Star Wars: The Old Republic

 PC
User Score
6.0

Mixed or average reviews- based on 2879 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1,378 out of 2879
  2. Mixed: 545 out of 2879
  3. Negative: 956 out of 2879
Buy Now
Buy on

Review this game

  1. Your Score
    0 out of 10
    Rate this:
    • 10
    • 9
    • 8
    • 7
    • 6
    • 5
    • 4
    • 3
    • 2
    • 1
    • 0
    • 0
  1. Submit
  2. Check Spelling
view
per page
  1. Rawne1980
    Feb 1, 2012
    5
    Not the worst but certainly not the best game out there. Take away the cutscenes and the voice acting and you have a standard MMO that seems to be missing some of the features expecting in an MMO coming out towards the end of 2011. Had this been a 2004 release it would have been a damn near excellent game, however, it follows the same route as all MMO's except this one is totally linear.
  2. Saruk
    Feb 1, 2012
    6
    5.9 while writing this - not a completely unfair score, imo. Maybe a bit on the rough side but I'll agree with a 6.
    It's production value certainly raises it above the lowest scores. Some parts of this game works great :)
    The mmo-part - that the game is build upon - feels very old fashioned and in some areas just old. Some parts of this game doesn't work at all :( If Bioware shows us that    5.9 while writing this - not a completely unfair score, imo. Maybe a bit on the rough side but I'll agree with a 6.
    It's production value certainly raises it above the lowest scores. Some parts of this game works great :)
    The mmo-part - that the game is build upon - feels very old fashioned and in some areas just old. Some parts of this game doesn't work at all :(
    If Bioware shows us that they have a flexible engine and capable programmers that are able to implement much needed features I will raise the score, I believe. For some reason a little part of me is doubtful about this, unfortunately.    … Expand
  3. avernus
    Feb 1, 2012
    8
    Good story. Lots of content for a new MMO. Some of us remember major Mmo releases with huge leveling gaps where you HAD to grind mobs. Art design and graphics are well done. Character customization could be better. Classes are nothing new. Sound effects and music are great. I've had no performance issues myself but I hear about some for people with decent rigs. The UI needs moreGood story. Lots of content for a new MMO. Some of us remember major Mmo releases with huge leveling gaps where you HAD to grind mobs. Art design and graphics are well done. Character customization could be better. Classes are nothing new. Sound effects and music are great. I've had no performance issues myself but I hear about some for people with decent rigs. The UI needs more customization - Skill proliferation is a minor issue for non-clickers. But then again it was functional if lacking in convenience. End game needs more open ended game play, e.g. territory control, open world raids, rinse and repeat raids are boring. PvP is currently weak due to faction imbalances, surprise surprise. Crafting, works, but balance v. raid loot is not implemented well. 8 good. higher points for a smooth launch. AS much as I love TOR setting, I can't give higher than an 8 for linear only gameplay.… Expand
  4. Etapi
    Feb 1, 2012
    10
    So far, gameplay is fantastic. The storylines are great, grouping with others while completing them makes it that much better. The endgame I have participated in so far has been a ton of fun. The client is stable, and although there are a few bugs, Bioware has been pretty steadily attacking them. This game is only going to get better. The main complaints I have seen have been from peopleSo far, gameplay is fantastic. The storylines are great, grouping with others while completing them makes it that much better. The endgame I have participated in so far has been a ton of fun. The client is stable, and although there are a few bugs, Bioware has been pretty steadily attacking them. This game is only going to get better. The main complaints I have seen have been from people solely focused on PvP or people looking for a game with an economy that is fully developed (which is impossible to have in a game that has been out 5 weeks)

    If you are looking for an MMO that has a different gameplay style than other MMO's, well, you won't find it here. If you love story, love Star Wars, and love MMO's, then you will enjoy SWTOR.    … Expand
  5. Afterforever
    Feb 1, 2012
    3
    Yes, this game is more innovative compared to FPS. Mr. Ohlen is the biggest joke in the entire game development industry. The game is built around amateurish 3D engine for hobbyists. Frankly, if it succeeds that tells a lot about modern day gamers and how can they be easy duped into buying vaporware.
  6. Falrinth
    Feb 1, 2012
    7
    Game casts a spell on me whenever i do questing and immerse myself in the lore, which is easy, because of the full voiceover. I love questing and doing flashpoints. They made it excellent, its going in right direction! At this point my vote would be: 9/10.
    However its mmorpg and as mmorpg i have bought it. At this moment the mmo part of the game is not very enjoyable (excluding the 4man    Game casts a spell on me whenever i do questing and immerse myself in the lore, which is easy, because of the full voiceover. I love questing and doing flashpoints. They made it excellent, its going in right direction! At this point my vote would be: 9/10.
    However its mmorpg and as mmorpg i have bought it. At this moment the mmo part of the game is not very enjoyable (excluding the 4man flashpoints), due to horrid performance (dont aim for mmo part of swtor like warzones unless you have i5 CPU or higher unless you like PvP with 5-18fps). They simply overdosed polygons in the warzones not thinking about performance at all... Interface in many places is rushed and not working as intended, let alone be comfortable.
    Its beta - but that shoudlnt suprise anyone anymore, becouse thats usuall EA and other low quality producers' strategy.

    So far it wont score more than 7 from me. There is a chance they gonna improve some things soon, becouse some parts of the game are really outstanding and cool.    … Expand
  7. bluejay3463
    Feb 1, 2012
    6
    If you overlook the numerous bugs and incomplete elements, you still have a game that has terrible graphics, serious faction balance issues, a mostly useless crafting system, and a broken end game.

    Some of these issues can be fixed with time, but the faction balance is an issue of quality of content as well as balance and can not be fixed easily. This contributes to the broken end game.    If you overlook the numerous bugs and incomplete elements, you still have a game that has terrible graphics, serious faction balance issues, a mostly useless crafting system, and a broken end game.

    Some of these issues can be fixed with time, but the faction balance is an issue of quality of content as well as balance and can not be fixed easily. This contributes to the broken end game.

    Of particular note is how bad everything looks. The graphics are pixelated and blurry, and the armor designs are amazingly bad. I was shocked to see a game released in 2011 that had graphics this poor. The armor, particularly the end game, high level pieces, are so bad it's laughable. Truly amateurish.

    The only positive is the story based leveling. Grinding has been mostly removed from the game.    … Expand
  8. Robeauxcop
    Feb 1, 2012
    8
    Alright, first of all, the game still needs some kinks worked out. That said, this game is great, and can only get better. I gave an 8 simply because I think it has room to improve, and would rate it a 9 if all of my issues were resolved. Lots of people are griping about lots of things, but the game has only just arrived. Sure, maybe they pushed it out the door with kinks worked out, butAlright, first of all, the game still needs some kinks worked out. That said, this game is great, and can only get better. I gave an 8 simply because I think it has room to improve, and would rate it a 9 if all of my issues were resolved. Lots of people are griping about lots of things, but the game has only just arrived. Sure, maybe they pushed it out the door with kinks worked out, but none are so detrimental to the overall gameplay experience that it makes the game unenjoyable. The graphics are great, the class stories are great, every quest has dialogue you can listen to ( if that's your thing,) and the pvp isn't half bad (although pvp is my favorite aspect, so I am a little picky about it.) A lot of effort went into this game, and it's obvious. I have played mmos for several years now, and this is the first one I will actually pay attention to the quests, and dialogue. It's well done, and if it becomes too much, you can simply spacebar through the bulk of it. At first pvp took place with all characters 10-50. Lowbies were all given a buff to bring them statwise on par with the 50s, although they lacked gear, and skills. Now, the 50s have their own bracket, and the 10-49s are all facing each other. I am hopeful at some point they will bracket it even more, to give it a more competitive nature. The pvp warzones are fun, and while they aren't perfect, I am sure others will be added later. WoW only started with 3 battlegrounds, and look at it now. Yes, the game has issues, but it's still new! Give it a chance to 'evolve' before casting it aside! I bet it will suprise ya!… Expand
  9. Demorase
    Jan 31, 2012
    0
    The game start off great, making your first character is a lot of fun. Unfortunately, things get ugly really fast. There are tons of things wrong with this game: no sense of freedom or exploration and the world feels lifeless, class balance is pretty bad, a lot of bugs (with some affecting responsiveness), horrible optimization (impossible to get more than 30 fps in warzones even withThe game start off great, making your first character is a lot of fun. Unfortunately, things get ugly really fast. There are tons of things wrong with this game: no sense of freedom or exploration and the world feels lifeless, class balance is pretty bad, a lot of bugs (with some affecting responsiveness), horrible optimization (impossible to get more than 30 fps in warzones even with everything on low in 800x600, on a computer that runs Battlefield 3 on ultra in 1600x900). But the biggest problem is how poorly conceived it is as a MMO, it doesn't reinvent itself as you level up (there's no game changing mechanics introduced after the first levels), this is a one-time disposable experience (like you'd expect in a solo game not a paying MMO) and once you reach max level (which doesn't take very long) there's nothing to look forward to aside from doing the exact same thing only with a different character (the story is 90% the same for all classes and you have to explore planets always in the same order while leveling). Voice-overs alone aren't enough to make a good MMO, sorry.… Expand
  10. lippmannk1
    Jan 31, 2012
    6
    I will make this short and sweet:

    At the beginning, the game is FANTASTIC. But as levels wear on, and quests, areas, dungeons, armor, and other such things begin to repeat themselves, it loses the "flair" that it initially captures. The whole world starts to seem dull, and nothing brings it to life. Everyone has the same armor at the end, and there isn't anything to do once you hit    I will make this short and sweet:

    At the beginning, the game is FANTASTIC. But as levels wear on, and quests, areas, dungeons, armor, and other such things begin to repeat themselves, it loses the "flair" that it initially captures. The whole world starts to seem dull, and nothing brings it to life. Everyone has the same armor at the end, and there isn't anything to do once you hit level 50 except "daily" quests. Right now, as things stand, this game holds a lot of promise. Bioware needs to get the lead out and fix the game-breaking glitches and errors that completely ruin the experience.

    BOTTOM LINE: The game is not finished, uninspiring, and does not have that "hook" that keeps you playing.    … Expand
  11. Megababby
    Jan 31, 2012
    1
    I have to admit I was very disappointed with this game. I had been following the development process for a couple years and was very excited about its release. It was advertised as revolutionary, the MMORPG to beat all MMORPG's (but what MMO ISNT marketed like this?) and it is anything but. Instead what we have is a buggy, poorly optimized WoW clone with little content. There are problemsI have to admit I was very disappointed with this game. I had been following the development process for a couple years and was very excited about its release. It was advertised as revolutionary, the MMORPG to beat all MMORPG's (but what MMO ISNT marketed like this?) and it is anything but. Instead what we have is a buggy, poorly optimized WoW clone with little content. There are problems with every facet of this game except the story, which is actually pretty good. The engine is awful, it chugs on a beastly gaming computer, high res textures almost never load, the animations are choppy and stilted, abilities never activate when you tell them to, you get stuck in seams and blocked by strange invisible walls in the middle of thoroughfares. The game still feels like it needs a year of beta testing. The gameplay much like WoW's in virtually every way except that it doesn't flow as well, the animation and ability delay issues make it feel awkward. The Zones are linear, the quests are the same kill 10 bandit quests as every MMORPG (but with some dialogue sprinkled in) and the typical MMORPG milestones like mounts and advanced classes are all present. There is very little innovation. The stories are the only good thing about this game but they aren't enough to save it. Also, I suspect that the focus on story is what causes this game to feel so linear. And not just linear but limited, no raiding the opposing faction, world PvP is virtually non existent beyond the odd gank here and there, the environments have little to explore and are boxed in by massive walls everywhere. PvP in general is quite dull and broken due to ability delay and unbalanced classes. The classes themselves are a problem. Compared to a game like WoW with many classes that each feel very distinct and interesting (as well as there being many more) in TOR there are only 4 classes essentially, and only two of them are viable in PvP. All in all I say don't bother getting TOR right now. If you are desperate to play an MMORPG play WoW, it offers more content, better gameplay, and more classes. Maybe in a year or two once TOR has patched the game significantly it will be worth playing, but right now there are far too many issues to keep the game from being fun.… Expand
  12. Shallowmist
    Jan 31, 2012
    10
    Before i post this i would like to say that i am a 6 years world of warcraft player i have also played Everquest Aion Rift and Guild Wars. And like you i was perplexed whether i should buy this game or not considering the negative reviews i was quite interested in whether i would just toss away 50bucks. However i bought it on account that i wanted to give it a shot and so far it hasBefore i post this i would like to say that i am a 6 years world of warcraft player i have also played Everquest Aion Rift and Guild Wars. And like you i was perplexed whether i should buy this game or not considering the negative reviews i was quite interested in whether i would just toss away 50bucks. However i bought it on account that i wanted to give it a shot and so far it has surpassed my expectations in everything. It is an amazing game the controls behind it are similar to wow so are other fundamental basics however the core and the whole development process couldn't be more apart. The game has good content for a game that has just launched with plenty of unique things to do. I enjoy the battlegrounds very much and the instances are also amazingly fun. The conversations and voiced acting with quests makes the story feel unique and interesting like you are really doing something to contribute to it. There are plenty of planets which despite what people say seem to be quite big to me and also if you add up all the space you have on planets compared to the terain you have on wow i am sure wow has less. At any rate i advice you to defenetly buy this game i am now level 25 out of 50 and i have enjoyed everything until now and i am looking forward to leveling it up. May the force be with you :)… Expand
  13. BecauseIsaidso
    Jan 31, 2012
    10
    I'm loving this game! I see some people aren't and that's fine, sorry you didn't like the game. I also see some people just making stuff up and just trying to hate on the game "worst game ever"? Give me a break, if you actually mean that then you probably haven't played much games or any at all even. People like that aare just sad. I give it 10 because I love it but I'm not saying it'sI'm loving this game! I see some people aren't and that's fine, sorry you didn't like the game. I also see some people just making stuff up and just trying to hate on the game "worst game ever"? Give me a break, if you actually mean that then you probably haven't played much games or any at all even. People like that aare just sad. I give it 10 because I love it but I'm not saying it's perfect or that everyone should fall down and love it on their knees. Some people like it some don't that's fine. As long as your reasons are good. I like the game play, I like the community, I like the look of the game and I freaking love the story. People who say it's full of gamebreakin bugs are full of it.… Expand
  14. J_Jones
    Jan 31, 2012
    9
    I have always been a fan of star wars and have made it a point to try (almost) every star wars game that's come out. Some are great, like KOTOR some much less so. While I was worried that this wouldn't work as an MMO, just look what happened to SWG even before they were forced to shut it down (shame really since a lot of people actually loved that game), I was preasently surprised by TOR.I have always been a fan of star wars and have made it a point to try (almost) every star wars game that's come out. Some are great, like KOTOR some much less so. While I was worried that this wouldn't work as an MMO, just look what happened to SWG even before they were forced to shut it down (shame really since a lot of people actually loved that game), I was preasently surprised by TOR. Good points:
    Story is a major part of this game and it gets hold of you right from the word go, I actually care about my character a lot more than I usually do while playing and mmo. The feeling I get is very similar to the one I get when I play other bioware games. I feel immersed and invested in my character and his/her fate.

    Companions in this game go far beyond pets, both in terms of their usefullness and the entertainment they provide. As long as you keep them properly geared they are quite handy in fights and their personalities make me chuckle.

    Crafting in this game is more easy going than in some other mmo's I've played. The hunt for resources which with to craft is not as borring and time consuming here and it doesnt' take an insane amount of time to get your crafting up to a level where it surpasses the gear you get from quest rewards. If you have a group of friends with different crafting skills or if you're an alta-holic like me you can easily provide your character(s) with gear that far surpasses the quest reward items.

    Graphics: this is a sensetive point for people I've noticed, it's seems you can either love it or hate it. I'm putting this in the good points section since I myself love it but if any of you feel different then that's fine. Again, personally I love the graphics, the style that bioware has chosen to run with. The sceneries on the different planets are great. You have the wide sweeping sand dunes of Tatooine, the overgrown ruins of Taris, the mountain ranges of Alderaan etc etc all are just beautiful.

