8.7	8.2	6.7

Compared: January 5, 2003
Compared by: Mark Smith

Publisher
Lucasarts

Developer
Vicarious Visions
Raven Software

Genre: Action
Players: 2
ESRB: Teen

But everything isn’t just quite perfect in this new saga. Along the way you will fall prey to several pitfalls that the design team didn’t manage to avoid when making this title and despite the additional time between the PC and console versions, many of these problems have carried over into the Xbox and GameCube releases. Even so, you can't fight the fact that this is Star Wars and no matter what I say, there are those who are going to collect every version of this game possible. For those of you who are more discerning or simply looking for the best overall gameplay experience, we're about to explore this game in much greater detail.

Round 1: Control

The PC obviously wins this round with perfect control using the mouse and keyboard combo and a fully customizable command interface that lets you assign anything to any key you like.

The Xbox controls are pretty good and every button on the gamepad is used in some fashion. The black and white buttons can be used to assign Hot Key Force Powers so you don't have to cycle through menus in the middle of combat. The D-pad scrolls through inventory and Force Powers while the triggers handle primary and alternate weapon fire. A jumps, X interacts, and B draws your saber and changes fight style while Y is the inventory activation key. It's not as intuitive or configurable as a keyboard but it gets the job done.

The GameCube tries to be as ambitious as the Xbox but simply lacks the number of buttons and subsequently offers the least playable experience. With no hotkeys, using the Force becomes a burden throughout most of the game.

Round 2: Visuals

Jedi Outcast looked great on my PC and is subsequently the winner of this round, although the Xbox version manages to keep much of the quality intact despite the lower resolution. The real-time lighting is stunning casting colored glows on you and other objects. I was surprised that my saber didn’t light up more of the surrounding area, but I guess that is what my night-vision goggles were for. There are tons of special effects including some of the best particle effects I’ve seen. There is nothing more amazing that seeing some of the final lightsaber battles with a dozen Jedi all swinging multicolored lightsabers at each other. There is just an amazing wealth of subtle detail put into this game.

One particularly distressing note were the cutscenes. These movies were beyond gorgeous on the PC but now they look like filtered or compressed MPEG video, very grainy and not nearly as nice as the PC version. Many of the movies splice right into the gameplay so when the high-res game graphics "pop in" you realize just how bad these movies really are. I have no idea what happened during the port to the Xbox. Fortunately, these quality issues are confined to the movies and the game doesn't suffer, but it's still a shame and somewhat of a shock considering Lucasarts reputation for excellent visuals.

The GameCube version is severely lacking in detail which doesn't help when the designers need to find excuses to explain the variable framerate that runs from acceptable to horrible. The framerate issues make it much harder to aim accurately and when you combine that with the already twitchy control stick you are in for some frustrating gameplay. The models and textures are significantly lower in quality that either the PC or Xbox version and there are some problems with the gamma levels that will have you scrambling for the brightness controls. This version comes in a definite last.

Round 3: Music & Sound

The PC and Xbox feature identical sound presentation that redefine perfection. What else would you expect from the wizards at Lucasarts considering they have access to the entire wealth of sounds effects and music from the movies. The Xbox and PC version easily tie for this round while the GameCube comes in a distant third. Despite the accuracy of the GameCube sounds, they just don't seem as vibrant as the PC or Xbox version and there is no Dolby support.

Round 4: Other Deciding Factors

The huge difference between the PC and the console titles is easily the online and multiplayer capabilities. While you are limited to two-player Jedi battles on the Xbox and GameCube you can take your Jedi skills online with 16-player Internet support or have 32 Jedi battling it out on a LAN.

Bottom Line

Even though the scores are deceptively close, the PC is the clear and undisputed winner of this comparison. With better graphics, better control, and the potential for multiplayer gaming, the console versions don't stand a chance. However, if you like to keep your gaming confined to the living room then the Xbox is easily the better choice over the GameCube that suffers from reduced grapics quality, poor framerate, and sound quality issues.