Jedi Survivor is a Messy Step Forward
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- Опубліковано 4 жов 2024
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It's time to venture into a long lost corner of a galaxy far, far away...
Or, more bluntly: I Played Jedi Survivor So You Don't Have To
Outro Track: Dark Fantasy Studio
#starwars #jedi #jedisurvivor #jedifallenorder #fallenorder #respawn #titanfall #titanfall2 #calkestis
Holy shit take, Batman!
Robin, use the Batmouthsoap! The Joker’s gas has left your mouth positively filthy!
Good vid. As a lapsed SW fan from way back, I’ve learned to enter most entries in this property with a bolt bag at the ready. Never know when I need to split, probably around the time I hear R2’s ‘WooooAaaaAH!’ for the millionth time
Trilla deserved better
The Nightsister magic isn’t necessarily dark side adjacent. It’s using the Force in a different way
Silri and that lass who helped found the Second Imperium would beg to differ though. Nightsisters are definitely more agnostic about the Force than Jedi would be.
Mother Talzin would disagree. Necromancy, siphoning off life force, using energy beams that are reminiscent of Force Lightning, Nightsister magic is definitely Dark-Side. It's like an aspect of the Dark Side that the Ancient Sith might've used, but the modern Sith have forgotten.
2:34 I agree; there's too many people praising Cal for being the right kind of Jedi *COUGH* Generation Tech *COUGH* but aside from helping people out, there's really not much to him, outside of wasting a 20+ hour adventure by destroying the thing he was supposed to get. The fact that he practically kills people to release them from their torment makes him even more brutal than Kyle Katarn, who usually offers an act of mercy to a defeated foe like Jerec or Desann. Even Starkiller spared Vader TWICE after the latter ruined his life more than once. The ideal Jedi would be the likes of Luke Skywalker, Kyle Katarn, Starkiller, and Satele Shan. Mostly because Kyle and Starkiller knew how to let things rip and unleash the Force without falling into the Dark Side, while Luke and Satele allowed their Jedi to get married.
Cal doesn't really do anything to set himself apart from the average Jedi, even the whole part of him destroying the holocron was only due to the Empire running around still being a threat, if it wasn't there, you can bet your ass he'd grab those kids faster than you can say ''may the Force be with you!'' Not to mention that those kids are probably doomed, since Vader and the Inquisition had the holocron for a while, and with all of them being former Jedi, they'd know how to open that thing and read its contents like it's nothing. So after Fallen Order, the Inquisitorius would've probably gone on a galactic tour where they killed or recruited all those kids.
6:12 I also didn't notice how problematic the whole Dathomir situation was until you pointed it out. The Dathomirians were slaughtered by Cal all so he can claim a McGuffin that he proceeds to toss aside. So all those dirt-poor bastards died for absolutely nothing. What a life, eh? Get abused by witches for most of your life, then when you get freed after some robots wipe out the witches, some dumb ginger kid comes down and kills you all in his quest to grab something that he destroys in the end anyways. It's not like the lives of those Dathomir Zabraks mattered; they all get killed and the person who sent them against Cal winds up being his girlfriend. All's well that ends well.
2:56 True. There's already contradictions against the canon in the mainline media. Season 7 of TCW and the Bad Batch cartoon both step on Ahsoka's novel and the Kanan Jarrus origin comic. They even released a statement that said ''canon shouldn't matter.'' And so I've been holding them to that standard, with my own idea of SW canon being Legends and some parts of the new EU.
7:00 Kyle Katarn had more character development than Cal got in both games. There's a reason why he is so well-loved even to this day. The decision to make Kyle a mentor character in Jedi Academy showed real growth; that our boy who had his start stealing the Death Star plans and destroying Dark Troopers was now a fully-grown Jedi Master teaching the next generation of Padawans on how to wield the Force.
9:12 That's another thing that bothered me with Fallen Order and Survivor. We had three Jedi game series that taught game designers how to make good Jedi games. We had the Jedi Knight games which started with JK1 and ended with Jedi Academy. We had the KOTOR games which include the 2 KOTOR titles as well as the Old Republic MMO. We had the two Force Unleashed games, which were basically scaled-up versions of the Episode III video game. Three formulas for Jedi games, three approaches that each had their own virtues and playstyles, from the tactical approach of KOTOR, the precise dueling mechanics of the Jedi Knight games, and the tactical/fighting game mechanics you have with the duels in Force Unleashed and the EP3 game, and they go with none of those and rip off Sekiro, Metroid, Far Cry, and other games that had nothing to do with Jedi.
15:56 That's the main problem I've seen with these new Jedi games. Aside from just copying other games that aren't Star Wars, they also have plots that have the scope of a small caterpillar. Even if you failed in Fallen Order, what would've happened? Either the Inquisition kills some more Force-sensitives, or recruits them. Big whoop. More Dark Jedi for Luke and the others to kill down the line. The least Cal could've done with the list from the holocron would've been to tell Saw to move those kids to safe places and then ask them in the future if they want to become Jedi. And in Survivor, they didn't accomplish anything. Sure, there's one ISB chief dead and his top Jedi operative was also killed off, but Dark Jedi and ISB goons are far from a rare bunch, Palpatine probably had them replaced by the end of the next day. It just feels like nothing really matters, which is far from what previous Jedi games have done.