    Things that are standard:
    Combat is pretty standard I think, noting really revolutionsingly new but not bad either. You shot/slash your way trhough mobs, proving once again that they were fools to get in your way. Fun, but nothing really head turning.

    Space combat can be entertaining from time to time in a way but it's just a small mini game. The graphics of it are great though, there is a real sense of depth in the star specled blackness of space. bottom line is that it may not be for everyone but I find it fun to do from time to time.

    Mounts; well, nothing new here really, sure you ride a speeder instead of a horse or whatever but it's still only a way to get from A to B faster.

    Bad points:
    Character appearance customisation (I'm not talking about character creation, even though that could use a little work too but is still far better than some other games) needs work. Right now there isn't all that much you can do to affect the way your character looks ingame. What you wear is what you get rules, something I've never liked since you too often end up looking stupid (although that doesn't happen that much in this game, at no point have I looked at my character in TOR and thought "oh goodie, a rainbow-power ranger-carebear-paladin, just what I always wanted") I know some people hate the word but I want to see an A-tab or the like in this game, the moddable gear system they have right now, while very cool, isn't enough in this respect.

    Grouping is a bit of a pain, I've played City of Heroes so I'm a bit spoiled when it comes to this. There you could use the sidekick/exemplar system which enabled you to team with higher/lower leveled players and do their missions near/at their level (sidekick would bring your level up to one below that of your mentor, exemplar would lower your level to that of the player you were bound to) the system worked great and made teaming viable over great level differences. In TOR you can't be that many levels apart before the quests become pointless.

    That's it then

    There you have it, my take on this game. All in all I love it, it needs work and it has bugs but show me the mmo that doesn't. Personally I've only experienced a few minor bugs and no one I know, irl or ingame has had any of the major bugs that some people on forums keep claiming make the game unplayable. I'm not calling them liars, I just think its a bit suspect.    … Expand
  15. HumanHere
    Jan 31, 2012
    8
    I like this game, best mmo I've ever played. I like the community so far, haven't run into any jerks like I did so often in WoW. Stories are interesting, and game play feels good. It needs a bit of work which is why it's not getting a 10 but to be fair every mmo always need work.
  16. PandaSageSvn
    Jan 30, 2012
    10
    This game reminds me of Vanilla W.o.W. It's a amazing game. It's hard to understand you so many people dislike this game. It's better then any MMO I've ever played so far I've sold my W.O.W. Account and have converted at least 23 people to this game and they all say it's amazing. The feel of the game seems as a single player when you play some of the mechanics are glitchy yes but that'sThis game reminds me of Vanilla W.o.W. It's a amazing game. It's hard to understand you so many people dislike this game. It's better then any MMO I've ever played so far I've sold my W.O.W. Account and have converted at least 23 people to this game and they all say it's amazing. The feel of the game seems as a single player when you play some of the mechanics are glitchy yes but that's because it's new. W.o.W. Had plenty of glitches when it started. I say those that dislike it are not patience enough to wait for all the problems to be fixed. The feel of the game can feel quite like a single player at most time with the Quest talk and the way you do the quest depends on who you are it is not lame like WoW where you get a quest and just do it. You get the quest and you can 90% of the time choose how you do it. Now another factor is that WoW has now and has ever been tainted with idiotic children, along with a very screwed up economy. If you would like a mature, helpful, and very welly priced game This game is worth your money and despite these other reviews please give this game a shot.… Expand
  17. McCochiner
    Jan 30, 2012
    0
    Terrible game that has major bugs, database, game engine and severe performance issues. The bottom line is that SWTOR is nothing more than a cash grab by LA/EA/Bioware under the Star Wars IP.

    People who purchase & subscribe to this game are willingly paying money to beta test a product that was released a good 1 - 1.5 years ahead of schedule. I'm somewhat curious as to the mentality of    Terrible game that has major bugs, database, game engine and severe performance issues. The bottom line is that SWTOR is nothing more than a cash grab by LA/EA/Bioware under the Star Wars IP.

    People who purchase & subscribe to this game are willingly paying money to beta test a product that was released a good 1 - 1.5 years ahead of schedule.

    I'm somewhat curious as to the mentality of people showering this game with accolades. Would you people also tolerate automobile makers, doctors, food producers, etc. releasing half-a**ed, unfinished products on the market and call them excellent as well?    … Expand
  18. Rawen1982
    Jan 30, 2012
    10
    I'm pleased with this MMO. I like the stories, the VO and the general gameplay. There have been few games and almost no other MMO that I have enjoyed more than this one.
  19. TimSkijwalker
    Jan 30, 2012
    10
    really amazing! everyone should try it! combat is different and epic! same goes for questing

    i was totally blown away by this game and i am sure a lot of others will experience the same!
  20. Elgalad
    Jan 30, 2012
    3
    An unremarkable and unoriginal MMO. The only unique thing about SWTOR is the voice acting which is, for the most part, well done. Otherwise, every other aspect of the game, from pve content to customization to crafting is all standard fare or even pretty lacking in entertainment value. There's very little replay value, either.

    This game could have been so much more, but it's clear    An unremarkable and unoriginal MMO. The only unique thing about SWTOR is the voice acting which is, for the most part, well done. Otherwise, every other aspect of the game, from pve content to customization to crafting is all standard fare or even pretty lacking in entertainment value. There's very little replay value, either.

    This game could have been so much more, but it's clear the designers aimed at making an outstanding single player experience and disregarded nearly everything that has traditionally made multi-player games successful. Given the immense possibilities available in this IP, this is most unfortunate.

    There may still be the potential here for some future improvement, but as it stands now, there are many better alternatives available, most of which require far less of an investment in player time and $.    … Expand
  21. WeekendGamer33
    Jan 30, 2012
    7
    My MMO experience; I played WoW for about a week when it first came out, ditto for Everquest (though a bit later to that party). In both cases I gave up because they felt like huge time-sucks with no substance, but I love RPGs (like KOTOR) and I grew up wearing Star Wars underoos. I played a Powertech to level 50 (max) in SWTOR and enjoyed almost every minute of it. The dialog-driven playMy MMO experience; I played WoW for about a week when it first came out, ditto for Everquest (though a bit later to that party). In both cases I gave up because they felt like huge time-sucks with no substance, but I love RPGs (like KOTOR) and I grew up wearing Star Wars underoos. I played a Powertech to level 50 (max) in SWTOR and enjoyed almost every minute of it. The dialog-driven play feels like an RPG, but the game world feels expansive. It's also beautiful; I often scroll the camera around while on a speeder just to see the details in the sky/horizon. Space combat is nice a break between planet-based play, which can devolve into button-mashing. The thing about SWTOR--and the reason it is so polarizing--is that it isn't built around group-play, guilds, raids, and buzzing mom on the intercom to bring down more hot pockets and a bedpan during a twelve-hour proxy for a social life.

    I leveled without doing any flashpoints, minimal heroic (group) quests, and no PVP because I'm a grown-up with a busy schedule and tend to play on Sunday mornings (often with single-digits of other players on a particular planet). But SWTOR doesn't force me to play at 11PM on Saturday, when my server is jammed; sure, I wouldn't mind doing more group-based stuff, and I'm sure the Sunday morning population will pick up as the game matures, but at least having to solo everything wasn't a bottleneck. And by the end, I felt that my little toon had a personality, and a history; he is different than all the other Powertechs in the universe.

    Now, at level 50, I spend much more time crafting and trying to earn credits on the Galactic Trade Network; here you can really see the dynamics of a new MMO. Every weekend some commodity shoots way up or crashes; for a while I was the only one making a few purple-quality mods, and I could make a killing. Then, one day, there were dozens of others and I couldn't sell at a profit, so I had to reverse-engineer my way to a different purple, and so-on. If you then head to the forums, it is a non-stop complain-fest about how "broken" the economy is because something fell in price or because a commodity became extra-rare--but that is what makes a market-based economy dynamic and fun! On the other hand, I won't pay a monthly fee just to make fake money in a virtual commodities market; this is where the lack of facile group-play does start to become a bottleneck.

    The big question, and the reason I rated this game a 7, is what happens next? What do I do with my little Powertech after he has the fast speeder and all his bling? I suspect the answer is that Bioware will continue to patch and expand the game to give me something to do, and to keep the server population increasing so that I can find others to do group quests with. In the end, that will determine whether or not I extend my subscription. But when you read all the complaints and negative reviews ask two questions: 1) Does the complaint boil down to "I want a game that is just like WoW, but way better, and nothing at all like WoW" and 2) Does the negative review criticize anything that cannot be changed in the future by patches and/or an increasing user base. And then ask yourself if you think Bioware employs stupid people that don't know how to listen to customer feedback and that are incapable of evolving SWTOR into a really great experience and attracting more users. (Also note that 99% of people claiming that you will be banned for X are not basing that opinion on verifiable facts.)

    This is, by definition, a dynamic game that will evolve and wax and wane in popularity; if you enjoy the Star Wars universe, dialog-driven questing, predicting mandalorian iron futures, and occasional group-play, then SWTOR will be fun. If you want "WoW, but not WoW" then go eat some mushrooms and play WoW.    … Expand
  22. Sariden
    Jan 29, 2012
    6
    Feels rushed, badly. Has an engaging and fun single player story line, but I think there are too many fundamental problems with architecture and execution for the game to last long term. Sorry Bioware, you tell a great story, but you can't get performance out of any engine you use...
  23. AtmaTheWanderer
    Jan 29, 2012
    6
    A game with mixed promise at this time. What seems like a rich and deep system of quest issuance quickly devolves into spacebar-mashing your way through dialogues to get another quest to go kill 10 imperials. Basically, SWTOR looks pretty, but it's just a layer of pristine fallen snow covering the toxic waste dump that MMORPGs have become in the wake of WoW.

    The main contributor to my    A game with mixed promise at this time. What seems like a rich and deep system of quest issuance quickly devolves into spacebar-mashing your way through dialogues to get another quest to go kill 10 imperials. Basically, SWTOR looks pretty, but it's just a layer of pristine fallen snow covering the toxic waste dump that MMORPGs have become in the wake of WoW.

    The main contributor to my relatively low rating of this game is the lack of response from the developers, particularly in response to the myriad of exploits, bugs, and general imbalance occurring in the world of PVP. Developers are silent regarding proven faction balance issues between animations (Imperial animations are faster, thus their effects "supersede" Republic players effects. For example, if a Republic player issues a knockback and a an Imperial reacts fast enough, they can render the move irrelevant and knock the republic player back first.). Numerous massive exploits have happened and the developers have taken no action, such as "Ilum Massacre Day". Almost 75-80% of PVP matches have become dominated by sorcerers/sages and bounty hunter/troopers due to glaring balance issues with classes.

    SWTOR can be a fantastic game, but not unless Bioware kicks things into hyperdrive and starts making sweeping changes, and fast. I don't think anyone is foolish enough to believe that there's any chance of this MMO failing in the near future, but there is a great chance of it not being anywhere near as successful as they have hoped and dreamed.    … Expand
  24. Kanye
    Jan 29, 2012
    2
    Released a bugged piece of **** as any EA game. Horribly optimized, I would drop below 30 fps in high settings on a machine that runs BF3 on ultra. Most features are a copy of WoW, although this isn't necessarily a bad thing in itself. But being a massive budget MMO, this is really a disappointment.
  25. rotator
    Jan 29, 2012
    6
    It is safe to assume the game was targeted primarily to 2 audiences: those who played the old KotORs (superb single player RPGs) back and forth and fans of the MMO genre. Let's see the break down!

    Pros for a KotOR gamer: - The Star Wars atmosphere. - Two distinct walkthroughs: Republic and Imperial. See cons for more... - Quality voice acting and dialogs, class stories are generally    It is safe to assume the game was targeted primarily to 2 audiences: those who played the old KotORs (superb single player RPGs) back and forth and fans of the MMO genre. Let's see the break down!

    Pros for a KotOR gamer:
    - The Star Wars atmosphere.
    - Two distinct walkthroughs: Republic and Imperial. See cons for more... - Quality voice acting and dialogs, class stories are generally good.
    - Slightly improved graphics (compared to the original KotORs).

    Cons for a KotOR gamer:
    - The old skill system is gone. There are talent trees now, which only improve your proficiency in battle: damage output and resistance. No secondary skills like persuade, slicing and others.
    - Combat is realtime MMO style with the usual abilities and cooldowns, no pausing and planning.
    - Dialogs are copied from Mass Effect: no real consequences and you only get a hint about your own lines instead of the full text. No persuading skills except for force persuade.
    - Fully linear story, you visit the planets in a predetermined order and choices have no major impacts on the story. While technically you can play 8 classes with their own story, it doesn't mean it is equal to 8 KotOR games, because the 4-4 Republic and Imperial classes share the same 2 main questlines, which are about 80% of all the quests. Light and Dark alignment has nothing to offer in the long run except for some specialized gear.
    - You can't influence companions' alignment, affection only results in companion quest unlocking and better efficiency at crafting. Also you can't kill off companions you don't like.
    - You can't complete all missions by alone. There are so called Heroics and Flashbacks which require a group of people to work together. Most of the time it is damn hard to find people for that. The multiplayer part of the game feels absolutely unnecessary and irritating.
    - No pazaak, no swoop racing, no slicing. The only minigame is the cheesy, but enjoyable space combat.
    - Most quests are just brainless grinding and courier missions.
    - If you complete every available quests, the game will be way too easy. You will be a bunch of levels above the recommended after the first 2 planets.
    - No same sex romance, if that's your thing.
    - The overall gameplay feels robotic, just completing tasks instead of, well, gaming in a rich world and getting involved in a nice story.

    Pros for an MMO player:
    - The Star Wars atmosphere, is you're into it.

    Cons for an MMO player:
    - Too much cutscenes and slow storytelling will probably bother you while impatiently leveling up. Friends can't help you leveling up faster either, because skipping the storyline and looting high level stuff can result in ban.
    - Auction House is a joke and if you're playing well with the economy, you will just get banned.
    - Except for the voiced cutscenes and dialogs, the game is a carbon copy of World of Warcraft (from around 2008) in almost every possible aspect. Too bad WoW has been improved vastly till then.
    - Endgame is virtually nonexistent with just one raid.
    - PVP is badly unbalanced and requires no human skills.
    - UI is not customizable, no LUA scripting support.
    - Available races are all strictly humanoids (because the "necessary" romancing), not even wookies are playable (not to mention all those exotic species the Star Wars universe could offer). There are virtually no racial abilities.

    General pros:
    - They are working hard on it, with frequent patches.
    - Server and connection is fairly stable for most of the time, download speed is exceptionally good when patching.

    General cons:
    - While the graphics is way below the 2011 standard, you still need a pretty powerful machine for the game.
    - Problems with subscribing. The official website itself has numerous glitches.
    - Patching is done at the same time everywhere, unlucky players can experience server downs at prime gaming times.
    - Customer support is freaking slow, it is taking them days for a simple answer.
    - For a game featuring tons of closeups and cutscenes, the character generator is overly simplistic.

    Final words:
    Star Wars: The Old Republic is offering a very mixed experience. 90% of the game is a World of Warcraft clone and 10% of it is cutscenes and dialogs from Mass Effect. Both the CRPG and MMO aspects are dangerously watered down to accommodate different audiences. Both groups will find a lot of unnecessary things in the game, but also a lack of deepness in their own needs and ultimately nobody gets satisfied. Certainly quite a few people will find out it is just the game for them, but it might prove to be deadly to base a 300 million dollar game to appeal all but the core gamers of the touched genres.    … Expand
  26. WarTornPanda
    Jan 29, 2012
    0
    There are far too many things for me to list. Not only can I not remember everything, but I'm afraid I would exceed the 5,000 character limit. I'll keep this brief and to the point by referencing the major issues.

