Star Wars Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy

 PC
User Score
8.6

Generally favorable reviews- based on 521 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 460 out of 521
  2. Mixed: 50 out of 521
  3. Negative: 11 out of 521
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  1. ShawnW
    Jan 5, 2010
    10
    The best game I've ever played, multiplayer is the best. Using the saber alone without force powers is tough enough I've been playing the game now for five years a half hour a night (recently) and it still has me hooked. Someday I hope they make an mmo with sword technique.
  2. WilliamJ.
    Feb 12, 2004
    10
    Great Game! What else is there to say.
  3. Seafox89
    May 28, 2016
    8
    Great followup to Jedi Outcast. The story isn't much to brag about, but the gameplay is much improved from its predecessors. Specifically, the lightsaber battles are fantastic. Duels with other lightsaber wielding force users can be challenging and exciting, as well as fun to watch (brief 360 slow mo scenes of finishing moves are not uncommon). The force powers as well as the variousGreat followup to Jedi Outcast. The story isn't much to brag about, but the gameplay is much improved from its predecessors. Specifically, the lightsaber battles are fantastic. Duels with other lightsaber wielding force users can be challenging and exciting, as well as fun to watch (brief 360 slow mo scenes of finishing moves are not uncommon). The force powers as well as the various lightsaber styles and movesets are a lot of fun to explore. A great game for any Star Wars fan.… Expand
  4. ChrisC.
    Feb 2, 2005
    9
    This game is awesome. I'm a Star Wars fan and anyone who has ever dreamed of being a Jedi and using a lightsaber and force powers to slice and dice your enemies this game is for you. It is very fun to play and the interface is perfect. Although technically it is a first person shooter game, you really can forget your guns and just go through the game with your lightsaber and force This game is awesome. I'm a Star Wars fan and anyone who has ever dreamed of being a Jedi and using a lightsaber and force powers to slice and dice your enemies this game is for you. It is very fun to play and the interface is perfect. Although technically it is a first person shooter game, you really can forget your guns and just go through the game with your lightsaber and force powers (as any real Jedi should). Since this is the only game in the Jedi Knight/Dark Forces series that I have played I can't comment on how it relates to those games; however, this game really stands well on its own. Some also might comment on the fact that it is based on the somewhat dated Quake III engine, but I still think it looks and plays great and come on in the middle of the all that action who really has time to closely examine his surroundings. Plus, since I have an older machine (a PIII 1.2 Ghz and a Geforce 2 MX) I appreciate that there are games that can still run on it. The only negative that I can think of, is that I wish it were longer. A few more missions would be nice. Highly recommended!… Expand
  5. AnastasiuA.
    Mar 18, 2006
    10
    This is one of my favourite games for multyplaying.
  6. MasterMarko
    Nov 4, 2003
    10
    It's simply perfect!
  7. MattR.
    Oct 3, 2003
    9
    Very good! I actually didn't care for Jedi Outcast, mostly because of the level design. This game is more polished and fun, and the majority of levels aren't a chore. Great game!
  8. Jackie
    Feb 12, 2004
    10
    This game is one of the best I've played in a long time, it's twice as good if your a star wars fan.
  9. GUARD!AN
    Sep 16, 2009
    10
    My favorite game of all time (And I've tried a hell of a lot of them) Siege gametype in multiplayer is one of the most unique gameplay experiences I have ever had (mostly due to the inclusion of lightsaber combat)
  10. cub317
    Jun 10, 2013
    9
    This is my favorite Star Wars game of all time. It has everything that a great Star Wars game needs. It has really good gameplay, nice looking graphics, a good story, and perfect sound effects. The gameplay is great in that it really makes you feel like a Jedi. The lightsaber combat and force powers capture that feel perfectly. Whenever you use a blaster in this game, it makes youThis is my favorite Star Wars game of all time. It has everything that a great Star Wars game needs. It has really good gameplay, nice looking graphics, a good story, and perfect sound effects. The gameplay is great in that it really makes you feel like a Jedi. The lightsaber combat and force powers capture that feel perfectly. Whenever you use a blaster in this game, it makes you feel like you are playing a generic shooter. However, when you switch to your lightsaber, the game becomes much more like the ultimate Jedi experience. What's even better about this game is that it has the ability for your character to wield two lightsabers, or even a dual lightsaber (like Darth Maul's lightsaber from Star Wars Episode I). There are several iconic force powers in this game such as force push and lightning, as well as ones unique to this game such as drain and protect. All of this, along with dueling with Sith, battling enemy troopers, and platforming through the environments using force jumps, makes you really feel like a Jedi as you are playing this game. The graphics of this game are also quite good. They don't quite meet today's graphical standards, however, they are still good enough for a game released at this time. Everything in this game looks just the way it should in the Star Wars universe. The story, although good, is probably the low point of the game. While the story is pretty good (it's about the Sith once again trying to take