KOTOR 1 had you stop a Sith from using his fleet to firebomb half the galaxy, either by you killing him and dismantling his empire, or taking his place and his armada for yourself.
KOTOR 2 had you stop a Sith cult that was literally powered by Force parasites whose leader destroyed worlds.
The SWTOR MMO's main vanilla plot outside of moving the war along was stopping a Sith Emperor from destroying the galaxy.
The Episode III game had you as Vader purge the Jedi but also ends with you playing as Obi-Wan, crippling Vader and preventing him from becoming a far more powerful threat than Sidious ever was.
Force Unleashed 1 had you as Starkiller literally form the Rebel Alliance.
Force Unleashed 2 had you destroy Vader's operations of cloning a Dark Jedi army which would've been catastrophic for the Rebellion had it continued.
Jedi Knight 1 had you as Kyle Katarn prevent the Dark Jedi Inquisitor Jerec from becoming more powerful than Sidious.
Jedi Knight 2 had you destroy the Dark Jedi army led by Luke's fallen apprentice Desann. Again, like TFU2, had Desann succeeded, that could've tipped the balance of power back in the Empire's favor if they had their own Dark Jedi Order that numbered in the thousands.
Jedi Academy had you as Kyle's student prevent the revival of an ancient Sith Lord whose contemporaries put Vader and Sidious to shame. You also put an end to the Empire's attempts to revive the Sith Order, as the Disciples of Ragnos were reviving Ancient Sith teachings and training more Dark Jedi by empowering their disciples with the Dark Side.
Each game had massive stakes riding on it, from forming the Alliance, stopping the Sith from ruining the galaxy, stopping the Sith from rising again, or stopping someone from becoming too powerful or dominating the galaxy, be it Vader, Jerec, or Ragnos. This gives the game a greater scale and makes the story matter more, which makes the player's actions feel more worthwhile and cathartic. Replaying those games feels good because you accomplished great things in them, but with Fallen Order and Survivor, it's a chore to replay because your actions matter about as much as what Vader had for breakfast that morning.
With Fallen Order, you literally erased any progress you made because Cal destroys the holocron, and Jedi Survivor just has you run and hide once more, accomplishing nothing of note since Cere and her archive are gone. What happened to helping Saw? We didn't even meet the guy. The only thing that changed was Cal shacking up with Merrin, which already happened in the other games, where Revan hooks up with Bastila or Carth, Kyle Katarn hooks up with Jan Ors, and Starkiller hooks up with Juno. And all it does, aside from give some measure of comfort to the fans, was that the people who read the books were pissed because Merrin isn't portrayed in the same way she was in the books.
18:34 They really wanted to get all in on Bode's plan, yet I'm sure the Empire keeps tabs on their own kind. I'm sure that if he used Tanalorr as a hiding spot, the Empire would find his ass in a jiffy and put him and his girl down. And they obviously made him harder to fight than Vader because they were more invested in him than they were at Vader, who was basically just there for a cameo duel. Vader is just a cameo; Bode was the real threat in the story from the writers' perspective.
19:07 They should've let you play as Vader in the segment where Jedha is attacked. Cere was going to die, it was a given thing, so instead of making Vader win even though he should've lost, they should've let the player be Darth Vader and have him win decisively against Cere.
23:27 The message about the Dark Times is that there was always hope in the Darkness. Making a fatalistic hero who has to kill someone to redeem them kinda breaks the point. Even in games like Force Unleashed 1 and 2, the Episode III game, or the myriad of games that take place during the Empire's regime, there were still sparks of hope amidst the darkness. You didn't have to give in to it, in fact, half the fun was blowing through it or setting up hope for future generations. Like how Starkiller set up the Rebel Alliance. Or how Kyle set up the victory in ANH by stealing the Death Star plans, then foiling an Imperial Dark Trooper Project that was basically Palpatine's answer to the Space Marines of Warhammer 40K, ensuring that the Rebels don't get rofl-stomped by an army of power-armored Dark Troopers.
Also, saying that death is the only redemption for Inquisitors is kinda dark. Even Vader would've been accepted by Luke if he survived ROTJ, though the rebels might have some reservations.
F
Kinda hoping it would be a huge step up from fallen order which I thought was just OK.
Yeah... I really wanted them to prove my worries wrong.
So a few notes:
Regarding the Holocron and apparent continuity issues, I think it's pretty safe to say that it's probably a copy, and Cal likely didn't know Vader destroyed the original and is doing what he thinks is best with what he knows.
