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My apologies if we aren't supposed to post in old topics, but this caught my fancy and I thought I'd throw my two cents in.
Honestly, I doubt that Jedi Knight IV will ever be made. I grew up on Dark Forces II/Jedi Knight, and even though Jedi Outcast and Jedi Academy were a long time coming, they never disappointed for me. As much as I liked the idea of a Star Wars FPS, evolving to become more focused on lightsaber duels excited me. Playing as Kyle's apprentice was cool, because of the opportunity to start from the ground up and it made more sense than playing as a Kyle Katarn who had to learn all the powers he shouldn't have to.
LucasArts hasn't impressed me since Jedi Academy, though. It's deluge of prequel video games ranged from pretty good to abysmal (I'm not including the Rogue Squadron games, which I loved, because they don't really fit the mold and they were Factor 5 games more than LucasArts internal development), and the cash cow right now is The Clone Wars. Like it or not, we'll keep getting beat in the face with Clone Wars video games until we're knocked unconscious.
Then you have The Force Unleashed, which represents a step backwards (in my opinion) from the gameplay introduced in Jedi Academy. Streamlined powers, awful camera angles and poor character manipulation, boring locales that have to be revisited, and a less impressive storyline. And yet, we're getting a sequel.
I think it's fair to say that if Jedi Knight IV were to exist, it would almost assuredly take place during the Yuuzhan Vong War. Which, frankly, would be awesome. The Yuuzhan Vong would make for a much better enemy than a resurgent Empire or random Dark Jedi sects. It could introduce new gameplay, satisfy the plethora of NJO fans dying to play a game set in that era and let's be honest... it would sell really well. Couldn't you just imagine? With the right marketing, the chance to engage in a real war with your Jedi character? Maybe include a second campaign that follows a Yuuzhan Vong warrior, and have war-time scenarios in online multiplayer between the Jedi and Vong?
Sad to say, I learned long ago that what seems like an obvious winner to fans doesn't necessarily mean it will get made. Many gamers, myself included, clambered for Perfect Dark on the Xbox Live Arcade as early as 2006, yet it wasn't until just a week ago that Rare released the game on the XBLA. And sadly, they've publicly said that they realized that game's potential on the XBLA only about a year ago.
Whether or not LucasArts thinks that a game like Jedi Knight IV would be viable today, what they should do is port the old Dark Forces/Jedi Knight games to the XBLA, PSN and WiiWare. If they want to do HD upgrades or release them as relics, either way... I think they'll sell well. And if they don't, they'll certainly sell enough to recoup the money it took to port the games. I fully expect this to happen before we hear an inkling of Jedi Knight IV, and it will certainly point to the open possibility.
So will Jedi Knight IV be made? Anything is possible, but sadly... I doubt the potential for greatness will be realized for quite some time.
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