I was so excited when I heard that BioWare were making a new game in their version of the Star Wars universe, set 3000 years before the movies. I'm not a fan of the MMO genre, but I loved the Knights of the Old Republic so much that I quickly got over the fact that Star Wars: The Old Republic was announced as an MMORPG - especially after I heard that every single line of dialogue in the game would be voiced and there would be a strong story supporting each player character. I'm also not a fan of monthly fees, so it took me two years until after the game's release to make my mind up and finally buy it. I'm telling you all of this, so that you know you are reading the experiences with this game of someone who adores Star Wars, role-playing games and BioWare. I followed this game's progress from the moment it was first announced and right up until it was released, so there was plenty of hype to deal with.
Let's start from the beginning; where most MMOs let you create your own character, choose your class and customize your appearance. The Old Republic is set 300 years after BioWare's KotOR games. The Sith Empire has returned, annihilated large parts of Coruscant (including the complete destruction of the Jedi temple) in a surprise attack and - to everyone's surprise - ceased fighting after signing a treaty with the Galactic Republic. Obviously, here you get to choose if you want to ally yourself with the Empire or the Republic. This choice dictates on which first few planets you will be able to level up your character and which classes will be available to you. Each faction has four classes, with an overall total of 8. To keep the experience balanced and fair, each four classes on one side are a bit like twisted reflections of the four on the other side.
For example, the heavy ranged archetype of the Republic is the Trooper, whilst the Empire has the Bounty Hunter instead. A lighter ranged build is the Smuggler (who works for the Republic) and the Imperial Agent. The heavy melee classes are the Jedi Knight and the Sith Warrior, whilst their lighter versions that concentrate more on using the force rather than the lightsaber are the Jedi Consular and Sith Inquisitor. What's great about these classes is that each offers a very distinct style of combat. Some are specialized in using heavy armour, whilst others use medium or light. Some can wield two lightsabers, others use a double-bladed one. Some use a sniper rifle; others use two blaster pistols etc. Each class also has its own unique story, and the style of storytelling varies with your choice. The Jedi Knight is your most typical Star Wars hero tale, so the Sith Warrior is a dark & twisted mirror image of that. The Bounty Hunter travels the galaxy for credits and competition, whilst the plot of the Imperial Agent is that of a spy movie and so on.
What's absolutely amazing about these stories is that not only every single bit of communication is actually voiced - as promised, but you can also choose what to say in these conversations using BioWare's well-known dialogue wheel selection; first used in Mass Effect. These choices also spread beyond your class story, to side missions. Things get even more interesting when you are in a group with other players, questing together. Everyone gets to pick what they want during conversations with NPCs, but only the person who rolls the biggest number will say what he or she has chosen. This is great and it doesn't even break the alignment system. Since some choices will give you "light side" or "dark side" points (which is basically good or evil, in most cases), you won't get penalized with the points of the opposite alignment if, for example, a dark player wins a roll when you chose a light option - you will still get the points for whatever you chose, even if you lost the dice roll.
Most of these choices aren't that big. They won't affect the next whole chapter of your class story, but you often get to decide the fate of some mostly insignificant side characters and this almost always changes the next one or two lines of dialogue. In side missions, your choices can have an even bigger impact and change the quest's outcome. Even though these choices can't be compared to anything as complicated as we have seen in The Witcher games and there almost never are any consequences, they help to develop your character's personality thanks to the voice acting and make many tedious "fetch" or "kill x number of y creature" tasks much more entertaining and complicated than they would be in any other game from this genre.
Traditionally, BioWare has included companions here as well. Unfortunately - due to this game's nature as an MMO - you don't get to talk to them anywhere near often enough, unlike in BioWare's singleplayer RPGs, though here they have a slightly different role. Their main purpose is to assist you in combat, but they can also be sent on missions to bring you crafting materials. This is very useful and quite original. They are a lot like "pets" in other MMOs, but have so many more uses and everyone gets them. What's even better is that they have some deeply developed personalities. Sadly, we never get enough time to talk to them properly apart from a few conversations aboard your starship and a couple of short & relatively easy side quests (which are unlocked once each companion's affection is high enough). You can even start romantic relationships with some companions, but once again - it would have been even better if we could see more of that in the game.
