In stark contrast to my angst over the poorly handled star trek online, I continue to be amazed and won over by those clever folks at Bioware. Star Wars: The Old Republic not only looks to be a spectacular MMORPG but perhaps the first true next-generation-MMO. Sure, lots of games have made that claim (and oddly, this game has never uttered that phrase) but by the looks of it they have taken standard MMO practices and developed them beyond expectation into true next-generation conventions. If their developer walkthrough is as good as its word, gone are the days of quests that are walls of text with an "accept" button and a laundry list of foes to kill to get your 5 copper. Now you, and your team, enter into engaging dramatic scenes that explain your quests and those quests are shaped by your replies to the NPC participants. The outcome of the quest is determined not only by your abilities in combat but also the ethical and moral choices you make along the way (very reminiscent of KOTOR). There has never been an MMO like this. In addition to the novel and absorbing quest methodology, the graphics and combat system seem to have raised the bar as well. I have yet to encounter anything that I don't like. Kudos to the people at Bioware for all their hard work and painstaking attention to detail.