, why would he graduate from murdering someone who killed his father straight to killing his literal only friend, with no intervening decisions? 🤣 Thankyou for explaining Jerec’s backstory. It’s actually WAY cooler than I expected!
in 1997 I was 12, our family had just got our first home computer, a pentium 133 with a 3DFX card. The Special Editions were out that summer so Star Wars was very much back in the zeitgeist for many kids including me. I remember seeing a review for this game in PC format magazine and begged for it for Christmas. Man...what a Christmas Day that was...
Seeing the live action cut scenes was unlike anything I'd ever seen before in a game. Running around Nar Shaddaa and just soaking in being in that universe, being Kyle Katarn... Dark Forces 2 is a very special game to me. I sunk hours in this, and Mysteries Of The Sith. I loved playing with the cheats that allowed you to jump and fly, simple things like finding a grate you could slash open, cantina's playing the cantina music, it made it feel like a part of the universe. Characters such as Jerek and 8T88 have stuck with me a long time since. This game was a masterpiece
I had a 133 too but with a god awful generic ATI card...it ran like trash in larger levels (and they were all pretty large lol)
And now its all dead and we're scolded for longing for the better days.. shit.
I still go back and plays games like this and Dark Forces every couple of years to recapture those moments of my childhood. We lived in a golden era of gaming gents. Glad to see guys like who still love these specific games and know it’s not just me.
@@mattharrell4 always
My brother and I played this game a lot when we were kids. We had no internet back then, so we just ran around the empty multiplayer maps, with our imagination filling in for the other players. Man, do I still love this game. Also, it‘s cool how much of it they connected to the broader EU, even though all that happened retroactively.
It‘s a real shame they stopped putting put Star Wars content after 2014.
This, Jedi Outcast and Jedi Academy were peak Star Wars gaming. That era was special and, sadly, died with LucasArts back then.
I love to hear that. Bless you, I absolutely agree
My grandfather bought me jedi academy at gamecrazy I think
Can't forget XWing vs Tie Fighter and XWing Alliance! ❤🎉😊
Although that era was special and it’s not being replicated Jedi Survivor was an absolutely smashing Star Wars story and game 😊
@@DeicideBlues I tried so hard to get into the soulslike gameplay of the Jedi series, but it's just not my cup of tea...
Which is a shame, what I saw from Jedi Fallen Order was story-wise was quite good
This is one of my favourite games of all time. I got it for Christmas 1997 and was so enveloped by the feel of the world, it was the first time I really felt I was in the Star Wars universe. Getting to wield a lightsaber in first person for the first time was amazing, I loved the live action cutscenes, everything about it was awesome.
My grandparents brought it home for me to Toronto from a trip down south to the US. It was one of the most epic games I have ever played to this day! It was also the very first game I played using a "3D Accelerator", when games first went from software driven graphics to hardware driven. It was a mind blowing moment in my PC Gaming life that I will never forget. That it occurred while deeply entrenched in this Golden Age Epic made for a most profound memory to this day!
This Review is tremendous and beautiful! Greatly appreciate the deep dive and reliving the game once more!
Same!!! On christmas and everything
same !
This game was what first introduced me to the Star Wars Expanded Universe. To this day it holds a dear place in my heart. Jerec and the Seven Dark Jedi remain my favorite antagonists from the strong impression they left on me as a kid.
Back when it came out, the Dark Forces 2 multiplayer servers were totally lit, and completely loaded with modders. We had lightning lightsabers my man.
Maaaan, I wish I got that experience, by the time when I was old enough to play the game in '02-'03, I don't think the servers were that active anymore and my internet wasn't good, so I used to just roam the multiplayer maps using different characters and making a narrative out of the empty maps lmfao Jedi Knight is one of the goats for sure
@JediWarrior2007 Same here bro!!
@@JediWarrior2007Pretty sure I had a bounty hunter character with a purple lightsaber or white I don't remember what color it was.
Wait I own this on PC… it had multiplayer? I don’t remember this? How did I miss out on something that would’ve been amazing. I remember outcast having multiplayer but that was something I miss out on
@@JediWarrior2007 everyone stopped playing jedi knight and moved to jedi knight 2. the mods were awesome back then, rainbow light sabers, different colors, it was fun... especially for 11 year old me.
Perfection
Kyle Katarn is literally myfavorite character in all of star wars. I love the Dark Forces and Jedi Knight games.
