What happened in the first games? (spoilers)

[guybroom]

I have had JA for about a year now

and it suddenly occured to me that

i have no idea what happened in

the other games.

 

Can someone give me a quick run

through of the story lines.

 

I have played one of the games but it

was about six years ago and i have

very little memory of it. I don't even

remember which it is. It was one with

a scene where Kyle gets a light saber

for the first time via a hologram of his

dad (i think ) anyone able

to help.

 

Also because keyle keeps mentioning

Jan. Anyone know who she is.

 

And there are other things mentioned.

Vavion (sp?) for a start.

Was she in another game?

 

And Kyle said he met Boba Fett once on

corisant. Was this a level in one of the

games?

 

As you can probably tell, i have absolutally

no knowlage of the other JK games

other than you play as Kyle Katarn and

that's about it.

 

I found some stuff out about Kyle on

the SW databank, but it doesnt help

me too much about the games. So

can you give me a hand and explain.

[Kurgan]

Originally posted by guybroom

I have played one of the games but it

was about six years ago and i have

very little memory of it. I don't even

remember which it is. It was one with

a scene where Kyle gets a light saber

for the first time via a hologram of his

dad (i think ) anyone able

to help.

 

I strongly encourage you to finish the other games in the series, as they really are awesome Star Wars adventures!

 

Highlight for spoilers!

 

Note: these are not full plot outlines, I merely go into enough detail so you know basically what happened and if you still want to play them you will have plenty of surprises!

 

Dark Forces

 

The Empire is building a "doomesday army" of robot soldiers, called "Dark Troopers." The Rebel Alliance hires a Mercenary Kyle Katarn to stop the project. The game begins before the events of ANH, where Kyle is sent to steal the Death Star Plans. Through his adventures he runs into Boba Fett, which is where that reference comes from, as well as some other famous Star Wars characters. At the end of the game there is a hint left that the Force is "with" Kyle in some way.

 

Jan Ors is a Rebel agent and pilot, who becomes Kyle's flight instructor. She is the only person that Kyle fully trusts, because she showed him that his devotion to the Empire was misguided. The Empire told Kyle that the Rebels killed his parents, but in reality it was an Imperial coverup (we learn more about this in JK). Their relationship continues to develop as the series goes on, but at this point they are just like fellow soldiers who share a bond of trust.

 

This is a (mostly) sprite based FPS game with no multiplayer, released in 1995. You're a run 'n' gun guy, like in Doom2 or Duke3D.

 

 

 

Dark Forces II: Jedi Knight

 

Takes place some years after Dark Forces, and some years since Return of the Jedi. Kyle recieves a lead on who might have killed his father. His journey leads him to discover a plot by the "Seven Dark Jedi" to re-establish the Empire. Jerec, the leader of the Dark Jedi is obsessed with finding the lost Valley of the Jedi, a burial ground that has trapped the spirits of thousands of good and evil Force users, which could theoretically be "harnessed" by a powerful enough Jedi to weild great power over the galaxy. There are two possible endings in this game, depending on what side of the "Force" you follow.

 

A fully 3-D game, with multiplayer and introduces Force Powers for the first time. You get a lightsaber as well and its a very fast, very cool game, despite some dated graphics (back in late 1997, the 3dFX Voodoo2 was considered cutting edge!).

 

 

Jedi Knight: Mysteries of the Sith

 

Assumes you took the "Lightside Path" in Jedi Knight.

 

Five years later, Kyle is helping the New Republic as a Jedi Knight. His powers diminished somewhat since the Valley of the Jedi incident, but he's powerful enough to have begun instructing Mara Jade in the ways of the Jedi since she joined up. After a few missions for the NR, Kyle goes off in search of a mysterious "Sith Temple" he has heard about, and then the game switches control over to Mara Jade, a beginner Jedi.

 

There is only one "path" in the game, assuming you stay on the Light Side of the Force. Unlike the previous game's "branching" where you got morality points deducted for killing innocents, now they just drain your Force mana. Similar to JK, a very fast paced and fun 3-D game, despite dated graphics.