As for Cal being a grand hero who is destined to rebuild the Jedi Order, that's not the vibe I got at all and not what the story seemed to be saying. Everyone keeps telling Cal to slow the fuck down and stop fighting because he's only going to get himself killed, Cal's budding romance with Merrin is presented as him abandoning old Jedi ideals, and when Cal finally does secure the way to Tannalor, he no longer wants to use it to fight the Empire or rebuild the Jedi Order but as a safe haven for the hidden path.
I do agree that the game has a major commitment issue in story lines, gameplay, map design, etc. I was really concerned when I killed the goth twink on that weather station, and the game was clearly preparing to go on for longer. I know you've got your issues with Disney's Star Wars, but if there's one thing they've done better than the old EU it's Vader. And in Survivor he just feels like an afterthought, thrown in cause he had a great scene in the first game. And the Boba Fett cameo is... also there. At least we didn't have to go back to Kashyyk again.
Also, you're right that the chemistry from all the characters in the tutorial is amazing. That rebel cell was great, and I really liked how they interacted with each other. Hell, the chemistry in the opening was so good that I thought (and kind of hoped) that Bode and Cal were going to be gay for each other.
Oh and I really want Caij to step on me.
1. Oh yeah, but it's another case in the NuEU where knowing more of the story actually makes it more facepalm worthy than anything else. Knowledge of the greater setting should be enriching and rewarding, not coming across as though nobody told the writers that someone else already covered this aspect in a way that fit far more organically.
2. A safe haven for the Hidden Path is still kinda making it a secret Jedi Order haven akin to some Jedi holdouts in the EU. Plus there's no way he and Merrin aren't gonna be teaching Kata how to use the Force. So even if, yes, the story -says- it's about stepping away from the fight, the pieces are being set in a way that pretty much enables a convenient get out of jail free card for there to be Jedi active during this era who Luke and Obi-wan never bump into.
3. Oh Vader is massively underutilized. I hate what happened to Trilla but Vader's appearance at the end of FO was one of the few things they did right, and they absolutely ruined it here. That said... I missed the Fett cameo - I didn't do all the bounties because I was so burnt out on the glut of content.
4. *Bonks*
@@UnabridgedGamer like
Like I said, the Boba Fett cameo is literally just him… standing there… menacingly
If you want to see it, watching a clip on YT won’t really be all that different to how it’s experienced in game.
24:00 Some companies change in the way they present stories. Just look at Bioware or Bungie. Halo Reach and Mass Effect 2 are titans of video game sci-fi storytelling, with ME2's graphic novel-esque character portrayals for the squadmates becoming some of the best the medium can offer, and the creeping doom/military realism of Halo Reach resonating well with Halo fans. Then you look at Mass Effect Andromeda or Destiny, and their stories are barely worth talking about. Blizzard is another serious offender in this case; the original Starcraft and Warcraft games, especially Brood War and Frozen Throne, were masterpieces of storytelling. Then came WoW and SC2's more safer stories, and while SC2 still had some good things, especially in Wings of Liberty, WoW's stories were basically just endless Naruto filler stories made to justify continued subscriptions and expansions.
24:57 That's what I've come to expect from modern Star Wars. It's barely even adequate when compared to the wonders of the past. I saw this when the Mandalorian, Andor, and Fallen Order were hailed as great stories. Sure, they're OK, but I've seen Star Wars do so much better. They couldn't even come up to the knees of 2005's Battlefront 2, let alone KOTOR, the Maul episodes from TCW, or the Thrawn Trilogy, and yet they're treated like they're the second coming of Empire Strikes Back. The standards have so lowered thanks to the Sequels that basic competence is akin to seeing the face of God in the eyes of many Star Wars fans.
I get where you're coming from, but I did dig aspects of ME: Andromeda - it also at least has the excuse of being written in practically less than a year's time, whereas Survivor had THREE years to be this much of a muddled mess.
@@UnabridgedGamer Survivor also craps all over the themes of the previous game. I thought the whole point of them not reviving the Jedi Order with the holocron's list of names in Fallen Order was due to how it would attract the Empire's attention and would just lead to them all getting killed/captured/turned to the Dark Side, etc.. Then Survivor picks up and apparently, Cal has been doing everything in his power to screw with the Empire, to the point where some rando senator brings up a long list of crimes that Cal has committed against the Empire. And of course, his crimes are what attract the attention of the ISB and the Inquisition, which then led to the ISB planting Bode in Cal's group as a mole.
So reviving the Jedi Order is something Cal would rather not do because it would attract the Empire's attention, but he'd go off instead to fight the Empire and get the Empire's attention anyways because he just can't stay out of the fight? Of course the Empire would counterattack against Cal and his friends; he keeps screwing with them, they'll eventually use their brains and figure out a way to screw him over.
Ah yes Jedi: Fallen order is racist because… the protagonist is white
No, it's racist because it leans heavily into White Savior tropes, and includes an entire ethnic tribe being wiped out by said white guy without any real consequences for doing so, while explicitly everyone who isn't white spends the majority of their time praising said white guy for basic acts of competency.
But that's not conveniently reductive for a snarky UA-cam comment, I suppose.