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
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  1. bugbear1
    Jan 15, 2012
    2
    One thing, that completely boggles the mind, is the number of solid 10 scores for this game that have been written by reviewers with singular postings or less than a few, at this observation. While it's true, any number of postings will NOT validate opinion, nor assuage present bias, it MAY, however, raise questions as to motivations of those posters that have chosen ONLY to review thisOne thing, that completely boggles the mind, is the number of solid 10 scores for this game that have been written by reviewers with singular postings or less than a few, at this observation. While it's true, any number of postings will NOT validate opinion, nor assuage present bias, it MAY, however, raise questions as to motivations of those posters that have chosen ONLY to review this game. For comprehension of this line of inquiry, when evaluating any review, please also click "All this user's reviews" at the lower right of the review pane. --In this manner, YOU, the reader, might better evaluate any writer's credibility; or, at the very least, track their opinion-swings through a number of reviews in order to assay the weight of their stated views.
    *STAR WARS:TOR might be better named: STAR WARS: THE TIRED OL' REPUBLIC as the game hews fairly closely to timeworn gaming conventions and staid mechanics; which, under the present condition of the game, might be what retains subscribers, as familiarity often breeds complacency. In other words, with so much rehash going-on in SWTOR; rampant bugs, missing features, incomplete features and broken gameplay concepts such as SWTOR's PvP design, players would, nominally, leave in droves if it were not for the comforting constraints of familiar gameplay design abstracted from nearly every MMO released prior to SWTOR. Simply put, SWTOR attempts to crib nearly every worthwhile idea from practically every other worthwhile MMO that has been released in recent memory. Which, in the singular case of SWTOR is a magnificent conceit!?! SWTOR, in one sentence, might better be described as a "SINGLEPLAYER GAME with limited Coop, chat pane and a monthly sub." While it is true the world of SWTOR is heavily instanced, sharded, loaded with quest-hubs, and only linear, it does embrace the tenets of Lucas' constant micromanagement of the Star Wars universe. With limited player-choice, minimal exploration, linear questing augmented by timesinks and poor implementation of many mmo-style tools such as, practically, nonexistant guild tools, SWTOR raises the bar to enjoyment. Frankly, SWTOR runs poorly on much modern hardware, would NOT run well on an i7 with 8 gigs of DDR3 sys ram and a GT335 vid card with 1 gig of vram, Win7 64 bit. (This machine does run FFXIV on medium, RIFT on medium to high and WOW maxed.) On a tower, a Q6600 with 4 gigs of sys ram, GTX280 with 1 gig of vram, Win7 32 bit, the game ran with FPS in the playable range, although frequent swings were apparent. Screen tearing, artifacts, missing AA, glitchy with hitching, frequent CTDs and massive LAG are readily apparent, as well. Input lag, server lag, EVEN with 30Mbs ISP speeds strongly point to unoptimized netcode and client. Admitted memory leaks also plague the game.
    *The game's not finished, not optimized, feature incomplete and poor feature implementation marrs the fun!    … Expand
  2. lazlo2020
    Jan 15, 2012
    1
    I am not a fan of this game. I wanted to be but it just doesn't deliver. I logged in to create a char, there is absolutely no diversity in the races, blue skinned human, human with tentacles etc, why is it like this ?. Get into the game and OMG, it's mass effect but with lightsabres. i have lvl 30 imperial agent and enjoyed the story for this class but the combat/pvp/gfx and bugs haveI am not a fan of this game. I wanted to be but it just doesn't deliver. I logged in to create a char, there is absolutely no diversity in the races, blue skinned human, human with tentacles etc, why is it like this ?. Get into the game and OMG, it's mass effect but with lightsabres. i have lvl 30 imperial agent and enjoyed the story for this class but the combat/pvp/gfx and bugs have been a gamebreaker for me so uninstalled it is. Worst thing is to be honest is that i feel cheated somewhat by bioware, claiming 'epic' space battles and gameplay trailers that have hi res textures but are not actually in game. I wish i could take this title back and get a refund. you won't ever take me for a mug again bio/ea… Expand
  3. garland_spqr
    Jan 15, 2012
    4
    Up until now I have liked every Bioware game and some of them are my all time favorites. This game however, is a gigantic disappointment.
    I played a Jedi sage to level 30 when I stopped as every second spent felt like a waste of time. I expected a game with a good story and rich lore in a vivid star wars world. Sadly, I found nothing of it.
    In my opinion, Jedi sage until level 30 has no    Up until now I have liked every Bioware game and some of them are my all time favorites. This game however, is a gigantic disappointment.
    I played a Jedi sage to level 30 when I stopped as every second spent felt like a waste of time. I expected a game with a good story and rich lore in a vivid star wars world. Sadly, I found nothing of it.
    In my opinion, Jedi sage until level 30 has no story. The quests consist of: disable an array there, hack a terminal there, loot quest items from dead bodies etc. The quests do not feel connected to each other or embedded in a story, everything feels very random and pointless. There are no memorable characters throughout the journey and the companions are annoyingly flat placeholders with no story.
    I expected living, breathing city worlds full of life. They are nothing more than tunnels filled with lifeless mobs. I expected varied crafting professions that let you explore the world. They are nothing more than a "click and wait" game. I would have liked to see flashpoints connected to the planets you travel through, but they are just random missions on the fleet. A starwars game should be filled with passion, but this game is passionless. The dialogue and codex writing is very mediocre and not anywhere near the quality of Mass Effect or Dragon Age.
    Its possible that things look different with other classes, but from a jedi sage perspective, this is a poor game.
    The only things I liked are the music and the voice-actors, which are both brilliant. The rest is forgettable.    … Expand
  4. Breeti
    Jan 15, 2012
    3
    It's really just a poorly redone version of WoW circa 2005. I'm sure with time it can be developed to something better, but how they ignore the progress of 6 to 7 years in the genre and expect to be a sucess I do not know. I guess they are banking on brand recognition being enough to carry them for the first 2 years.

    I've cancelled my sub after I just could not get into the mindless    It's really just a poorly redone version of WoW circa 2005. I'm sure with time it can be developed to something better, but how they ignore the progress of 6 to 7 years in the genre and expect to be a sucess I do not know. I guess they are banking on brand recognition being enough to carry them for the first 2 years.

