Up to yesterday I was still slightly tempted to buy The Old Republic. There is a free weekend that started yesterday and I managed to both download the game and sink enough time into the game to escape the starting area and reach level 10 as a Bounty Hunter. Now, I never liked MMOs, but I was curious about the game, because it is Bioware. So anyway, I was hoping to be able to enjoy this game for the story. While that is there, I can't say I really like the game.

Now, the game does seem to have tons of story, and some of it I've liked... I just don't like it enough. As a bounty hunter, its all well and good, I can roleplay a mercenary, and thats all I wanted to do. What annoys me is that I have this companion forced on me, who expects me to want revenge for the death of two guys that I just met and only talked to twice. I hate her and hope she dies. That said, I still mostly like how they handled the story and I think the voice acting adds a lot.

What I can't really tolerate is all the stupid MMO conventions. First off, the game (to this point) doesn't need to have other players in it. I often find myself running through huge empty areas, and many times when I do find people they're killing my quest enemies preventing be from completing them. That is of course in addition to the time it takes to load the freakin' game. The combat is terrible. Enemies respawn and aggro on you slowing you down. It is worse than random encounters and it is all about padding the playtime.

So, I think I might be done playing the game. Many of the quest still feel like fetch quest and I only kind of like the story. Its not worth all the wasted time spent walking around in these empty areas. I would like to play the game with a friend, but I don't think it is worth $50-$60, plus monthly fees, each. I think the game would have been better if it wasn't an MMO at all.