over the galaxy, this time by resurrecting a Sith master), at the same time, it is way too short, and there is nothing to do in the main game once you're finished with it, unlike Just Cause 2. The reasoning for this is that the level design is a little shoddy. Some levels you can complete in just minutes, while others take a few hours just to complete. Plus, this game's difficulty is no where near as difficult as its prequel Jedi Outcast. It often took me several minutes to figure out the way out of a room in Jedi Outcast, while here, it only took seconds (just press this totally obvious switch that we did not so carefully hide, and you can move on). Moving on, this game also has terrible A.I. The enemy troops will often just shoot at you the moment they see you, and not move to cover at any time. The enemy also runs away when it feels overwhelmed, and then when it's far enough away, it will proceed to keep shooting. When it's not doing that, the enemy will just stand there and keep shooting. The only different kind of A.I. from the normal troopers is the Sith and heavy troopers. However these guys are just as bad as the troopers. The Sith often "accidentally" jump in a bottomless pit, and the heavy troopers, though stronger than normal troopers, still have pretty much the same A.I. Despite these flaws, the game is still quite excellent. I forgot to mention the sound. The sound is everything you could want from a Star Wars game. It has the right lightsaber, blaster, and environmental sound effects, as well as John William's score. Overall, I give this game a 9 out of 10. It may have many flaws, however, many of them are easily overlooked. The A.I. is the only one that I could not overlook.… Expand
  11. ThatCriticalJew
    Mar 27, 2012
    8
    Reminds us of when Star Wars games were made simply for people to enjoy. It had an amazing campaign(even if the AI is sometimes stupid) and an awesome multi-player that should be an example of what online jedi battles should be; fun! The customization is fantastic as well.(for the time at least.) And, to be honest, had better controls than the force unleashed. This game made you feelReminds us of when Star Wars games were made simply for people to enjoy. It had an amazing campaign(even if the AI is sometimes stupid) and an awesome multi-player that should be an example of what online jedi battles should be; fun! The customization is fantastic as well.(for the time at least.) And, to be honest, had better controls than the force unleashed. This game made you feel like you were a Jedi, not some Kratos clone with a lightsaber. Raven Software, do the right thing. Make another sequel. Use the necronomicon on the cancelled project if you have to. Make it happen!… Expand
  12. CristianDorta
    Dec 21, 2018
    10
    Fue mi primer gran juego online. Me dio unos tres o cuatros años de vicio. En su momento había una gran comunidad y eso solo pasa en los grandes juegos.
  13. Mrman7
    Nov 13, 2014
    7
    Jedi Academy is a serviceable sequel to Jedi Outcast but unlike the previous entries in the series it does not represent a quantum leap forward in quality. Dark Forces was a fun shooter, Jedi Knight was a revelation and Jedi Outcast was an exercise in near-perfection. Jedi Academy retains the same rock-solid lightsaber and Force power game mechanic of Outcast and enough enhancements toJedi Academy is a serviceable sequel to Jedi Outcast but unlike the previous entries in the series it does not represent a quantum leap forward in quality. Dark Forces was a fun shooter, Jedi Knight was a revelation and Jedi Outcast was an exercise in near-perfection. Jedi Academy retains the same rock-solid lightsaber and Force power game mechanic of Outcast and enough enhancements to make it worthwhile. Most notable is the ability to customize your character and lightsaber as well as adding the option to wield two lightsabers or the infamous Darth Maul dual lightsaber. The story is not quite as interesting and the experience as a whole is not nearly as absorbing and immersive as the previous entry. If you are a fan of the series or Star Wars in general I would definitely recommend this title. If you're only going to buy one Dark Forces/Jedi Knight game however, I'd go for Jedi Outcast.… Expand
  14. gracjanski
    Nov 6, 2015
    8
    Very good game, that have a lot fo known Star Wars elements and shows the world after Episode 6. There is a great texture mod, that help this game visually.
    There are some weaknesses in gameplay: playing with guns is not weak and controlling is bad. for example, but overall surely worth to play it.
  15. iddqd4
    Feb 11, 2018
    9
    Лучшие бои на световых мечах из когда либо виденных.
  16. Aozz101x
    Apr 21, 2015
    10
    Star Wars: Jedi Knight Jedi Academy, is one of my favorite games on PC
    the game lets you make a jedi or sith(if you choose to the dark side in the story, or making one in multplayer)
  17. Inq
    Nov 7, 2014
    10
    Having played this game just when it released 11 years ago and having recently reinstalled and re-finishedit today, I have to say, it aged incredibly well. None of that **** modern gaming stuff where you get spoonfed every goal, no revamped levels ... every level has an interesting twist to it, the combat, while on the simplistic side, is genuinely entertaining and you'll finish theHaving played this game just when it released 11 years ago and having recently reinstalled and re-finishedit today, I have to say, it aged incredibly well. None of that **** modern gaming stuff where you get spoonfed every goal, no revamped levels ... every level has an interesting twist to it, the combat, while on the simplistic side, is genuinely entertaining and you'll finish the campaign without ever being bored.