    I've cancelled my sub after I just could not get into the mindless running and having constant load screens any time I went back to my ship. Hopefully they will correct some of the glaring flavor of life issues with game in the coming months. I may check it out again if i see some progress there. Otherwise i see it as a massive failure.    … Expand
  5. SmellyMessiah
    Jan 15, 2012
    4
    Star Wars: The Old Republic (ToR) had very high hopes, being the successor to the very successful Knights of the Old republic series, and being the latest work by Bioware, one of the better developers in recent memory. However, instead of creating the next big MMO and a true game-changer, they decided to directly compete with World of Warcraft (WoW) like all other recent, and failed MMOs.Star Wars: The Old Republic (ToR) had very high hopes, being the successor to the very successful Knights of the Old republic series, and being the latest work by Bioware, one of the better developers in recent memory. However, instead of creating the next big MMO and a true game-changer, they decided to directly compete with World of Warcraft (WoW) like all other recent, and failed MMOs. As a long time WoW player, and someone who has played most of the big MMO releases of late, I can say with some authority that the game doesn't put anything new on the table. Sure, the presentation is slick, and the voice acting is nice, but is this what compels someone to pay to play a game month after month? The gameplay feels like a direct clone of WoW, and it simply doesn't work in the Star Wars universe. The fast-paced action of the films and some of the better games does not translate here. A ranged class takes â… Expand
  6. willystyle38
    Jan 15, 2012
    10
    This game is AMAZING! It is NOT a reskinned WoW like all of the trolls and WoW players would have you believe. It is an MMO, and a great one at that. While questing on planets, you're encouraged to group up with other players to complete certain 2-4 player heroic quests, where as in WoW if you group with others you have exp points slashed. The story is amazing, and for the first time everThis game is AMAZING! It is NOT a reskinned WoW like all of the trolls and WoW players would have you believe. It is an MMO, and a great one at that. While questing on planets, you're encouraged to group up with other players to complete certain 2-4 player heroic quests, where as in WoW if you group with others you have exp points slashed. The story is amazing, and for the first time ever I have felt the urge to roll different classes to experienc the full story. The theme of the game is more mature than that of other MMO's and the players themselves are more mature. PvP balancing is something that needs to be looked into, but that is something that can be fixed in a patch. I've encountered very few bugs, and have had no problems with performance playing this game. Overall I 'm rating this game a 10. By far the best launch and fewest problems I have ever experienced from an MMO. If you are a Star Wars fan, or a fan of Knights of the Old Republic, this game is for you!… Expand
  7. Swampy
    Jan 14, 2012
    3
    Revisiting my initial review after a month of play; and not much has changed in my views except it's even worse than I initially feared. While the story is nice, it is basically all this game has to offer and makes it VERY linear. There's no incentive for exploration, actually there's not a lot of incentive to do anything but drive the story forward. Technically the game is shabby, theRevisiting my initial review after a month of play; and not much has changed in my views except it's even worse than I initially feared. While the story is nice, it is basically all this game has to offer and makes it VERY linear. There's no incentive for exploration, actually there's not a lot of incentive to do anything but drive the story forward. Technically the game is shabby, the engine is poorly optimised and there are bugs too numerous to list here. The customer service is also terrible, and don't try and leave an opinion on the official forums; you'll be savaged by the rabid 'Bioware/EA defense force' (aka fanboys).. and if you think that isn't bad enough, write any negative criticism and you'll walk a fine line of getting warnings! Apparently they don't mind criticism.. so long as you're not being critical.. I kid you not.. it's actually in their forums t&c's.… Expand
  8. Fireturnip
    Jan 14, 2012
    7
    Coming from 6 years of WoW (but no other MMO experience) as a moderate PVE player (heroic bosses but not complete heroic raids in WoW, no arena or serious PvP outside of vanilla), I have enjoyed my time in SWTOR so far. Leveling is much better than WoW, the voice work is fantastic and really tells the story well. It's nice to know why I'm killing a bad guy for a change (still have noComing from 6 years of WoW (but no other MMO experience) as a moderate PVE player (heroic bosses but not complete heroic raids in WoW, no arena or serious PvP outside of vanilla), I have enjoyed my time in SWTOR so far. Leveling is much better than WoW, the voice work is fantastic and really tells the story well. It's nice to know why I'm killing a bad guy for a change (still have no idea what Illidan ever did to me....). On hitting 50 (max level), I wanted to see another characters story arc, rather than strengthen my character; when I finished leveling in WoW, I was sick of leveling. The stories and voice work are the really strong points; if these points, or Star Wars itself, aren't particularly interesting to you, you aren't going to enjoy this game. If you love arena in WoW, it doesn't exist in SWTOR.

    There are quite a few comments regarding PvP imbalance. Just like every other game ever with PvP. The warzones are similar to battlegrounds in WoW, and they seem fine to me. One major benefit is that there is a warzone type which accommodates battles against the same faction, which really helps queue times.

    The flashpoints (think instances) are fine, nothing special. Bosses are generally a little simple in mechanics, but nothing terrible. Haven't tried the raids.

    I really feel that this is a good starting point, and it depends where they go with it from here. WoW certainly is more polished, but content has generally been in decline (honestly, we got 2.5 tiers of raiding in the whole of Cata....Firelands was too small to be a whole tier). If content keeps up in SWTOR, and they keep polishing, then it will really be a valid WoW killer. At the end of the day, as long as they are constantly working to make the game better, and they keep content coming out often enough that I'm not bored, I don't see me going back to WoW.