    PvP - Not horribly imbalanced, but dated. There is an ability delay caused by your characters animations overriding your commands. The system does not prioritize player input.    There are far too many things for me to list. Not only can I not remember everything, but I'm afraid I would exceed the 5,000 character limit. I'll keep this brief and to the point by referencing the major issues.

    PvP - Not horribly imbalanced, but dated. There is an ability delay caused by your characters animations overriding your commands. The system does not prioritize player input. This is terrible design and causes unresponsive play.

    Economy - Totally borked. All professions, but two are completely worthless. Credits (gold/money) are easily exploited by bots camping chests that respawn on a set timer. Bot logs in, loots chest, logs out, waits 7 minutes, repeats. There are also professions that give you credits outright; no item trading or gathering required. This is easily exploited by botting.

    PvE - Nothing innovative here. Just the same as any other MMORPG you've ever played. Insanely buggy max-level "flashpoints" (dungeons). There are bosses that cannot be looted and instances that cannot be completed. Holy trinity (tank/DPS/healer) still intact, but only four players are required for a flashpoint. This puts even more stress on the requirement for healers and tanks. This is only gets worse with...

    Server Population - Most servers are dead/dying now that they free month is finished. In response to launch queues, Bioware decided to open up more servers instead of raising the population caps. People left in droves and many servers are struggling to progress.

    Faction Imbalance - Republic is getting destroyed by Empire players.

    UI - Not customizable. There are so many things wrong with the UI, it's hard to list them all. Your debuffs on your target look the same as other player's debuffs. Not a single thing can be moved aside from the chat window, but there is no where to put that anyways. Your buffs/debuffs are too small. There is no combat log. No macros, which means no mouse-over healing, etc... No target of target. There are many more problems.

    MMO Factor - It's not an MMO. Worth the $60 dollar purchase, but definitely not worth $15 recurring monthly fee.    … Expand
  27. Tonarheim
    Jan 29, 2012
    10
    This game appeals to two groups: Star Wars fans and MMO gamers. They will all have a blast with this game. As a Star Wars fan, I love the environments that feel alive and allows me to immerse myself in the Star Wars universe and it's lore and adventures. Others have mentioned a lot of other strong points about the game, but a possibly under-mentioned one is the DEVELOPER. BioWare isThis game appeals to two groups: Star Wars fans and MMO gamers. They will all have a blast with this game. As a Star Wars fan, I love the environments that feel alive and allows me to immerse myself in the Star Wars universe and it's lore and adventures. Others have mentioned a lot of other strong points about the game, but a possibly under-mentioned one is the DEVELOPER. BioWare is constantly fixing bugs and issues at blazing speed and providing new content within the first month after launch. UI customization is coming in March along with massive new content and fixes, but I'd say the constant weekly+ ticks of improvement is the best of what BioWare does. They have created a trust-based relationship with their player base (apart from the less mature part of the gamers, who are still whining on the forums, but they will come around to trust papa BioWare too ;))… Expand
  28. AkiTheConqueror
    Jan 28, 2012
    6
    The game is relatively new at this point so alot of the problems that it has can be attributed to the growing pains. Others however are more baffling. Generally I came to expect a degree of quality from bioware games, so thats why I find some missing aspects of the game strange.

    Gameplay: Leveling is actually pretty good, compared to other MMORPGs. Personally it never really felt like    The game is relatively new at this point so alot of the problems that it has can be attributed to the growing pains. Others however are more baffling. Generally I came to expect a degree of quality from bioware games, so thats why I find some missing aspects of the game strange.

    Gameplay:
    Leveling is actually pretty good, compared to other MMORPGs. Personally it never really felt like a drag, even though the formula is very standard, mostly of a variety go there kills/loot that, there is a voiced over story background to go along with all of that, and this makes all the difference.

    The problems start to become apparent once players reach lvl 50. Max lvl is where most of the gameplay in MMOs actually takes place, that where you start to get into big groups of people and raiding very difficult content. What keeps people in the game at this point is the challenge and objectives that are to be aimed for. This can be things like gearing up, getting some rare recipes, all in the drive to progress further to get rare piece of armor and to finally kill that particularly hard final boss.

    The problem with SWTOR is not that there is no end game content, but that its is poorly executed, uninspired and too easy. Arguably the last bit is particularly deadly too a MMO, there is no ammount of content in this world that will keep people happy and occupied if it is too easy. People will blow through it in no time, after that people get bored and bored people leave the game to go play something else.

    I hope that in the future Bioware rectifies this problem.

    Graphics:
    Atmosphere in the game is great and really feels like star wars, but quality of the graphics is rather poor for a game released end of 2011. In a way they are even comparable to WoW, but that game is 7 ears old! I'm not talking about amount of pretty colors on the screen, both games have it in abbundance, what is lacking are the details on character models and armor. It all feels so flat, almost like a reskin of a base character model, this is especially visible on a character loading screen, which shows your toon in its full glory.

    Game features:
    This part is an absolute disgrace. For a game that involved 800 people in its creation I get a feeling that the interface and associated tools were written in year 2000 and never touched since then.

    There are no tools for finding groups except the very basic LFG flag, there are no tools supporting guild beyond giving them option to chat, there are no tools to optimize the interface, no macros...it's like Bioware forgot that they are making a MMO instead of single player game.

    Crafting:
    Can't say much beyong that it keeps you more or less decently geared through the leveling process, beyond that, it is mostly useless.

    PvP:
    I am generally not into PvP aspect of MMOs, preffering to do my PvPing in games like counter strike and TF2, but this is apparently also not in the best of states.

    So here is my score of 6 out of 10, with a big hope that Bioware picks this game up.    … Expand
  29. Slartibartfast
    Jan 28, 2012
    8
    The game is quite entertaining and really tries to give a feel of the Star Wars universe. It does however have quite some strange issues and lacking features that one wonders why were not fixed/implemented before the launch.

    I am very much enjoying the game though and I will remain patient to give Bioware time to correct and improve the game, so we will all have an enjoyable game for    The game is quite entertaining and really tries to give a feel of the Star Wars universe. It does however have quite some strange issues and lacking features that one wonders why were not fixed/implemented before the launch.

    I am very much enjoying the game though and I will remain patient to give Bioware time to correct and improve the game, so we will all have an enjoyable game for years to come.

    It is definitely worth a try for anyone who enjoys Star Wars, MMOs and emphasis on story. But if you need fast paced action and smooth gaming from day one, then you should probably wait a few months.    … Expand
  30. raven756
    Jan 28, 2012
    10
    There's one thing that this game offers that very few other mmo's do, an actual role playing experience. Most other mmo's have absolutly no dialogue choice's, and very little in the way of voiced dialogue and cut scenes, making them little more than glorified 3rd person action games.

    Swtor however has cutsence and fully voiced choices for each and every quest, which are not only    There's one thing that this game offers that very few other mmo's do, an actual role playing experience. Most other mmo's have absolutly no dialogue choice's, and very little in the way of voiced dialogue and cut scenes, making them little more than glorified 3rd person action games.

    Swtor however has cutsence and fully voiced choices for each and every quest, which are not only funny/interesting/entertaining but effect your alignment and relationship with your companions. If you want to play an mmorpg and not just another souless battle focused mmo, this is the game for you.    … Expand
  31. Sharpmaxim
    Jan 27, 2012
    0
    First when started the game I was like overwhelmed, surprised in a good way and confident it would keep me. The pluses- story line. I am a PVE and lore nerd, so I have to confess- BW delivered great voice overs, dialogues and story. But after a day or two I started looking at it with more attention, so here is my thought on it: 1) PVE (story, voices etc. and lore) is one of the best in theFirst when started the game I was like overwhelmed, surprised in a good way and confident it would keep me. The pluses- story line. I am a PVE and lore nerd, so I have to confess- BW delivered great voice overs, dialogues and story. But after a day or two I started looking at it with more attention, so here is my thought on it: 1) PVE (story, voices etc. and lore) is one of the best in the market; 2) Design, arts - WORST there ever will be. I mean, if the Jedi Temple - a cornerstone of the whole IP and franchise - looks like a huge 3 stores tent with homogenic textures on its walls and one statue, copy-pasted on each side of this tent like 30 times, WHAT WOULD YOU EXPECT OF IT? It is the fundamental game art!!! Every instance, house, room, anything feels like having copy-pasted floors and walls, sometimes windows. Every city feels so too large and empty. Like they say in my country in general you can not watch this without tears; 3) Graphics. The graphical execution is another disappointment! I mean, WTF!!! The 2012 title is released without DX11 support. Oh, wait, it didn't even have anti-aliasing on launch!!!! Add multiple graphics bugs (like colorful fences on the sky) etc. - and that's just the start! Take a look at fountains, rivers, lakes, water-falls. The water implementation is simply horrible, it looks like transparent slow falling jelly! TES 3 Morrowind (2003 year!!!) had a lot better, realistic and beautiful water implementation with shaders version 1.0!!!; 4) The races - this is to be left with no comments. You have humans with 3 or 4 body types, and 6 different face texture packs. And 6 face texture packs means six different races!!! That's as horrid and pitiful as it takes. 5) Sound. Mixed. Sometimes the ambient are good, sometimes ok. But they are not even close to overly-expressly epic WoW ambient, which in my opinion is pretty average. 6) World. There is no open world. There is just rails and tunnels. You can not climb on that mountain or hill. You can not fly over that tree. In fact, you feel like you are some stool, which BW is taking through straight intestine all the way to the end-game - i.e. the anal orifice. There is no freedom to explore the world. And thats's the biggest minus to me engine-wise. It even overwhelms the graphics, which can be fixed in nearest future, and arts, which can be fixed in long-term (provided that game is still alive, which I doubt). But this closed world is the game engine issue (hello, cheap Hero engine) and can not be fixed. Hey! A 200 million dollars game uses weak, slow and cheap Hero engine! Even CCP, which started with couple of thousand bucks in the basement, developed a beautiful open world game engine, perhaps, because they treat paying customers with more respect. How are people supposed to believe this world is real, when all they see is not a freedom to explore, but straight intestine. I seriously started to feel like I have been turned into the proctologist's office, but not entertained with the game. And lying BW promised it will be open, un-instanced world!!! 7) PVP. Didn't test, as I am a PVE carebear; 8) Customer support. There is nothing to say, really. CS is the final nail in the TOR coffin to me. I opened a ticket by the December 30th and NEVER (!!!) got an answer from the CS. That is zero. And finally, the worst that happened to me - right before the end of "free" 30 days the button unsubscribe disappeared! How very convenient for BW right before re-occuring paying period start!!! and that happened on Google Chrome, IE, Firefox- all 3 major browsers I have!!! So the only option to unsubscribe was to call BW, stay on hold for over an hour, than talk to some Indian rep for 20 minutes so he understands what you want of him??? And on this resource I have also found evidences that BW deleted official forum threads about missing UNSUBSCRIBE button and link to page for subscription cancellation. Never going back - that's for sure. Like they say in Texas- double cross me once and it's a shame on you. Double-cross me twice and it's a shame on me. And I ain't that naive, partner. ;) Oh, about the CS. Like I mentioned if you have an issue don't even hope it will be fixed in reasonable time. BW claims that all the reps are very busy. But all the posts on the official forums are moderated, every inconvenient for BW post (concerning UNSUB, bugs, lack of respect to paying customer) is deleted within a minutes, people are being banned and warned for odd reasons in no time. So BW employees find their time to deal with such matters, which is why there is not enough time to actually solve tickets and help people! P.S. All this is just top of iceberg. Even voice-overs, dialogues and story does not compensate all misses and fails, not even for a story lover such as me! 3 points to the max, but with such CS and attitude towards paying cows - 0!!! WORST DISAPPOINTMENT since Master of Orion 3!!!… Expand
  32. Primordial
    Jan 26, 2012
    1
    THE WORST MMO EVER MADE.. This is a marketing BS which is pushed to the market just before xmas so ppl who had doubts thought that "ah whatever I have so much free time its xmas eve lets give it a chance".. The fanboys ofc would buy the game but they had to do smtgh about the doubters.. so they released an unfinished game that has poor pvp end-game stuff.. poor world pvp.. eye bleeding,THE WORST MMO EVER MADE.. This is a marketing BS which is pushed to the market just before xmas so ppl who had doubts thought that "ah whatever I have so much free time its xmas eve lets give it a chance".. The fanboys ofc would buy the game but they had to do smtgh about the doubters.. so they released an unfinished game that has poor pvp end-game stuff.. poor world pvp.. eye bleeding, copy-pasted, 3-colored graphics.. and COUNTLESS (never saw that amount of bug in a game (maybe gothic 3 :P)) annoying, freaking BUGS.. BUT.. They spent lots of money for the voice acting so this must be good (?) yes in the first couple of days maybe.. but then u realised that if u actually listen all those conversations it will cost HALF of ur playtime.. and it gets boring and boring and boring till u find urself in an endless loop of "tapping the space bar"... BW seriously WTF is that stuff.. 1 month is the life span of this game.. u can play it till lvl 50 as a single player game. then ur done..… Expand
  33. Woooyaaaa
    Jan 26, 2012
    0
    Honestly this game was decent in the first few weeks. But once you hit 50 and there is no more story there really isn't much to the game. You have hardmodes and raiding and broken pvp, if you want all that then why not just stay with a much more polished game like Rift or WoW? This game is not innovative.
  34. Larux18
    Jan 26, 2012
    3
    I am so pissed right now with Bioware, I generally don't give games this low of a score but they screwed it all up! Everything that is story related is now completely screwed up! Every story element related to KOTOR here is awful, how they decide to show Revan in this game is also extremely disappointing! The gameplay here is good but now that the story has screwed up everything there isI am so pissed right now with Bioware, I generally don't give games this low of a score but they screwed it all up! Everything that is story related is now completely screwed up! Every story element related to KOTOR here is awful, how they decide to show Revan in this game is also extremely disappointing! The gameplay here is good but now that the story has screwed up everything there is not a purpose to play this game, this game is no more for me. Thanks to this game KOTOR 3 will probably never be made! Thanks for nothing Bioware!… Expand
  35. chukchuk
    Jan 26, 2012
    0
    SWTOR is by far the worst MMO release by any AAA development outfit in the past several years. I'll just list the game's major flaws that should have been addressed a long time before it ever came to market.

    1) HERO Engine, Bioware choose to go the cheap route instead of developing their own game engine (IE- Blizzard, CCP) when developing the game. The result is that end users are now    SWTOR is by far the worst MMO release by any AAA development outfit in the past several years. I'll just list the game's major flaws that should have been addressed a long time before it ever came to market.

    1) HERO Engine, Bioware choose to go the cheap route instead of developing their own game engine (IE- Blizzard, CCP) when developing the game. The result is that end users are now plauged with terrible lag, unresponsive user interface, delayed abilities, etc, etc. Unfortunately there is no quick fix or simple patch to resolve this without rehauling the entire game which is never going to happen.

    2) PvP is a joke and horrifically unbalanced. Again, Bioware dropped the ball by hiring failed developers from Mythic to handle this aspect of their game. Warzones are totally lag infested, world PvP is non-existant and Bioware made the situation worse by deciding to implement a PvP stat/gear bonus system that has failed in every game that has implemented it before.

    3) PvE is another boring, ill thought out grind fest consisting of killing 10 of this, 20 of that and so on. The difficulty settings are nothing short of a joke as the entire game is easily soloable from 1-50. Bioware included raid content that is nothing more than a joke (difficulty wise) in comparison to other titles out there; within the first month multiple guilds had already beaten every nightmare scenario in the game.

    4) Game Economy/Crafting- Again Bioware completely messed up with their crafting & economic system. To date they have had to implement several knee jerk nerfs to professions because of poor game testing before release. On top of that, there are crafting professions that have absolutely no value in game what-so-ever. I could go on endlessly about how badly Bioware screwed up this aspect of the game, suffice it to say it is the worst system out of any game on the market.

    5) Customer Service, EA/Bioware's customer service is horrifically bad. In fact, it is safe to say that their recent performance in association with the release of SWTOR clearly marks them as the worst in the industry. There is plenty more, however I don't need to keep listing it out here. All one has to do is look at SWTOR's user forums to see how disgruntled the player base is with the product to get an idea.

