JEDI KNIGHT II: JEDI OUTCAST
Jedi Knight II, the next generation for those who loved the original light saber slashing heroes. Whats this game all about?
Jedi Knight II takes place about 13/14 years after the battle of Yavin, and sveral years after Kyle Katarn defeats Jarek and his evil jedi partners. In the game, you once again take control of the ever heroic yet indifferent character, Kyle Katarn. Starting with only a Blaster and a Saber (yes, you start with the saber this time), you must defeat whatever forces of evil may be attempting to kill you.
Various new additions have been made to the original jedi knight system, including 3rd person veiw option as well as the traditional first person veiw. The Blaster has been equiped with a scope for picking of enemies, and the Saber has many new offensive and defensive actions. Among the new force powers are Passive(s) and Mind Trick, the later of which can be used to interrogate people for game-driving info.
The JKII Engine is a revamped QuakeIII engine, with twice the polygon capacity. One of the Raven Software people was overheard saying "[speaking to someone about the engine's reflective surfaces] And by the way...I made that reflective surface. And it looks just dandy on my machine!" (Chris Foster, Raven Software).
Even with all the new additions, some things have been removed from original Jedi Knight concept. Biggest of these changes is the lack of actors in cut scenes. "Right now, the plan is to do the cut-scenes in-game, with some pre-rendered beauty shots. No actors, though." says Haden Blackman of LucasArts. Even with the lack of "real" Katarn, most traditional gamers will embrace his computer-generated counterpart without any complaint.
Characters
Kyle Katarn
Kyle Katarn, the mercenary turned Jedi, will be the main character yet again. After the storyline of Mysteries of the Sith, Kyle has chosen to give up his Jedi abilities, for fear of once again becoming trapped in the dark side.. Thusly, he has become Jedi outcast and seeks to redeem himself in the eyes of his peers. The main point of Jedi Outcast will be Kyle and his struggles with the power of the Force.
Jan Ors
No one really knows what happend to Jan Ors after the events of Dark Forces 2. Once Kyle's partner in crime, most people think she continued to work for the New Republic on scrap assignments. Jan was usualy the one to grab Kyle out of sticky situations, and was very important in the game. However, when Kyle became a Knight, he saved Jan more than a few times.
Luke Skywalker
Lucas Arts has divulged very little info on this Character. this "luke" guy will aparently be hleping Kyle around. Who is this Luke guy is, anyway?
Mon Mothma
Mon Mothma, the Supreme Commander of the Alliance, is the one who will be giving Kyle his info during the game. Thats all that we know.