    There are a few things I'm worried about. The game takes surprisingly good hardware to run well (Tom's Hardware did a review in Beta which covered this well); this means for me that I have very long load screens, but nothing I can't accept. However, if this means that people with new computers that don't have at least mid range discrete graphics can't play properly, that could have an impact on subs, which of course effects the whole player base. Also, the crew skills (crafting system) and GTN (AH) are bad. Just bad. Removing the requirement that I sit and watch my toon craft is a plus, but it doesn't make the system fun. Presently, I see no real reason to craft at all (unless you enjoy crafting in and of itself). You can easily do without the small advantages that crafting gives you while leveling, and you aren't going to get rich crafting (you will actually get quite poor). The GTN is a big part of this, but both systems are lacking; having said that, I'm not sure how much most players will mind, I'm looking at this from the perspective of someone who hit the gold cap in both WoTLK and Cata.    … Expand
  9. harold5187
    Jan 14, 2012
    8
    Obviously the 487 bad reviews for this game comes from the new generation of gamers, who are into the frag fest, adrenaline games, that require only bunny hopping skills, and a fast mouse finger, if your not using a gamepad. But to me Star Wars The Old Republic was a great game, minus a few points off for being somewhat of a turn-based game. But it was still fun to play, and made youObviously the 487 bad reviews for this game comes from the new generation of gamers, who are into the frag fest, adrenaline games, that require only bunny hopping skills, and a fast mouse finger, if your not using a gamepad. But to me Star Wars The Old Republic was a great game, minus a few points off for being somewhat of a turn-based game. But it was still fun to play, and made you think using your brain, unlike the brainless games being made nowdays. Between all the adrenaline online FPS games, and the hidden objects games, it's clear to me that gaming companies, just want your money, so they box up cheap buggy software with pretty graphics as fast as they can throw it out on the shelves for someone to get caught up in their advertising web of deceit. That's all they want is our money, and once they have it, they don't care what we get in return. Often times buying a new game requires a hardware updgrade of some sort. For once I wish I had my own gaming company so I could show this world how a good game should be. I would make all you stupid gaming companies pay for all the crappy games I've bought. 3000ad is on the top of that list for lousy gaming companies. As far as Knights of the old Republic, I only wish I had a decent computer to play their newest release, not to mention the Jedi Knight game they came out with, I've owned em all up till the time they got greedy, and started making games that require new computers to play. But I can't say nothing bad about their games, because I love them. My all time favorite was Tie Fighter. Long live Lucas Arts.… Expand
  10. chendala
    Jan 14, 2012
    10
    Star war the old republich is much better than WoW for now, I can say that cazu I have play WoW 7 years, and there is nothing new in WoW just endless raid and quite easy, but SWTOR has push the MMO in a new direction. WoW is a good MMO ever, but it does not means no one can do better than WoW. So do not fight with myself if you can not accept SWTOR.
  11. Doraleous
    Jan 14, 2012
    10
    The best MMORPG out there, end of. The PVP is great fun, especially Illum, couple that with Excellent story telling, great community, and engaging combat, its everything you could want and more from an MMO
  12. cmoyano
    Jan 14, 2012
    4
    my god what is this **** Boring Queuing simulator that should never have been made, where is KOTOR 3 bioware? Huh where the **** is it? gamecube graphics; FF14 UI; and about as much fun as have a spear up the ass. I know these results are going to be skewed by people suffering from denial that bioware could ever make a bad game but this is just as bad as DA2. Buy anything else for a bettermy god what is this **** Boring Queuing simulator that should never have been made, where is KOTOR 3 bioware? Huh where the **** is it? gamecube graphics; FF14 UI; and about as much fun as have a spear up the ass. I know these results are going to be skewed by people suffering from denial that bioware could ever make a bad game but this is just as bad as DA2. Buy anything else for a better gaming experience… Expand
  13. Avner
    Jan 13, 2012
    10
    Most of the reviews are from bitter fans of games that are rapidly losing their subscriptions to this one. This is the most rich and story focused MMO ever made. Play the game, let it speak for itself. If you're looking for a meaningful experience, and not just another MMO grind, you won't be disappointed. And this is just the game at launch!
  14. Killspre
    Jan 13, 2012
    5
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Swtor is a fun game to me but I am not gonna pretend it is the perfect mmo. There are plenty of problems with the game I find, graphics that look horrible and the game still doesn't run smoothly, a basic and partly broken combat system, unbalanced pvp, crappy customization and it is way too easy to max your level. I was especially disappointed with the cover mechanic, which they bragged about, for it can send you right into the middle of a crowd of enemies you didn't mean to fight because the green cover icon was off screen. Also in the tough of times it delays and is easy to knock you off which screws you over because all of your good skills are only usable in this mode. These things being said I can't honestly say I have had no fun playing, the companions are well implemented, I find myself enjoying there company much more than any random pet from other mmos. The story also has a great appeal to me and is what definitely keeps me going through the game. Though not all of them gems I do wonder how it will end although the side missions stories eventually become predictable and a bit boring. This being said though I cant help that bioware messed up by making the next Kotor into a mmo, the things I like about it were already mastered in previous kotor games. The few group things that you do need for are ruined by lack of story or even the way to difficult nature of getting a group together. Flashpoints after the first lack any story or any real choice good or evil (in one flashpoint you actually choose to either kill or imprison a group of engineers on a ship you are going to destroy), pvp has come down to whichever side has more lvl 50s, and heroics are even more pointless than the flashpoints to me. Bioware knows how to make great single player games and I can't help but think if the kept it Kotor 3 this game would've been way better.… Expand
  15. BoosterGold
    Jan 13, 2012
    5
    Fun as a single player but once you play through a class quest line or two it loses most of its interest. Very reminiscent of Burning Crusade + Kotor. The worlds are heavily instanced and often feel very empty. It fails in smoothness of game play, obtuse travel, bad static UI, no lfg tool, no combat log, no mod support, no pvp brackets, no hd textures, ect. Once you've seen the storiesFun as a single player but once you play through a class quest line or two it loses most of its interest. Very reminiscent of Burning Crusade + Kotor. The worlds are heavily instanced and often feel very empty. It fails in smoothness of game play, obtuse travel, bad static UI, no lfg tool, no combat log, no mod support, no pvp brackets, no hd textures, ect. Once you've seen the stories it goes downhill fast.… Expand
  16. Pelopidas
    Jan 13, 2012
    10
    A brilliant revolution of the MMO genre. With its story it manages to captivate me where WoW made me fall asleep! Buy buy buy. Don't listen to all the WoW fanboys giving it a 0 without playing it.
  17. Jaden_Frost
    Jan 13, 2012
    2
    Poorly done WoW clone with new paint. Same old grind fest, With the illusion of diolog options that, really do nothing. (unless there one of the uncommon, silly light/dark side ancers). A watse of time at best, an insult at worst.
  18. Grutzy
    Jan 13, 2012
    5
    SW:TOR is an MMO with a heavy dose of single player gaming. To me it feels like a contradiction of the genre both in scope and playability. Somewhere along the line, the development team seems to have forgotten the credo of game development, "Make it FUN." There are heaps of blatant design decisions that either don't make sense, or were just plain not thought about, such as making sure aSW:TOR is an MMO with a heavy dose of single player gaming. To me it feels like a contradiction of the genre both in scope and playability. Somewhere along the line, the development team seems to have forgotten the credo of game development, "Make it FUN." There are heaps of blatant design decisions that either don't make sense, or were just plain not thought about, such as making sure a group of friends stay in their group when entering/exiting a warzone. Despite its many flaws, the game does have some redeeming qualities.
    1) It is chalk full of Star Wars goodness
    2) It has a wide variety of play style options
    3) It caters fairly well to the casual audience

    Ultimately, I feel SW:TOR has a very large uphill battle to fight in order to retain their customer base. I feel it's fair to say that the bar has been raised to a much higher level of expectation for new titles hitting the market these days, and if that bar is not taken into consideration with what gamers expect to see in an MMO, then the battle is half lost before the title ships. There is a sever lack of PvP and End Game content for players who have maxed out their level, and there is next to no reason to replay any of the content that has already been seen.