Yea if only the dummies at Disney would have made the sequel films about this story instead of stupid annoying Rey
I would love a HD remaster or even a remake of this game I know they’re updating dark forces but Jedi knight is even more nostalgic for me. I remember it had a massively thick manual and it was one of the first PC games I ever owned that came on multiple discs. Plus I just love that box art
I also found it funny as just at the end of your video you mentioned you played the first three levels of mysteries of the Sith on a demo disk which is the most i did aswell haha that first level was lasered into my brain. Also Jedi outcast is an absolute must play if you haven’t already, It’s sort of similar to Jedi Knight gameplay progression wise, but once you do get the force and lightsaber its all you want to use the rest of the game.
I somehow lost the manual the day I got the game, so my very young self *struggled*. But it became such a core memory that I had to buy it again as an adult and actually beat the game. I must have seen the intro a thousand times from all my restarts lol
They can hd it up all they want, BUT IF THEY TOUCH MY LIVE ACTION CUTSCENES LUCAS ARTS BURNS
If you have movie duels mod for ja you can also download an expansion that lets you replay some moments from dark forces 2
I watch a lot of retro TH-camrs who play games I loved growing up, and the thing that Makes you special and better than all the rest, is that you don’t punch down. You’re enthusiastic and positive about the games. I know my nostalgia makes them *seem* perfect. And obviously these games have flaws. But so many people just make fun of these and eventually say something like “worth playing tho!” I really appreciate how you respect these game’s legacy
True but those people's are not really following or playing alot sw games so they are not so big fans
Your playing the hd mod it looks like
Kyle's story arc in this game and JKII makes one of the best complete duology stories imo. The trauma of him losing his father, struggling with the dark side, losing his emotional crutches, and living with the guilt of killing people makes the game so good.
I can compare those games to others like Ocarina of Time/Twilight Princess, Breath if the Wild/Tears of the Kingdom, NieR Replicant/Automata, Devil May Cry 3/5, and Kingdom Hearts COM/II because they're that good to me.
Comparing it to Nintendo does it a great dis-service.
You clearly haven't played awesome RPGs like Xenoblade or Fire Emblem, but I'll let that slide.
Duology? It's actually a Trilogy since the first game with Kyle was SW Dark Forces in 1995, 2 years before this game.
This game was an absolute banger back in the day. It had a very active community on the MSN gaming zone. At least I think that’s what it was called. It also had a ton of mods and modded levels. There was some that had their own quests. I remember one level was just a casino. I have a lot of nostalgia for this game. A part of my childhood I remember fondly.
The Msn gaming zone.....wow that takes me back. Oh i miss those days too. I was always online playing this game. Great memories!
good times bgj nf sabs@@matthewmullins4218
@@matthewmullins4218 Never forget that fists = peace.
God I miss the msn multiplayer battles and mods
Also, it's fascinating that Jerec's master is that librarian from the prequels. I find this incredibly interesting as she seems very shrewd and stoic, which matches his personality even as a dark-jedi.
Stoic? He's still pretty hammy, overacting is generally what Sith do.
@@WTFisTingispingis Well, yeah. You kinda answered your own question. Though he's a dark jedi, not a sith... for some reason. Though, as an inquisitor, even I can't say I know the reason for that.
This game came out BEFORE prequels were a thing.
@@russianoverkill3715 I know, I was there lmao.
Maw is actually cut in half in the opening cutscene by Qu Rahn. Just a cool little detail
Kind of reminds me when George Lucas was asked about Darth Maul getting cut in half in TPM, he said he knew there would be fans that would want him back, so he wanted to let everyone know he was dead and gone for sure...I kept thinking, "but Maw from DF2 came back..." Well, so did Maul :)
@stormykeep9213 sw clonewars were not canon untill disney buyup it were its own universe
@mscapeh4451 That's simply not true unfortunately. In my headcanon, TCW is only canon to the official Disney timeline, not the Legends timeline
@@stormykeep9213No-ones ever really gone
@@stormykeep9213Good call from Filoni, honestly. Maul was such a cool character, and I always felt he was wasted in TPM.
I spent so many hours watching my older brother play this when my kid self couldn't understand the controls much less be brave enough to play it. Since then, I spent countless hours playing this game. I still have the cheat codes memorized from when I was terrible at games. Jedi Knight is still the nostalgic rubric which my mind compares all other fps games to. Great retrospective for such a memorable game.
While I was a huge fan of the Star Wars movies as a kid, Jedi Knight was my first step into the EU and it conpletely blew my mind. It managed to touch all the same bases as the OG trilogy while presenting them as something completely different.
When this game came out I bought my first 3D accelerator for my computer just to play this game. Seeing 3D accelerated graphics for the first time on this amazing game blew me away. I spent countless hours into it and I downloaded add-on levels that modders made. I had the same great experience in 2002 when Jedi Outcast came out.
“Morgan Katarn” - Dark Jedi Jerec. Repeating the clip moment every time there’s a mention of him. The factional break up of the Empire wasn’t something I understood all those years ago. It wasn’t until I got deeper into what was then the Star Wars EU that I saw this was a much larger universe.