    I give SWTOR a score of zero and honestly hope the product fails within the next several months. It is time for game developers to stop copying products from several years past, start taking risks and show some innovation.

    My prediction for SWTOR? Free to play by the end of 2011, the game simply does not have enough going for it to keep anybody but the most diehard Star Wars fans subscribed long term.    … Expand
  36. ArcticF0X
    Jan 26, 2012
    4
    Level 50 Scoundrel - Valor rank 33 - Completed most Hard Modes.

    With all the money & development put into this game, one has to wonder where on earth it all went. To put it bluntly, the game looks & feels outdated. The combat is not very fluid. Ability delay which should have be fixed in BETA is still present.The HeroEngine is terrible. Why is it that i can play BF3 on max settings with    Level 50 Scoundrel - Valor rank 33 - Completed most Hard Modes.

    With all the money & development put into this game, one has to wonder where on earth it all went.
    To put it bluntly, the game looks & feels outdated. The combat is not very fluid. Ability delay which should have be fixed in BETA is still present.The HeroEngine is terrible. Why is it that i can play BF3 on max settings with 64 players with an enviroment that is destructible & get 60+ frames but in SWTOR, anything with 30+ people on screen it becomes a slide show? Shoddy.

    The planets are a major let down. Maybe because they don't actually feel likes planets. Most of them are lifeless & dull. Coruscant is a big living, breathing city. In SWTOR, Coruscant feels like a set of corridors with hardly anyone around. This goes for most of the planets, they feel lifeless. Mobs stand in one place waiting to be killed. There is hardly any ambient music whilst you're exploring the planets. Environmental sound is severely lacking. When i can hear my own footsteps in the middle of 'big city' you know something is wrong. Add all of that together with alot of 'loading screens' & you have a game world that feels bland & dull.

    No customizable UI.
    Unable to choose warzone maps.
    RNG end game PvP gear grind.
    The abomination that is Ilum.
    One of the worst character creation screens. A human with an earpiece = cyborg? Really?

    It seems to me that they wasted all their money on voiceovers & cutscenes that they forgot about the things that really matter.    … Expand
  37. faf
    Jan 26, 2012
    9
    The Old Republic achieved exactly what the developers set out to do from the get-go: Create an online RPG experience with depth of story. In this regard the game succeeds beautifully. The current problems with the PvP side of the game can be put down to the fact that it is only a month after release and these types of games need some time to mature and come into their own.
  38. xellis
    Jan 25, 2012
    10
    This game is absolutely amazing! I'm usually pretty judgemental & harsh about MMO's as over the last several years, every release has been an unpolished mass of boring. This is NOT the case with SW:TOR in the least bit. Sure, it has some of the bugs you would expect from a newly launched MMO, and to be quite honest with you it would and should be impossible for a game of the sheer size andThis game is absolutely amazing! I'm usually pretty judgemental & harsh about MMO's as over the last several years, every release has been an unpolished mass of boring. This is NOT the case with SW:TOR in the least bit. Sure, it has some of the bugs you would expect from a newly launched MMO, and to be quite honest with you it would and should be impossible for a game of the sheer size and scale of SW:TOR to NOT have any right off the bat. On the up side, BioWare has been very responsive and quick to release hot-fixes and patches, thus eliminating the bugs and giving us performance boosts and client/engine optimizations to boot! This is the first MMO that puts the RPG into the term "MMORPG", and it does it exceedingly well. The personal story lines for each class are intriguing for the most part, the worst probably being between the Trooper & the Jedi Knight (they're not bad though, they just seem less memorable than other classes). Contrary to what some other people are saying on here, this game is very much a MMO, and is comes nowhere close to a "lobby" game. Zones are NOT instanced, and each server is NOT a bunch of copies of rooms and channels, the "phases" only happen when there are more than like 200 people in a small area at the same time. You do have to zone into the different planets when you arrive from your ship, but each zone on every planet is COMPLETELY and utterly seamless. No zoning what-so-ever on these planets which are remarkably large and seem to go on forever, once you hit your mid to late teens. The missions in the game are more interesting than say World of Warcraft's missions; as each NPC is fully voiced and interactive with dialogue between you, any group members you may be with, and the NPC itself, which creates a far more interesting and immersive gaming experience all around.

    The biggest problem the game currently faces is a faction imbalance between Republic & Empire, with the latter being the most popular side, although there are servers where the reverse is true; they are relatively rare.

    At the end of the day, though if you like RPG's and MMO's, and are curious about this game than give it a go, and if you do please roll on a Heavy or Standard server, and not one of the full ones!    … Expand
  39. Not_Casual
    Jan 25, 2012
    0
    Different people have different tastes. Some like exotic things such as a very rare stake or sushi. Maybe even something like live squid if your in Asia. However, there's a fine line between having exotic tastes, and eating **** This game would be the eaten **** You can borrow ideas, or improve on ideas, but what was done here was direct theft and copycatting of warcraft. Even the jumpDifferent people have different tastes. Some like exotic things such as a very rare stake or sushi. Maybe even something like live squid if your in Asia. However, there's a fine line between having exotic tastes, and eating **** This game would be the eaten **** You can borrow ideas, or improve on ideas, but what was done here was direct theft and copycatting of warcraft. Even the jump animation is the exact same as warcraft. That should speak volumes of the originality here. The vast majority of these people are casuals. People that never played the old games so they don't know the difference between good food and fecal matter. This is not your fault, but you must look to see that your unfamiliarity with games is being capitalized on by flashy trailers and empty promises of unique game play. Those trailers probably took more time and effort than the game itself. To say this game is original, good, or unlike world of warcraft is a flat lie. And make no mistake those who say otherwise are liars. And this may be the only game I say this about.. As for the game-play. Yes it's like wow, but not as good. In wow, the system fits the setting, here the goofy graphics and abilities have little to no real reflection on star wars. The feel is completely lost and you can't help but feel you've been just suckered into a flop with graphics from gumby online. A zero? Does any game deserve this? No. But this is not a game. This is a texture pack for warcraft.… Expand
  40. Spineker
    Jan 24, 2012
    1
    Who is G4 kidding with their rediculous score? Never played this trash obviously, which is more about their pockets and wallet than games. What kind of retard would give this POS a 100? Seriously? What a bunch of BS and garbage. Glad I quit watching the bimbos on G4 I can get better porn on the internet than those ugly skanks.
  41. rexob85
    Jan 24, 2012
    7
    Let me preface by giving my experience playing MMOs - City of Heroes, Earth and Beyond, Star Wars Galaxies, Age of Conan, Warhammer Online, Champions Online, World of Warcraft, Everquest - I have a minimum of 10yrs playing the genre and have a firm understanding of what really works and what doesn't. I have a lv46 Bounty Hunter playing on a PvP server in SWTOR and these are my findings.Let me preface by giving my experience playing MMOs - City of Heroes, Earth and Beyond, Star Wars Galaxies, Age of Conan, Warhammer Online, Champions Online, World of Warcraft, Everquest - I have a minimum of 10yrs playing the genre and have a firm understanding of what really works and what doesn't. I have a lv46 Bounty Hunter playing on a PvP server in SWTOR and these are my findings.

    Overall, this game has a lot of potential and a very good initial effort by Bioware. However, there are glaring basic MMO issues that longtime veterans of MMOs will quickly notice. The single player experience attempts to create a rich story, and while the voice acting is nice, the consequences never seem as real or truly immerse a player into the universe the game attempts to create. Character creation is solid and each class feels unique. One of the biggest issues I have is the game feels "empty"; playing on a "standard" pvp server I rarely encounter opposing forces, furthermore I rarely encounter my own forces. The voice acting is among the greatest strength of the game. However, I cannot say the same for all of the writing, it becomes apparent this was a huge undertaking and the writing starts to feel dull and recycled as progressing through content. Graphically, the game looks pleasing with the stylized realism. However, the game has FPS issues, even on the solid gaming machines, and the game failed to launch with the high resolution settings included during the beta.

    Bioware is responsive to the shortcomings of the game and various issues. However, some of the missed basics of MMOs is disappointing. The Global Trade Network (auction house) is horrible, the searching and options are limiting and cumbersome. The UI is static and unchangeable; while this is not a huge drawback, the default settings are not ideal. MMOs traditionally place the party frames in the upper/mid left side of the game - not the lower left. In addition the chat box is in the upper left-hand corner which is quite unorthodox from traditional layouts. I am not suggesting every MMO copy and paste layouts, but there are certain expectations and proven designs that do work.

    Loading times are sorely disappointing and borderline aggravating. In addition there are pointless time sinks traveling from one location to another, a common example to leave a planet - board a transport, ride an elevator, enter an airlock & board your ship, finally select a new destination which then repeats the process in reverse when arriving. Crafting in the game provides few unique bonuses, and no real benefits aside from Biochem currently. However, unique crafting systems are rarely in place at launch of most games, and this is not a bad foundation for later updates.

    The PvP is not horrible, but far from ideal. Both sides can partake in "battlegrounds" simliar to Arathi Basin and Strands of the Ancients from WoW. Then the Empire has Huttball, which has a very steep learning curve for newcomers and the zone itself creates significant imbalances among the classes. The Republic has its own "battleground" too, but I have not participated in it. The PvP can be fun, but on servers with greatly imbalanced populations between the sides, you play your sides "battleground" the vast majority of the time and it gets old very quickly. Leveling throughout the game remains constant once hitting level 20. I did not experience a significant slow-down at any point and I leveled as a healer at all times. Stay focused on the missions (quests) and each level seems to average 150minutes, sometimes more or less depending on what is accomplished.

    Overall presentation is very nice when you can get it to run properly and smoothly...the sound is perfect and Bioware did not miss anything there. However, the constant sound of lightsabers and blaster fire does get old after the initial awe fades away.

    The game offers a lot of potential, but some glaring basic gameplay issues sorely stick out to longtime MMO veterans. Longtime Star Wars fans will greatly enjoy the game and universe though with familiar settings - Tatooine, Hoth, Correlia. Overall, SWTOR has a solid foundation to build upon. The speed and execution of the next few months will undoubtedly set the tone for the game's future. Personally, I do not recommend the game to anyone looking for a fun MMO with a strong community, I typically feel very alone in the game. However, if you really enjoy the Star Wars universe this game is for you.    … Expand
  42. maxlieblich
    Jan 24, 2012
    10
    Do not be fooled by the user score with this game. Its mostly the result of many fans being fooled by the huge hype surrounding this game up to its release. This is a great game if the player is not comparing it to their idea of what the game should be like, an idea that was doomed to be disappointed from the beginning. Again, go by the critics' reviews for this one; the game does notDo not be fooled by the user score with this game. Its mostly the result of many fans being fooled by the huge hype surrounding this game up to its release. This is a great game if the player is not comparing it to their idea of what the game should be like, an idea that was doomed to be disappointed from the beginning. Again, go by the critics' reviews for this one; the game does not deserve a 59 and many of the reviewers here are overly critical. With that said, i do not believe this game is truly a ten, at least not yet. There are a few problems in the game that are addressed in the other reviews of this game, but I am giving it a ten nonetheless in an attempt to balance out the average. All in all, if you are a lover of Bioware's previous fare or of MMORPGs in general I highly recommend this game, you will not be disappointed.… Expand
  43. Mickslick
    Jan 24, 2012
    3
    Just to confirm my experience, this is not a true MMO, it is a single player game with the ability to group with others. and a very average to sub par single player game at that. The world is linear, massively instanced, no feeling of openness or exploration whatsoever. Absolutely no environment t of "choice", you pick a class and are totally guided along a story line and path. SomeJust to confirm my experience, this is not a true MMO, it is a single player game with the ability to group with others. and a very average to sub par single player game at that. The world is linear, massively instanced, no feeling of openness or exploration whatsoever. Absolutely no environment t of "choice", you pick a class and are totally guided along a story line and path. Some enjoy the voice overs and cut scenes, but after a while they are seriously annoying and you wind up spending more time watching cheesey dialog in lieu of actually playing a game and making your own way. I really don't want to have to wade through a third rate Saturday morning cartoon when trying to get to some content. Oh, almost forgot to note that the space combat is a joke, seriously, they threw in some rail based space stuff that I was playing back in 1996 that is repetitive, boring and annoying.… Expand
  44. AlpsStranger
    Jan 24, 2012
    0
    This game is nothing but a cheap, tacky WoW knockoff propped up by a popular IP.

    -Clunky combat
    -Blurry textures
    -No API for addons
    -Super-super-super casual difficulty
    -Single-player oriented -Hub and instance based to the point of feeling empty
    -Faction population balance is extraordinarily bad
    -Remaining subscribers take "fanboy" to a whole new level

    Save your money.
  45. Morring
    Jan 24, 2012
    0
    Plain awful. Skill trees copypasted from wow. Single threading, terrible graphics, and disgusting politics from the devs and publisher, including the misterious malfunctioning of the "unsubscribe" button a moment before the free month was over. I can't figure out why critics gave such high scores- Oh wait, I can. This game required an insane amount of money to be developed, and I can't seePlain awful. Skill trees copypasted from wow. Single threading, terrible graphics, and disgusting politics from the devs and publisher, including the misterious malfunctioning of the "unsubscribe" button a moment before the free month was over. I can't figure out why critics gave such high scores- Oh wait, I can. This game required an insane amount of money to be developed, and I can't see how they managed not to obtain ANY result. This is indeed a remarkable feat, the kind of talent I'd reward with a zero.… Expand
  46. frank12
    Jan 24, 2012
    4
    I had high hopes for this game, but unfortunately it only led to more disappointment. The game is transparently a WoW clone, but Bioware fell short in almost every aspect. It should have been released 6mo-1yr after it was. Poor optimization causing low fps on high-end rigs, massive ability delay (which destroys any semblance of competitive PvP), and a lack of basic MMO features such asI had high hopes for this game, but unfortunately it only led to more disappointment. The game is transparently a WoW clone, but Bioware fell short in almost every aspect. It should have been released 6mo-1yr after it was. Poor optimization causing low fps on high-end rigs, massive ability delay (which destroys any semblance of competitive PvP), and a lack of basic MMO features such as combat log, customizable UI, and LFG. Customer service is non-existent. This game received decent scores from critics because they only level to 30 or 40 and then rush a review out. After that, the lack of endgame content and functionality becomes apparent. Pve is a joke (cleared on nightmare mode in less than a month, despite raid-wiping bugs, by a PvP guild), and pvp even worse due to faction imbalance, complete lack of world pvp, and the aforementioned fps and ability delay issues. Bioware/EA had a potential bonanza with a Star Wars licensed MMO, but unfortunately rushed out a game that was poorly developed and conceptualized.… Expand
  47. MagicZeroX
    Jan 23, 2012
    10
    I find this game to be very enjoyable. Its not comparable to WoW at all. Yes it has some features from WoW. But the story telling in this game is incredible. The voice acting is top notch. Space Combat is great and simple. They have instanced zones in certain areas but it does not take you away from the rest of the world. You can still see people questing and what not and flying around on taxis.
  48. rebelyankee
    Jan 23, 2012
    9
    Reactions to this game seem to vary wildly, but BioWare has crafted a very enjoyable game. The storylines are engaging, space battles are fun (despite the complaints about being on rails), and the flashpoints are more engaging than nearly any other game with group instances I have played.
    As a single-player rpg, this game is very reminescent of Knights of the Old Republic I and II. It is    Reactions to this game seem to vary wildly, but BioWare has crafted a very enjoyable game. The storylines are engaging, space battles are fun (despite the complaints about being on rails), and the flashpoints are more engaging than nearly any other game with group instances I have played.
    As a single-player rpg, this game is very reminescent of Knights of the Old Republic I and II. It is easy to play this game solo from 1-50. However, if you enjoy grouping up, there are plenty of opportunities to do so; aside from flashpoints and operations (Raids), many planets have daily, repeatable heroics for groups of 2-4, providing upgraded item rewards and harder groups of enemies.
    Crafting is the most enjoyable of any mmo I have played. Rather than make you spend hours and hours in a capital city, dragging out mats and crafting items one by one, you are able to send companions (as you level, the number you can send off to craft grows) on various missions which provide crafting rewards as well as have a companion craft the actual tradeskill items for use.
    People decrying the heavy instancing of this game must be forgetting a very common complaint among mmos: camping specialty mobs. In this game, the instancing (planets are instanced to thin out the number of people with whom you compete for quest objectives) is heavy, but the only negative that results here is that you see far fewer people as you are out in the world than you might in another MMO. However, it's easy to review how many people are on your planet and find players with whom to cooperate if you need (and switching planet instances is as easy as two clicks). Instancing many of the quest objective areas also has the added effect of making YOU the hero of your story. If you're going after the Imperial General, whose defeat will ensure the Republic's victory on a planet, it makes you feel like the actual champion if you don't have to wait in line for 6 others to kill him first.