    For all of the advancements that have been made in the genre through the many titles that have come before it, there really seems to be a lack of "Learning from other peoples mistakes" taken into account for the development of this product.

    My score of 5 I feel is fair, as the nature of the universe and the store for each class have been well done and warrant at least one play through to max level, but beyond that, don't expect too much to hold your attention unless you are a die hard Star Wars fan.    … Expand
  19. Oreus
    Jan 13, 2012
    7
    Where to begin. The game, in concept, is great but there are many problems that Bioware either has not or can not be bothered to address. One of the first is the fact that they blatently lied to us with the Collector's Editon in game items. We were promised a pet, "Training Droid (Virtual Pet)
    A small but advanced training droid to hover at your side for combat assistance." What did we    Where to begin. The game, in concept, is great but there are many problems that Bioware either has not or can not be bothered to address. One of the first is the fact that they blatently lied to us with the Collector's Editon in game items. We were promised a pet, "Training Droid (Virtual Pet)
    A small but advanced training droid to hover at your side for combat assistance." What did we get instead? A useless piece of garbage that IS NOT A PET, it comes out and circles an enemy for a min or two and then disappears. WTF??!! Bioware has not commented on this. They went with the piece of garbage called Hero Engine. This antiquated gaming engine creates games that are competely instanced. Now the game feels dead because, unlike in WOW or Rift, you can see other ppl around you, in this game, you're basically in a deadzone working on a quest with no one around... You want Customer Support (CS) - I hope you know how to pray... it is basically non-existant and when someone does answer - either they have absolutely NO CLUE about the game or can barely but a coherent sentence together in English. If you think I'm exaggerating as to how poor to atrocious the CS really is, please refer to the following threads:

    http://www.swtor.com/community/showthread.php?t=86614
    http://www.swtor.com/community/showt...27#post1023327
    http://www.swtor.com/community/showt...08#post1022308

    Don't get me wrong, I love the game itself but I think that ever since the "Kiss of Death" (EA [Electronic Arts]) bought Bioware, it's been downhill ever since.    … Expand
  20. Jounar
    Jan 13, 2012
    4
    Sadly after all the hype SWTOR is nothing more than a badly copied WoW clone but missing far to many features to be called a real MMO. Character creation is not only rather basic but seems to share the same graphics with NPC's so expect to see very similar looking throughout the game. The graphics are very dated for a modern MMO and are easily put to shame by the likes of AoC, LOTRO, RiftSadly after all the hype SWTOR is nothing more than a badly copied WoW clone but missing far to many features to be called a real MMO. Character creation is not only rather basic but seems to share the same graphics with NPC's so expect to see very similar looking throughout the game. The graphics are very dated for a modern MMO and are easily put to shame by the likes of AoC, LOTRO, Rift and even WoW. Whats even worse is the promo screenshots and videos Bioware use to advertise the game use a high res texture setting than player can't use no matter how powerful there PC's are. Combat which makes up the majority of a players time in the game is dull, uninspired and fells very unresponsive overall. PvP combat in the PvP arena's is even worse as the game engine just doesn't seem able to handle having lots of players fighting close together.

    The current high graphics setting is just a renamed medium setting due to how awful the Hero engine is and even using low/medium settings the game still performs poorly on high spec PC's. It took Bioware almost a month to admit this on there forums after first claiming it was a UI bug and that the real high res graphics settings are only used in cutscenes with NPCs. For a 2011/2012 AAA MMO with such a huge budget the graphics are a complete disgrace and feel like something that was released in 2006 except game back then had much better visuals.

    The much hyped class story is ok for the most part but nothing that will have single player game developers shaking in their boots and while it makes the normal kill 10 rats type quests all MMOs have less obvious it only makes up about 5-8% of the missions a player needs to do to hit max level. This makes running alts no different than any other MMO and worse than some as you need to do the exact same missions in the exact same order for every character.

    The various planets are very nice and also very instanced so the game world feels very empty for the most part. The planets are not however very open compared to other MMO's and the game through mission hub placement always pushes you in the direction of the next set of missions. There is also no public quest style missions which for a big budget MMO is a huge oversight imho. The dungeons or flashpoints as SWTOR calls them are the exact same deal we have seen in every other MMO since EQ1 with trash mobs to be cleared before reaching a boss. The starter flashpoint for both factions is much more like the standard single player missions due to alot of interaction with NPC's but these are the exception. Crafting is handled well in SWTOR with the players companions doing most of the more boring leg work in gathering crafting materials but to get the best items you still need to raid for recipes and materials and in all cases better items can be gotten from the level 50 daily missions players can run.

    SWTOR is a single player Bioware game with some basic MMO option bolted and I do mean basic. A very poor LFG system, horrid UI, guilds being nothing more than a friends tab, the most basic looting system any MMO has ever had and a class system with less options than those found in EQ1.

