You can add Jedi Academy to the list of audacious VR ports
As shared by the Flat2VR (opens in new tab) modding community, creator Simon “DrBeef” Brown (opens in new tab) is in the early stages of creating a VR port of the classic FPS/Lightsaber duel simulator, Jedi Academy. Or, as the learned know it, Star Wars: Dark Forces 4: Jedi Knight 3: Jedi Outcast 2: Jedi Academy.
Flat2VR shared a 50-second preview gameplay clip of Jedi Academy running on the Meta Quest 2, showing off a portion of the game’s Hoth Echo Base level. I already dig the idea of seeing this iconic movie location (and level I played over and over in grade school) from this new perspective, and the shooter combat looks like it translates well.
🔥 Star Wars Jedi Knight Jedi Academy VR Mod 🔥A WIP sneak peek at @DrBeef ‘s Jedi Academy VR mod running completely standalone on the Meta Quest 2.Support TeamBeef’s fantastic work on their Patreon https://t.co/WRR3Q7BFh3 pic.twitter.com/rPhQpawcOfSeptember 30, 2022
Using a lightsaber pulls the game back into a third person view, a carryover from the base game. This perspective seems workable, though perhaps a bit risky for queasier gamers. Flat2VR indicates that Brown may have plans to work in a first person lightsaber view. Previous entry Jedi Outcast, which runs on the same engine as Academy, did offer this option so it seems like a doable feat.
This is hardly Brown’s first rodeo when it comes to VR ports of retro PC games. His SideQuest (opens in new tab) profile features VR ports of Quake, Half-Life 1, Return to Castle Woflenstein, and more. This is likely where you’ll find Brown’s completed Jedi Academy project in the near future, but if you’d like to follow development or even try it early, you can check out his Patreon (opens in new tab).