    This game is definitely not for everyone. Many people enjoy an open world, with a rather unrestricted ability to do what you want. Other people might enjoy a game that guides you a bit, provides some intriguing storylines (indeed, I've played many an MMO I eventually dropped because, aside from trying to roleplay my own story, there was nothing inherent in the game to grab on), and definitely makes that "kill 10 womp rats" questline more enjoyable than your run-of-the-mill MMO.    … Expand
  49. teejmorrison
    Jan 22, 2012
    10
    Stop listening to the whining and WoW fanboys freaking out that there is a real contender out there. SWTOR if FUN and the story is AMAZING for every character you create. You get attached to your character like you should in an RPG. There is so much that you invest INTO your character that you really do feel like you're part of something and not just some random guy running around in aStop listening to the whining and WoW fanboys freaking out that there is a real contender out there. SWTOR if FUN and the story is AMAZING for every character you create. You get attached to your character like you should in an RPG. There is so much that you invest INTO your character that you really do feel like you're part of something and not just some random guy running around in a world that will go on without you. If you want a fantastic BioWare RPG that is also online, or, if you played KOTOR and enjoyed it. This is the game for you. May The Force Be With You.… Expand
  50. Gankatron
    Jan 22, 2012
    3
    Most of the reviews critical of gameplay are fairly accurate, so I won't restate them.

    The biggest problem for many of us are the "Error 9000" disconnections (every 5-10 minutes) and terrible frame rates even with moderate to high end computers. Although BioWare has recognized these bugs for weeks, they do not have a fix, nor have they stated that they even know what the cause(s) of    Most of the reviews critical of gameplay are fairly accurate, so I won't restate them.

    The biggest problem for many of us are the "Error 9000" disconnections (every 5-10 minutes) and terrible frame rates even with moderate to high end computers. Although BioWare has recognized these bugs for weeks, they do not have a fix, nor have they stated that they even know what the cause(s) of these problems are.

    They seem to be on the BioWare side, and most speculation seems to implicate their use of an inferior engine.

    In any case expect substantial loss of subs as the game is unplayable for those affected.    … Expand
  51. motaclown
    Jan 22, 2012
    1
    Like others have said. This game is a failure.
    It has identical properties to WOW. And there is little reason to play.

    The voice acting gets old and boring after lvl 10 and its the same old grind over and over again.

    Zero reason to make the switch. GW2 is worth waiting for I think.
  52. phantomlord91
    Jan 22, 2012
    2
    This is basically a WoW clone without the elements which actually made WoW successful. SWTOR offers nothing new to the MMO genre. Story and voice acting are excellent but they do not justify the rest of the game being a broken mess. PvP is totally unbalanced and was broken beyond any repair after an exploit in patch 1.1 which Bioware actually refuses to fix. The character control isThis is basically a WoW clone without the elements which actually made WoW successful. SWTOR offers nothing new to the MMO genre. Story and voice acting are excellent but they do not justify the rest of the game being a broken mess. PvP is totally unbalanced and was broken beyond any repair after an exploit in patch 1.1 which Bioware actually refuses to fix. The character control is unrensponsive and there is delay when using abilities not related to latency or framerate issues. The game is poorly optimized and performs poorly even on high end PCs. I recommend staying away from this game until it is improved. On it's current state it is simply not worth the montly fee it has.… Expand
  53. FattyMooMooMan
    Jan 22, 2012
    3
    All I can say is that EA/Bioware dropped the ball bigtime on this game. It starts out with the promise of being the new big MMO but fails to deliver on its promises. The graphics engine is dire and on the 3 systems I have seen it running on it has issues with random frame-rate drops, hitching and poor resource loading (the PC I am writing this on runs most PC games just fine - Deus Ex HR,All I can say is that EA/Bioware dropped the ball bigtime on this game. It starts out with the promise of being the new big MMO but fails to deliver on its promises. The graphics engine is dire and on the 3 systems I have seen it running on it has issues with random frame-rate drops, hitching and poor resource loading (the PC I am writing this on runs most PC games just fine - Deus Ex HR, Eve Online, Payday: The heist, etc but fails to run SWTOR smoothly all of the time on even the lowest settings). There are also major balance issues - playing a scoundrel (smuggler) alongside a family members Sage (Jedi Consular) there were obvious imbalances between the two, with the smuggler being woefully underpowered, playing a commando (trooper) felt like driving a juggernaught through the mobs in the game - serious easymode. There were also issues with mission bugs, game crashing, areas not loading up properly. This game needed a lot more time in development before it was released. My rating of 3 is generous and thats only because I like some of the ideas the game has - though not in the games current state.… Expand
  54. lyko
    Jan 22, 2012
    1
    If this game wouldn't be "Star Wars", everyone would laugh about it.
    I really hoped they would create a great game. I should have known better. EA was, is and will be just a ripp off company with only one concern...Money. They give **** about their customers. I was to re-sub after I canceled it, but fortunately, like everything in this game, the payment system is broken and a majority of    If this game wouldn't be "Star Wars", everyone would laugh about it.
    I really hoped they would create a great game. I should have known better. EA was, is and will be just a ripp off company with only one concern...Money. They give **** about their customers. I was to re-sub after I canceled it, but fortunately, like everything in this game, the payment system is broken and a majority of players can't re-sub using paypal or credit card.

    - It's based on a crappy engine
    - World feels empty, if you want a SP story game, buy it, lvl to 50 and throw it away
    - Even if I was to re-sub, I couldn't because neither paypal nor credit card is working because they're having issues with their payment system. - Rep - Imp classes aren't mirrored
    - Biodrones only know two answers...."Please contact customer services" and "I don't understand you"
    - Game felt dead since release because of the horrible choice to instance the planets.
    - Crafting is useless
    - Don't try to sell to much of ther GTN....you could get banned for it
    - Character creation feels like the game was released back in the 90's
    - Ability delay
    - World PVP? There is no World PVP.
    - You don't need tanks to do Hardcore flashpoints.....ZzZz
    .
    .
    .
    .

    If you're not sure to get it or not....DON'T! Spend the money for a bunch of flowers, they will last longer than this game will.

    And all the fanboys know it, they just don't want to believe it and keep hoping. I give them a max of 6 months until the servers get merged. And that's always an mmo's death !FACT!

    Everyone who gives this game a rating of 8+ is either a employee of Bioware or EA (Yes it's proven that they rate their own games on this site) or just has pink sunglasses on.    … Expand
  55. Comperio
    Jan 22, 2012
    9
    Every MMO borrows from it's predecessors, including WOW. What needs to be looked at is what makes it different. The fact the SWTOR has a specific storyline for each class, and that the game is completely fully voiced with dialog options makes SWTOR a good cross between the traditional MMO and other bioware games such as Dragon Age and Mass Effect. Bioware has raised the MMO standard forEvery MMO borrows from it's predecessors, including WOW. What needs to be looked at is what makes it different. The fact the SWTOR has a specific storyline for each class, and that the game is completely fully voiced with dialog options makes SWTOR a good cross between the traditional MMO and other bioware games such as Dragon Age and Mass Effect. Bioware has raised the MMO standard for excellence and has made the foundation for a game that after a few years will contain the same content and potentially exceed the quality of WOW.… Expand
  56. Zic
    Jan 22, 2012
    3
    I levelled a Jedi Guardian up to lvl 50. Levelling was pretty good, and the game would probably have received a high score from me if it was a single player game. Its an MMO though and thats why I unsubcribed it now :(

    What I found lacking: - No LFG/LFR, having played WoW since early 1995 I just dont want to go back to the way WoW was before LFG. Some ppl say that destroyed WoW, but    I levelled a Jedi Guardian up to lvl 50. Levelling was pretty good, and the game would probably have received a high score from me if it was a single player game. Its an MMO though and thats why I unsubcribed it now :(

    What I found lacking:
    - No LFG/LFR, having played WoW since early 1995 I just dont want to go back to the way WoW was before LFG. Some ppl say that destroyed WoW, but for me it enhanced it greatly.
    - No mods/macros, I really like to change the UI to the way I like it, and the standard UI is far far away from my preferences.
    - Graphics IMO is worse than WoW, lots of copy/paste and same colors everywhere. If you take a low level Jedi Guardian and a lvl 50 guardian you probably cant tell the diffence on the gear. Most that changed during levelling up was the colors or if the hood was up or down.
    - Too many buttons to push. With Jedi Guardian atleast I had to have all 4 bars present and a lot of them had to be used during different fight. Would have preferred lower CDs and 4-5 buttons to push instead.    … Expand
  57. UnclearImage
    Jan 22, 2012
    3
    First off all the game is pretty, when it works it's nice and the idea is great. The crafting system ends up taking longer then in other mmos because you have to wait a set time- you cant go from 1-450 in half an hour if you have the mats like in WoW. It's set up so only your companions can craft and some low level epics take 10 or so minutes to make, of course with a chance to fail.
    PvP    First off all the game is pretty, when it works it's nice and the idea is great. The crafting system ends up taking longer then in other mmos because you have to wait a set time- you cant go from 1-450 in half an hour if you have the mats like in WoW. It's set up so only your companions can craft and some low level epics take 10 or so minutes to make, of course with a chance to fail.
    PvP is slow, drawn out and there are so many CCs it's ridiculous. Be prepared to go and make a sandwich while you're pvping (okay it's not THAT bad but it is silly)
    Overall the "make your own story" idea that Bioware sold is nothing short of a lie- it's not true, want to be a smuggler? You dress like Han Solo, act like Han Solo, have a wookie, and fly a old version of the millenium falcon, Thanks for coming out. The whole epic storyline just isn't there, this is almost a 1:1 port of other games "Youre a hero, the most important in the universe, but we cannot seem to get you a decent suit of armor, heres some cloth armor there Commando you look like a doorman. Aren't you feeling epic?"
    Biowares 'customer serivce' is GARBAGE, their game is so buggy it's insane. The launcher BARELY works, the assets either don't download or don't install, and there are so many bugs it's crazy. Don't expect any help from them, or the community who thinks that any problem is from your computer which must OBVIOUSLY be a P.O.S. I've spent over 12 hours trying to get this game to work, called the customer service at least 7 times, reformatted my computer, and followed every guide online. The programming is an utter failure, what is a great game when you can play it is crap when you can't.    … Expand
  58. Redwyne
    Jan 21, 2012
    0
    Note: any "marketing" ingame screenshots from Bioware/EA have been using HIGH texture/game settings that have been DISABLED and UNAVAILABLE to users in the actual game. Below is the response from BW AFTER several weeks of the community hunting down why the graphics quality ingame have been so poor. Basically, it's "spin" and "excuses" and the idea that users are not smart enough to controlNote: any "marketing" ingame screenshots from Bioware/EA have been using HIGH texture/game settings that have been DISABLED and UNAVAILABLE to users in the actual game. Below is the response from BW AFTER several weeks of the community hunting down why the graphics quality ingame have been so poor. Basically, it's "spin" and "excuses" and the idea that users are not smart enough to control what experience their OWN machines can handle. FAIL… Expand
  59. IriathZhul
    Jan 21, 2012
    7
    I should probably start by saying that I don't actually have a subscription. I'm just speaking from tail-end-of-beta experience. I enjoyed the game, I really did. And then I completed the Sith Warrior storyline and realized that what had kept me going was the amazing story.

    The stories and roleplaying and characters in this game are stunning. The tragic fact, however, is that you'd have    I should probably start by saying that I don't actually have a subscription. I'm just speaking from tail-end-of-beta experience. I enjoyed the game, I really did. And then I completed the Sith Warrior storyline and realized that what had kept me going was the amazing story.