    When compared to games like LOTRO, Rift and of course WoW the lack of polish for such a costly to produce game is just shocking with bug that were known about in the July beta of 2011 still being in the released product. What a shame EA didn't allow an extra 6 months worth of development and a more adventurous design team weren't behind the wheel.    … Expand
  21. Ngamok
    Jan 13, 2012
    7
    Great Space Themed MMO with voice overs. I have tried the Smuggler, Trooper, Bounty Hunter and Imperial Agent and love the stories they have associated with them. Game has some flaws and important issues needed with MMOs that are being released today. No guild functionality, dual specs are required, UI customization and moving UI elements around. Graphics and worlds look amazing. So IGreat Space Themed MMO with voice overs. I have tried the Smuggler, Trooper, Bounty Hunter and Imperial Agent and love the stories they have associated with them. Game has some flaws and important issues needed with MMOs that are being released today. No guild functionality, dual specs are required, UI customization and moving UI elements around. Graphics and worlds look amazing. So I give it a 7 because of launching with some basic stuff missing. But the story and voice overs are amazing.… Expand
  22. Fireci
    Jan 13, 2012
    10
    I've been playing MMOs since the days of EQ1. From EQ2, Conan, Anarchy Online, FFXI, FFXIV, WAR, DAoC and WoW, I have to say, no MMO has pulled me into the story quite like SWTOR. Finally, I feel like I'm actually part of the story. The class centric main quests are done so well, I can see why the developers said that SWTOR is really KOTOR x 8. From presentation, combat systems,I've been playing MMOs since the days of EQ1. From EQ2, Conan, Anarchy Online, FFXI, FFXIV, WAR, DAoC and WoW, I have to say, no MMO has pulled me into the story quite like SWTOR. Finally, I feel like I'm actually part of the story. The class centric main quests are done so well, I can see why the developers said that SWTOR is really KOTOR x 8. From presentation, combat systems, crafting systems, great quest system, I have to say that SWTOR has surpassed all of my expectations. I strongly recommend it.… Expand
  23. Laurgos
    Jan 13, 2012
    10
    This game is amazing! The game is extremely well put together.Star Wars the Old Republic is a good MMORPG experience focused on storytelling, plot and involving characters. Voice acting is very good for a MMO game. Gameplay is fun and story is great. Flashpoints are fun. I enjoy having companions as I did with the original Kotor series that swtor spun off from.
  24. Lycanthrope
    Jan 13, 2012
    7
    Best MMO there is at the moment. Immersive, choice-oriented and successfully manages to make you feel important and part of the world. Some minor niggles: no LFG window or dungeon finder equivalent, very limited varieties of armour, cannot sell the exact same armour cross-faction without it changing to something else. But as far as MMOs go, it'll be incredibly hard to upstage this one.
  25. Pendulous
    Jan 13, 2012
    6
    Mediocre is really the best word to describe this game. Its easiest to take things one at a time.

    Sound - This is excellent and truly the best part of the game. Yes, it sounds like Star Wars. The voice acting is also very well done. Story- This section is kind of a conundrum. The class stories are truly interesting. They remind you of great Bioware titles and what you've come to expect.    Mediocre is really the best word to describe this game. Its easiest to take things one at a time.

    Sound - This is excellent and truly the best part of the game. Yes, it sounds like Star Wars. The voice acting is also very well done.

    Story- This section is kind of a conundrum. The class stories are truly interesting. They remind you of great Bioware titles and what you've come to expect. Planet arcs are fairly interesting as well. However, these aspects are only 15-20% of your time. The rest is boils down to "here is why I want you to kill droids". Minor uninteresting characters you never see again distract from the immersion Bioware was attempting to create. Mass Effect, Dragon Age, and other single player titles can do this, but in an MMO its just clunky. Flashpoint stories are cool as well, but again the dialogue parts are so far and few between that they don't create a sense of meaning. Gameplay- Many others reviewers are using uninspired and it really fits. Its not that its bad in any way, its just nothing new. And I mean nothing. Combat is exactly like WoW or most other MMO's. Its not that its bad, but its not good for 2011. 2006 it would have been lauded, now its tiresome. The ranged classes cover mechanics are clunky as well and have needed fix since early beta. PvE- Standard PvE fare. Kill boss, collect loot, wait for new instance, repeat. Fights (including hard mode) are not challenging which will probably turn away most hardcore players. PvP- Very far behind the curve. This game will not be an ESport in the foreseeable future, because of a number of questionable design choices. How a AAA MMO expects to not have to deliver arena combat is mind boggling as well. Guild Mechanics- Guild Chat. Ships may come in the future but on launch is not there. Overall this game needed to be launched with more features or years ago. As for the expectations of the current MMO market it meets them, but doesn't justify a Triple-A rating or the price tag (and subsequent monthly fees) in my opinion. Some will love this game, but most of us and especially PvP junkies will want to skip it. The only caveat is the hope of future updates and whenever BioWare gets to adding stuff from the mysterious "wall of crazy".    … Expand
  26. Moses89
    Jan 12, 2012
    8
    Overall I give this an 8 because it is lacking in some areas, however, the stories for each individual class are what makes this game. I actually have incentive to play EVERY class. Unlike in WoW or Rift or whatever, you are experiencing the same thing but from a slightly different angle. Not just in a I am now a Hunter instead of a Paladin. It feels fresh and new each time you play it.Overall I give this an 8 because it is lacking in some areas, however, the stories for each individual class are what makes this game. I actually have incentive to play EVERY class. Unlike in WoW or Rift or whatever, you are experiencing the same thing but from a slightly different angle. Not just in a I am now a Hunter instead of a Paladin. It feels fresh and new each time you play it. Even if you were to play the same class again you could play completely differently all over again because of the Light/Dark sides. Which leads me to the best part. Once you get about an hour into it you realize hey I am playing a multiplayer KOTOR and you're like heck yeah! Another positive is that when you swing your lightsaber you feel like your actually dueling the person you are attacking instead of just beating him to death. Space battles are an updated 3D version of Galaxian, which is simple, but that is good. It is not over complicated, however, you can buy upgrades for you ship as you yourself level up, the best stuff being at level 50 and as you get better stuff more missions are unlocked and they get harder. It is a very nice Meta-game.

    Now on ward to the "bad" stuff, I say "bad" because its not so BAD as its stuff that will be fixed (I hope as long as it doesn't die in a fire) The graphics are a bit lack luster, somethings appear unfinished, but the art style really shines through, every world is different (for the most part) half the Galaxy being controlled by each side leads to some things looking the same but that is mostly just the cities. I feel like they can do more with PvP. I believe limiting it to your average level range would do wonder but that is my opinion some people really like that PvP is a "balanced" 10-50, you essentially just get a damage, armor, and hp bonus to make you a defacto "50" but you don't have the all the skills yet which leaves you at a disadvantage. Overall, the "bad" will be worked out over a few patches.    … Expand
  27. Superhans1800
    Jan 12, 2012
    0
    I can in good conscience give this game 1/10.

