Ah, the forces of the Dark Side must really be working overtime if they had to get a Jedi up on a starfighter and that’s exactly what they do in Jedi Starfighter, a sequel to Star Wars: Starfighter. Once again, LucasArts takes us into an exciting realm, but is it good enough to impress even the likes of Master Yoda?

The story will actually hook you right in: Once again, the galaxy is in turmoil and Mace Windu of the Jedi Council uncovers a sinister plot that points to a mysterious new foe by the name of Count Dooku.  It seems that this new enemy plans to violently sway other star systems away from the Republic by any means necessary (which includes hiring the Trade Federation’s army and a mercenary called Toth).  It’s up to Jedi Master Adi Gallia and a fighter pilot named Nym (introduced in Starfighter) to thwart this threat before it becomes too big to contain.

You start the game piloting Adi’s Jedi Starfighter and switching every other mission with Nym’s powerful Havoc.  Both crafts are dissimilar in every way: the Havoc’s main weapons fire more slower and the secondary weapons are made up of various kinds of missiles while the Jedi Starfighter’s main weapons fire rapidly and the secondary weapons are Jedi Force powers such as Force Lightning.

Unlike Starfighter, where players were immediately thrust into the action, Jedi Starfighter allows you to train before the story mode missions. The training missions are a good place to learn the controls so it eliminates that learn-as-you-go feel that drew away from the pleasure of concentrating on the missions at hand in the first game.  Actually, the controls are a lot like the first game with some minor improvements in the way players will be able to make sharp turns more easily.

From the very start, the Havoc is armed with Energy Bombs and Cruise Missiles while the Jedi Starfighter comes complete with Force Shield and Force Lightening.  As you move on to other missions, the Havoc earns Proximity Mines and Cluster Missiles while the other craft gains Force Shockwave and Force Reflex.  Each secondary weapon can be easily accessed and switched in mid-battle but be wary of the fact that you come with a limited supply of missiles while the Jedi Starfighter must wait for the Jedi Meditation Timer (seen as a white bar) regenerates.

The targeting mechanisms are still a bit awkward.  You can target any close enemy craft within sensor range and after either you or your all allies destroy it, it automatically targets the next closest enemy ship.  This seems okay during normal dogfights, but it becomes frustrating when you can’t lock on an enemy when they threaten a ship you were meant to protect if you were out of range. You can also zoom in on an enemy to catch a closer look at or zoom in on a larger ship to check for cannons.  Wow, we could have used that feature in Starfighter.

Luckily you are not alone in the struggle to keep the peace; you are helped out by three other characters flying their own ships.  Jenkins, Reti and Siri help diminish the number of enemy fighters and pressing and holding the L1 button opens up a communications menu that allows you to issue commands such as “Attack my target!” or “Protect my target!”  A character would respond back and take the course of action you issued. This is helpful when you’re too busy to attack a threatening enemy or if you need some cover when you ship is damaged.

There are twenty-four missions in total (seen in the Mission Selection Screen as three separate acts) in the story mode.  After completing each mission an Objectives Complete screen pops up revealing your completed objectives as well as any bonus missions and hidden missions completed.  Successfully completing certain bonus missions unlocks new crafts; bonus missions, art galleries, LucasArt game previews and even a gag reel taken from the animated cut scenes in the game.

Difficulty-wise, the game has three settings (Easy, Medium and Hard).  The setting you choose determines the strength of your ship’s shields and the number of enemies that appear on the screen.

Jedi Starfighter does come with its share of weaknesses and in this case it comes in the form of its graphics and rough frame rate.  Visually the game is rather bland and without much character in the same way it was with the first time around.  Players will, no doubt, laugh at the animated cut-scene characters (especially Mace Windu who appears in the game as an awkward version of Samuel L. Jackson) that weren’t rendered all the nicely.  The second problem is that sometimes the action will put you smack dab in the middle of an all-out fire fight in the sky with dozens of enemy crafts flying all around you. When the game throws dozens of enemies on the screen at once, the game “jumps” or freezes for a fraction of a second.

The sound rules supreme in this game and it shows it with its masterful John Williams score throughout the entire game.  Much of the score comes directly from Episode One and a few from Episode Two adding to the sweeping grandeur of playing a Star Wars game.  Also throughout the game various characters will speak to you during battles (they’re also seen on the upper right hand corner of the screen).  Much of the in-game banter is witty and fun, yet when issuing commands such as “Attack my target,” sometimes you’ll hear the same responses again and again.

And thank the makers for including a fantastic two-player mode.  Seen in split-screen fashion, players can go through all the story mode missions and the bonus missions with the second player taking the role of Reti, Jenkins and Siri.  The action can get a bit confusing in this mode, but since there are enough enemies to face, it makes for good “tag-team” styled fun.

Jedi Starfighter would have been a really great game if it wasn’t for its noticeable imperfections, but the action and story are just too enjoyable to pass up.  So, young Jedi, if you’re looking for a decent enough Starfighter game with plenty of extra features, make sure and pick this one up.   

Gameplay: 8.4
Borrowing the same game controls as Starfighter, the controls will feel familiar and players will be delightfully surprised with the addition of Jedi Force powers as well as the uniqueness of the missions (e.g. one mission has you shooting down missiles heading for a peaceful city).

The use of the secondary weapons is now more easily accessible, especially when you need a Force Shield on the fly or to switch from mines to missiles.

Graphics: 7.4

I find it highly inexcusable that LucasArts hasn’t improved its Starfighter-themed games visually since the last outing.  The graphics still contain the same plain textures and low-in-detail characters during cut scenes.  This is tragic considering the fact that the game does introduce various new characters that will be seen in Episode 2 and original made-for-the-game alien terrains.

Sound: 9.0
The game’s sound truly deserves high marks for the sweeping Star Wars score that gets players all pumped up, especially during an intense battle.  Yet aside from that, the sound effects also play a big roll in adding to the whole experience.  Ships power up their engines, laser fire whines across the empty confines of space and explosions can be heard all around you.

If you have a good stereo system hooked up to your television, make sure to raise the volume. The sound is something to be experienced . . . especially in Dolby Surround Sound.

Difficulty: 8.5
Three main difficulty settings (such as Easy, Medium and Hard) determine the number of enemy attacks and the strength of your ship’s shields. For example, choosing Hard depletes your shield to nothing after just a few blasts while in the Medium setting it takes a dozen more hits to achieve the same effect.  The Medium setting gives you a good challenge and you can always switch setting anytime after quitting a game in progress.

Concept: 8.7
With an actual storyline that doesn’t insult a Star Wars fan (see Star Wars: Starfighter) but draws you into it as you play, the game’s premise leads up to the events of Episode Two.  It’s also interesting that they chose a Jedi theme (for those of you who know your Star Wars universe know that it’s rare to see a Jedi pilot a ship).

Also the addition of bonus material really makes this a nicely designed package.  The extra missions and gag reel are worth the price.

Multiplayer: 8.9
Another strongpoint is the fact that a second player can join in on the action in both story mode and the bonus missions unlocked at the end. Its split screen view can be a bit disorienting at first but it is something players get use to after a few missions.

In story mode and some of the bonus two-player missions, the second player alternates between playing as Reti, Jenkins and Siri while the first player continues playing the game in the same manner as the single player option.

Overall: 7.8
Aside from the shoddy graphics and the occasional twitch, Star Wars: Jedi Starfighter will manage to draw you right in with its engaging storyline, solid controls and plenty of extras (you got to love a game that offers a gag reel).  Pick this one up if you’re a Star Wars junkie or a die-hard flight simulator fan.