I didn’t have it as a kid, but my friend at school did. He’d play it at night and then fill me in on the lore the next day. So I experienced it vicariously and for ages didn’t even know what the characters even looked like!
The level design of this game has never been bettered in a 3d shooter
It’s totally unlike anything else. No other game has made me feel so much like I’m sequence breaking to progress.
My favorite line from 8T-88 in the book and audio drama versions is "However I am not without a heart. Well actually I am without a heart. but still, I might allow you to live if you answer my questions." The character is so much more sassy in the book and the audio drama versions.
What on earth is an “audio drama”
@@Rokaizea dramatized performance of the story.
@@impcit5717And it can actually be found on TH-cam. I stumbled across it last year.
This video is amazing.
The fact that you went to the trouble of changing the music in the cutscenes to put them in the video shows how much you care. Honestly, I really like your editing, narration, and overall video quality. And I also love Star Wars so it's the perfect combination.
Although no matter how much of a fan I am of the saga, I have never played this particular game; for no specific reason, it just didn't happen.
But I'm going to play it one of these days. It is part of Kyle Katarn's journey and I love the character; and also I love FPS games so it's another perfect combination.
With the mod I reccomend it so much!
Actually taking the original star wars music out of the video which is intended for the game experience really sucks. Copyright strikes are in no way negative to a channel but I get people just want to monetize and make money off their stuff. But you can't play a star wars game without John Williams it's almost a sin.
The scale you keep referencing is very under appreciated. I started modding games like Quake 2 and Half-Life about a year after this game came out. Making a simple map with spaces that were as large as was in DF2 would take days to compile and result in levels that were unplayable due to low performance. It's amazing that they pulled this off in 97.
Back when I was 8 or 9, before we had the internet and the capability of walkthroughs, I got stuck on that fuel depot mission for like 8 months! Finally one day I realized that you had to shut the huge round "door" behind you before it would let you open the one in front of you. Then I never got past mission 13 until a friend of mine bought the guide book and taught me the wonders of cheat codes. I played through the whole game many many times after that; I had a save for every level and would constantly go back and replay my favorites. It never really bothered me, until watching this video, how so many of the force powers (especially in the cutscenes) are not something seen in any other SW media. And the live action cutscenes were so epic! I can't imagine why no other video games have emulated that. Really made it feel like this story was part of the greater SW universe. Anyway, thanks for this trip down memory lane. I hope it can somehow be made available on a Mac someday so I can replay all this myself.
6:20 the music you chose here is perfect.
39:35 - To be fair, Yun was down on the ground and unarmed. Kyle has always killed people who posed a threat to him and others, but to kill a defenseless person? That's the difference. Jedi can kill in self-defense, but to take a life at will is a whole different thing.
And by either sheer coincidence or intentional design, Level 8 - the level right after the Yun duel - is where Kyle finally learns to use Force Pull, meaning you don't need to kill anyone anymore - just disarm them. I've done pacifist runs of the game because of that ability.
The true sequel story. F Disney for doing what they’ve done to Star Wars…
Amen to that. 🙏
Yun’s lightsaber has always been yellow, that’s how it’s depicted in art from the time as well. It appeared maybe more printer in Mysteries of the Sith, but it’s definitely yellow here, and according to wookiepedia
It did indeed look orange in-game though
@@ArcNine9Angel I always thought it looked yellow. Maybe it' since graphics on computers back then were less consistent?
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Lplpl ku a❤❤@@ArcNine9Angel
Looks yellow on my 1998 setup
Kyle (*Chuck Norris*) Katarn. And Jan(*step on me*) Ors. Were a great addition to the Starwars Lore
Much better than Andor (Guy McAccent) and Jyn (Girl).
@@Rschr101Well andor in the show is a great character. In the movie though everyone is just so boring
The mod community for this game was incredible and very active multiplayer community after its release all the way up to the Jedi Outcast release. There were complete roleplaying maps where you would take a role and make money and buy weapons and crazy stuff like "Caesars Palace" casino and "Purgatory". Highly underrated. Along with a very competitive saber dueling and clan scene on the MSN gaming zone.
I remember playing this game's multiplayer on MSN Zone for years. There were clans and a lot of creative multiplayer maps and modes people came up with. I also remember "builders" or something that was kind of like Fortnite.