    This game was the direct product of copy and paste. They took World of Warcraft circa 2006, and put it in blender with KOTOR. The result is TOR. To boot: it costed them so much money to create the KOTOR aspects of the game, that the combat responsiveness and other standard MMO mechanics are sloppy at best. This is a poor excuse for a game.    I can in good conscience give this game 1/10.

    This game was the direct product of copy and paste.

    They took World of Warcraft circa 2006, and put it in blender with KOTOR. The result is TOR. To boot: it costed them so much money to create the KOTOR aspects of the game, that the combat responsiveness and other standard MMO mechanics are sloppy at best.

    This is a poor excuse for a game.

    I gave it 1 single point because parts of the story, at times, can be engaging. Then they drone on and on and on and on..............    … Expand
  28. PhillipTheGeek
    Jan 12, 2012
    4
    I was expecting good things from SWTOR, but unfortunately I have been disappointed. Gameplay wise: Graphics crashes (Midget Jedi's, Metallic Huts and Fighting the Scenery - all of which amused rather than annoyed me.), Poor PVP. Missions which while well presented have the depth of Attack of the Clones (though better acting). Lack of duel spec's which make doing anything as a healer or aI was expecting good things from SWTOR, but unfortunately I have been disappointed. Gameplay wise: Graphics crashes (Midget Jedi's, Metallic Huts and Fighting the Scenery - all of which amused rather than annoyed me.), Poor PVP. Missions which while well presented have the depth of Attack of the Clones (though better acting). Lack of duel spec's which make doing anything as a healer or a tank slow without the DPS options. As for healing (I normally play healing classes), thats hard work on a dodgy laptop with a tracker pad, lacking mouse over healing really leaves me quite drained. Space combat which was beaten when I recently had the privilege of playing a 1980's Star Wars Arcade Machine. (I won't even mention the annoyance of lacking a mac client at launch. I suspect this will mean that we will have a badly imported client at a later date.) But worse than Gameplay feels the community. Communications seem poor and only used to complain (Normally about WOW, though I did like the discussion I saw by people still burnt out on RIFT). Guilds seem non-existent at the moment leading to both a lack of community and camaraderie. I had high hopes that guilds would be treated well with the pre-registration of guilds however so far I have not seen it in game. Bioware could have spent another 10 years getting things and I feel it is brave of them to release something so we can see some of what they had in mind. I wanted more but I got quite a shallow single player game with pretentious of being an MMO. I will come back in the future for the occasional month and hope that enough has been provided to make me want to stay, but for now I won't waste my time.… Expand
  29. Malthques
    Jan 12, 2012
    3
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. *Spoilers in text will be marked with *SPOILER*

    Gameplay rates at a completely average 5, due to using a tried and tested method of most of it's predecessor MMOs. This is without taking the massive delay into account, praying for those who still keeps playing that it will be fixed one time.

    But one of the games major selling points was it's focus on story, and damn was I disappointed: The writing feels so uninspired, that I simply stopped caring about any and every conversation in the game after approximately 10-15 minutes. Added on to this, the major arc was horrible too: *Spoiler* No matter what side you'll pick, the Empire loses.*end spoiler* Added to this, the terrible distinction between dark side and the light side of the force is even worse than the three prequel films.And playing an MMO where you and 2,999,999 other players are the chosen one, really isn't that entertaining.

    Another selling point was that it is a fully voiced game, and that it is. But badly voiced. When you're not wondering why three guys in the same scene is voiced by the same guy, you're wondering how they tortured the voice actors to make them sound so uninspired.

    In my final comments I will quickly mention the graphics and make a prayer for the BioWare dev team that graphics will never be the main point of a video game. Because if it ever will be, they will probably all end up in a guillotine.    … Expand
  30. Abbeldydoo
    Jan 12, 2012
    1
    I was really looking forward to this game,got it for christmas and couldnt wait to play it.When i finally was able to i was extremely disappointed to find a cookie cutter version of WoW a game which i never liked.Maybe i should have known what i was getting but i really wasnt expecting a WoW copy.

    I still gave it a try and leveled one character to 18 and another to 23 before just putting    I was really looking forward to this game,got it for christmas and couldnt wait to play it.When i finally was able to i was extremely disappointed to find a cookie cutter version of WoW a game which i never liked.Maybe i should have known what i was getting but i really wasnt expecting a WoW copy.

    I still gave it a try and leveled one character to 18 and another to 23 before just putting it down.The voice acting was great and the class stories were well written but that just wasnt enough to hold my interest through many many hours of grinding .    … Expand
  31. banz
    Jan 12, 2012
    7
    WoW with lightsabres... hard to not like that. Sure, we all had higher expectations, but it's a good game. I, for one, wanted a Dark Forces II, meets KoTOR, meets Wing Commander: Privateer, meets Battlefield 2... but I ask a lot, apparently. (Imagine huge BF2 style pvp maps with AT-ATs, jedi and speeders... ya... quite the immagination... but I digress.) I'm enjoying the story lines ofWoW with lightsabres... hard to not like that. Sure, we all had higher expectations, but it's a good game. I, for one, wanted a Dark Forces II, meets KoTOR, meets Wing Commander: Privateer, meets Battlefield 2... but I ask a lot, apparently. (Imagine huge BF2 style pvp maps with AT-ATs, jedi and speeders... ya... quite the immagination... but I digress.) I'm enjoying the story lines of the different characters, and the voice acting is pretty darned good. It's fun, but I doubt I'll be hooked like I was on WoW (for years).… Expand
  32. Ionite
    Jan 12, 2012
    0
    SWTOR copies WoW, and fails even at that. What you see in most negative reviews here is entirely true, that includes instancing, awful combat and visuals, horrendous writing and mostly emotionless voice acting. You cannot release a badly done ripoff of a fairly old game and expect it to be successful in the long run. I do not believe for a second those 300 million dollars went into theSWTOR copies WoW, and fails even at that. What you see in most negative reviews here is entirely true, that includes instancing, awful combat and visuals, horrendous writing and mostly emotionless voice acting. You cannot release a badly done ripoff of a fairly old game and expect it to be successful in the long run. I do not believe for a second those 300 million dollars went into the production of this "masterpiece", because there is not a part of it about which it can be said that the developers gave it some attention.

