Fun Demo Freebies: Jedi Knight Jedi Academy

click to enlarge

The great thing about this game is the wide range of “force” powers that you can use. They are too numerous to explain in great detail but just to name a few: push, pull, mind trick, lightning, grip. They're lots of fun. And they really make the game; that and the choice of weapons and plentiful saber-play. Also, there are light sabers galore in this one, and the light saber (in 3 varieties: double, two-sided and classic single) has to be the weapon of choice, hands down. But you get to stock up with plenty more if you like. Pistols, detonators, laser guns and other weapons that will come into play at various stages in the game.

click to enlarge

But the whirr of light sabers and the trademark laser gun sound effects are sure to awaken the Star Wars geek in everyone. The John Williams score and the authentic George Lucas sound effects combine to give a great dose of Star Wars nostalgia. And it’s no wonder that George Lucas fought hard to retain complete control to the copyrights of those sound effects because it really does retain that “Star Wars” look and feel. It’s hard to imagine any spin-off without these elements and their nostalgia-inducing sounds. That’s part of the Star Wars “brand” if you will.

click to enlarge

click to enlarge

Another area where this game really stands out is the versatility of being able to change species, characters, gender and weapons. You can be a female alien with a double-edged light saber if you want, and you can change your character’s fashion at the outset as well. Or you can just slice through the enemy with your red-hot light saber, which is satisfying. And this includes shrieks of pain and burn marks too. The light saber battles alone are enough to satisfy any Star Wars fan—but you also get to be fully immersed in an Empire backdrop and a story that doesn’t “force” itself , no pun intended.

click to enlarge

click to enlarge

Now on to the action. The enemy characters are menacing and aggressive enough, but this game would be hard-pressed to be interesting as a stand-alone first person shooter. It’s more about Jedi powers and the giant backdrops, sneaking up on the enemy and giving them the old Jedi mind trick. Half the fun is trying out all the Jedi powers. But don’t expect an action packed shooter for shooters only, although the laser gunfights are lots of classic Star Wars style fun.

The graphics and sounds on this one sound great. I say turn your resolution settings way up if your computer can handle it and enjoy on full screen with a decent set of headphones.

It’s important to note that Lucas Arts, Activision and Raven have joined forces to make really grade-A video games. I have yet to be disappointed by anything that these people make. I can only speak for my experiences on Mac video games because Mac gaming is still somewhat of a specialty niche market (compared to PC anyway)—But you know good games when you see them and these guys make good stuff. Get it. Play it. It’s good.

And this is just the demo. Imagine what the full game is like.

http://www.macgamefiles.com/detail.php?item=18005

http://gamesnews.yahoo.com/pc/star-wars-jedi-knight--jedi-academy/file-4233

click to enlarge