The crazy part about the MSN gaming zone was that the rooms only allowed 4 concurrent players which is crazy because JK itself could have up to 16 players per session, so that's where I heard about alt-tab for the first time where people would join in through the zone to connect to the mp game, then once they were in they would alt tab (basically had to do this to get back to the browser since the game was running fullscreen) and leave the zone room. Even though the zone room might only show as having 1-2 people there could actually be a lot more once you actually joined the game. Other unspoken rules like "fist = peace" were in place because before outcast there wasn't a way to holster weapons or actually turn the lightsaber off while still equipped but there was fists as it's own weapon so that always meant you shouldn't be attacked as your were busy RP'ing, chatting, or AFK. Some mods for outcast and academy actually put back the fists as a weapon since it did still exist for use with some NPCs.
The multiplayer for the game was the most fun I ever had playing online and was SO much fun. It wasn’t just a small community, there were tons of players and the mod community was massive. You could download levels people made and there were level editor programs available that you could easily learn how to make your own levels. This video was amazing and in depth, but this game is even deeper than the video gets into because the multiplayer was so massive that it really deserves a video unto itself. One of the best StarWars games of all time but somehow doesn’t get much attention these days. I play through this game every so often and always love it. There is still a small community who plays some online games occasionally also which is really cool too. Thanks for giving this game some love.
Same. It's such a brilliant game that does not get enough love.
I loved Dark Forces so much but Jedi Knight came out when I was 17 and it just blew me away. It was an amazing experience. Level 5 - upon emerging from that dark hallway into the massive courtyard with a giant tower I was stunned. I mean I had never played a game that had something like this and gave me such a spine tingling feeling. It was unbelievable. I start rambling like a little kid when I reminisce about my experiences playing these old Star Wars games for the first time. The excitement was off the charts lol. Then we had an actual light sabre with a 3rd person camera which made for epic sabre battles. And don't get me going on having Force Powers. Force Pull is a personal favorite. "Stand at your post!" ha! I just finished playing through this with the remaster mod. I strongly recommend it as well. Thanks for this video! 👍👍
1:02:41 Jason Court's acting was just epic here. Even I got wrapped up in it and felt his rage whenever I watched it.
I played the multiplayer extensively as a youngster. There was a thriving online community mainly built around lightsaber dueling without force powers. The crashed ship valley where you face off against one of the two human dark jedi depending on your choices was the multiplayer map of choice back then. Good times. I was so good at it back in the day.
I read the Darth Bane trilogy after playing this game and it was great because I got to experience the origins of the Valley of The Jedi!
Anyone know that awesome music title at 0:15 ?
I honestly want to maintain that Yun's lightsaber is yellow. Compare it to the ones used by Gorc and Pic and you can see the difference. Also, it is a yellow as yellow can be in the cutscenes.
I'm gonna tell my kids. This was the sequel trilogy
I’ve never played this game but it looks awesome. I’m loving the dark forces remaster, so I hope Nightdive remasters this game as well 🤞
Almost 2 hours for a retrospective on Dark Forces 2 means instant subscription for me. I haven't even watched the video yet haha! Thanks !
Awesome vid. Would love to see you do KOTOR 1 & 2
Well then, stick around because I fully intend to!
Even for dark side Kyle, killing Jan never made sense. He fell for her pretty quickly. If anything he would be determined to use his power to make sure no one could ever hurt her again.
This is probably one of the best SW lore videos I've watched this year. Fantastic job.
Where is the music you put in the cutscenes from? I actually think it fits better than the usual sampled Williams music we’we heard a million times.
Awesome retrospective! This was one of the games that sparked my love for video games in general and it elevated my love for Star Wars to a whole new level. Your video really brought back some great memories. Thank you so much!
My childhood was this game and FFVII. Countless hours spent that I still remember the levels and most exploits. It's mindblowing you have almost 10k subs. With your content should be more. Thank you for this nostalgia packed video!
The Valley is the monument Johan had built to commemorate the end of the war against the Brotherhood of Darkness, right?
1:31:53 Yeah, I remember first time I played it was around 2007. I had no idea how this morality scale worked. I knew I did something wrong when Kyle killed Jan because I played Jedi Outcast years before. In the end, when Emperor Kyle pulls out the holorecording again, I was totally hopeful that "yeah, I knew there's still good in him!" And when he drops it and crushes it with his foot I went like "oh... shit". :D
1:15:09 I think that these Kell Dragons may be intended to be Nashtah Which are darkside attuned monsters, from a different world, but ones that could possibly be in a place like Ruusan or even the Kells could be leftover warbeasts from the campaign of Lord Hoth vs the Brotherhood of Darkness
43:58 this shot right here of 88 in the shadowy hangar always looked SO ahead of its time visually when compared to the rest of the game. They did an amazing job with the shading on that particular CGI shot.
You are making crazy detailed videos about the best Star Wars games ever made. I was hoping to see Star Wars Theory doing something similar but man it's a real pleasure to follow your work. It's like documentaries mixing passion for gaming, pre disney Star Wars and Lore.