    This game is truly a masterpiece and absolutely worth playing today if you can forgive the (by now) outdated graphics and mediocre draw distance.

    Just ... just get it. Do it. Now. NOW.    … Expand
  18. ComandanteJ
    Jun 5, 2015
    10
    What a wonderful game. I played it on the original XBOX back when it came out, and enjoyed every bit of it. Recently, i bought a Star Wars bundle, and it included this masterpiece. I dindn't install it, in fear of it being a let down compared with today's standards. Boy, was i wrong.

    The graphics, once you write a little .cfg file to set the resolution and FOV of your screen... hold up    What a wonderful game. I played it on the original XBOX back when it came out, and enjoyed every bit of it. Recently, i bought a Star Wars bundle, and it included this masterpiece. I dindn't install it, in fear of it being a let down compared with today's standards. Boy, was i wrong.

    The graphics, once you write a little .cfg file to set the resolution and FOV of your screen... hold up VERY good!. Physics are awesome, too, with geometry based combats, including blasters and such-not only lightsaber. Illumination is very nice, textures are better than some of today's AAA games (those Witcher 3 rocks or cobblestones...), and most importantly.... game is just as fun as it was when it came out. Storyline it's it's lowest point, but it's enjoyable enough. Magnificent, timeless game.    … Expand
  19. Ebinski
    Aug 24, 2014
    10
    This game has the best lightsaber dueling to date and it´s simple RPG elements, Character customization and awesome environments make it one of the best Star Wars games to date and my personal favorite game of all time.
  20. DCMetatron52
    May 3, 2015
    9
    Really good engine. Great multiplayer. Great singleplayer. And has some good mods like Knights of the Force and Movie Duels. Though, I still think the highlight of this game is the engine. While old, it really suits the game perfectly.
  21. Axel293410
    Nov 3, 2015
    8
    They improoved the Single player, but the Multiplayer felt weak, they should have stayed with the Multiplayer from Jediknight 2 jedi outcast.
    This game deserve a 4th game thou....
  22. pknowles
    Jan 1, 2016
    10
    The best PVP lightsaber game there is. If only it had a sequel. Great single player too.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​
  23. WailingPuma
    Dec 15, 2016
    10
    I am 22 years old, only played this master piece a few months ago. I always thought that the old games were so great because I was a child and was impressed by anything really. But playing JKJA recenly just showed me I was wrong by a far cry: This is a great game, and they just don't make them like this anymore.
  24. Venomyo
    Dec 18, 2017
    10
    best star wars game ever. lightsaber combat is so complex there are people perfecting it for over 10 years now.

    150 characters? best star wars game ever. lightsaber combat is so complex there are people perfecting it for over 10 years now.best star wars game ever. lightsaber combat is so complex there are people perfecting it for over 10 years now.best star wars game ever. lightsaber    best star wars game ever. lightsaber combat is so complex there are people perfecting it for over 10 years now.

    150 characters? best star wars game ever. lightsaber combat is so complex there are people perfecting it for over 10 years now.best star wars game ever. lightsaber combat is so complex there are people perfecting it for over 10 years now.best star wars game ever. lightsaber combat is so complex there are people perfecting it for over 10 years now.    … Expand
  25. Azazator3000
    Nov 23, 2018
    10
    Лучшая игра по зв всех времен, даже спустя 15 лет в неё хочется вернуться и нагнуть Роша Пенина.
  26. NightGeisha
    Dec 9, 2018
    8
    I was feeling nostalgic I start to browse my old games collection and that was when I think: "Star Wars", I have several old Star Wars games that I could retry and give a small updated review.