    The stories and roleplaying and characters in this game are stunning. The tragic fact, however, is that you'd have to roll 8 different alts to experience all 8 stories, or 16 if you want to see the different sides of those stories, not to mention the infinite permutations by going back and forth. Anyways, I say this game is fun and I'm happy for people who enjoy it, I really am, but there's a reason I didn't subscribe--it doesn't function enough as an MMO to make up for the rather "blah" end-game material. I end by reiterating a lot of other people's wishes--this game should have been singleplayer. Bioware could have made the "Dragon Age" of Star Wars RPGs and it would have been legendary, and they went for an MMO instead. At least they'll make enough money from it to fund better games in the future.    … Expand
  60. Wakes
    Jan 21, 2012
    3
    I've played many MMO's such as Rift, Aion, and WoW to name a few. WoW is the only one I ever really stuck with. I'll start out with my first impressions of the game on launch day. The character creation was a nice change of pace from WoW's very limited creation screen. However, once I delved into it I was quickly aware there are really not many options at all. You can choose between 4 VERYI've played many MMO's such as Rift, Aion, and WoW to name a few. WoW is the only one I ever really stuck with. I'll start out with my first impressions of the game on launch day. The character creation was a nice change of pace from WoW's very limited creation screen. However, once I delved into it I was quickly aware there are really not many options at all. You can choose between 4 VERY limited body types none of which are particularly appealing to me from the male char standpoint, so I choose to make a female character. I logged into the game, and the graphics seemed very held back to put it lightly. The aesthetics of the graphics engine are there for the most part, but it didn't feel 100% like I was in the Star Wars universe. I made a Sith Inquisitor, so I started on the planet Korriban. The first thing that happens is you get off a ship that lands half glitching through the landing pad. The dialogue was a very very nice change of pace being able to actually hear what you need to do, and understanding the impact it has on the characters was very cool, initially. After getting done with the first conversation the focus of my attention became the UI. The UI is nearly 100% fixed with almost 0 customization options. The keybindings always reset when using new characters, and for the first 2 hours of playing the game I could not get over how clunky and weird jumping was. I always hop around in all the MMO's I've played, and I was never so bugged by how weird the jumping is. The help menu tutorial options always pop up no matter what and you must click and exit each and every single one to put them away. About 2 hours into the game(about level 7 - 8) It became very clear very quick the questing dialogue did nothing but mask the standard MMO grind. The majority of quests(aside from the main planet quest chain and class quests) are just the same go kill this / collect 20 of these for me quests. The voice acting was good, but I never really paid much attention to it outside of my class quests. It was very obvious several voice actors were reused throughout the game in the sideline questing, and the responses from my own character became very repetitive and confusing. My choices were made always to either gain companion affection or Dark Side points. It really didn't feel like I was making choices rather than just choosing the ones that improved my score for the aforementioned options. I would often choose options I had previously gained companion affection with, and I would not gain any at all. After finishing Korriban, I used the space bar liberally throughout the rest of the game. The companion system was amazing. First getting your companion at the end of the planet made you feel invincible, but as the game progressed having a companion present was almost mandatory to complete quests. The TLDR summary of my questing experience to 50 is: Standard MMO grind with a lot of phasing and a bit of flavor in the class quests. At 50 my repertoire of known bugs and issues with the game had expanded greatly. PvP is nearly unplayable with Ability delay, class imbalance, gearing, and playing with many players below 50. There is no competitive small scale PvP which makes gearing up seem pointless. However, even if it is pointless it can also be nearly impossible. PvP gearing is based on 'random' gear boxes. You have only a small % chance to actually get anything AND it can be the same thing you may have already gotten. These issues with PvP, UI, and Aesthetics are all easily overlooked. My main issue is with the patching and updating process SW: ToR uses. I am currently unable to log in the game as well as many others for various reasons. For all of these reasons I have unsubscribed my account, and I am waiting(at the very least for them to update the patching process so I can play the game) to resubscribe. Overall, the game is very fun with some really good highlights to it, but they overlooked a lot of serious red flags. I am a huge fan of Star Wars, but I am not a huge fan of throwing money at a game I can't play and the refusal to help the thousands of us who can't as well. This almost alone is the reason for my poor review of the game.… Expand
  61. Whookares
    Jan 21, 2012
    3
    This game had a lot of potential but unfortunately it was released early and many key features were not thoroughly tested. Cheating in this game is rampant and customer is some of the worst I have ever had the misfortune of witnessing. I have repeatedly reported credit farmers for a week straight several times and day and nothing was ever done. These people were allowed to operate withThis game had a lot of potential but unfortunately it was released early and many key features were not thoroughly tested. Cheating in this game is rampant and customer is some of the worst I have ever had the misfortune of witnessing. I have repeatedly reported credit farmers for a week straight several times and day and nothing was ever done. These people were allowed to operate with impunity and when I attempted to interfere with their credit farming I was the one who ended up suspended. The lag is terrible in this game and the pvp is a borefest. I have seen finger painters create more interesting art than what is found in this game. All in all I am very disappointed with this game and its abject failures in all the important areas needed for a successful MMO.… Expand
  62. winner27
    Jan 21, 2012
    10
    some dont like this game because their perception of what makes a game is not present. truth is, this is a great game, having a blast with RL friends and new friends in the game. some 'features' those downgrading were desiring are personal thoughts and very few of those i know RL have desired those features and have none of the issues others are expressing.
    haters gonna hate.
  63. rayban
    Jan 21, 2012
    0
    Everything about this game is **** and unpolished from the game to the support. Patch 1.1 was a complete disaster and even if you did decide to re-sub you likely weren't able to log in because their terrible service couldn't handle the billing.
  64. nickiscool
    Jan 21, 2012
    0
    A WoW clone that failed in execution and that forgot to clone the things that made WoW good. Worlds are linear and sharded. This game feels like a single player game when you play it, not an MMO. And the end-game is a joke. You will finish all the raids in about a week or two, they're painfully easy.
  65. krkbomb
    Jan 21, 2012
    5
    The storylines and the very low difficulty make this game a blast to play while leveling up, but once you hit 50, there is nothing much to do. Most of the endgame PvE is broken, and the PvP has a horrendous grind and is just poorly designed and dull. I would recommend it as a single-player game, to play through some characters to see the storylines, but once you hit cap you should eitherThe storylines and the very low difficulty make this game a blast to play while leveling up, but once you hit 50, there is nothing much to do. Most of the endgame PvE is broken, and the PvP has a horrendous grind and is just poorly designed and dull. I would recommend it as a single-player game, to play through some characters to see the storylines, but once you hit cap you should either roll an alt or cancel your subscription.… Expand
  66. Ustil
    Jan 21, 2012
    3
    Not usually a SW fan a friend convinced me to level with him and so I agreed to trial and tried to like it for his sake. This did not happen however. What I ended up getting was a poorly disguised WoW clone with little to no innovation for the genre and a few steps back. It is also a very ugly game and the textures and model work would not look out of place in a game of several years ago.Not usually a SW fan a friend convinced me to level with him and so I agreed to trial and tried to like it for his sake. This did not happen however. What I ended up getting was a poorly disguised WoW clone with little to no innovation for the genre and a few steps back. It is also a very ugly game and the textures and model work would not look out of place in a game of several years ago. Race choices are the same human shape with one special head feature/colour. Want to play as an interesting race? Too bad! Firstly, the acclaimed quest dialogue. After a brief cutscene and a chat with someone I promptly forgot, where I had to choose an option that had zero effect other than the next line of flavour text, I was sent into the MMO standard Kill X amount of Y because I said so quest. Then it happened again. And again. "Within minutes of starting the game you're doing things you wouldn't expect to be doing in other MMOs" is an outright lie. No, you're not. It's boring like every other MMO. On the first planet this is OK, it's initially pretty cool to have all this dialogue and OK to have a slow start. Midway through the second planet though, when things didn't pick up, the poorly written story, reused lines and the occasional voice actor change mid-dialogue grated on me so much I spent the entire rest of my time pressing space bar to skip through all of it, pausing only to select the comedy option or the ones that give me light/dark side points because otherwise conversation has little to no effect (indeed I can only remember one instance of a choice having any effect outside of the same conversation and no quests having any lasting effect) which makes me question why the dialogue wheel is even there, it could easily be replaced by an â… Expand
  67. bleh910
    Jan 20, 2012
    5
    It's a bad WOW clone. That's all there is to it. They copied WOW and added the BIOWARE dialogue choices and cutscenes that we all love from Mass Effect and KOTOR but it just doesn't work in an mmo.

    PVP in this game is a unbalanced broken mess. All you do is stand opposite of each other and spam abilities at each other. Questing is boring typical crap you can find in any korean free mmo.    It's a bad WOW clone. That's all there is to it. They copied WOW and added the BIOWARE dialogue choices and cutscenes that we all love from Mass Effect and KOTOR but it just doesn't work in an mmo.

    PVP in this game is a unbalanced broken mess. All you do is stand opposite of each other and spam abilities at each other.
    Questing is boring typical crap you can find in any korean free mmo. Go fetch this, find that, walk here and back. It becomes a grind at about level 30.
    Cutscenes are nice at first but after you play through the game they become an annoyance you can't skip fast enough. To many same options to pick from and ugly graphics, bad voice overs, repetitive npcs.

    I can only suggest someone buys this game if they are a diehard mmo fan and must try them all.    … Expand
  68. kofelovr
    Jan 20, 2012
    2
    Making a MMO out of a RPG was just the wrong decision. Another disappointment for KOTOR fans. Hopefully, EA will start listening to their customer base and tailoring their games to meet the desires of their customers. This was just a grab for quick cash using Bioware's long-standing good name.
  69. Radbeard
    Jan 20, 2012
    10
    The game has a very awesome story system, great voice acting, attractive visuals (further enhanced if you force extra effects from your video card). They haven't released high res textures yet in-game but they have stated that is coming soon. Probably the smoothest MMO launch I have ever seen (playing these sorts of games since launch day eq1). I have a 50 shadow and several alts aroundThe game has a very awesome story system, great voice acting, attractive visuals (further enhanced if you force extra effects from your video card). They haven't released high res textures yet in-game but they have stated that is coming soon. Probably the smoothest MMO launch I have ever seen (playing these sorts of games since launch day eq1). I have a 50 shadow and several alts around lvl 30 and have cleared all the operations on normal and hard mode. The game has some flaws and bugs but the developers have been good about communicating that they are aware and working on these things.… Expand
  70. Madamfantasy
    Jan 20, 2012
    4
    The only reason to play this game is for the story/leveling. Every other aspect of the game is sub par to other "great" mmorpgs. Raiding is a joke - there are guilds that cleared hard modes 15 days into the game, generic giant bosses even though bioware said multiple times that they would not go by that standard instead they would make it more heroic.

    Pvp is broken - on all pvp servers    The only reason to play this game is for the story/leveling. Every other aspect of the game is sub par to other "great" mmorpgs. Raiding is a joke - there are guilds that cleared hard modes 15 days into the game, generic giant bosses even though bioware said multiple times that they would not go by that standard instead they would make it more heroic.

    Pvp is broken - on all pvp servers the Republic is outnumbered at least 2:1. Empire players have long pvp queues and most of the time you get into a warzone it is Hutball. Ilum (pvp world) is a joke if you play Republic cause you will get stomped as soon as you get in by 100 empire players, then camped at medcenter without being able to spawn correctly.

    Quests are generic (only addition is voice acting) - go there get me that, kill 10 of those then you get bonus quest, kill 10 of those... Your choices do not make any difference at all in the long run. Some of the quests are in a phased zone - meaning you can't encounter anyone there. I thought the worlds were too big cause i ran and i ran for minutes not encountering anyone. Oh and yes running - there is lots of it. If i measured how long i have run from one quest to another with how long i did actual gameplay - it would be 50/50.

    Some worlds are beautiful, others are blend meh. The game is really hardware heavy, even though you can't see why. Overall graphics are like from the 2006. single player games. Overall i am disapointed since it comes from Bioware and it is Star Wars.    … Expand
  71. Gakka
    Jan 20, 2012
    4
    It's an okay single player game till mid thirties, then the grind and the travel times just become too much to handle. Also notice I said single player game because the MMOs aspect are sorely lacking. Where are industry standards like eg. proper LFG system, flexible and moddable UI, dual spec, etc. I think it is worth the box price but I don't see this game having any long termIt's an okay single player game till mid thirties, then the grind and the travel times just become too much to handle. Also notice I said single player game because the MMOs aspect are sorely lacking. Where are industry standards like eg. proper LFG system, flexible and moddable UI, dual spec, etc. I think it is worth the box price but I don't see this game having any long term entertainment value for me at least.… Expand
  72. fluffybunny
    Jan 20, 2012
    0
    Game getting more and more broken with each patch. Could've been a great game if they only knew how to code/hadn't used the Hero Engine. Currently seem to be playing fps lotto, as fps can magically change between logging in and out of game (back to same spot) for no reason at all (not changing settings my end). Running on an i7 2600K and 8gigs DDR3 RAM @1600, and 460GTX 1gig, so should beGame getting more and more broken with each patch. Could've been a great game if they only knew how to code/hadn't used the Hero Engine. Currently seem to be playing fps lotto, as fps can magically change between logging in and out of game (back to same spot) for no reason at all (not changing settings my end). Running on an i7 2600K and 8gigs DDR3 RAM @1600, and 460GTX 1gig, so should be seeing better performance than this. Not happy :( Will adjust my score of doom should they one day learn to patch.… Expand
  73. Jp1979
    Jan 19, 2012
    3
    Buggy game..HORRIDLY terrible customer service. Broken mechanics system, pop horridly imbalanced. Tested this game since beta. Things are now worse. The entire game feels like it wasn't even tested before release. Customer service speaks broken and hard to understand english. Game graphics even on a mid range vid card are still tearing. FPS/lag issues have increased since the "fix" itBuggy game..HORRIDLY terrible customer service. Broken mechanics system, pop horridly imbalanced. Tested this game since beta. Things are now worse. The entire game feels like it wasn't even tested before release. Customer service speaks broken and hard to understand english. Game graphics even on a mid range vid card are still tearing. FPS/lag issues have increased since the "fix" it patch from 1.1 screw up. Wow feel and set up regarding skill tree's classes. End games boring bland at best. I can't even go on about this pile of crap..Anyone interested in buying this game..do yourself a favor use your 60 bucks and get skyrim..or pay a bill..or fill up your gas tank..least you'll get more use / self satisfaction out of the money used then wasting it on this junkpile. think I'm gonna give my game and account over to a druggy across the street for a cig..bout all this games worth with how screwed up it is..And I'm not even going back to wow I hate that game now to.… Expand
  74. qqqq555
    Jan 19, 2012
    1
    Terrabad customer support
    Terrabad technical support
    Terrabad community
    Terrabad graphics

    Overall Lucasarts must feel pretty ashamed for what Bioware managed to do to this gaem
  75. Kazlowe
    Jan 19, 2012
    9
    TOR has definitely reignited my passion for MMO games. And it did so by taking a story world that I remember fondly as a single player game (minus the mess they made of KOTOR2). It took that single player game and added to it everything I wished the single player games before it had. A great crafting system that is entirely too addictive, multiplayer interaction, space combat (whichTOR has definitely reignited my passion for MMO games. And it did so by taking a story world that I remember fondly as a single player game (minus the mess they made of KOTOR2). It took that single player game and added to it everything I wished the single player games before it had. A great crafting system that is entirely too addictive, multiplayer interaction, space combat (which hopefully grows in the future) and the option to play out a story as 8 different characters that each give unique insight to the story world overall.

    Having experienced a half dozen MMOs over the past 10 years, I can honestly say that TOR has innovated. Yes, the combat system is quite similar to other recent releases, but only insofar as it replicates what constitutes a successful system. In other words, it goes with what works. The graphics are beautiful, while not being too photorealistic. I won't sit here and write 5 pages because most people aren't going to read my horrible prose anyway. So I'll just say that I, personally, am blown away by the game. If that makes me a fanboy, then I guess I'll have to buy a t-shirt that says so.

    Good hunting.    … Expand
  76. Katharsis
    Jan 19, 2012
    3
    Linear, online single-player RPG with no endgame content outside of repetitive "flaspoint" raids and broken, unbalanced PvP. But it's Star Wars!!! ........
  77. Zicious
    Jan 19, 2012
    9
    Don't listen to the "Experienced" "Critics" giving their low-ball ratings. This is the best MMO I have ever played. I really enjoy the story driven aspect. The game has a lot of potential for growth and a nice smooth launch. Is it perfect? Not at all, but when I played it I constantly think cool, awesome, or fun. Seems like that is the point of a video game after all. So far they haveDon't listen to the "Experienced" "Critics" giving their low-ball ratings. This is the best MMO I have ever played. I really enjoy the story driven aspect. The game has a lot of potential for growth and a nice smooth launch. Is it perfect? Not at all, but when I played it I constantly think cool, awesome, or fun. Seems like that is the point of a video game after all. So far they have already released patch 1.1 and I am confident the game will continue to improve.… Expand
  78. makdrumz
    Jan 19, 2012
    8
    I played it for one month and finished on of the stories ( the sith inq., sorcerer, one. I will not go into much detail and only state what is Star Wars: TOR
    Story: The story was average, when compared to other masterpieces from Bioware (mass effect). Average voice acting, average feeling, average animations.
    Graphics: The graphics were actually good for an MMO (full hd, highest settings)    I played it for one month and finished on of the stories ( the sith inq., sorcerer, one. I will not go into much detail and only state what is Star Wars: TOR
    Story: The story was average, when compared to other masterpieces from Bioware (mass effect). Average voice acting, average feeling, average animations.
    Graphics: The graphics were actually good for an MMO (full hd, highest settings) with some deep drops in fps here and there.
    Sound: Average to good soundtrack and repeatable sound effects.
    Gameplay: Move, Select target, Activate skills, Mob down. A very good implementation of the successful MMO formula. The addition of companions is a good one but also been done before in the form of pets but this time around these "pets" have background stories.
    OVERALL: A good story-based MMO worth of rolling a character throughout his/her story. I personally didn't want to play it any more since i saw start-to-end story cause i got "fed up". Any debate with WoW is just trolling. Two different games same mechanics. Like all similar-genre games out there, FPS, Strategy etc. Decades have passed and the mechanics remain the same. It is never good to abandon a successful formula BUT It is good to improve it.
    Long story short: If you want to play a story for a month, not get into pvp and then give it up then its a very good game. If, on the other hand, you are looking for a WoW successor or killer then you will be disappointed because except the voice-acting there is nothing new.    … Expand
  79. Taitiana
    Jan 18, 2012
    10
    Disclaimer: this is less of a review then a "so, yeah, I'm a random person and I'd like to average out teh score.." Well, so it's out and plenty of people are fairly hot and bothered like a brood of teenagers...one thing, however, that I don't get is that people actually believed it was going to be ground-breaking. The "WoW" mechanics are here to stay for a very long time despite all yourDisclaimer: this is less of a review then a "so, yeah, I'm a random person and I'd like to average out teh score.." Well, so it's out and plenty of people are fairly hot and bothered like a brood of teenagers...one thing, however, that I don't get is that people actually believed it was going to be ground-breaking. The "WoW" mechanics are here to stay for a very long time despite all your precious hype about MMOs. I ignored the game until two days before it was released, and it was finally shoved into my head that OMG IT HAZ STORYTELLIN. And since then, I've played it solely in interest of what'll happen next...however, to tell the truth, I'd dump the game in a second without the cut scenes and the choices. Actually, I wouldn't have even gotten it in the first place...honestly, it's just a dull game without all the make-up. Probably a poorer one then most popular MMOs--graphics, though selectively pleasant (for whatever reason, they removed the freakin' high resolution textures), can easily be beaten by a four or so year old MMO...gameplay itself is just about a meh. Crafting, however, is promising--if only the in game economy wasn't in some sort of recession. >_>

    So on, so forth--you've heard it before. SW:TOR is a MMO that's dismal at its core--it taps into a potentially awesome aspect of story-telling that nevertheless is superficial and leaves you with that hollow sort of feeling of dissatisfaction...the majority of interesting characters (Praven, damn you!) you meet are most likely shipped off to the dumps after helping them (whilst writing you a letter), and then there's ideas that are introduced but never elaborated upon (remember the true Republic?)....beyond that, you'd think that morality would be a theme more explored, but as it is a "accessible" mass-market sell out, profoundness is massively disencouraged. With the instancing festering severely in this game (even if you could blow up a world only two or so NPCs would care), the game suffers immensely from that sense of isolation and brokenness...nothing seems to matter ten minutes after the point--not even a cute note from the person you helped can remedy it.

