I remember being really impressed by AI back when Call of Duty 2 came out, and the AI would actually get involved by setting up ladders or kicking oped doors. Freedom fighters made a pretty cool stride in AI with the whole command system (it was always fun having expendable bots storm a base while you sneak around the side) --not sure if any other game had implemented a command system before that (I can't think of any -- but then again I haven't slept in a while due to finals week).

@StJimmy15: not everyone on gamespot is a native English speaker. Cut him some slack. @DXB95: I may tolerate bad grammar but solicitation posts piss the hell outa me, F*g! Oh well, you've been flagged.

@H_Cumberdale: When I said LOTR may have a bigger fanbase than star wars, it was an offhand comment unrelated to video games. And yes I realized that most of the time video games based on movies suck -- This is often based on the fact that by the time developers are lined up for the job, the movie's already in its final stages of development, and yet for the sake of marketing they're pressured to release the game first (some games have had as little as 6 weeks from start to finish). This is not the case, and has never been with any Bioware game. I'm not arguing that the star wars fan base alone is going to play a huge effect (but it WILL help sell the game). If a game has a huge fanbase and turns out to be crap it won't sell. If a game has no fan base and turns out amazing it won't sell as much. But if a game has and amazing fan base and rocks their world... Also, I never said WoW would die out. But I did say that the combination of GW2 (which has no monthly fees) and TOR will put a dent in their sales.

@Zipper761882: "Not to mention the hundereds of pages of backstory you can read on the Lore section of the WoW website." -Plot and backstory are two completely different things. Sure if you're obsessed about something you can prob find a whole book on it somewhere. And I'm not saying that WoW has no plot whatsoever. If you read my previous comment I stated that it lacks a "progressive" storyline. I've played through both the Warcraft games (which did have a progressive story) and WoW, and WoW really lacked the "progressive" side that a good plot requires to pull you in. You shouldn't have to read thousands of pages of lore. A good developer incorporates an enthralling plot seamlessly into a game.

@jhcho2 and @J_Dangerously: The fanbase and license do not determine how well a game will do, but it's important to note that Lucasarts isn't the developer, Bioware is (and they have yet to release a bad game). They've even made two previous star wars RPGs that did amazingly well and were great games (KOTR 1 & 2). I'm not saying that Cata and GW 2 aren't making improvements, but it still lacks the one thing that makes TOR stand out to me, and that's a STORY! When you grow up, you'll understand that pointless leveling without some kind of plot just becomes pointless. I like it when a game makes me think a little and use my head instead of just kill, collect, and level.

@AzatiS: ok I forgot about Diablo 2... and so have thousands of other gamers, for one simple reason: It's outdated! I played through Diablo 2 again recently, and it taught me something about old games. No matter how fun a game was in its time, there's always a couple of nostalgic gamers who won't shut up about it, even after the game has ceased to be good. Like if I were to make an 8-bit side scrolling game where you jump around from one side to the other, people would think it's total crap now-a-days (because critics have gotten harsher as games have gotten better). But if that game just so happens to be the original Mario, nostalgic gamers everywhere will rant and rave about it (even 20 years later). Another thing to notice if you've paid any attention to gaming trends is how games have been getting increasingly shorter. A good game used to be at least 25-50 hours and you really felt like you got your money's worth. Now-a-days game companies throw out titles that take 3 to 10 hours to beat and call it a game (in order to capitalize more). And players are left to scrounge for value in the multiplayer. Now Bioware has consistently been the exception, with multiple choices/consequences for said choices. I've been looking forward to Diablo 3 as well, and I really hope it delivers a decent length game, but if it follows the money-making trend of many current game developers, then I wouldn't expect anything too lengthy, or with excessive replay value (again, I hope I'm wrong).

As much as I love Blizzard, I've never been a big fan of MMO's for the lack of a progressing story (Note: "progressing" is the key word there). That's something WoW doesn't really have. The old republic is doing a very good job at changing that, and will hopefully revolutionize MMOs as we know them. And like adidas32x said, as extensive as WoW's fanbase is, Star Wars trumps it hands down, and has had the largest fan base of any scifi world for almost 40 years (with the possible exception of Lord of the Rings). Take a look at Blizzard's track record too: Before WoW all they were really known for was strategy games. Bioware has been dominating in the the RPG world though, and they haven't even released their first MMO yet. If their's one company that can overthrow Blizzard in the MMO world it's Bioware, and with EA marketing the game world-wide and Lucasarts backing them... I know you may not be able to handle the truth and can dislike this comment all you want, but it doesn't change the facts. I'm not saying WoW is gonna die off, I'm just saying, that unless TOR pulls a disappointment of Duke Nukem style proportions, then WoW's most likely gonna see a significant drop in monthly subscriptions (also somewhat due to Guild Wars 2).

We all know that the Old Republic will make quick work of WoW. It's the first MMO to actively incorporate story, and cut scenes. Rather than read through extensive hours of txt, they've hired voice actors to read it aloud for you. Not to mention, it's being produced by the greatest RPG company of all times: Bioware (KOTR I & II, Mass Effect I & II, Dragon Age, etc.). I'm just saying that by the time The Old Republic comes out, cataclysm's shine will have faded and a new MMO will take its place.