 

The official Expansion Pack for DF2: Jedi Knight. At the time this was an incredible expansion because it had new weapons, new enemies, a full new SP campaign and MP component, not just a couple of new weapons and a few new maps like most FPS Expansions released in 1998. Uses the same engine as Jedi Knight with some improvements. This game features a LOT of EU references, and the artwork seems inspired by the Graphic Novelizations of Timothy Zahn's "Heir to the Empire" trilogy of SW novels.

 

 

Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast

 

After Kyle's traumatic experience in the Sith Temple, he has given up his life as a Jedi and returned to his mercenary ways. It's been about 1 year (if you add them all up) since MotS.

 

The title refers to a Jedi named Desann, who left Luke's new Jedi Academy after he killed a fellow student during exercises. This Outcast has delusions of grandeur and joins the Imperial Remnant, hoping for power. Through a scheme of his, the Remnant is building an army of Force Powered soldiers. Kyle is sent to investigate the plot, and he and Jan get deeper and deeper into it.

 

Eventually, Kyle is forced to strap his guns back on, and pick up his Lightsaber again, and this time for vengance, despite the warnings of Luke Skywalker. There is only one possible "path" in this game.

 

 

For the first time a DF/JK game uses a liscensed engine, a modified Quake3 engine. Taking advantage of the improved graphics and other capabilities like dedicated servers, demo recording, etc this game is a fresh re-introduction to the series. Again you have Force Powers and lightsaber as well as guns. The SP component has a strong character/storyline dynamic, but it lacks some of the fun of JK, since for example the secrets are just for fun rather than granting you bonus force points. There's no branching story, etc. Plus there are many annoying puzzles.

 

Kyle isn't nearly as powerful here as he was in previous games, but there are ways to try to rationalize that.

 

 

Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy

 

A few years after the events of Jedi Outcast, Luke's Jedi Academy is continuing to train students. You play the role of Jaden Korr, a character of your own design, who has "done the impossible" (yeah right) by building a lightsaber without any Jedi training. You discover that there is another plot to take over the galaxy with Force Powered Soldiers, only this time it involves a character from Kyle's past. But you knew all that... ; )

 

 

Also because keyle keeps mentioning

Jan. Anyone know who she is.

 

See above. Jan is not mentioned in MotS at all, leading some to believe that she was supposed to have died, but she's quite alive and well in Jedi Outcast. Basically she's now (JA) Kyle's love interest. She's not mentioned much in JA though.

 

And there are other things mentioned.

Vavion (sp?) for a start.

Was she in another game?

 

"Tavion"

She's the pupil of Desann, the fallen Jedi in Jedi Outcast. Kyle wants to kill her, but he spares her life at the last second and she runs off, never to be seen again... until...

 

 

And Kyle said he met Boba Fett once on

corisant. Was this a level in one of the

games?

 

Dark Forces, near the end.

 

I found some stuff out about Kyle on

the SW databank, but it doesnt help

me too much about the games. So

can you give me a hand and explain.

 

I don't blame you for being confused! The "official" supporting data on Kyle Katarn can be found in the trilogy of novelles entitled "Dark Forces: Soldier for the Empire" "Dark Forces: Rebel Agent" and "Dark Forces: Jedi Knight" . These books are by Dean Williams, written in 1998 (covering events leading up to and including the events of JK, assuming the Light Path was taken), filling in some of the gaps, though some stuff is different from the games. There are apparently a few mentions of Kyle elsewhere, such as in the NJO like (but Kyle wasn't there) or something. Again, this fueled speculation that Kyle had died, but he's alive and well in JA, so heh...

; )

 

The SW Databank (sw.com) and the New Essential Guide to Characters, unfortunately, are somewhat error-prone, and there are factual mistakes in there regarding Katarn (and before you try to say the games are 'lower canon', therefore this must be correct, remember the books themselves disagree with the online data and NEGC!).

[Neverhoodian]

Yeah, JA assumes you've played/remembered the previous games, so it's kind of confusing if you haven't played the previous games or forgotten some of the key events.

 

Okay, here's a recap for the previous games in the series in chronological order:

 

(NOTE: This is a long read. I hope you're comfortable.)

 

 

Dark Forces:

Dark Forces begins right before the events in A New Hope and ends sometime shortly before The Empire Strikes Back (I think). Since the technology wasn't really there to make a good lightsaber combat game, Dark Forces was basically a "Doom clone," with lots of running and gunning action.