    So, yes, the story-telling aspect basely sucks. Yet, you may ask why the hell I gave it a 10. To hopelessly try to balance out the user score, yes, but SW:TOR gives such a honest effort to make a story-driven MMO that I just can't bring myself to treat it cruelly. I'll be dumping it when I reach level 50, though I honestly will say that I genuinely enjoyed it.    … Expand
  80. MaximumProxy
    Jan 18, 2012
    8
    Pretty good game overall. You do need to have an active subscription to play, though, so beware. The focus on story would be fine, but I don't think user-made content is even going to be considered in the future. There are a few technical issues, sometimes bordering on game-crushing. THINK CAREFULLY BEFORE YOU BUY.
  81. yasger
    Jan 18, 2012
    0
    As a single-player RPG it is downgraded linear clone of KOTOR2 with worse story. As MMO its carbon copy of WoW circa 2007. I wish they`ve found better use for 300 mln budget and Star Wars IP.
  82. Feycat
    Jan 18, 2012
    4
    This game is a lot of fun if you play it as a single-player Bioware RPG. Up to 50, the game is amusing, the cut scenes are interesting, and the gameplay isn't bad. However, once you hit 50, your storyline runs out, and you're forced to grind the same instances you've played through ad nauseum leveling up in order to continue to advance. As a single-player game, each class is an amusingThis game is a lot of fun if you play it as a single-player Bioware RPG. Up to 50, the game is amusing, the cut scenes are interesting, and the gameplay isn't bad. However, once you hit 50, your storyline runs out, and you're forced to grind the same instances you've played through ad nauseum leveling up in order to continue to advance. As a single-player game, each class is an amusing run-through. As an MMO, this game is awful. Poorly balanced, too easy to level in (casual play results in 50 in about 7 days of /played without ever being able to finish a single planet without drastically outleveling it.) The instances are fun in normal mode as you level, but nightmarishly badly balanced for class and performance in Hard mode. The PvP warzones are a joke, as there are only three and you have to do them over and over.

    The latest patch just cements that this novice dev team really has no idea what makes an MMO work. Avoid this game if you're looking for a new MMO home. Enjoy the ride to 50 with each class as a single-player co-op game, and then put it away.    … Expand
  83. dkeppens
    Jan 18, 2012
    0
    Since there is a huge character limit here and TOR deserves all the negative feedback that can possibly be attributed to it, i blogged the review. Here's the link : http://www.bloggen.be/dkeppens/
  84. DARKWORLD
    Jan 18, 2012
    0
    Seriously? Innovative combat, new battle mechanics stunning graphics... Where all those things? They promised much and did nothing, literally - nothing.
    What we got - new WOW/LN/RF/etc. clone in SW universe, nothing new.
    Same boring-to-death combat mechanics, ugly graphics (of course to oblige all those low-end PC owners), nothing-new story/quests and all those things will cost you    Seriously? Innovative combat, new battle mechanics stunning graphics... Where all those things? They promised much and did nothing, literally - nothing.
    What we got - new WOW/LN/RF/etc. clone in SW universe, nothing new.
    Same boring-to-death combat mechanics, ugly graphics (of course to oblige all those low-end PC owners), nothing-new story/quests and all those things will cost you monthly fees, its just ridiculous.
    This game is not worth a single penny from you wallet, believe me. I feel bad for those guys, spending millions on such low-end product, just to make profit out of it, unfortunately for them this is not how it done.    … Expand
  85. Ravno
    Jan 18, 2012
    10
    This is one of the best polished MMO's, especially at launch, available. At first I was a little skeptical about the 'theme park' type setup of the game, but there is enough depth (especially as you level) that it is well worth it. If you have any interest in the Star Wars world, or just in a polished and well put together MMO, this should be your next purchase.
  86. mav1234
    Jan 17, 2012
    9
    As themeparks go, this game is a great one. It doesn't redefine the genera, but it didn't try to. What it did add is fun and worthwhile.
    Character creation is more than WoW but less than, say, Aion... and though at first I didn't like it, I quickly noticed there is a great deal of variety in male characters, anyway, in the game. The UI is really barely adequate and if not for some of    As themeparks go, this game is a great one. It doesn't redefine the genera, but it didn't try to. What it did add is fun and worthwhile.
    Character creation is more than WoW but less than, say, Aion... and though at first I didn't like it, I quickly noticed there is a great deal of variety in male characters, anyway, in the game. The UI is really barely adequate and if not for some of the other features, it would have dragged this rating lower. No macros, no addons, no ability to move anything.
    PvE combat is rather satisfying to me because instead of taking on one mob at a time, you routinely fight 3-5 mobs, including packs with tougher mobs in them. This lends to the feeling of a more "epic" experience, especially with the companion.
    PvP is good and getting better every patch. Skill really does matter (I did a premade of level 20-40s, max level or 43 and only 1 50 pug on our side and we took out one of the 'better" 50 Empire premades on our server). The Warfronts are very well designed, but Ilum (World Objective PvP Area) is not and needs a total redesign (which it is getting tomorrow)
    Questing really is fun, but don't skip the dialogue. Get into the story. If you don't find your class quest interesting, switch characters. Leveling is easy and relatively painless. The actual quest types are the same as in most every MMO before it, but the fact that most areas you travel to have special "bonus" kill quests which you can do if you want to is nice (or skip them like I did sometimes). The instances are well done and enjoyable.
    Endgame is sparse right now as far as PvE goes, with very little raiding. That isn't an issue for me as I'm still enjoying leveling etc.
    To cut to the chase:
    Innovative(Not necessarily unique though): Crafting, Companions, Space Combat Minigame, Questing System
    Good: Warfront design, class design, general combat.
    Average: Most everything else other than...
    Bad: UI    … Expand
  87. strongarm85
    Jan 17, 2012
    10
    This is without a doubt one of the most polished and well crafted MMO to ever launch. The game isn't perfect, and the game is being patched often and fixes made to what doesn't work. What does work, has been nailed perfectly Bioware and and it's weakest areas are getting stronger.

    You should be weary of reviews from users like: MagusGrandios There are people a vested interest in wanting    This is without a doubt one of the most polished and well crafted MMO to ever launch. The game isn't perfect, and the game is being patched often and fixes made to what doesn't work. What does work, has been nailed perfectly Bioware and and it's weakest areas are getting stronger.

    You should be weary of reviews from users like: MagusGrandios

    There are people a vested interest in wanting the game to fail. Most of them have even touched the game. It has been rated the most helpful review. The majority of his review is full of information that is factually untrue about the game. A lot of the negative reviews on here are like that. I'm not saying all of them are, but when you've played game and, and you read some of the negative reviews, you can tell who genuinely didn't like the game, and who has obviously never touched the game and is just trolling everyone.    … Expand
  88. Setebos
    Jan 17, 2012
    4
    Unfortunately I can't recommend this game.

    The game is a closed box game very similar to many BioWare titles. Taking a BioWare game and turning it into an MMO doesn't make a good MMO or a good single player game. If comparisons are used, it's a WoW gameplay duplicate in a Guild Wars I setting. Graphically there's a lot of amazing settings. Unfortunately, as you move through the game,    Unfortunately I can't recommend this game.

    The game is a closed box game very similar to many BioWare titles. Taking a BioWare game and turning it into an MMO doesn't make a good MMO or a good single player game. If comparisons are used, it's a WoW gameplay duplicate in a Guild Wars I setting.

    Graphically there's a lot of amazing settings. Unfortunately, as you move through the game, you never have reason to visit any of these settings again. Once you're done with an area, you'll never have to go back. It almost seems all wasted effort.

    The game itself is fairly polished. I didn't experience too many glitches or bugs while playing. They did a good job with QA and beta testing to ensure that the start game experience is tight.

    Unfortunately, there's just nothing new here. I think BioWare is stuck in the "what works" mode. They released a well received game years ago, Knights of the Old Republic. Then *every* game released by them since has had the exact same gameplay as Kotor, and very similar storylines. The only thing changing is the graphics. (play Mass Effect 2 & Kotor side by side and you'll feel like Mass Effect 2 is an updated Kotor).

    Argh, a game with limited fast travel. Too much walking. Why do I need to walk five minutes to get to my ship, to fly to another planet, then walk five minutes to get out of the star port? If the world was open, then walking would have a secondary impetus of exploring. However the world is simply a corridor where you walk to the next mission objective. There's simply isn't anything to explore.

    Enough bashing, I'm simply disappointed. I've played the game nearly 40 hours, so I've gotten my money's worth in time compared to a single player game. I simply didn't get my money's worth in enjoyment.    … Expand
  89. maddychan
    Jan 17, 2012
    6
    SWTOR is certainly a beautiful game. The story lines and voice acting are just as top quality as promised...
    However, for me it fails on providing enough features: I can find - more entertaining - instances (both for small groups and for bigger ones) in other games, along with a lot more alternative activities if those are not your cup of tea, or even if they are for that matter.
    The last    SWTOR is certainly a beautiful game. The story lines and voice acting are just as top quality as promised...
    However, for me it fails on providing enough features: I can find - more entertaining - instances (both for small groups and for bigger ones) in other games, along with a lot more alternative activities if those are not your cup of tea, or even if they are for that matter.
    The last complain I personally have is about the user friendliness of the interface: since the UI is not scalable, viewing it on a big, high resolution monitor makes it almost impossible to see, let alone read.
    Engaging story lines and high resolution graphics are good and all, but playability still has to come first in my opinion.    … Expand
  90. proscure
    Jan 17, 2012
    7
    Narrative(story) wise this games tops WoW by far. But unfortunatly the questing is dreadfull. Most of the same after a few lvls. The Ship/Companion/Gatherings are also things i feel very positive about.
    Also the flashpoints are nice cause there is a story in it which evolves as you progress.
    But I still feel like i want to skip quests and just experience the story. So there is where it    Narrative(story) wise this games tops WoW by far. But unfortunatly the questing is dreadfull. Most of the same after a few lvls. The Ship/Companion/Gatherings are also things i feel very positive about.
    Also the flashpoints are nice cause there is a story in it which evolves as you progress.

    But I still feel like i want to skip quests and just experience the story. So there is where it fails for me.    … Expand
  91. Shadius
    Jan 17, 2012
    4
    I really don't understand why there is no "jk2:jo" combat system, such a perfect action style pvp could be.
    I don't understand why "planets" are so small and 80% of them are built with narrow corridors. I want to kick those guys who did all this stupid 5 min runs "fleet-ship-star port-land". >40% of playtime i just run from 1 npc/location to another. What for?
    Lack of classes. Mirror    I really don't understand why there is no "jk2:jo" combat system, such a perfect action style pvp could be.
    I don't understand why "planets" are so small and 80% of them are built with narrow corridors. I want to kick those guys who did all this stupid 5 min runs "fleet-ship-star port-land". >40% of playtime i just run from 1 npc/location to another. What for?
    Lack of classes. Mirror classes. And still unbalanced?! How they could fail with that?
    Instances, mirror worlds, flashpoints, battle grounds, awkward auction. MMO? Really? What's wrong with people nowadays? They didn't see what true mmo is?

    It should be simply b2p game. And called coop rpg, not a mmo rpg. Then i would give it may be 8 or even 9/10.    … Expand
  92. septusmortis
    Jan 17, 2012
    2
    This game has some nice touchesd and yes the VO does add something but later on gets in the way.

    Don't listen to the rubbish on the internet about the graphics issue. the issue itself is minor but the way it was handled appaling. It still loooks good and some of the animations are terrific. Also if teh opening movie does not grab you, you simply are not human its excellent filler. There    This game has some nice touchesd and yes the VO does add something but later on gets in the way.

    Don't listen to the rubbish on the internet about the graphics issue. the issue itself is minor but the way it was handled appaling. It still loooks good and some of the animations are terrific. Also if teh opening movie does not grab you, you simply are not human its excellent filler. There is no getting away from it quests are tedious, and in the main the "kill x of y" variety (or lack of it).
    The character story line is ok but again I found myself wanting to edit some of teh longer wafflle out. Crafting is like marmite you will either love it or hate it... based on my experience at later levels it becomes redundant to a large degree. Space Combat.... GRRRRRR. Appalling on rails garbage, should of, could of been so much more but nope they totally bodged it up... A feel let down.

    I find the samey nature of the armour, equipment and enhancements a little boring but that may just be early issues that will resolve over time.

    The biggest issues with the game is the terrible ability delay (it is mind bendingly frustrating in PVP and especially if you have some skill in pvp combat you will feel like you are wading through treacle), bugs aplenty (some are so obvious and should really have been picked up with testing) and way more than acceptable at any MMO launch and finally the intrusive amounts of sharding and instancing (why does my game world have to be split in two when I have only seen about 5 other people in the two hours I have been questing. Also there is very little humour and self deprecation on display. The game seems to take itself just a little bit too seriously sometimes and this I think in teh long term with come across as pomposity. The whole game feels baggy and very unpolished once you look under the hood. Yes I know these are going to be patched at some point and I know its naive to complain about bugs in an MMO but there is an odd thing going on and it is something I can' quite put my finger on. And this is teh real killer punch from my perspective The game just does not "feel right". Its like something fundemental is holding back or not working as it should. Its almost as if the fun has been watered down. I knwo I should be enjoying it but it just feels a bit sterile. I know these statements are not objective and for that I apologise. I just don't know how to say it but the game feels somehow a bit souless.

    On the whole an unsatisfying game for me...    … Expand
  93. HigeNezumi
    Jan 17, 2012
    0
    I will start at the beginning. 4 classes that split into 8 classes at lvl 10. Only 5 races which are all look-alikes with insignificant differences such as horns, facial tatoos, head-tails, eye-wear and hair. Only two starter areas for each faction. If you wish to experience all 8 classes you will have to go through the same places over and over again.

    Character creation is inferior to    I will start at the beginning. 4 classes that split into 8 classes at lvl 10. Only 5 races which are all look-alikes with insignificant differences such as horns, facial tatoos, head-tails, eye-wear and hair. Only two starter areas for each faction. If you wish to experience all 8 classes you will have to go through the same places over and over again.

    Character creation is inferior to games like wow, aion, rift ever quest and so on. It is completely devoid of imagination, all characters having the same blank, android-like visage, regardless of how hard you try to make them look different.

    And the lack of imagination doesn't stop here. All the caves you go in, follow two, maybe three, patterns. All underground areas, of which the game has an abbundance of, follow the same parameters. The only slightly original area becomes available at level 28 so you will have to grind your way through.

