DarthKaal: Small levels? Which ones?
Well, the one I remember most is Nar Shadar (or however you spell that).
The JK Nar Shadaloo was a vertigo inducing, huge-feeling grimy maze of a city.
The JO Nar ShoppingMall was some kind of tiny, neon-plastered copy of Fifth Element.
I wouldn't be surprised if "physically" the JO levels were bigger... but the JK designers did a great job of making the levels seem huge and open. Like when you spend 2-3 levels working your way towards a huge spire, then around it's base, then climbing up it's inside and outside and trying not to fall off. It felt huge and open.
JO just has lots of linear metal corridors.
DarthKaal: Pretty much same powers than in JK.
But with a few missing (throwing crates, etc.) , and with several so overpowered that you never felt even the slightest threat from the enemies.
DarthKaal: And lightsaber combat was really really well done, far better than in JK. A lot of cool move, different combat styles, etc...
But that was the ONLY good thing about the game.
DarthKaal: Sorry but I fail to see what's missing in JO.
Good story. Good characters. Good cutscenes. Good level design. Good environmental puzzles. Good weapons (other than the lightsaber). Good bad guy. Good ending. Light/dark choice. NPCs. Good feeling.
DarthKaal: Of course, no Star Wars game could beat feelings we had while playing Dark Forces and the original Jedi Knight. But that doesn't mean than Jedi Outcast can't be good.
It's not terrible. It's just totally average. It's the archetypal 5/10 game.
Ok... i've kind of talked myself into hating it now.
Jedi Academy wasn't great either, but at least I didn't have high expectations by that point, I occasionally used a few of the weapons, and the characters were some dumb kids rather than messing up the characters id liked from previous games.
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I never played past the first level of syndicate wars, because I could never work out what the big mass of pixels on the screen was supposed to represent... so i can't say if i'd have loved it or hated it. Loved the original syndicate though.