Dear Visceral Games, Electronic Arts, and Lucas Film,

As long time Star Wars fans and gamers, the recently released teaser trailers for Episode VII reignited our dormant urge to play Star Wars video games.  So what games did we play?  We were drawn back to Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast (JO) and Jedi Academy (JA). Why play such old games when newer titles exist? Because, in our opinions, the essence of becoming a Jedi Knight was most eloquently captured by Raven Software with JO and JA, but hasn’t been replicated since. The intent of this open letter is to request a return to those game mechanics in future Star Wars action games. 

What is it that every gamer wants after seeing a Star Wars film?  What is the essence of the Star Wars mythology?  Learning the ways of the Force, mastering the art of light saber combat, and becoming a Jedi Knight.  The JO and JA games allowed the gamer to choose one’s own path, master the Force, and effectively wield a light saber in all its complexity.  The reason for the success of the JO and JA games was the complex control scheme allowing players to feel like an actual Jedi.

The complex controls of JO and JA allowed one the choice to change saber stances, build a customized saber, and then combine these abilities with Force.  This gave the gamer freedom of movement and allowed him/her almost innumerable ways to best his/her opponent.  JO and JA made saber combat realistic, exciting, and risky as it should be.  In JO and JA, the player was compelled to truly master the vast freedom of controls to become a powerful Jedi and progress in the games.  That is what the Star Wars gamer wants.  Non-linearity of level design is also key to the equation of a successful game.  The combination of a complex control scheme with the non-linearity of level design is why we believe the recent Batman Arkham series games has seen so much critical and commercial success.  The reason is because the Batman Arkham series truly allows players to feel the power and freedom of playing as Batman, as the JO and JA games did before it.  The power and freedom of being a Jedi.   

We had very high hopes for Star Wars: The Force Unleashed (TFU) and Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II (TFUII), but we, and many other gamers, were disappointed with TFU and TFUII.  Not because of the story or the beautiful graphics, but, in our opinions, the control system was weak. Controls were restricted and contextual versus the power and freedom of JO and JA controls.  The level design was too linear.  The games did not give the player the feeling of being truly a Jedi.  In TFU and TFUII, mashing button combos and being funneled down a corridor does not translate into a feeling of mastering the art of the light saber and the Force.  The TFU and TFUII controls restricted the player’s choice and freedom from what was offered in the JO and JA games.  Playing as Jedi should be unique and require skill to accomplish.  We feel that TFU and TFUII did not offer that uniqueness, challenge, or excitement of combat.  Being able to ignite your saber with the press of a button in JO and JA was brilliant.  Power and freedom.  Auto-igniting in TFU and TFUII took that freedom away among many other things. 

Please seek out the genius of the JO and JA games and return those gaming mechanics to any future Star Wars action game.  These mechanics will translate well into the adoption of virtual reality gaming devices.   We would like to the see the return of an amazing series of Star Wars action games with the release of Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens, as it will no doubt be a masterpiece of cinema. 

Thank you,

Ryan S. Kuczek & Justin S. Byers