Thank you
You're gonna love the next one
I like the original dark forces music you used occasionally and knights of the old Republic.
Played Dark Forces and loved it (on PlayStation). When we got a new computer my mom got me this for christmas. Was blown away by the live action cut scenes
I was 12 years old in 1997 when this game came out. Such great memories! Played multiplayer alot on the internet gaming zone, I'm sure you all remember playing on battleground Jedi and canyon oasis... Plus all the countless custom maps and mods like manowars, bfp skin pack, too much to list!
RGF/IGF battles on the zone, damn that takes me back! And so much time spent on the Massassi Temple website looking for maps =)
I was like 9 at the time, but I did the same thing. The community then was pretty great.
SBX had more gameplay than jedi outcast When it came to saber combat... This game was my introduction to modding.
I used to play this game at least once a week when I was younger. I would start on Sunday morning and finish in the evening. I always played the same way, light side, but once, after like 10 runs, I decided to choose the dark side powers. I had no idea there were 2 endings. I was SHOCKED when Kyle killed Jan.
Great job with this video, man!
Great analysis. It’s hard to get across how groundbreaking this game was when so many future games refined and improved upon the formula. But as you said, nobody was doing these things back then. This video took me way back to hours spent in my basement as a teen trying to find hidden rooms. Also, I totally forgot how much inspiration the prequels took from this game. Thanks for posting.
I've been with this game ever since the beginning. Started with the demo disc, and then shortly after my friend gave me the full copy! Ever since JK:DF2 has been my favorite Star Wars game of all time, and I am extremely loyal to this masterpiece as I have been an avid member of the JK community since the Zone was closed in the early 2000s. I ran an IRC channel for years after that keeping the multiplayer community alive and well, and I have even gone as far as creating a large multiplayer level series called the Dralloc Series which were insanely popular amongst the community. This game has a special place in my heart, and I will always consider it one of the greatest games of all time!
Let's go it's great to see the passion staying so strong for this game!
As someone who didn't have a PC growing up and missed out on so many games like these, it's sooo nice to get to experience them in your videos when i may not ever have a chance to play them. Thank you for all the hard work you put in creating this 🙌 you a real one, my guy 💯
That's a big part of why I do what I do! Stay tuned for more, man!
Hope you make a sequel to this. Would love to see a Jedi Outcast and Academy retrospective. :)
Mysteries of the Sith first!
1:10:56 Imperials build Prefabs very very quickly. And in the novela/audiodrama Jerec's people had been excavating around the area trying to find the fore for weeks or months by the time Kyle catches up.
You nailed my excuse at the end there - I never played this simply due to lack of access to a competent Win 95 system at the time. Instead I loved and played Dark Forces, but leaped completely over the following generation, playing the hell out of Jedi Outcast, and entirely missing out on Jedi Knight. Thanks for putting this together, it really wraps it up in a nice package, and gives me a good sense of what I missed out on. The 90s were very exciting for Star Wars games. It was a time when I think a lot of us just assumed they'd never make another movie, and so while it was the dark ages for Star Wars movies and TV, the games were booming. And it's amazing the work they put into the lore here, it doesn't just rest on good gameplay. I may have to go back and play this (and mysteries of the sith) some day.
If you've got a good enough PC, you might be able to setup a win95 or 98 system with the 86Box emulator and play them on there. I play a lot of classic retro games with that that won't run on modern systems.
I always loved the live action cut scenes. I kinda missed them in outcast
Man, I remember being like 11 or 12 and playing this game. Took me forever to figure out some of the levels, but it was fantastic! This was the game that introduced me to Kyle Katarn and EU as a whole.
ah one of those all time childhood classics. Thank you for posting this.
When I was little, my pc was utter shit and we didnt have many games. One of my first games was the Star Wars Episode 1 game, which your reviewed but the rest were all demos.
This game was one of my most played demos, it started you in a rebel base while the imperials attacked, blasting "Imperial Troops have entered the base" and you had to escape. It even made you fight an AT-ST before the demo ended.
A few years later I managed to get Jedi Outcast and I didnt understand the story at all! Because I only had the demo back then!
Such great memories.
I hope you keep reviewing the games!
Good luck!
I really hope Nightdive remasters this game.
nah fr this video was like a movie good job
This is an awesome retrospective and the editing and script is really good, subbed not even 30 minutes in!
A huge huge deal in 1997. Mind-blowing. Even if my 7 year old self had to use level select cheats eventually in most levels after a while getting lost in the labyrinths! Damn seeing some of these areas is making memories flood back. Thanks for an excellent video!
Great video! and thanks for the flash backs of great memories!
