Wikipedia

Star Wars Jedi Knight: Mysteries of the Sith

Star Wars Jedi Knight: Mysteries of the Sithis anexpansion packfor the 1997first-person shooterStar Wars Jedi Knight: Dark Forces II,developed and published byLucasArtsforMicrosoft Windowsin 1998. It was re-released onSteamin September 2009.[3][4]The expansion includes a newsingle-playerstory mode and fifteenmultiplayermaps. The single-player story, set in theStar Warsexpanded universefive years after the events ofDark Forces II,follows both returning protagonistKyle Katarn,aJedi Masterandmercenaryworking for theNew Republic,andMara Jade,a character featured in numerousStar Warsexpanded universe works,[5]who is being trained by Katarn in the Jedi arts. After Katarn goes missing while investigating an ancientSithtemple, Jade continues her studies on her own while undertaking missions from the New Republic, eventually leaving to find Katarn.

Star Wars Jedi Knight:
Mysteries of the Sith
European Windows cover art
Developer(s)LucasArts
Publisher(s)LucasArts
Designer(s)Stephen Shaw
Composer(s)Peter McConnell
SeriesStar Wars: Jedi Knight
Platform(s)Microsoft Windows
Release
Genre(s)First-person shooter,third-person shooter
Mode(s)Single-player,multiplayer

Mysteries of the Sithuses the samegame engineasDark Forces II,the Sith engine, but features several technical improvements, including colored lighting, new textures andmodels,and betterAI.The expansion puts more emphasis onlightsabercombat andForcepowers, introduced inDark Forces II.The multiplayer mode allows up to eight players to play online or over alocal area network.

Upon release, the expansion received generally positive reviews. Critics praised its story and AI improvements, but felt there was room for additional improvements and criticized its inconsistent difficulty and certain gameplay elements. It was followed byStar Wars Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcastin 2002, the next main installment in theJedi Knightseries.A reverse engineeredsource portcalled OpenJKDF2 supportsMysteries of the Sith.[6]

Gameplay

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See also:Gameplay of Star Wars Jedi Knight: Dark Forces II

Single-player

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Mysteries of the Sithis primarily a first-person shooter, but offers the choice of athird-person view.[7]UnlikeDark Forces II,where the player's actions within the game dictate whether the story ends with the light side or the dark side ending,Mysteries of the Sithhas a single, morally positive course.[8]The player progresses through the game in a linear fashion; there are fourteenlevels[9]and each has set objectives that the player must complete before being able to continue to the next level. Within each level the player can encounter both hostile and non-hostilenon-player characters(NPCs).[10]As well as including some enemies that featured inDark Forces II,Mysteries of the Sithadds twenty new monsters, including arancor.[11]Some non-hostile NPCs may help the player by attacking enemies.[9]

The player has a choice of weapons to use throughout the game. These include projectile weapons such as ablasteror thermal detonator, and thelightsaber.The player also has access toForcepowers. Some are capable of causing damage to enemies while others can be used for non-violent activities.[7]

Multiplayer

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Mysteries of the Sithincludes fifteen multiplayer maps,[9]four of which only allow players to battle with lightsabers.[12]The player can choose anavatarand the lightsaber color, and compete with up to seven other players over the internet or a local area network. The game includes a ranking system that tracks the player's experience. Multiplayer mode allows the use of pre-set characters featured in bothMysteries of the SithandDark Forces II.[13]There is also a choice of characters from theStar Warsfilms, such asLuke Skywalker,Darth VaderandBoba Fett,who was already a playable character in theDark Forces IIseries. Each type of character has advantages and disadvantages.[12]

Several locations from theStar Warsfilms have been recreated as maps for multiplayer gaming. These include Luke's home onTatooinefromA New Hope,the carbon-freezing chamber onBespinfromThe Empire Strikes Backand theEmperor'sthrone room on theDeath StarfromReturn of the Jedi.Thecapture the flagmultiplayer mode has been altered sinceDark Forces II.The player must now steal aysalamirfrom the other team and return it to his or her own base. The ysalamir has the added effect of reducing the Force powers of the player who is carrying it.[12]

Plot

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See also:Plot of Star Wars Jedi Knight: Dark Forces II

Mysteries of the Sithis set in the year 10 ABY, six years after the events ofReturn of the Jediand five years afterDark Forces II.The story continues from the "Light Side" ending ofDark Forces II,withKyle Katarnhaving become a powerfulJedi Masterand takingMara Jadeas his apprentice.[12]Like Katarn, Jade is a former member of theGalactic Empire,but joined theNew Republicto become a Jedi Knight.[14]

The first level of the game takes place in a new New Republic outpost on the planet Altyr Five, where Katarn and Jade's training session is interrupted by an Imperial attack on the base. The player takes control of Katarn to defend the base from thestormtroopersand get to the command center. Once there, it is revealed that an evacuation cannot take place because of bombardment by two weapon platforms disguised as asteroids. Katarn leaves Jade behind as he travels to the asteroids to destroy them.