    Avoid playing it at all costs.    … Expand
  33. MerseyMal
    Jan 12, 2012
    10
    A highly enjoyable experience so far. Look forward so seeing what they'll add in future updates especially for guilds. The spaceship missions are rather fun mini-games too.
  34. Govanator
    Jan 12, 2012
    10
    Pleasantly surprised by the game. It isn't what I was expecting, and I'd still like to see more out of it like co-op and pvp in space etc, but it's off to a good start.
  35. Sandtree
    Jan 12, 2012
    0
    Bioware withholding the rights to review Mass Effect 3 if TOR is given less than an 8/10? No sir. /150char /150char /150char /150char /150char /150char /150char /150char /150char
  36. DiiiGiiiTAL
    Jan 12, 2012
    10
    Star Wars: The Old Republic does not much differently to World Of Warcraft. The controls are the same pretty much and the integral game play mechanics are the same.

    However, it's the story that drags you in, unlike WoW, it is not a wall of text, it IS interesting, you care about your character, you want to find out what happens next. Also, I think it's disgusting how people have come    Star Wars: The Old Republic does not much differently to World Of Warcraft. The controls are the same pretty much and the integral game play mechanics are the same.

    However, it's the story that drags you in, unlike WoW, it is not a wall of text, it IS interesting, you care about your character, you want to find out what happens next.

    Also, I think it's disgusting how people have come onto the site simply to troll the game.

    It is excellent - buy it!    … Expand
  37. greywolf00
    Jan 12, 2012
    5
    Think single player game with on okay story and a monthly subscription. If you weren't an altolic in WoW this game provides limited replayability, no more than 10 or 15% of the quests are class specific and the stories aren't amazing. As far as MMOs go, as much as it pains me to say it, WoW does everything better. Once you hit 50 there is no more story. PvP is basic and more generic thanThink single player game with on okay story and a monthly subscription. If you weren't an altolic in WoW this game provides limited replayability, no more than 10 or 15% of the quests are class specific and the stories aren't amazing. As far as MMOs go, as much as it pains me to say it, WoW does everything better. Once you hit 50 there is no more story. PvP is basic and more generic than WoW. It boils down to the normal PvP / Raid gear grind that has driven so many of us away from WoW but in a much less polished and much less original wrapping.… Expand
  38. IkariBattousai
    Jan 11, 2012
    8
    I played WoW for a few months, but really felt the experience lacking because it just felt like a grind. This game has done an amazing job of keeping me interested by incorporating a story. A lot of criticism I've seen points to a lackluster endgame, but the nice thing about this title is that you can always start a new character and experience a different class's story. The game playI played WoW for a few months, but really felt the experience lacking because it just felt like a grind. This game has done an amazing job of keeping me interested by incorporating a story. A lot of criticism I've seen points to a lackluster endgame, but the nice thing about this title is that you can always start a new character and experience a different class's story. The game play mechanics are probably the most lacking part of the game, and I do get a little bored at times in combat when I'm just sitting back and hitting a different number to do the next action, but I feel like the overall experience makes up for that.… Expand
  39. R4d1k4lm4n
    Jan 11, 2012
    7
    Finally an online game that does the Star Wars universe justice! Unlike other mmos that I have played this has got to be the most engaging game out of them all, the effort Bioware has put into the voice acting and story is simply fantastic! I was also pleased that the game is not a complete grind fest like past games I have played and as a result I can casually quest without having to killFinally an online game that does the Star Wars universe justice! Unlike other mmos that I have played this has got to be the most engaging game out of them all, the effort Bioware has put into the voice acting and story is simply fantastic! I was also pleased that the game is not a complete grind fest like past games I have played and as a result I can casually quest without having to kill millions upon millions of enemies to level up (this always put me off continuing my subscription with other games).

    The first flashpoint (The Black Talon) that I played was absolutely amazing, I couldn't believe how good it was being thrown head first into this frantic mission with three other eager comrades being met fierce battles and frequent group conversations, I actually had shivers down my spine the entire time. Once I completed this I was completely sold by the game.

    However as with any newly release mmo it is certainly not perfect. The first issue that I encountered (a personal opinion) was the simplistic character creation process. I thought that this was pretty shocking as I knew that there would be very little differences with my character and other players of the same class and low and behold I was right! What were you thinking Bioware? I just think it would be awesome to be able to run around and see lots of crazy looking toons running around the planets. PVP is also in dire need of some TLC as there are no level brackets and the ability delays do prove pretty annoying when you are trying to play at a competitive level. However I'm sure that this will be addressed in later patches so I can cope with this for the time being. As a result of there being no level brackets I've been forced to wait until I reach level 50 before I can start PVPing because at the moment if you're not 50, the 50's you are playing against will completely destroy you! Another issue that I personally have been having problems with is the fact that it can sometimes be rather difficult trying to find members to form a group for Heroic quests, while not impossible it can take a while. I think this will sort itself out eventually when Bioware removes the server instances so all players play in the same one *fingers crossed*.

    While these issues are rather annoying they still aren't enough to prevent me from continuing on with the game. If you're still on the fence about whether to buy it or not I say go for, it's still in its early stages and it's only going to get even better with time!    … Expand
  40. Saint_Anthony
    Jan 11, 2012
    9
    With the exception of Space Combat being so generic, this is a fantastic game! Though similar in its core to World of Warcraft, I actually care about the storyline. In WoW I was gone after 1 month of play from boredom which I don't foresee here. Hopefully, Space will be expanded upon so that it's closer to Star Wars Galaxies. Unless there is a game for this in particular I'm unaware of?
  41. gwbgp
    Jan 11, 2012
    2
    Got bored at level 30, its wow except worse.
    They blind you with shiny videos and screen caps, but the game is on par with a 2001-2005 mmo.
    Its fun for a bit, but once that new car smell fades, it quickly starts to stink in the room.
    Basically, its a single player mmo with bad visuals, terrible community, and ran by liars.
  42. Gummbeh
    Jan 11, 2012
    3
    I'm stunned that this game was released. How can an MMO in 2011 be released without this like a guild bank, no server forums, non-bracketed PvP (e.g. level 10 players can queue in against fully PvP geared level 50 players). Keep in mind there are not bugs. These were left out by design.

    All that being said, the leveling process is quite fun and makes it easy to ignore some of the more    I'm stunned that this game was released. How can an MMO in 2011 be released without this like a guild bank, no server forums, non-bracketed PvP (e.g. level 10 players can queue in against fully PvP geared level 50 players). Keep in mind there are not bugs. These were left out by design.