Today it is hard to believe but when the first previews for this game appeared in gaming magazins it has been so huge for me as a Star Wars Fan. Not only was there a new Jedi but you could also become one! And Jerec was so god damn cool. I played this game at least 30 times over the years and it still is amazing. Finding Max for the first time :D ... it made my day back then
Geeky fact: The actor that played Jeric in the cut scenes, Christopher Neame was also in the Hammer movie Dracula AD 1972 - the film had both a Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing in it; so basically 3 Starwars actors in one movie… ok 2.5 lol.
Man these 1 hour long star wars game videos are really a treat. Makes it feel like the new year has really begun
"A rotating disaster that's about to explode" was my nickname in High school
Super high quality video bro loved how structured it ❤
What Mod for JK DF2 are you using for duch sharpened textures and also new 3d models of characters hmm? Please send a link...
I am glad that I have discovered your channel. You do justice to the SW saga and their respective legacy in terms of old games. It's refreshing to see commentary that doesn't focus to much on all of the new stuff and takes the games as they were released. You entertaining and have a good pace. The videos fly by and are really satisfying to watch. The editing is also great. Hope you continue with some other SW games. Have you ever heard of Force Commander? It is an odd RTS game that got released way back where you also play as the Empire and it seems somewhat lost to time and overshadowed by Empire at War. I'd love to see someone comment on that game.
I have to admit, I can't recall hearing the music heard at 23:53. I know you said you replaced the soundtrack but what is that track and where is it from?
I think I remember hearing somewhere that a Lightsaber mod for Dark Forces is part of the reason why one is in this game.
I always felt that after the medical treatment before going home that Kyle should have held the disk up so he was looking at the large flat part and the camera saw the edge and the either right before or after he says "I'll find out when I get there" turn the disk so that the camera has the circle for the cut to the planet.
After Kyle defeats Yun the first time and is deflecting blaster bolts at the end of the clip he swings around the saber while grunting and I always thought it should have had a last second blaster bold get deflected right into the camera. (39:25)
Kyle batting his eyes saying that Jan will bail him out of trouble when they are at the Valley is great. I like the FMV in this game. It does have echo in the sound and to much green screen but full sets would have been to much money. Just like Wing Commander 3 vs 4 for example.
I think the actor playing Boc probably had lots of fun.
Maw was cut in half by Ran in the opening video. Somewhere about 8:00
I always remembered Yun's saber as yellow.
I played Mysteries of the Sith and Jedi Outcast the most.
I love Mara Jade. So MotS is excellent in my opinion.
Plus I love the voice acting of Rino Romano, and he voices Kyle, so I love that too.
Jedi Outcast gave me more Luke, so I automatically loved that game.
The bad guy in that game is cool too.
And I love the original Dark Forces.
I never cared about Jedi Academy. Except for seeing more Luke.
As a content creator myself, I’m amazed at your editing. Great job! Love your extensive videos.
This game is the ultimate childhood nostalgia frfr
After playing Dark Forces a lot as a kid I got this game and loved it. I played this so much
Thank you for this incredible video. This game was a huge part of my childhood and I’ve been feeling so nostalgic about it as of late. What a special special game this was!
Some of the multiplayer fan-made maps for JK are insane in scope. I remember a Death Star themed map that blew my mind, level after level, huge bottomless pits, hanger bays, the works.
Yeah that was a cool one!
Thank you for making this video. I was around 12-13 when it came out and mom wouldn't let me own shooters because they were "too violent". I saw JK at a game store and convinced my dad to let me buy it. Mom wasn't happy with Dad, but I was happy haha. Game was mind blowing and revolutionary. I had forgotten that HL hadn't come out yet when this was released. Crazy.
One thing not mentioned was how you can launch objects at enemies with force throw. I hadn't seen something done like that before (tossing around objects at enemies) much, if at all.
Also, PLEASE do Mysteries of the Sith. I put SO many hours into that game, mostly the multiplayer. The community support for MotS was crazy.
Jedi Knight was one of the best Star Wars games and really got me into Star Wars when I was growing up. Was also the very first game I ever played online with a friend. I even downloaded a mod and played as Darth Maul in the multiplayer. Was a wonderful experience and still one of the better lightsaber combat games.
Thanks for the video. This is one of my favorite games, and you brought back many memories.
I was looking forward to seeing this one being uploaded! Good job, Evan! 😊 I can't wait to see what Star Wars title you'll tackle next.
58:44 Oh wow I really had a mandella effect memory of starting on the Sulon star as if I'd stowed away. But yeah in the Novela the Sulon Star straight up explodes on Sulon and a whole different freighter used to get there (That freighter also never lands, so there's no "Escape a crashing freigher" sequence. I feel like the Sulon Star was originally intended to explode, then they got the cool idea for the crashing level and changed the story last minute.
