Hi there little dude....I've got a proposal for you.
The Epic Story That Was "THE DOWNLOAD"
As most of the regulars of my chat site, Cheers, can testify to....I had immense problems downloading this little sucker. My first two tries both cut off at 10 megabytes......my third one was promising until it cut off at....18 megabytes. It was then (as I had a hammer positioned above my modem) that I got an email from a friend suggesting that I try using an FTP program to get the Demo. Bingo. Didn't cut off once :)
SINGLE PLAYER
When the mission's loadup screen finally faded away, I was not overly impressed by what I saw. Of course, it was my own fault. In my haste to simply *see* what I've been waiting years for, I had bypasses configuring the resolution and screen size. Consequently, my first image of JK was small.....and grainny. After several minutes of hurried reconfiguring, I was finally set.
The first ugnaught never had a chance. I had a whole array of new weapons and force powers to test out so...well...the poor little guy was doomed from the first second. The rifle and pistol didn't impress me much....but then they are only supposed to be a step up from fists.
Hey I never said you'd like it . . .
The crossbow, while not being my favourite weapon, did impress me with the many different firing settings. I especially liked the scattershot effect in secondary mode. I didn't really like the sequencer charges too much...simply too similar to the Imperial Mines in Dark Forces. A longer delay before explosion would have been nice too, as you have to sprint to get clear in time. The laser trip bombs from Duke Nukem are much more entertaining than these. My two favourite weapons of choice are.....pretty much the same as everyone else I know - the Rail Detonator and Lightsaber.
The first lesson I learnt was too watch out for those damn Trandoshans!....and save frequently. After being waxed twice by the pesky alien, I was beginning to regret my decision of immediately playing the game on hard.
Hmm...wonder what would happen if I pulled the trigger in here...
Then I learnt my second lesson.....trandie's aren't nearly as fearsome when you rip the concussion rifle out of their hands. Force Pull
instantly became my favourite force power that first time I whipped away his weapon. That's right....run little trandy. Ahahahahaha....er....anyway,
let's just say he didn't like the lightsaber enima.
The second Trandoshan proved alot more difficult than the first one. Located at the same spot that I started at - he wasn't an easy kill. Too far away to use Force Pull, so I had to rely on my trusty rail detonator. Much better. Before I knew it I was inside the main complex and dueling with stormies and yet more trandoshans. Then came lesson number three - don't engage in long distance fire fights with trandies when you're standing next to explosive barrels....not a bright move.
Getting the fuel level right in the big tank was pretty easy if you stopped to check the monitors, and soon I was approaching the fuel tunnels. The scene where you engage in a laser fight with far off turrets over two extremely large pipes is a typical example of an area practically impossible in any other game......it's just so huge. Serves me right for gawking at the scenery, cause that's when the trandie hiding under the walkway behind me decided to say hello....grrrr.
JUMP!! Down there??...get stuffed!!
The fuel tunnels are without a doubt the highlight of the level....they are just so damn eerie. Extremely atmospheric, and dangerous. You have to step carefully cause even if you watch where you shoot...your enemies won't. It was duelling with stormies in the fuel tunnels that I began to appreciate more the variety of enemies. In most 3D games, each type of enemy is limited to one weapon, and once you spot an enemy - you know what they're capable of. But not here. I fought Stormtroopers with blaster rifles, repeater guns, rail detonators....Trandies wielding rail detonators. Wow. A very impressive feature, as you never know what to expect.
The rest of the level flew by quickly.....I'm still getting over the size of that ship. It is mammoth. The ending scene is very thrilling with the player having to leap aboard the ship as the platform retracts. A great finish to a great level.
Bespin Mining Station
This still remains as my favourite Death Match level. It is very cleverly designed and has some terrific features. I knew I would love this level the first time I tricked someone into getting too close to the ledge of the large chute. Then with a quick flick of a switch and my opponent was mashed against the roof. Heh heh heh.
I won't go into too detail about multiplayer gameplay, as I covered this in the Full Version's review, but let me just say that Quake, Duke Nukem, Blood...none of these games can hold a candle to JK in multiplayer. How can a game that allows you to rip the weapon out of your enemies hands from across the room, be anything less than brilliant.