Two weeks ago, I installed Star Wars Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy and I just finished it yesterday. After I played through the Celtic Kings campaign, I decided to change things up a bit and go for a first-person shooter. Actually, like its predecessor Jedi Outcast, Jedi Academy featured a blend of first-person and third-person action. With a traditional weapon (pistol, rifle, etc.) equipped, it plays like a standard FPS. However, switching to the lightsaber presents a very effective third-person camera view. I really like the variety of the different views and how they are under your control by way of weapon choice.

I thoroughly enjoyed Jedi Outcast and wasn't sure that Jedi Academy could measure up to its overall experience. Jedi Academy had a slightly different feel but was just as enjoyable as the previous entry in the series. In Jedi Outcast, you played Kyle Katarn, the protagonist of the series that started with Star Wars: Dark Forces. In that game, you did not start out with a lightsaber. It was a more traditional FPS in the first section and the lightsaber duels were featured in the middle to the end of the game. In Jedi Academy, you assume the role of Jaden Korr, a pupil of Kyle Katarn. Jaden is a Jedi in training and possesses a lightsaber from the very start. The action comes quickly and I found myself balancing the use of various weapons and force powers quite a bit.

Jedi Academy used a modified Quake III engine as did Jedi Outcast. Both games played extremely well in full widescreen at 1680x1050 resolution with all details set to maximum. As is typical with games utilizing the Quake III engine, quick saves and quick loads were almost instantaneous. I still love games based on this engine.

This was another great computer game set in the Star Wars universe. It left me with a taste for some more Star Wars action, so I may have to purchase Star Wars: Battlefront one of these days.

It's been a while since I've posted any gaming updates. I received Celtic Kings: Rage of War as a Christmas gift and have been playing it since January 12. This afternoon, I completed the single-player adventure campaign. I expected a good real-time strategy game. Actually, I got even more than I expected. There were some nice role-playing elements in addition to the strategy. All in all, it was a very enjoyable RTS/RPG hybrid.

The setting was a pleasant change from the usual RPG or RTS. Celtic Kings is set in ancient Roman times. In the adventure campaign, you play as Larax, a Gaul hero. The early missions feature the Teutons as enemies. After Larax's wife is killed in a Teuton raid, he is driven to seek vengeance against them. Eventually, the missions involve the Romans and Julius Caesar himself. Larax is frequently accompanied by the druid Lleldoryn and the viking lord Thoric. These three heroes are together for much of the story.

A nice variety of missions was finally capped off by an assault on Caesar and his mighty armies for the finale. There were literally hundreds of units on the screen. I don't believe I've ever played an RTS game with such large forces to command. Eventually, the Gauls were victorious and Julius Caesar was driven off. You can see him riding off in defeat on the left side of the victory screenshot.