Soooo many late nights playing MP over gamespy arcade. The modding scene was lit as well. Saber Battle X, JKrpg - Barons Hed , GoldenEye the list goes on. Heck the biggest modding site for the game is still operational.
You missed a difference when going dark side. Every boss fight starts with a cutscene with Rahn explaining who the dark Jedi you’re facing are. Once you go dark enough, he stops narrating
I actually got both Star Wars Dark Forces and Star Wars Dark Forces II back to back. Dark Forces copy I got came with a demo version of Dark Forces II. The demo version of Dark Forces II consisted of the Nar Shaddaa levels if I remember right. It piqued my interest enough at age 11 to install the full game. I wasn’t very well read on Star Wars lore at the time but the live action cutscenes were amazing to me. Also being fresh off finishing Dark Forces I was eager to continue the adventures of Kyle Katarn. The Dark Troopers also reminded me of the Terminator albeit the machine look. As to the vertical city and the aliens of the same well that was exciting to my younger self. Kyle’s journey towards becoming a Jedi Knight had some interesting points. It was first game I experienced with a morality system and different endings resulting from actions taken as Kyle. Admittedly Jerec’s actor certainly made his screen time engaging especially the way he spoke and later I swore I saw the actor in other shows like Babylon 5. The on screen dynamics between the actors was well written. I also found books on tape that were adaptations of Dark Forces and Dark Forces 2. I later picked up Mysteries of the Sith and Jedi Outcast. So I became more invested in Star Wars Expanded Universe which was later rebranded as Legends. Kyle and Jan continued in the EU content so I was happy that authors writing for the EU kept finding more adventures for them.
Great video.
One of my favorite games of all time.
There is a native port to UNIX-based platforms now.
This game will not die any time soon.
Very Awesome video man! Where in the world did you get that thumbnail! Looks so good!
Hey its you!! Loved your work for these games! It's an image a fan made and I turned into the thumbnail!
@@evprince yeah looks so cool I wanted to use it to update the images in the mod Installer for the next version is that ok? Would be cool to have the original too if so! Thanks!
@@GeneralTantor I can send you the original, reach out to my email!
I have no idea what your problem is with Fuel Station Launch.
That has always been my most memorable level to use blasters instead of the saber.
I kinda liked it in the demo too back in the day!
It literally convinced me to want to own a PC myself back when it was new!
You forgot to mention a few things:
The Valley of the Jedi is what made Darth Bane who he is and gave way to the Rule of Two!
There used to be a lot of promotional picture releases of the in-game Baron's Hed tower.
You never mentioned because you probably weren't alive back then how cool it was in 1997 to fight AT-STs!!!
Ughnaughts are maybe a little too tall and sound too weird.
There is no way Tuskens can be formed into a swoop gang! Too much liberty with the license here.
Yun had the first depiction of a Yellow Saber, which you use later. Somehow that turns Orange later for MotS???
You never mention the alternate names of Lord Cronal.
Pic is a Kowakian Monkey Lizard turned fully sentient.
Maw is seen being cut in half in the intro!!!
Unlike Maul, Maw actually mastered Force Levitation. (Like Dooku in the early Clone Wars cartoon.) To make better use of his repulsor lift waist, he can use the force to fly!
Maw was probably the first appearance of the phrase "Jedi Shadow".
Maw is also the only appearance of a Boltrunian. Somewhat resembling a Noghri.
Maw has the first appearance of an Orange Saber!! My favorite color!
Maw's saber style is actually determined to be Trispzest, suited for flying and winged individuals!
You didn't even mention that the Sulon Star's Descent was for decades the only diagonal map ever made!
Sariss' Blue Saber color usage was quite rare!
NO, Yun's saber is definitely YELLOW. The later MotS Orange blade is due to some change in the equipment.
A little detour:
After Dark Forces II Jedi Knight, Kyle actually joined Luke's Praxeum on Yavin to truly train as a Jedi Knight and constructed a Blue lightsaber. But for New Republic black ops missions, I think Kyle constructed a different saber for himself for some purpose. And sometime between finishing Luke's Academy and going back to agent work, he took up Mara Jade as an occasional unorthodox padawan, who at some time became Luke's wife.
You forgot to showcase the AT-AT on Ruusan!
Jerec's remnant facilities on Ruusan are too elaborate for one week of work?
Remember, we are in a world where simple cargo ships can be as large as to not be fully visible to the naked eye, seen on the very first level. And this guy has been preparing for this excursion possibly ever since even the Clone Wars!!! (edit: Oh but you do mention this part later.)