    Jedi Knight - Jedi Academy it's fantastic, even thinking that it's a 2003 game. It has mechanics to play in 3rd person or in 1st person depending of your play style. Sure it didn't have nice    I was feeling nostalgic I start to browse my old games collection and that was when I think: "Star Wars", I have several old Star Wars games that I could retry and give a small updated review.

    Jedi Knight - Jedi Academy it's fantastic, even thinking that it's a 2003 game. It has mechanics to play in 3rd person or in 1st person depending of your play style. Sure it didn't have nice graphics by 2017 standards and not even reach 1920x1080. But has a very nice story, very well placed in Star Wars universe, and like many other things on the Star Wars universe, the old, is better.

    It’s a “must have” classic for any gamer or Star Wars fan. Enjoy it and “may the force be with you”!    … Expand
  27. 4lch3m1st
    Aug 9, 2011
    10
    This is a great game you can play for hours if you simply love light sabres. I passed on the sp part and went right for multiplayer and was happily slicing and slashing in free for all deathmatch servers. Use one lightsabre or two, customize your character and saber all you want and spend hours figuring out new moves and combos. I never bothered learning the game but it was by far the bestThis is a great game you can play for hours if you simply love light sabres. I passed on the sp part and went right for multiplayer and was happily slicing and slashing in free for all deathmatch servers. Use one lightsabre or two, customize your character and saber all you want and spend hours figuring out new moves and combos. I never bothered learning the game but it was by far the best non-restrictive free for all fps game I had played in a long time.… Expand
  28. MadnessisRising
    Mar 15, 2019
    9
    Best Star Wars game in my opinion! What a fun to fight vs that many sith or jedi. Absolutely love it!
  29. etb444
    Dec 27, 2013
    2
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I appreciate Lucasart's attempt to make a legitimate Star Wars FPS/TPS, but they just missed it with this game. At first this game is OK, having you go on a lazily planned set path, killing a few bugs, and then spying on some sith. Most of the levels have no clear objective markers making the levels frustrating and leaving you wandering around trying to find your way. The graphics look cheesy and the voices aren't nearly as good as they should be. The multiplayer is the real reason this game managed a 2/10, the maps are decently sized and there are a variety of enemies to face and guns to use for pleasure. We don't know how long it will take Lucasart's to make a good Star Wars game, but when it does happen, it better be much better than this.… Expand
  30. RobR.
    Dec 5, 2003
    6
    Jedi Academy feels more like an add-on to Jedi Outcast. The saber duels are frequent (MUCH more than in Outcast) and customized sabers are great. But this alone can't advocate a full-priced game. I also completely agree with PC Gamer's statement about the generic enemies. I didn't feel like I was fighting evil Jedi. It was more like fighting "Guy-With-Red-Saber #259". Jedi Academy feels more like an add-on to Jedi Outcast. The saber duels are frequent (MUCH more than in Outcast) and customized sabers are great. But this alone can't advocate a full-priced game. I also completely agree with PC Gamer's statement about the generic enemies. I didn't feel like I was fighting evil Jedi. It was more like fighting "Guy-With-Red-Saber #259". You'll essentially be paying 50 dollars for a new saber style.… Expand
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Awards & Rankings

46
#46 Best PC Game of 2003
15
#15 Most Discussed PC Game of 2003
7
#7 Most Shared PC Game of 2003

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
81

Generally favorable reviews - based on 34 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 23 out of 34
  2. Mixed: 11 out of 34
  3. Negative: 0 out of 34
  1. GMR Magazine
    70
    With the exception of battling other Jedi, you'll be slicing your way through this game in no time. [Dec 2003, p.80]
  2. games(TM)
    70
    Taking out several Stormtroopers with one sweeping flash of neon is a gratifying sight, but the fun really starts as more and more Saber-wielding Dark Jedi are introduced into the fray and the scene becomes awash with multiple blades. [Nov 2003, p.116]
  3. Gaming Age
    91
    The amount of control you have over your character in Jedi Academy is one of those things we all asked for while we were playing "Jedi Outcast."
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