Although the story, characters, dialogue, choices and classes make the game stand out from any and all competitors, its base gameplay remains very similar to World of Warcraft and its numerous clones. What sets it apart from those in this area is just the fact that - very much like WoW - The Old Republic takes the successful elements that were used in previous MMOs and refines most of them exceptionally well. There is still some content for those who have reached the level cap of 50 (which will be even better with future updates), but even if you feel that there's not enough, then the varied stories and gameplay of the other classes should give you enough reasons to come back to the game long after you've finished all three chapters of one class quest. There's even a pretty neat feature called "Legacy". You are allowed to create a name for your legacy (which is then shared amongst all characters on that server as their surnames) and form family or friend & foe trees connecting your characters in numerous ways. Once you unlock this "Legacy" feature, you will start getting legacy XP along with your normal experience points. As you level up your legacy, you can reveal new bonuses (such as special abilities) that all characters in your legacy will receive, or even unlock new species to play as with all classes.
Of course, Star Wars would not be what it is without its awesome space battles. Fans may be surprised to hear that the interstellar conflicts in this game are rather… disappointing. With that said, they're not bad either. They look absolutely spectacular; some of the most beautiful scenes are shown during these dogfights. Furthermore, these missions get more challenging and offer greater rewards as you complete & unlock more of them. This can be made a bit easier by upgrading your starship. So, that's all swell, but what makes it disappointing? Well, every single one of these space battles is an on-rail shooting gallery. You have no control over where you're flying; all you basically have to do is shoot, evade enemy fire & obstacles, let your shields regenerate and sometimes escort a transport shuttle or destroy the critical points of a space station using missiles. All of this makes it pale in comparison to the epic intergalactic wars we witnessed from the cockpit of a starfighter when playing Battlefront II, for example, where we were allowed to soar the cosmos freely - as long as we stayed in the designated area of fighting.
Nevertheless, those space battles can be quite entertaining, offer a nice break from the typical MMO gameplay and look utterly stunning. Everything in this game actually looks very good for an MMO of such scale. Each planet is a wholly different world, offering plenty of environmental variety and, well, it seems like there's something for everyone. The red rocks & ancient Sith ruins of Korriban, the cyberpunk city night-life of Nar Shaddaa, the sparsely populated deserts of Tatooine, the frozen & desolate wastes of Hoth and so much more. The generally stellar soundtrack plays a large part in creating an original atmosphere for each place you visit. Hoth was definitely the most amazing region I've ever been to in an MMO. It's a shame then that most of these planets are not truly open world. They are more like the environments in Dragon Age: Origins, though somewhat less constricting. However there are some exceptions to this, such as the uncluttered Dune Sea of Tatooine, or the vast expanses of Hoth… yes, I loved Hoth.
Okay, it's time to sum up everything that this game offers and make a verdict:
GAMEPLAY - 8/10
There are some inventive touches here and there, but for the most part it's just taking the standard elements of the MMO genre and refining them.
STABILITY - 8/10
Things may have been different at launch, but at the moment there are only occasional graphical glitches and that one annoying map bug that forced me to log out and back in to play every time it happened; no crashes.
STORY - 8.5/10
The plot can't really compete with The Witcher, Knights of the Old Republic or any other RPG classics that are somehow similar, but the characters make it great.
GRAPHICS - 8/10
Visuals are unquestionably outstanding for an MMO, but shouldn't strain any high-end or most mid-range machines so it's not a technological revolution of any kind.
SOUND - 9/10
Some of The Old Republic's best features are its soundtrack, voice acting and the usual Star Wars sound effects we all know and love.
LONGEVITY - 9.5/10
There's loads of content to complete for everyone - although it may not be as much as some other MMOs, this might soon change with more expansions & free updates.
What it all comes down to is that Star Wars: The Old Republic is a great Massively Multiplayer Online game, and one of the very best ones out there that I've ever played from this genre. It's the fact that for the first time you can say that you're playing an MMO for its story and not get laughed at that makes it stand out from the others so much. Sure, many things that were present in Star Wars Galaxies (such as player housing or free roam space combat) are absent here, but - when all is said and done - the main problem I have with this game is that it's what it is. How much more could have been achieved in terms of storytelling, if BioWare decided to create Knights of the Old Republic III? We could have all that brilliant & addictive content without having to stand the tedium of an MMO.
Nonetheless, being able to create your own character and play as him or her in the Star Wars universe with others is always fun. If you want to do that, not only is this game now your only option (seeing as how official SWG servers have been shut down), it's also the best MMO for anyone who is interested in narrative and characters over boring statistics.
OVERALL RATING - 8.5/10 (Great)
NEW GS RATING – 8/10