Bioware releases the much anticipated Star Wars: The Old Republic, and it is taking the galaxy by storm.
Artwork by Ed Gloor
On December 20, 2011, PC gamers were given the opportunity to once again travel into the Star Wars universe with Bioware’s release of Star Wars: The Old Republic.
The first thing to know about Star Wars: The Old Republic (SWTOR) is that it is an MMORPG, which stands for Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game. The most well known MMORPG is Blizzard’s World of Warcraft (WoW). Although some people will say that this game is WoW in Jedi robes, I beg to differ. This game has something that this genre of games has lacked, and that is a solid story line. Bioware is a company known for storytelling in its games, and this one is no different. There is an over-arching storyline, and each class, or character type, has its own story, as well.
In the opening cinematic of the game, the Sith Empire returns, and a war is started between the Galactic Republic and the Empire. Each class within the game– there are eight– has a story that progresses through the war that is going on in the world that the player inhabits.
When the player joins the game, a character creation screen is presented, and the player can choose to join either the Republic or the Empire. Each faction has four classes to choose from. Republic players can play as the classic Jedi Knight, a Jedi Consular, a Trooper or, for the Han Solo fans, a Smuggler. The Empire may choose between a Sith Warrior, Sith Inquisitor, Bounty Hunter, or Imperial Agent. Each class has a unique feel and story, but each faction has a class that, for the most part, corresponds to a class in the other faction. This means, a player can play the game eight times over and have a unique experience each time. And with the addition of Light and Dark side choices, the game can potentially be played sixteen times over. So far, I have only played the Sith Warrior in depth, but I have been blown away with each new twist, and the depth that Bioware has added to its award winning game, including MSNBC’s Game of the Year.
The Light and Dark side choices aren’t new to veteran gamers, but for those new to the mechanic, let me explain. During conversations– and certain events in the story– players will have options to do something morally wrong, or morally good, and the story will change accordingly. With enough evil or good decisions, the player will be changed by the force, but only in appearance. This is one of my favorite mechanics in this game, and it has been a lot of fun to see my Sith Warrior become more and more corrupt as I destroy Republic scum and traitors to the Empire.
Another favorite feature is the professions in the game. In most MMO’s the player learns skills in order to craft usable items in the game, that can either benefit the player through direct use, or be sold to gain in game money. However, in SWTOR, each player has crew members, and those crew members perform crew skills. There are three types of crew skills: Gathering, Missions, and Crafting. Each of these branches of skills has specific skills that benefit one of the other professions in a separate branch, and when three beneficial crew skills are learned together, the player can create components to upgrade gear, make armor for themselves and their ships, create kits to heal themselves, and even create a custom speeder-bike. What I really enjoy about this system is that my crew members can perform their tasks, all while I am playing the game, which helps eliminate the grind that professions have become in a lot of similar games.
Bioware took a huge risk by adding full voice-over to their massive game. Not only did the game cost an absurdly large amount of money, but adding expansions, as is prevalent in the world of MMO’s, will also be extremely expensive because they will have to pay voice actors. However, it seems that their above-and-beyond efforts have paid off. Within the week of release, the game had one million subscribers, something not achieved before by any pay-to-play game. Each of these subscribers is required to pay a monthly fee of $15. These monthly payments help Bioware create new content for the game to keep it fresh and enjoyable for all players, new and old.
Star Wars
In all, Star Wars: The Old Republic has been a joy to play. Each time I join the world I find myself immersed in a story that keeps me coming back for more. I can easily give this fantastic game a perfect 5/5, and would advise all Star Wars fans to check it out.
★★★★★