Kell Dragons were inhabitants of Ruusan before the remnant arrived, animals can hybernate, and particularly force-attuned fauna can feed off of residual environmental force power, especially being near a Force Nexus! But I do love how you tried to over-analyze the situation, more of that is needed! But they are definitely Krell Dragons!
Mailocs were probably space-stowaway vermin!
Boc is admirably cool. His Jar'Kai probably stems from Ataru and not Niman, although his force integration might.
The coolest takeaway here is, this game has Force Destruction make an appearance! Twice!
And you were supposed to make use of Force Throw in the Boc duel, in some side corridors.
Jerec is my favorite elegant darksider in the franchise. Supposedly if he managed to drain the full force potential of the Valley, he would have become stronger than Palpatine's then current supposed power level! And incredible character design and costume! Christopher Neame acted incredibly, and would have put Ian McDiarmid to shame if they were on the same screen together! I always loved when he showed up in a lot of stuff, like MacGuyver, The Flash, JAG, and even SWTOR!
I always wondered if Jerec's and Desann's remnant factions could be allied with each other while both were still alive.
Due to only finalizing the lore later, in this game The Valley of the Jedi looks like it only has lightside spirits, while in fact it held darkside ones too. Though the place keeps this same visual style in Jedi Outcast.
It was never a problem for me that the game didn't feature its own original score tracks. Back in the day, having John Williams was a minimum measure standard to reach to be considered good enough at all. And let us not forget how good he made the soundtrack in the first place!
The fact that DFIIJK visits less planets honestly I never even noticed because the levels are so different. Also, you could in fact count the ship Sulon Star a different level! I think MotS visits more places (Altyr V, asteroid bases, Tatooine, some different ships both new republic and pirate, some pirate planet I forgot the name of, and Dromund Kaas).
This is the statement I always say:
Dark Forces II Jedi Knight is the best Star Wars story ever since The Empire Strikes Back! And while Mysteries of the Sith doesn't quite measure up to it, it is definitely a welcome addition to mention alongside it! Not because Return of the Jedi would ever be considered bad even with the lethal teddy bears, but DFIIJK is just so good!
Whenever I look at any SW product now, I always measure it to DFIIJK because how perfect a lot of things are here.
When a potential remaster comes, I hope it comes conjoined with MotS like how Tomb Raider 1 2 3 was released together! For several reasons:
- MotS could start after DFIIJK's credits.
- Implement MotS' enemy variety to JK in logical places!
- Implement the extra weapon types from MotS to JK!
- Implement the extra force powers from both games into each other, arguably Throw will need some extra effort for MotS.
- It might be a good idea to overhaul the Force Jump system somehow. But not necessarily.
- Though Pull and Push will definitely need to work how they did in Outcast/Academy.
- It would be a great idea to outright REMAKE saber moves to be extremely similar to Outcast/Academy.
- Implement new ways to get rid of rail detonator ammo stuck to you.
- Make multiplayer viable again! Non-force blaster-only characters could have access to jetpacks, and there is a Boba Fett player model in one of the games.
- There could be some extra levels made how Kyle first found Dromund Kaas before he got seduced!
This was my definitive game when I was a kid, I would play this game day after day. I wish this game would be remastered, no other FPS can scratch the same itch as this game for me.
May God have you, Gentleman. This game is my reason for childhood. At 7,I was playing X-Wing, then stunned when witnessing Rebel Assault, but this... *chef's kiss
An excellent retrospective! I really liked listening to what you used for the music over the live action bits. Also, I really appreciate all the background lore behind all the Dark Jedi. I never knew any of that, but I can see how it's added afterwards because there's not a whole lot of backstory to them in the actual game.
I like how after choosing the dark side, Rahn shames you and abandons you for the rrst of the journey.
I played this for the first time back in like 2005, on a laptop. I was on vacation with my family and I spent a lot of downtime so I ended playing this game on that vacation. It's still one of my favorite games of all time, along with the rest of the Jedi Knight trilogy.
I used to play Dark Forces 2 demo as a kid, bought it on steam and finished the full game in 2021 as an adult, the nostalgia made me do it and i'm glad i played it. My only issue was the level design, it's easy to get lost, some of the more confusing levels took hours to complete. I found dark forces 1 to be a lot easier. ps. loving the swtor soundtrack in the background of this video
Thankyou so much for including the cutscenes! I never got to play this, but now I feel like I’ve gotten to experience it! So cool!
Also, why on earth did they think it was logical for Jerec to propose Kyle’s final “step toward the Dark Side” would be killing Jan? 😂 That makes absolutely no sense, why would he graduate from murdering someone who killed his father straight to killing his literal only friend, with no intervening decisions? 🤣
Thankyou for explaining Jerec’s backstory. It’s actually WAY cooler than I expected!