It has been eight years after Return of the Jedi in the timeline of the Star Wars extended universe and Kyle only begins his journey with a variety of blasters at his disposal, until the plot’s events necessitate the re-learning of the lightsaber and Jedi abilities. This may seem jarring at first glance, but the game begins with series protagonist Kyle Katarn working as a mercenary for the New Republic after severing his connection with the Force after the previous game’s events. Star Wars Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast begins as a first-person shooter, before changing to a third-person action-adventure game once new abilities are unlocked. This also means that Jedi Outcast is built on upon the narratives and mechanics of the games that came before it.

In fact, Jedi Academy is the sequel to Jedi Outcast, which justifies its current Q1 2020 release window on Switch. Those who are new to the series in 2019 must have been confused, then, when it was announced during September’s Nintendo Direct that Star Wars Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast would launch before Star Wars Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy. In this context, the title Star Wars Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast makes sense. The game follows 1995’s Star Wars: Dark Forces and 1997’s Star Wars Jedi Knight: Dark Forces II. Jedi Outcast is considered the third installment in the Jedi Knight series that is published by Lucasarts, although this Switch port comes to us from Aspyr.

Meanwhile, late November 2002 featured Star Wars Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast, with Vicarious Visions developing a version of the game for consoles, after Raven Software created the original, a March 2002 title on PC.

Metroid Prime launched in North America, while The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker released in Japan. 2002 was a crucial year in the lifespan of the Nintendo Gamecube.

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