Star Wars Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy is a first and third-person shooter action game set in the Star Wars universe. It was developed by Raven Software and published, distributed and marketed by LucasArts in North America and by Activision in the rest of the world. Jedi Academy was released in September 2003 and received positive reviews, achieving an 81% aggregate score. In September 2009, the game was re-released along with its 3 prequels through Steam and Direct2Drive.
Jedi Academy is powered by the same version of the Quake III: Team Arena engine used in its predecessor, Star Wars Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast, containing modifications to the Quake code to include lightsaber combat. In a new feature to the series, the player can modify the character's gender and appearance, and can construct a lightsaber by choosing the hilt style and blade color.
The player takes control of the character Jaden Korr, a student at the Jedi Academy under the tutelage of Kyle Katarn. The player must complete various missions assigned to them by Katarn and Luke Skywalker. There is a multiplayer mode that allows the player to play against other people over a network.
Single-player
The player initially chooses the character's species and gender. The player can then create a custom lightsaber by selecting a hilt and one of five blade colors.[3] As players progress, they will be allowed the option of continuing to use a single saber or opting for dual sabers, one in each hand, or a "saber staff" similar to Darth Maul's double ended lightsaber in Star Wars: The Phantom Menace.[4]
Instead of moving linearly from one level to the next, the player chooses from a selection of different missions. Several missions are optional and are thus unnecessary to finish the game.[5] Between missions the player can choose one of their force skills to improve. This will increase the impact of each force power and so makes the character more powerful as the game progresses.[6] The game also introduces player-controllable vehicles and vehicle-based levels.
Multiplayer
In multiplayer mode, one can play online or on a local area network (LAN) with other players. The player can create their avatar using a series of options similar to the character creation in single player. Alternatively the player can choose to play as one of almost all of the existing characters from Jedi Outcast and Jedi Academy.
There are different Multiplayer modes such as Capture the flag, Power Duel and Siege. Depending on the mode, players can play on their own or as part of a team. There are six multiplayer modes in total.[8][9]
There are many multiplayer modifications for Jedi Academy, one of the most notable is Movie Battles II which allows players to take part in lightsaber duels that featured in the Star Wars films.[10] Movie Battles lets players choose different classes of character, ranging from Jedi Knight to Wookiee. The maps are designed to closely recreate the locations seen in the films. The modification was lead by Richard Hart, who took the project on as a hobby.
Plot
The player takes the role of Jaden Korr, a new student arriving at Luke Skywalker's Jedi Academy on Yavin IV. Jaden Korr, along with fellow student Rosh Penin, becomes an apprentice to Kyle Katarn, the main protagonist of the previous games. As an apprentice, the player is dispatched on various peace-keeping missions across the galaxy.
As the game progresses, Jaden encounters the 'Disciples of Ragnos', a Sith cult who are stealing Force energy from various locations across the galaxy. The player learns that the cult is lead by Tavion, the former apprentice of Kyle's nemesis Desann from Jedi Outcast. Tavion has recovered the Scepter of Ragnos, which has the power to drain and release Force energy. She plans to restore the Sith to power by using the stolen Force energy to resurrect an ancient Sith Lord, Marka Ragnos.[12]
The story has two different endings, depending on which side of the Force the player chooses. After learning that Rosh has betrayed the Jedi and joined Tavion, the player can choose either killing him and turning to the dark side or letting him live thus staying on the light side.
If the player follows the non-canonical dark side, Jaden kills Rosh but refuses to join the Sith or help resurrect Marka Ragnos. Jaden kills Tavion to steal the power of the Scepter of Ragnos and, after defeating Kyle in combat, embarks on a campaign of conquest. Kyle survives his duel with Jaden and vows he will try to stop Jaden. On the canonical light path, Kyle and Jaden rescue Rosh. Jaden heads to the Tomb of Ragnos to confront Tavion. After besting her in a fight, her body is possessed by Ragnos' ghost. Jaden destroys the Scepter, banishing Ragnos' spirit back into its tomb after defeating it.[13] In both endings Tavion is killed.
Source: Wikipedia
