But before PS2 owners could cry foul, out comes StarWars: Jedi Starfighter. Talk about everybody wins. For a little while, all that should be heard now is a clicking of buttons and the cries of victory and defeat.

One might assume from the title of Jedi Starfighter that this game is actually set in the Star Wars Episode 4 universe. One glance at the cover art will tell you that is not the case however. A new craft comes flying at you, while in the background the ghostly figure of Mace Windu (who in my opinion will become the new Han Solo in Episode II — that is to say the cool to counteract the whine of the other characters) peers out at you. Mace Windu actually figures in the game itself, and while his voice is not actually done by Samuel Jackson, you’d never know unless you looked in the credits.

As for the game itself, well, it’s definitely a sequel to Starfighter. In fact, in most ways the games are identical in the department of play control, missions, and graphics and sound. Really, Jedi Starfighter is a continuation of Starfighter, with a few minor tweaks here and there to make what was a great game even better.

This time, you have two main characters to play as. Nym, the space pirate from Starfighter returns with his ship the Havoc, which is even more bad then before. Teaming up with him this time is Adi Gallia, a Jedi Master who is flying a prototype Jedi starfighter. The addition of the Jedi is probably the greatest improvement of the game, and you really get to see what makes the Jedi the foremost ass-kickers in the galaxy.

The reason for the unlikely alliance between a Jedi and a space pirate turned freedom fighter is this: The Trade Federation is still a morally void thorn in everybody’s side, and they are up to something in the Karthakk system. Since the only one who has been standing up to the Trade Federation is our old buddy Nym, who is still trying to get his base back on Lok, Adi seeks him out. Events quickly spiral out of control from there, and there is virtually non-stop action from then on. The plot of the game takes place between Episodes I and II, and if the literature on the packaging is to be believed, there will actually be connections that can be drawn to Episode II.

As in Starfighter, the game alternates between the playable characters, depending on them mission. Again, my biggest complaint is that you can not choose your character for each mission, especially since Adi and Nym are teamed up in almost every level. However, this is offset somewhat by the two player feature, which is a great addition to the game. Every level can be done as a two player mission, and depending on the level player two either takes over as another character (including Reti from Starfighter, who apparently has a darker past then anyone would have imagined) or as the Havoc’s turret gun, which has its own secondary weapons. I tell ya, that Havoc is a veritable one-ship armada.

Another feature that is a balm to soothe the lack of character choice is the bonus options. At the beginning of every level you are given the mission objectives, as well as a bonus objective. In addition, there are hidden bonuses that you will not know about until you achieve them. Getting these bonus objectives will unlock certain options, including the ability to fly any of the missions as other ships. Fun stuff.

Plus, both Adi and Nym have some tricks up their sleeves that have not been seen before. Nym’s Havoc is now armed to the teeth with four secondary weapons (and that’s not counting the turret gun and its own secondary weapon that only player two can utilize). In addition to the old staple of the energy bombs (still my favorite) the Havoc now has a finite number of cruise missiles (which can take out a Dropship with one hit!) cluster missiles and proximity mines. Can anyone say "BOOM!?"

And our friend the Jedi, well, her ship, the prototype Delta-7, does not have secondary weapons. But that’s ok, because she’s a Jedi. Adi is able to use the force in four different ways while flying her starfighter. She can create a shield around her, zap multiple enemies with Force Lightning, slow down time by heightening her Jedi reflexes or knock everybody out of bed with Force Shockwave. Each technique is activated the same way, and each requires honing your timing in order to get the full effect of the Force power. My favorite is Force Lightning, which enables you to not only take out an enemy that is not in your sights, but if done correctly, can take out multiple enemies at once. It is good to be the Jedi.

Jedi Starfighter improves upon the original Starfighter in one other department. While the graphics for the mission levels are almost identical, which is to say very well done with lushly textured landscapes and incredible depth to the deep space missions, the cinemas have improved dramatically. The characters are far more lifelike and the animation is far more interesting than what the original Starfighter had to offer. My favorite has to be Jedi Valor, in which Adi gets out of her starfighter and reminds the droids why you don’t step to a Jedi. Great stuff.

The sound is also quite similar to the original Starfighter. The dialogue is again entirely voice acted, again with a lot of talent. The unfortunate repetition that you experience when playing a hard level repeatedly is still there, and I did find myself putting the sound on mute after a little while, but that is a small complaint. Nym has some great lines, such as "Let’s bomb it and see what breaks!" and the verbal banter between Nym and Adi, who refuses to become riled no matter what Nym has to say, makes hearing the dialogue the first couple of times pretty entertaining.

Other people might see the similarities between this game and its predecessor as a negative, but I do not. StarWars: Starfighter was such a terrific game that LucasArts did right to make some subtle improvements but to otherwise leave well enough alone. The fact that I could pick up Jedi Starfighter and not have to deal with the learning curve of getting used to the ships was a huge plus, and there are enough improvements to the original to keep the game from getting boring. Adi Gallia’s force powers alone make the game worth playing.

If you liked the original Starfighter, you’re going to like Jedi Starfighter. And even if you never played the original, check out Jedi Starfighter. It’s a damn good game.