       
Best Action Game
Winner: Jedi Knight: Dark Forces II
The trend in action gaming last year was to appeal to the single player. Hexen II and Quake II both tried to create more interesting single-player games, but neither of them could compare to Jedi Knight, which backs up its huge, brilliantly designed levels with a compelling story. The ability to use the Star Wars universe doesn't hurt any either. The light saber, so prominently missing in the original Dark Forces, is included, and not just as a token weapon, but as an important part of the Jedi Knight's arsenal. The inclusion of other Star Wars elements, like force powers and the ability to align yourself with either the dark or light side, round out the package, making Jedi Knight more dynamic than any other game in its genre. It looks like this trend toward stronger single-player appeal will continue, too. Many of 1998's most anticipated action games - such as Daikatana and Half-Life - promise to concentrate on solo play. Let's hope they look to Jedi Knight for inspiration. Runner-up: Quake II
But the real innovations of Quake II come in other areas. The graphics are astonishing. The sound, for the most part, is superb. The environments are much more interesting than anything id has done since Doom - and in an action game, the environment can be half the battle. Admittedly, Quake II has Jedi Knight beat on one point - the multiplayer game. The same hordes of folks who have been playing and modifying Quake for over a year and a half are now moving up to Quake II, and that's the kind of community you can't develop overnight.
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