 

Kyle Katarn has recently defected from the Imperial Army after learning that his father was murdered by the Empire (this is explained in more detail in Jedi Knight: Dark Forces II). Kyle is not yet aware of his Jedi heritage and his Force potential. Instead, he's a mercenary that is employed by the Rebel Alliance, entrusted with stopping whatever secret plans the Empire may be researching.

 

The game begins with Kyle obtaining the Death Star plans and relaying them to the Rebels. All subsequent levels have Kyle investigating a top-secret Imperial scheme known as the Dark Trooper Project. The Dark Troopers, encountered in the later levels of the game, are essentially robotic "super stormtroopers," battle droids that can dish out and withstand enormous amounts of damage. Kyle obtains assistance from a woman named Jan Ors. While Kyle is off on missions, Jan keeps watch over the ship. Jan is the brains of the operation, as she is very knowledgeable in computer skills and espionage. Finally, she's always the one who has to fly in and save Kyle's sorry fanny from the trouble that he always seems to find. After a flurry of levels that include wading through a dianoga-infested sewer system, fighting Boba Fett on Coruscant, and duking it out with Jabba the Hutt's thugs, the game comes to a climax when Kyle infiltrates the Arc Hammer, a huge spaceship responsible for the production of Dark Troopers. Kyle succeeds in destroying the Arc Hammer, obliterating the only production facility and essentially terminating the Dark Trooper Project.

 

Jedi Knight: Dark Forces II

It is now about three years after the destruction of the second Death Star at the Battle of Endor. The former Empire is still quite powerful, but it is now fighting a losing battle against the New Republic, led by the former leaders of the Rebel Alliance. Kyle Katarn is still a mercenary who works for the New Republic from time to time. With relative peace and stability in the galaxy, however, he decides to resolve a deep emotional wound in his life.

 

Kyle travels to Nar Shaddaa, seeking information concerning who killed his father years ago. While meeting with 8t88, a droid and information broker, Kyle learns that the Empire is under new management and that their leader Jerec, a powerful Dark Jedi, was the man who killed his father. Kyle also learns, much to his chagrin, that he's been double-crossed by 8t88, who has obtained a data disk with information that may help him avenge his father's death. In the subsequent shoot-out, Kyle manages to track 88 down, shoot the droid's arm off, and obtain the disk from the severed limb. Jan, as always, flies in to rescue her partner. Knowing that only the family droid Weegee can decipher the disk, Kyle and travels to his home world of Sulon to find the droid. Little does he know that he's gotten far more than he bargained for.

 

It turns out that Jerec and six other Dark Jedi under his command are searching for the Valley of the Jedi, an ancient burial ground where thousands of Jedi were laid to rest. If Jerec could only find the Valley, he could use the residual Force power from the dead Jedi to become so powerful that "A supernova of stars in a fleeting thought...the eradication of a star system in a whisper, will be within his power." With the help of 8t88's extensive databank of information and the military might of the Empire, Jerec's plan is close to fruition. He is close, very close, to finding his goal...

 

Meanwhile on Sulon, Kyle finds his old home, along with Weegee. Upon activating the disk, a recording of Kyle's father comes to life and reveals to him that he has the potential to become a Jedi. A secret slot opens in Weegee revealing a lightsaber. Upon taking the weapon and igniting it for the first time, Kyle begins his path to learning the ways of the Jedi and the Force.

 

As Kyle becomes stronger in the Force, he learns of Jerec's evil plan and fights through legions of the Empire's finest and Jerec's six other Dark Jedi to stop him. After many fights and encounters (one of which brings Kyle perilously close to falling to the Dark Side), Kyle tracks Jerec to the Valley, vanquishing the six Dark Jedi along the way. A final showdown takes place in the Valley itself. Jerec has already begun to take in the power of the Valley, and Kyle has to stop him. After a long, drawn-out battle, Kyle finally defeats Jerec and saves the galaxy.

 

Mysteries of the Sith (Jedi Knight expansion):

About a year after the events of Jedi Knight, Kyle Katarn takes on a Jedi apprentice by the name of Mara Jade. Kyle hears rumors of an ancient Sith temple on a remote planet. He decides to investigate, leaving alone to the planet. When he fails to return, Mara knows something's up, and decides to search for the wayward Jedi. This is the first game in the series where the player controls someone else (Mara Jade) instead of good 'ol Kyle.

