History VideoGame / JediKnightDarkForcesII

** AT-STs are likewise encountered sparingly but very tough opponents. They're heavily armored and immune to projectile weapons, can take a decent number of hits from explosives (5 rockets or 6 shots from the concussion rifle), and armed with a powerful blaster turret that does a lot more damage than a regular blaster rifle. Level 6 has several patrolling a large courtyard which are best avoided, and you have to fight one at the end of levels 13 and 19. Also, after you destroy it, the pilot will hop out and start shooting at you.

* BossInMookClothing: Not exactly a classic example as the kell dragons look anything but your regular enemies and there's as few as three of them in total but they still can't be considered bosses (as every boss in the game has their own separate level to fight them in). They are immune to your laser weapons (except your lightsaber, which is ironically the most efficient tool against them, although one that requires you to get close to the beast) and taking them out with explosives takes ages (it's not exactly smooth with the lightsaber either). Granted, you don't actually ''have to'' fight any of them as there's always a way to just speed past them and move over to a location they have no access to, but still.

* ArtificialBrilliance: While the A.I. is simple by modern standards, it's a noticeable step up from the previous generation of FPS A.I. (as seen in games like ''VideoGame/{{Doom}}'' and the original ''VideoGame/StarWarsDarkForces'') where enemies would simply wander around randomly towards your general direction and periodically shoot at you. Even ''VideoGame/QuakeII'', released the same year as ''Jedi Knight'', used A.I. of this type. In ''Jedi Knight'', by contrast, enemies strafe back and forth to avoid gunfire, can jump between different height levels (i.e. jumping down off higher platforms or jumping to climb objects to reach you), can jump to fire over high objects, etc. It noticeably predates games like ''VideoGame/{{Unreal}}'' and ''VideoGame/HalfLife'', which were a big advance in FPS A.I., by a full year.

** [[ShockAndAwe Force Lightning]]. Shooting electricity our of your hands like TheEmperor might sound fun, but it consumes your Force energy very rapidly, which you could use for other powers. You're better off just using a gun.

* UnholyNuke: Jerec and Boc can both use the "Force Destruction" Power. It's a dark side attack that consists of a fiery ball of flames and negative energy and destroys everything on its path. In-game it's basically a big fireball, but in cutscenes it's a wave of destruction which Jerec uses to obliterate the support structure holding up the cargo ship Kyle is on.

** Kell Dragons now have bulletproof scales which deflect all non-explosive projectiles. You can now only damage them with explosives, Force powers, the lightsaber, or your fists. They also now deal 50 damage instead of 20, allowing them to kill you in just 2 bites.

** Stormtroopers and other humanoid enemies have undergone a major upgrade from ''Dark Forces''. They're now much faster, will strafe back and forth to avoid blaster fire, are much more accurate, and fire more frequently. Stormtroopers in particular are faster and more aggressive than the Grans you fight in the first few levels, and will hit about half their shots, even leading their shots if you try strafing. Stormtrooper [=NCO=]s [=/=]Field Stormtroopers also carry heavier weaponry including the machinegun-like imperial repeater and the rocket launcher-like rail detonator.

* GameBreaker: Force Persuasion makes you invisible and leaves non-Force using enemies more or less completely helpless against you. At max level, it lasts long enough that your Force meter is already recharged several seconds after it ends so you can use it again. It essentially lets you waltz through any non-boss level on a Lightside playthrough. However, you don't get it until about 3/4ths of the way through the game, and you really can only use it on the last 3 non-boss levels.

** As the game is VERY unstable on modern systems, even with official fixes, unless you run it in software mode without hardware acceleration, there have been several mods made to get it to run on modern systems with modern resolutions and framerates. [=OpenJKDF2=], an open-source project, seems to be the most comprehensive attempt.

** Stormtroopers and other humanoid enemies have undergone a major upgrade from ''Dark Forces''. They're now much faster, will strafe back and forth to avoid blaster fire, are much more accurate, and fire more frequently. Stormtroopers in particular are faster and more aggressive than the Grans you fight in the first few levels, and will hit about half their shots, even leading their shots if you try strafing. Stormtrooper [=NCO=]s also carry heavier weaponry including the machinegun-like imperial repeater and the rocket launcher-like rail detonator.

* ContractualBossImmunity: Some of the Dark Side powers, such as Force Grip and Force Deadly Sight don't work on any of the game's bosses. Guns aren't much use, either, as most weapons' shots can be blocked by lightsabers and the bosses will use Force Pull to disarm Kyle anyway.

* UnholyNuke: Jerec and Boc can both use the "Force Destruction" Power. It's a dark side attack that consists of a fiery ball of flames and negative energy and destroys everything on its path.

* EasterEgg: [[Franchise/SamAndMax Max]] appears on Baron's Hed in a building and can team up with Kyle for the rest of the level, if Kyle can get into the room he's in. He's invincible and carries a Bryar Pistol, which he will use with reckless abandon.

** Stormtroopers and other humanoid enemies have undergone a major upgrade from ''Dark Forces''. They're now much faster, will strafe back and forth to avoid blaster fire, are much more accurate, and fire more frequently. Stormtroopers in particular are faster and more accurate than the Grans you fight in the first few levels, and will hit about half their shots, even leading their shots if you try strafing. Stormtrooper [=NCO=]s also carry heavier weaponry including the machinegun-like imperial repeater and the rocket launcher-like rail detonator.
** Probe Droids now deal much more damage with their blaster attacks, now doing as much damage as a shot from an AT-ST. They also have a melee attack with their robot arms which counters fighting them with a lightsaber.
** Kell Dragons now have bulletproof scales which deflect all non-explosive projectiles. You can now only damage them with explosives, Force powers, the lightsaber, or your fists.

* ImperialStormtrooperMarksmanshipAcademy: Notably averted, enemies actually have decent aim this time around. They're not crack marksman, but they still do hit about 50% of their shots, which is a ''huge'' improvement compared to the previous game.