One of my favorite games on the PC for online multiplayer has easily been Jedi Knight II. There's just something too cool about slashing through a friend with your light saber, and it actually feeling like a light saber duel, not a boring clickfest. When I heard it was coming to the GameCube, I was naturally excited, but I really hoped that the gameplay would stay intact. From a bit of play at the Cube Clubs, I have to say that I'm impressed with the way the game plays, but the graphics have really taken a downfall so far.

The moment I stepped up to the game, and resetted the system to start from scratch, I groaned. The opening FMV was pretty blurry, with not much detail at all. I don't have that great of a PC, nor a very good video card, so I'm not what you could consider a graphics freak. So when I look at a game and think that the graphics could use a little bit of work, it is usually trouble. Once in the game itself, the situation wasn't very much different. Everything had a sort of bland look to it, with textures that were, in a word, ugly.

The game starts off just the same as I remembered, with Kyle and Jan investigating an abandoned Imperial Outpost. Soon after you find your first rifle, you're approached by the ever loveable Stormtroopers, with Jan by your side fighting. She shoots well enough, but doesn't hit very well, making most of the firefights your job. After moving around a bit, shooting, and powering up a turret gun, you blast your way through, and move on with the rest of the game.

The game plays considerably well with a controller, almost better than on the PC. It felt very natural to run around and shoot. Although I couldn't find the option for playing around with a lightsaber, I prefer third person movement with a controller, so I would imagine that the lightsaber duels are pretty enjoyable.

When it gets closer to release, I think that Jedi Knight II is probably going to be worth at least a rental, if not a total purchase if you've never owned the PC version. I guess we'll see what happens soon, as it is set to ship on November 11th.