 

After many levels of searching for Kyle, you finally track him down to the Sith temple. It seems the power resonating in the temple was too much for him, as Kyle has now fallen to the Dark Side and has become a Dark Jedi. After an intense lightsaber duel, Mara finds an opportunity to attempt to bring Kyle back to the Light Side. She manages to succeed, and Kyle returns to the New Republic. However, his fall from grace troubles Kyle greatly. Fearing that the allure of the Dark Side may be too great, Kyle abandons his Jedi heritage, giving his lightsaber to Luke and vowing never to use the Force again.

 

Jedi Outcast: Jedi Knight II

Eight years have passed since Endor. The leaderless remnants of Empire are steadily weakening, due as much to fighting amongst themselves as with the New Republic. Jedi Master Luke Skywalker has just started a Jedi academy on Yavin IV in the hopes of training a new generation of Jedi that will provide peace and stability to the galaxy.

 

Kyle has gone back to his mercenary ways. Due to his disuse of the Force, he has lost practically all of his former power. However, circumstances dictate that he will return to his Jedi heritage and again call upon the power of the Force in a time of galactic crisis.

 

While on a mission to rescue prisoners from an Imperial mining colony, he and his partner Jan run afoul of a Dark Jedi named Desann and his apprentice, a woman named Tavion. Kyle, no match for Desann in his untrained state, is soundly defeated. Desann decides not to waste the effort killing him (don't villians ever learn? ), instead taking Jan to his shuttle, where he commands Tavion to "kill" her. Tavion complies, and the two Dark Jedi escape.

 

Kyle, his mind clouded with thoughts of black vengeance, is determined to defeat Tavion and Desann no matter the risk. He travels back to the Valley, where he has a brief debate with the spirit of his father. Though failing to change his mind, Kyle's father does assuage his vengeance somewhat. Kyle uses the power of the Valley as a kind of "Force steroid," jump-starting his Force powers back up so that it will take much less time to retrain his abilities. He travels to Yavin IV to get his lightsaber back. Luke Skywalker, unsure of Kyle's readiness, makes him undergo a "trial." Kyle overcomes the test, and Skywalker, with some reluctance, gives him back his saber.

 

While travelling to places like Nar Shaddaa and Bespin, Kyle runs across an old acquaintance by the name of Lando Calrission, who helps him try to find Desann and Tavion. Kyle finally finds Tavion on Bespin, who reveals to him what their plan was; the two Dark Jedi followed Kyle to the Valley of the Jedi, where they then used its power to create thousands of Reborn, footsoldiers who are proficient in both the art of lightsaber combat and the Dark side of the Force. Kyle, his anger close to the breaking point, furiously attacks and overcomes Tavion. He is on the verge of killing her, therefore falling to the Dark side again. She begs him to spare her life, revealing that Jan is in fact not dead. With this information, he lets her go, redeeming himself and determined to rescue Jan.

 

With the information Tavion gave him, Kyle finds a huge Imperial space dock. He learns there that the Imperial Remnant, now led by Desann and his Reborn, are planning a huge assault on Luke's Jedi academy on Yavin IV. He also learns that the Empire has harvested crystals that can harness the Force and cortosis, a rare alloy that's resistant to lightsabers, to create Shadowtroopers. Rather than having to train Force-sensitive individuals, the Remnant could simply place troops into the armor to give them all the capabilities a Jedi could.

 

Kyle manages to sneak aboard the Doomgiver, a huge Star Destroyer type ship that's loaded with Reborn and Shadowtroopers en route to Yavin IV. Using the ship's communications relay, he gives Rogue Squadron intercept coordinates. As the Rogues attack the ship, the Doomgiver launches the ground assault. Kyle finds Jan alive in the detention block and manages to escape the ship in an escape pod seconds before Rogue Squadron destroys it. Once they land, Kyle establishes contact with Luke's Jedi trainees. With their help, he defeats the Remnant and Reborn forces. He finally finds Desann in an old temple adjacent to Luke's academy. After a brief verbal exchange where each try to turn the other to the other side of the Force, they fight. After Kyle manages to kill Desann, he feels much more comfortable with his Jedi abilities and accepts Skywalker's invitation to be an instructor for the Jedi Academy.