After this section, the player controls Jade for the rest of the game. Katarn reveals that he has discovered information on the whereabouts of aSithtemple onDromund Kaas,which he goes to investigate, leaving Jade to continue her studies of the Force alone while undertaking new assignments from the Republic. After completing her missions, Jade learns that contact with Katarn has been lost and goes to Dromund Kaas to find what has happened to him. At the temple, she discovers that Katarn has been corrupted by the power of the dark side, and fails to convince him to return to the light, so the two end up dueling each other. This helps Katarn escape the dark side's influence, as he cannot bring himself to kill Jade after she disengages her lightsaber. However, the incident causes Katarn to distance himself from the Force and return to hismercenaryways.[10]

Development

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The cutscenes inMysteries of the Sithare rendered by the3D engine,a change from thefull motion videoused inDark Forces II.

Star Wars Jedi Knight: Mysteries of the Sithwas developed and published byLucasArtsas an expansion toStar Wars Jedi Knight: Dark Forces II.[14]Mysteries of the Sith's development team was led by Stephen Shaw, the lead programmer for LucasArts titlesFull ThrottleandOutlaws.[15]Development commenced immediately afterOutlaws's completion in 1997, which ensured the game's quick release following that ofDark Forces II.[15]

Being an expansion toDark Forces II,Mysteries of the Sithrequires theDark Forces IICD-ROMthe first time the player starts the game.[14]LucasArts has made improvements to the 3D engine used inDark Forces IIby including colored lighting.[9]The live-actionfull motion videocutscenes that were used between levels inDark Forces IIhave been replaced with full-motion video scenes that were rendered by the 3D engine.[12]

Theartificial intelligencehas been developed further to produce more realistic actions from the NPCs. The hostile and non-hostile NPCs can fight amongst each other with little or no input from the player.[9]Another improvement is that if a player were to use "Force pull" to take weapons away from enemies inDark Forces II,the enemies would walk around doing nothing; by contrast, inMysteries of the Siththe enemies attempt to defeat the player by punching them.[14]

According to Stephen Shaw, most ofMysteries of the Sith's content was inspired byTimothy Zahn'sThrawn trilogyof books; one of the game's protagonists, Mara Jade, was drawn directly from the novels.[15]Though the expansion includes characters from the previous game, new dialogue was recorded forMysteries of the Sith's scenario, including recurring background characters who speak similar lines to their counterparts inDark Forces II.Some dialogue was authentically translated intoHuttese,a fictional language used inReturn of the Jediand elsewhere in theStar Warsuniverse.[14]TheStar Warsoriginal soundtrack byJohn Williamsis used inMysteries of the Sith.[9]

Reception

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In the United States,Mysteries of the Sithdebuted at #10 onPC Data's monthly computer game sales chart for February 1998.[19]It fell to position 15 the following month, with an average retail price of $28,[20]and was absent from April's top 20.[21]The game was well received by critics.[22]It holds an aggregate score of 75.60% onGameRankings,based on five reviews.[16]Mysteries of the Sithhas been described as a good quality expansion pack[9]and a "worthy addition" to the world ofJedi Knight,[23]but with room for improvement in some areas.[12]

Next Generationreviewed the PC version of the game, rating it four stars out of five, and stated that "on the whole,MOTSgives notice to expansion pack designers everywhere: It is possible to create an exceptional gaming experience within the creative possibilities of an add-on. The foundation has already been laid. "[18]

The gameplay of the single-player mode received mixed reactions. Paul Mallinson ofPC Zonestated that "Mysteries Of The Sithstarts off brilliantly and gets better and better and better the further you get into it. The progressive nature of the constantly evolving storyline sees to that. "[9]In contrast, Michael E. Ryan ofGameSpotstated that the game is uneven and the challenging levels are only at the end. This adversely affects the gameplay by creating a steep change in how the game must be played.[12]General aspects of the gameplay were seen as improvements, such as the artificial intelligence.[14]

The multiplayer side ofMysteries of the Sithwas received positively,[24]but did not completely escape criticism.Emil PagliaruloofThe Adrenaline Vaultquestioned why certain features seemed to be missing from the multiplayer mode that were present in the single-player mode. One such feature is the rancor which appears prominently in a single-player level but is not in any multiplayer maps.[14]

The development of thegraphicsinMysteries of the Sithwas seen as an improvement[14]with particular praise for the new colored lighting effects.[9][12]However, not all new graphical developments were well received and some reviews highlighted that smoke effects from the carbonite weapon are particularly poor.[24]Ryan criticized the whole graphical implementation of the weapon: "The Carbonite gun was a long awaited weapon, but the effects and the resulting graphic for frozen foes are really quite bad."[12]

Mysteries of the Sithreceived praise for its use of sound.[14]Heidi Shannon was described as an "excellent choice" for the voice of Mara Jade.[12]The musical soundtrack by John Williams received specific commendation for its quality.[9]Pagliarulo stated that its use is executed very well within the game: "Mysteries of the Sithmanages to use the right piece [of music] at just the right moment. "[14]

Mysteries of the Sithwas a finalist forComputer Games Strategy Plus's 1998 "Add-On of the Year" award, which ultimately went toAge of Empires: The Rise of Rome.The editors wrote thatMysteries of the Sith"was somewhat uneven, but what was good was very, very good".[25]

