Still one of the best MMO's, but somethings they still do not get right.
The many strengths of the game sometimes get overshadowed by the weaknesses of the game. One of the greatest strengths is the variety of content. Like any MMO, it is geared towards combat, but if PVP and shooting (or trying to shoot) Krayt Dragons is not your thing, you can be an entertainer trader, smuggler or a spy. You can go fishing, work on collection tree's, create your own quests and stories. The levelling curve is pretty even until you hit the higher levels. Once you hit Level 80, the last 10 levels can be a very tedious grind, but there are enough quests and rewards to keep you going.
When Jump to Lightspeed was first released, my initial reaction was, that's it? Other than grinding up to a master pilot, there just was not a lot to do. Only recently has JTL content been updated and expanded. However, other than grinding credits and Galactic Civil War Points, space remains largely the same and many players never go into space.
There is no doubt that the NGE and later the CU seriously damaged the overall enjoyment and subscriber base and many players left the game as a result. Gone were many professions, skills and abilities that veteran players had worked so hard to achieve. While it can be argued that Pre-NGE that there were too many professions and a confusing experience tree were a downfall, it kept players going and the gameplay was not so linear.
In the beginning, you had to unlock the Jedi tree, you couldn't choose it. This made the Jedi profession a sought after one and if you made Jedi, you were a determined player. Now, anybody can play Jedi and it really alienated a lot of players.
I am one of those players that felt the NGE solved more problems than it created (anybody remember 15 minute waits for shuttles)? However the CU was released a week after Trials of Obi-Wan was released. The game play system was completly overhauled and a lot of players balked at the poor timing. Subscribers left in droves and SOE had a lot of refunds to hand out (not too mention a few people at SOE lost their jobs).
The other great strength of SWG is the players themselves. In what I consider a long overdue change, SOE shut down the mostly deserted servers and condensed 28 servers down to 12. This definitely helped the overall community. There is a fierce loyaltly to the game from players, especially the vets and unlike some other MMO's, it is a devotion and love for the game, not blind obsession. Guild's and groups are loyal to this game.
On the downside, the problems of SWG still hang on since beta. Multi-player groups and events cause unbelievable server lag to the point of unplayable. While most anybody would agree that the content (Heroic Instances, Collections and Quests) has greatly expanded (something for everybody), the emphasis is definitely on grouping and high DPS professions. Soloing anything, especially if you are not a high DPS profession can become frustrating if not impossible. This leaves veteran players scratching their head with the Been There Wish I Could Do That problem. Yes, MMO's stress PVP combat, but that is best left to the Level 90 Combat Professions, Medics, spys, smugglers and entertainers are out of luck.
Overall, SWG is one of the best MMO's out there, gameplay, graphics, sounds and community. It is a shame that the weakness of it continue to drag down what otherwise could be a fantastic online game. With the soon to be released Star Wars Unleashed, and Old Republic, many fear that SWG will go quietly into the night right behind Matrix online. Lets hope not.