 

 

...Are you still awake? If so, I hope that clears things up a bit for you.

 

EDIT: D'oh! I knew I shouldn't have written so long. Serves me right for taking a break for dinner, I guess. Just read Kurgan's post, he covered it very nicely using far fewer words than I did.

[guybroom]

I think i'm starting to remember the one I had. I think it was Dark Forces II - Jedi Knight.

 

Did it have cut scenes with people and actors rather than the CG graphics in the game? Also did it have a level where you are fighting a dark jedi that has no legs and hovers above ground?

 

And the 2 ending things. Did it have the light side ending:

 

 

fireworks and stuff and a wierd droid flying around?

 

Darkside ending: you are dark lord and you sit on a huge throne or something?

 

 

It may have been that, but i had it so long ago that i cant really remember it.

 

Where do you think i can get the games now? (Dark forces 1 and 2 mainly)

[Neverhoodian]

Originally posted by guybroom

I think i'm starting to remember the one I had. I think it was Dark Forces II - Jedi Knight.

 

Did it have cut scenes with people and actors rather than the CG graphics in the game? Also did it have a level where you are fighting a dark jedi that has no legs and hovers above ground?

 

And the 2 ending things. Did it have the light side ending:

 

 

 

 

fireworks and stuff and a wierd droid flying around?

 

Darkside ending: you are dark lord and you sit on a huge throne or something?

 

 

 

It may have been that, but i had it so long ago that i cant really remember it.

 

Where do you think i can get the games now? (Dark forces 1 and 2 mainly)

You remember correctly, guybroom. Jedi Knight is the only game in the series to use full CG graphics with real actors in the cutscenes. Some of the acting is a little corny, but that only makes it more enjoyable.

 

 

That Dark Jedi with no legs you remember is Maw, probably one of the most wicked of Jerec's followers. He lost his legs after the Jedi Qu Rahn cut him in two in the first cutscene, shortly before Rahn is himself killed by Jerec.

 

 

Jedi Knight was also one of the first games to have a "morality scale," where decisions you make in the game determine whether you choose the Light side or Dark side of the Force.

 

In the Light side ending, Kyle defeats Jerec, thus protecting the Valley's secret. A bunch of Jedi spirits (little colored dots) fly around and Kyle carves a statue of his father and Qu Rahn with his lightsaber.

 

Kyle also defeats Jerec in the Dark side ending, only he uses the power of the Valley for himself. In the resulting cutscene, Kyle has become the new "Emperor" of a revived Empire, with Sariss, one of Jerec's former Dark Jedi, as his apprentice. It's implied that the New Republic has been soundly beaten, no more than a "small uprising" that's mentioned in the cutscene. Kyle tells Sariss to quell the nusiance "painfully." With the Empire back in power and the New Republic no more, the galaxy is utterly helpless and at Emperor Katarn's mercy (or lack thereof). Not suprisingly, Jedi Outcast assumes that you chose the Light path in Jedi Knight.

 

[guybroom]

Thanks. I seem to think that I had Dark Forces II: Jedi Knight.

 

So anyone know where i can get the other games and if i can get them on Xbox or have they not been converted onto consol and are only on computer?

[Neverhoodian]

Well, I know that a Playstation version for Dark Forces was made years ago, but I heard that the PC version was better. I think a Macintosh version was made with better graphics than the PC one.

 

As for Jedi Knight, I'm almost positive that there's only the PC version.

 

I got Jedi Knight for a steal ($10) at Best Buy three years ago, but I haven't seen it (or Dark Forces for that matter) for sale in any electronics or department store since. Your best bet would probably be to either order them from Amazon or purchase them from Lucasart's official website.

[Kurgan]

Dark Forces: MacOS, Windows9x*, DOS, Playstation

 

Jedi Knight: Windows9x*

 

Mysteries of the Sith: Windows9x*

 

Jedi Outcast: Windows9x/ME/2k/XP, Gamecube, Xbox, MacOS,+

 

Jedi Academy: Windows9x/ME/2k/XP, Xbox, MacOS?,+

 

 

*I'm sure there's no problem running these on newer versions of windows, just that's what it was made for at the time of release.

 

+Linux builds were made for these games, but ONLY for dedicated servers, as far as I know.

 

Also, the Xbox version of JA is the only console port of a game in the series with online multiplayer.