Old-school players will remember Star Wars Episode I: Jedi Power Battles, a game which, at the time of its initial release in 2000, provided players with a distinct taste of action during the Phantom Menace era. Decades later, Aspyr went back to this vintage piece with a post-launch update, an admirable attempt to buff the experience for modern players.
This patch corrects a sequence of technical problems which have arisen following the re-issue of the game. Stability solutions come first among the fixes. The patch eradicates a sequence of crashes, including one highly frustrating one on the Coruscant elevator during Level 6. Such kinds of interruptions siphon away player interest, and their eradication is an excellent indication of attention to detail.
Aside from the outright crashes, the patch also fixes bugs that are hindrances to game play. One specific bug that irritated many players by not allowing Player 2 to continue playing the game after finishing a level has been fixed. The frustrating possibility of save data loss when the game is shut down is also gone. The patch also fixes certain character abilities, like Adi Gallia’s ranged Force ability working properly.
The extensive patch notes detail a full overhaul of the game’s numerous systems, ranging from sound loops and missing UI elements to more complex problems such as boss battles and legacy bugs. The extent of this post-launch support shows an investment in making sure that this remastered game is a refined and enjoyable experience for long-time gamers and newcomers alike. Whereas to some, post-launch patches have become the new norm in gaming these days, the attention devoted to a game of this generation is commendable and appreciated.
So for everyone who had been holding out for an opportunity to jump into those retro-style Jedi battles again or try them out in the first place, this full-scale update appears to polish a lot of the rough edges of that old school action. Great to see a game as retro as this get some of its time and attention many years later since it initially came out, better making it that much better of an experience for everyone involved.