References

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  1. ^"Software - Save Up to Half the Price".Port Talbot Guardian.March 12, 1998. p. 13.RetrievedDecember 3,2023.New -Mysteries of the Sith
  2. ^"Lucasarts Company Store".Lucasarts.Archived from the original on February 14, 1998.RetrievedOctober 20,2013.{{cite web}}:CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  3. ^Bailey, Kat (September 16, 2009)."Jedi Knight Collection Now Available On Steam".1UP.Archived fromthe originalon November 8, 2012.RetrievedAugust 31,2014.
  4. ^"Star Wars Jedi Knight Collection".Steam.Archivedfrom the original on August 8, 2017.RetrievedAugust 17,2013.
  5. ^"Skywalker, Mara Jade".starwars. Archived fromthe originalon June 28, 2011.RetrievedAugust 17,2013.
  6. ^Litchfield, Ted (May 19, 2024)."Nothing is too niche for modders to remaster, not even a '90s Star Wars FPS expansion pack where you play as Luke Skywalker's weird non-canon wife rescuing my favorite Expanded Universe dork".PC Gamer.Archivedfrom the original on May 20, 2024.RetrievedMay 19,2024.Jedi Knight and Mysteries of the Sith Remastered are a great way to pretty up these old games if you want to see them in a new light, but if you're looking for something more light touch, you can always just stick to the OpenJKDF2 source port General Tantor's mods are built on: that'll let you play the game at crisp, modern resolutions while still keeping a classic '90s feel.
  7. ^abBoero, Mollie; Miller, Tim (1998).Mysteries of the Sith game manual.LucasArts.
  8. ^Curtiss, Aaron (March 23, 1998)."The Sound and the Story: 'Quake' Sequel Rocks".Los Angeles Times.Archivedfrom the original on June 14, 2021.RetrievedAugust 31,2014.
  9. ^abcdefghijkMallinson, Paul (August 13, 2001)."PC Review: Jedi Knight: Mysteries Of The Sith".PC Zone.Archived fromthe originalon September 14, 2007.RetrievedAugust 17,2013.
  10. ^abLucasArts.Star Wars: Jedi Knight: Mysteries of the Sith(Microsoft Windows).
  11. ^"Official LucasArtsMysteries of the Sithwebsite ".LucasArts.Archived fromthe originalon August 24, 2005.RetrievedDecember 12,2008.
  12. ^abcdefghijkRyan, Michael E. (February 17, 1998)."Jedi Knight: Mysteries of the Sith Review".GameSpot.Archivedfrom the original on November 6, 2013.RetrievedAugust 31,2014.
  13. ^abWasden, Beth."Star Wars: Jedi Knight -- Mysteries of the Sith - Review".AllGame.Archived fromthe originalon November 19, 2014.RetrievedNovember 19,2014.
  14. ^abcdefghijPagliarulo, Emil (February 10, 1998)."Jedi Knight: Mysteries of the Sith - PC Review".The Adrenaline Vault. Archived fromthe originalon December 21, 2012.RetrievedAugust 17,2013.
  15. ^abcPC Gamer staff (1997)."PC Gamer Previews: Mysteries of the Sith".PC Gamer.Archived fromthe originalon February 18, 1998.RetrievedAugust 17,2013.
  16. ^ab"Star Wars Jedi Knight: Mysteries of the Sith for PC".GameRankings.RetrievedAugust 31,2014.
  17. ^Randell, Kim (1998)."PC Review: Jedi Knight: Mysteries of the Sith".Computer and Video Games.Archived fromthe originalon September 13, 2007.RetrievedAugust 31,2014.
  18. ^ab"Finals".Next Generation.No. 41.Imagine Media.May 1998. p. 114.
  19. ^Ocampo, Jason (18 March 1998)."Re-release rides movie's coattails on PC Data charts".Computer Games Strategy Plus.Archived fromthe originalon 17 February 2005.
  20. ^Ocampo, Jason (21 April 1998)."Do the PC Data figures prove lower is better?".Computer Games Strategy Plus.Archived fromthe originalon 6 April 2005.
  21. ^Ocampo, Jason (13 May 1998)."The top selling games of April, according to PC Data".Computer Games Strategy Plus.Archived fromthe originalon 8 February 2005.
  22. ^"Star Wars: Jedi Knight - Mysteries of the Sith for Windows (1998) MobyRank".MobyGames.Archivedfrom the original on September 28, 2020.RetrievedDecember 11,2008.
  23. ^Diaz, James (September 25, 2002)."Jedi Knight: Mysteries of the Sith".PC Gameworld. Archived fromthe originalon March 6, 2012.RetrievedAugust 17,2013.
  24. ^abChick, Tom (October 16, 2000)."PC Retroview: Jedi Knight".IGN.Archivedfrom the original on October 16, 2015.RetrievedAugust 31,2014.
  25. ^Staff (February 11, 1999)."The Best of 1998".Computer Games Strategy Plus.Archived fromthe originalon February 3, 2005.
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