    The quests are a grind, then come the bonus quests of kill so many enemies and so on. And they come over and over again. The areas on the maps are large yet the number of quests in them is very very low. The indoors quests by far outweigh the number of quests you can complete outdoor, adding to the grind feeling of the entire game. One corridor is just like any of the 100 you have been through and just like the next 100 you will go through. Shades might slightly differ, geometry might differ, mob placement might differ but overall it's basically sos all through. Even on planets that are so called 'outdoors' the textures are nothing more than recycled collated backgrounds that fail utterly at giving you something memorable. Without looking at the map over and over, spacial orientation is not possible because everything looks the same. (There is one exception to this: Alderaan. But only between levels 28 to 32, I think)

    Adding to that is the fact that most mobs come in groups ot at least three, with the occasional strong or elite mixed in. This enforces the grind feeling you get throughout the game, making it feel like you are continuously farming the one and the same dungeon over and over again for some obscure gains. Not that this grind is difficult. Far from it, its simplicity being the very thing that makes it so annoying. I'd rather kill one strong mob than a group of so and so manny weaker ones. The amount of green items that drop makes the drops completely worthless, orange items purchased with planet commendations are readily available, adding to the simplicity of the game. There is absolutely no way anyone can fail at this game.

    The galactic trade network is a bad joke at best. It does not offer the possibility to search for a particular item without previous filtering and thus makes random searches a complete pain. It does not offer the possibilty for you to shift click an item and automatically enter it into the search field. It does not offer the possibility of selling for example 10 peices of the same item, all as a separate sale, without having to enter the item 10 times. And lastly you can have only 50 items on sale at any given moment.

    Your inbox will be flodded with messages from NPCs thanking you for help, which would be very nice to keep, if you could at least make a copy of the message and then empty the mailbox.

    Overall a dreary game, displaying absolutely no diversity whatsoever, containing not even one original thought, completely devoid of imagination. The voice-overs are nice, yes, but the choices the game gives you are sometimes far from what you actually think of the situation. The voice-overs are actually the only thing that makes this game slightly different, but, I for one, would gladly give up on the voice overs for some additional content, some actual content, additional quest areas, additional quests and so on.

    Had this game come to us in 2005 I would have applauded it for being innovative. But for winter 2011 it's stillborn. 6 years of development, 300 million dollars later all you get is this?

    I would love to have a word with some of the developers who sat down to come up with this **** but I doubt it would be more than a monologue. I mean, have these developers never played ANY mmos? And if they haven't, they should have done so and found out how to improve.

    This game is a disgrace to the idea of MMOs. It's actually a disgrace to ANY pc game and it might be marginally interesting as a mobile phone game. Move forward mash button 1 mash button two move forward activate pannel, go back report quest. And did I mention that it takes like 10 mins to start, 2 to 5 mins to load a planet and maybe 15 mins to quit the game (at low graphic settings). All this on a PC that runns other games with full graphics...

    It's not worth time and effort.    … Expand
  94. Vamric
    Jan 16, 2012
    0
    I just canceled my sub today. I don't hate this game as much as I'm very disappointed in it. Here's a list of some of the things that I take issue with:

    1) Not enough PVP maps, just 3? even Rift had more when it came out 2) Terrible graphics Lotro's graphics are light years ahead of TOR, and that game came out in 2007 3) Crafting is painful waiting up to 2 1/2 hours to get a mat, only to    I just canceled my sub today. I don't hate this game as much as I'm very disappointed in it. Here's a list of some of the things that I take issue with:

    1) Not enough PVP maps, just 3? even Rift had more when it came out
    2) Terrible graphics Lotro's graphics are light years ahead of TOR, and that game came out in 2007
    3) Crafting is painful waiting up to 2 1/2 hours to get a mat, only to have your companion fail= BORING
    4) Character creator is superficial do you want to play as a human, or a human with red skin?
    5) No guild perk system or guild bank
    6) No dungeon finder for instances
    7) Class quests are fun, but nonclass quests are kill x, pick up y, go to z, rinse and repeat (no innovation)
    8) UI can't be adjusted
    9) Graphics options are extremely limited no AA, really?
    10) Very linear game everyone takes the same path through the worlds
    11) No player housing
    12) Mobs all look the same humanoid, in groups of 3-5 or a single elite, standing still waiting to be killed
    13) Poorly optimized game performance suffers even on high end rigs
    14) No duel spec for talent trees healers are punished when they want to solo to level up
    15) No appearance tab you will find a lot of identical twin brothers and sisters!
    16) Endgame has one raid, and that's it
    17) World feels empty due to sharding
    18) Auction House is annoying to use
    19) Space combat (rail shooter) is a joke
    20) Combat is a matter of button mashing, no skill involved
    21) Companions are complete morons in combat

    Overall, this game feels like a big step backward. It feels more like a single-player game with occasional co-op. There is so little to do in this game compared with other MMOs (and I've played them all). All I can say is, I hope Guild Wars 2 lives up to the hype and is not a colossal disappointment like TOR.    … Expand
  95. AzureLos
    Jan 16, 2012
    0
    TORTANIC GENERAL. Another blunder from BioWare. Go Go BioDrones, you will buy anything that has BW's logo on it, won't you? MMO? More like, pay to play single player.
  96. MelonPan
    Jan 16, 2012
    0
    This isn't an mmo, it's a series of short single player games artificially lengthened with kill/fetch/deliver quests which have no relevance to the story. I see this as Bioware's excuse to make a series of short single player games that people must pay a monthly subscription to keep their save data. Planets you visit are usually long corridors with a start and a finish, great for a singleThis isn't an mmo, it's a series of short single player games artificially lengthened with kill/fetch/deliver quests which have no relevance to the story. I see this as Bioware's excuse to make a series of short single player games that people must pay a monthly subscription to keep their save data. Planets you visit are usually long corridors with a start and a finish, great for a single player game, terrible for an mmo. Also, no day and night cycles. Seriously? MMOs have had day and night since 2000, and a game with a budget in the hundreds of millions of dollars can't manage it?

    Bioware also strongly advertises itself as an MMO of unprecedented story and immersion, and its fans are usually of the opinion that if you don't like the game, it's because you can't handle playing an MMO for the story and don't enjoy lore. Yeah? Well I just bought a lightsaber from a vendor for 350 points I earned playing huttball. You're telling me I'm going to be immersed and then you throw mass produced lightsaber vendors into the game? And then there are other things, like how suddenly it's acceptable for jedi counselors to use double bladed lightsabers, when at this point in history THEY were the ones condemning their use and calling them "sith sabers". In fact, most of the established jedi lore was completely re-written in order to forcibly fit jedi into certain MMO stereotypes. And sith that specialize in healing other people? Come the **** on, seriously? And who the **** invented huttball. I mean, sure it's a neat minigame, but who decided that this would be what we get for pvp? I was really hoping this game would be the next big thing, and after all these years of waiting I can't help but be a little emotionally invested in its success. I want it to be good so bad, and I was ready to overlook a few things, but it's hard to overlook an entire game.

    I'm giving this game a zero. If you want to play an MMO, this is not an MMO, and there are better MMOs out there. If you want to play a star wars game, there are much better star wars game out there. If you want to see outdated mechanics and technology, there are games that were made TWELVE YEARS AGO that have more features than this one.    … Expand
  97. josephene
    Jan 16, 2012
    5
    SWTOR delivers both a watered down MMO experience and single player RPG experience. It seems that where they have stumbled is tying their story content to the world in which it takes place. It is as if your story line takes place in a cocoon rather than in the huge universe that is the Old Republic. Bioware made a nice attempt at the story content ( it can be fun ) however some of the verySWTOR delivers both a watered down MMO experience and single player RPG experience. It seems that where they have stumbled is tying their story content to the world in which it takes place. It is as if your story line takes place in a cocoon rather than in the huge universe that is the Old Republic. Bioware made a nice attempt at the story content ( it can be fun ) however some of the very cool features of the typical Bioware Single player RPGs are not there:
    1. Companions - you can never lose a companion and everyone will end up with the same ones which makes the companion "story-ing" and interactions meaningless.
    2. Your choices have zero impact on the world.

    Now as far as the MMO goes:
    1. there is really ZERO to do outside of questing / battlefronts 2. crafting is not a game within itself, its all done by your companions
    3. Linear questing - swtor gives you no choice of leveling areas it is linear and you have no choice but to follow the line at the theme-park.

    Personally the linear questing did it in for me as I could not get past level 30.    … Expand
  98. CriticAlmighty
    Jan 16, 2012
    5
    Played since head-start. Visually, unappealing. Play style, not nearly as good as Rift. Cut scenes, ugh! (When will you realize that mouth interiors are supposed to be darker than the face!) The areas after the starting zone are uninspired. Animation is OK but path-finding for my companion is herky jerky. Music and sound are awesome. Finally, as a subscriber, I should not be subjected toPlayed since head-start. Visually, unappealing. Play style, not nearly as good as Rift. Cut scenes, ugh! (When will you realize that mouth interiors are supposed to be darker than the face!) The areas after the starting zone are uninspired. Animation is OK but path-finding for my companion is herky jerky. Music and sound are awesome. Finally, as a subscriber, I should not be subjected to queuing. You might want to fix that Bioware. It's not total crap, but feels designed for F2P.… Expand
  99. Daisai
    Jan 16, 2012
    5
    After 1 month of playing this game and leveling a character to lvl 50 and reaching valor rank 40 i can give a proper review on the current state of the game.

    The game is a polished piece of crap. They have made some fundamental mistakes in this game that prevent any sort of proper gaming. Leveling a character to max level in a mmo is only a way to learn to play your class, the real game    After 1 month of playing this game and leveling a character to lvl 50 and reaching valor rank 40 i can give a proper review on the current state of the game.

    The game is a polished piece of crap.
    They have made some fundamental mistakes in this game that prevent any sort of proper gaming.

    Leveling a character to max level in a mmo is only a way to learn to play your class, the real game starts and should be focused on max level.
    It seems Bioware doesnt know this and has made the way to max level more fun then the content at max level.

    The community support is non-existent.
    There is no support for teams who play pvp together, for a game which is released at the end of 2011 this is unacceptable.

    Bioware has also made sure that world pvp is being prevented in many ways.
    Instancing many group quests, locking up city's and capitals from the other factions is one of the ways that Bioware used to prevent world pvp.

    Also making separate quest areas for both factions in neutral planets is also a way to prevent world pvp.

    Also placing insane npc's with huge amount of health in simple taxi areas is a other way to prevent world pvp.

    Also the netcode in the game is pathetic, playing as a melee class pvp is simply impossible.
    Server running out of sync is also something that happens alot.

    So pvp this game scores a 4.

    So much about pvp time to move on to pve.

    Pve this game is reasonable and scores about a 6, without having a proper LFG system in a game from 2011 is just something that prevents this game from getting a good score.
    Sure you can spam LFG for ages to form a group like WoW 5 years ago.
    Only games evolve over time and this game doesnt have a LFG system and this is unacceptable for a game from 2011.

    So overall, if you arent sure if you should play this game best thing to do is wait a couple of months and see how the game evolves.
    Chances are this game is going to fail if it doesnt fix its core issues.

    So if you want to buy this game or not depends on how much you want to play this game and for what.

    If you play mmo's for pvp then pass on this game, its not a pvp game without proper esport community support.

    If you play this game for end game pve content then its best to wait a few months before playing this game.

    If you play this game to carebear around leveling up alts and do nothing at level 50 then this is the game for you.    … Expand
  100. Zankiesko
    Jan 15, 2012
    3
    Welcome to the World of Warc--Err, Star Wars: The Old Republic. Star Wars is clearly pandering to the World of Warcraft crowd. Instead of trying to innovate anything or add interesting features to the game, Bioware simply made a World of Warcraft clone. Unlike Rift, though, that at least brought a little bit of innovation (in terms of the soul swapping), Star Wars brings nothing. StarWelcome to the World of Warc--Err, Star Wars: The Old Republic. Star Wars is clearly pandering to the World of Warcraft crowd. Instead of trying to innovate anything or add interesting features to the game, Bioware simply made a World of Warcraft clone. Unlike Rift, though, that at least brought a little bit of innovation (in terms of the soul swapping), Star Wars brings nothing. Star Wars' combat system feels like Bioware fell into the problem that amateur developers often do. That issue is that you become fond of a bad system because you've been exposed to it internally so frequently. The combat somehow took WOW's formula and simplified it. Star Wars removed auto-attacks; But then they added it as a button you have to press. That's right, the game that talked about how boring auto attacks are has you hit auto attack instead. I do not believe Bioware understands why people didn't like auto attacks.

    The class system lacks any sort of "heart" and just feels like Bioware sat down and copy-pasted the talent trees from World of Warcraft. People will be up in arms about this, but the reality of it is that you can pick many trees from Star Wars and find an exact version over in World of Warcraft. Sith Sorcerer, for example, has the "Lightning" tree, which is almost copied talent-for-talent from the "Elemental" tree in the shaman class in World of Warcraft.

    To make things worse, you will run into things such as vendors, which have drop down menus for options like "Sort By..." Great addition; Except they don't do anything. If you select "Only Show Usable" as a Level 17 Bounty Hunter, Level 50 Lightsabers will still show up on the vendor. You're not able to use level 50 lightsabers at level 17, and you aren't able to use lightsabers as a bounty hunter. The auction house is a nightmare to deal with, and makes EverQuest 1's original instantiation of the Bazaar system seem like the crowning achievement of MMO auction houses. Somehow, Bioware managed to do so little R&D into a comfortable user interface for an MMO that it feels like this may be the first MMO with an auction house.

    You will frequently run into mouse problems that require you to reload the UI every time. You'll find yourself being permanently stuck in cover as a sniper, but you can't use any of the abilities that require cover while doing so. You're now unable to do anything except stand there and die.

    The UI is fine for a single player game. Sadly, this is not a single player game. It is nightmarish healing with such an egregious UI. Aion's UI was bad, but it was 10/10 material compared to Star Wars' UI.

    Now, everything isn't negative. Star Wars made it possible to send your pets to gather resources for you. You're also able to gather resources yourself. So, you'll be able to level your gathering professions while doing something else or even being offline. This is a feature that seems like it was added purely for convenience and, in the current age of MMOs where "difficulty" means "tedious", a change for convenience is a change for the better.

    Sadly, this then draws attention to the crafting system. The crafting system takes the boring nature of WOW's crafting and mixes it with the RNG rage-inducing system from Aion. There are a ton of patterns out there. The problem, though, is that you either need to train them from the NPC or learn them from reverse engineering. Reverse engineering is akin to WOW's disenchanting, but your profession determines what you can do this to. An armstech can only reverse engineer guns of the types that they can create. An armortech can only reverse engineer armor of the types that they can create. You'll have crafting patterns that are green. When you craft it, you have a chance to get a critical (superior) version of it. You can then reverse engineer these items in hopes of getting a new pattern. This is how you'll learn most of your patterns. By the way, it is mind numbing. As bad as other MMO crafting systems were, Star Wars takes it to the next level. Star Wars makes Eve Online's crafting system feel immediate and closer to "instant gratification". With guns sometimes taking over 40 minutes to craft and gathering missions taking your companions well over an hour, the game's crafting system somehow manages to take more time than Eve Online's.

    "This is not the game you're looking for. Move along."    … Expand
Page:

Awards & Rankings

19
#19 Best PC Game of 2011
8
#8 Most Discussed PC Game of 2011
9
#9 Most Shared PC Game of 2011

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
85

Generally favorable reviews - based on 73 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 68 out of 73
  2. Mixed: 5 out of 73
  3. Negative: 0 out of 73
  1. RPGamer
    Apr 23, 2012
    80
    LucasArts generally exercised greater quality control of Star Wars games than most licensed properties receive, though that didn't necessarily translate into titles that were actually good. I've played a few other Star Wars games in the past, and while the SNES platformers were pretty good, this one is even better. Knights of the Old Republic may just be the best game in the franchise, and succeeds at being a top-tier RPG even if one has no interest in Star Wars. BioWare did the license proud.
    Read full review
  2. GameCritics
    Mar 31, 2012
    70
    I wound up bailing out on Star Wars: The Old Republic well before hitting the level cap, but not before digging into it more so than any other MMO I've played. Even if it is an unhappy marriage between two wildly different game types, the fact that it kept me hooked for so long at least counts for something.
    Read full review
  3. NZGamer
    Mar 5, 2012
    83
    A good game. It pays excellent homage to the film series (even though it's set before the movies), and is a really solid MMO.
    Read full review
See all critic reviews »