User reviews

Here it is, September 2019, and I'm finally playing this game. I'm playing it on Xbox one via backwards compatibility. It's fantastic. I never got around to playing it many years ago when it was out, even though I enjoyed Knights of the Old Republic, (KotOR), immensely, (though I played that game when it was brand new and beat it at least twice, {I also played KotOR 2, but never beat that one}). KotOR also features its own version of the Jedi Academy, but it's quite a different experience, (amazingly fun), understandable, since that game was set 10,000 years before Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy.

This game isn't really similar, because it's not an RPG, and it's not turn-based, but it's still a great Star Wars setting and very fun. The graphics, gameplay, and control schemes are clearly old-school, and somewhat clunky in respects, but not enough to ruin the game. I have played a little bit of some of the other old-school Star Wars games for the OG Xbox, but now I'm tempted to go back and play them all. This is a really terrific game.

I've read one or two reviews which are critical of 'Jedi Academy' on the grounds that it is too similar to 'Jedi Outcast' and doesn't really bring anything new to the table. Whilst I do think that's a valid point, it certainly didn't detract from my experience of the game - an experience which I found immensely enjoyable. In 'Jedi Academy' you play Jaden Korr, who is canonically a human male but can be played as several well-known alien races like the Kel Dor (Plo Koon's race) and Rodian (Greedo's). On my playthrough I chose the Kel Dor, which I admit later regretting due to the fact that the voice sounded nothing like a Kel Dor voice. (Perhaps it's unfair to pick holes in a 14-year-old customisation system!) The rather superficial appearance of your character isn't the only thing you can customise, though. As you progress through 'Jedi Academy', you are introduced to different fighting styles, which culminates in the ability to choose your own lightsaber. If you thought this feature was good in 'Knights of the Old Republic', wait until you see what 'Jedi Academy' can offer. Overall, I'd say that whilst this game falls slightly behind 'Jedi Outcast' in one or two areas (e.g. a less memorable villain, a less challenging final level), it's a fantastic way to spend 10-15 hours (per playthrough, that is), and I'm almost certainly going to return to this game at some point in the future.