    All that being said, the leveling process is quite fun and makes it easy to ignore some of the more laughable design decisions. The problem is that eventually you hit 50.    … Expand
  43. Hamziz
    Jan 11, 2012
    5
    A passable attempt at an MMO, but nothing all that special, either. I will give them the benefit of the doubt that they intend on squashing bugs and adding content as the months pass, but until then, I would recommend that any prospective players do the same - pass.
  44. Wombatkilla1
    Jan 11, 2012
    8
    Wow (no pun intended), I have never seen such a disparity in review scores based on the fact that the game is similar to a game most of you rating it as a "0" love to death! This game is fun, it is enchanting, supremely polished for a launch MMO, offers unlimited gameplay.... and best of all.... is a lot like WOW! I made the switch because I was tired of the WOW lore and wanted new sceneryWow (no pun intended), I have never seen such a disparity in review scores based on the fact that the game is similar to a game most of you rating it as a "0" love to death! This game is fun, it is enchanting, supremely polished for a launch MMO, offers unlimited gameplay.... and best of all.... is a lot like WOW! I made the switch because I was tired of the WOW lore and wanted new scenery and Im glad I did. I feel like im playing pretty much the same game, with a better story that has a far more fleshed out and robust history... which could make for some pretty extreme additional content. The potential this already great game holds is exciting and all the reason you should need to pick it up and start leveling now before you fall too far behind.… Expand
  45. wesleyarts
    Jan 11, 2012
    4
    Horrible and mediocre game boosted by Star Wars IP and paid reviews and advertising. The character creation is limited, the animations are clumsy, the combat has no auto attack. The Graphics are cartoonish and abuse of vívid childwish colors tones. The end game is incomplete, the only raid is bugged. It was amde to WOW fans but even at this point they manage to deliver aHorrible and mediocre game boosted by Star Wars IP and paid reviews and advertising. The character creation is limited, the animations are clumsy, the combat has no auto attack. The Graphics are cartoonish and abuse of vívid childwish colors tones. The end game is incomplete, the only raid is bugged. It was amde to WOW fans but even at this point they manage to deliver a mediocre experience. The game has around 60 Hours of game play, then you have nothing to do besides pvp. The crafting is easy but useless as player made items are second class compared with mobs drops items. The pvp is unbalanced in the most intense use of the word "unbalance". Classes are too simplistic and missleading as you think having a cool class name as Sith Warrior or Smuggler would be great, besides the class name there is nothing interesting to make you play after the level 30. The game is a failure and wont stay p2p for too long. Wait for at least 6 months to use a free trial to test the game for yourself, do not take the risk of buying this mediocre game hyped by EA paid reviews.… Expand
  46. Jray132f
    Jan 11, 2012
    10
    Well lets see, SWTOR is in short...great! Bioware managed to make a game that is not so different that people will be scared off but at the same time they made it innovative and fresh. People are saying that there is no innovation, and I invite these people to find me another MMO with fully voice acting, individual stories for every class and the ability to change the direction of questWell lets see, SWTOR is in short...great! Bioware managed to make a game that is not so different that people will be scared off but at the same time they made it innovative and fresh. People are saying that there is no innovation, and I invite these people to find me another MMO with fully voice acting, individual stories for every class and the ability to change the direction of quest lines. The game looks a lot like WOW did in its earlier stages which may make people think twice, but don't Bioware is adding updates all the time to streamline, what is already a very smooth game. All that said this is NOT that WOW killer that people have been calling it, I say that because there has never even been a game that matched WOW so bringing down the giant will take many, many improvements. SWTOR will defiantly be the first to match WOW in size and this will make for great competition that will ultimately improve both games. This game is a very innovative addition to the MMO world and will probably start a new generation of story based, fully voiced games. Final note to haters, you are free to not like SWTOR but don't act out by giving it these awful reveiws when you know that it is not as bad as you make it out to be!… Expand
  47. Jybwee
    Jan 11, 2012
    7
    The story/voice acting are really what stand out in this game and what got me hooked. The rest is a different flavor but as usual is still ice cream as with most mmos. I don't really view that as a negative but it's not a plus. I have also noticed alot of people saying it feels like a single player game, i think the biggest cause of this is the companion system. For me, playing my healerThe story/voice acting are really what stand out in this game and what got me hooked. The rest is a different flavor but as usual is still ice cream as with most mmos. I don't really view that as a negative but it's not a plus. I have also noticed alot of people saying it feels like a single player game, i think the biggest cause of this is the companion system. For me, playing my healer type character, they give me a tank companion as my first companion and make it unnecessary to group for most of the content. On that note - it IS an mmo and you have to talk/group to really get the full experience so i feel it's more the players fault for not being social. I like to view the companion system as an alternative if you like to play alone.

    End game content doesn't offer as much as i would like, slightly less than other mmos have when they first comes out. That being said i think i'll stick with it and look forward to what else they give us with updates/expansions.

    Another thing i'd like to touch on is the character creation. It is incredibly lacking when looked at in relation to most other recent mmo releases. Part of my love for mmos and why i stick with games for years come from me getting attached to my character and when i look too much like everyone else it loses it's appeal. Now one thing it does have going for it is the skill trees - i would like to see a little work done on them in the future, but there is a ton of variety atm. So if on the surface your character doesn't look all too unique, he can be totally unique in the skills/abilities he has.    … Expand
  48. Aristotleye
    Jan 10, 2012
    10
    I am hitting myself for buying into the hype. I'm not a fan of StarWars, though I am a fan of MMORPG's and ScienceFiction/Fantasy so this seemed a safe buy. I was hesitant at first, but as soon as the majority of my friends bought it I knew I had to as well. What a mistake. Boring, repetitive, empty, sluggish and buggy. Not a BAD game, but not worthy of being called anything beyondI am hitting myself for buying into the hype. I'm not a fan of StarWars, though I am a fan of MMORPG's and ScienceFiction/Fantasy so this seemed a safe buy. I was hesitant at first, but as soon as the majority of my friends bought it I knew I had to as well. What a mistake. Boring, repetitive, empty, sluggish and buggy. Not a BAD game, but not worthy of being called anything beyond mediocre, if only because of it's good - not great - graphics (though by today's standards isn't saying much) and I must admit great voice acting. I tried REALLY hard to like this game, but to no avail. PvP is lackluster, with no skill involved, and instances are so simple it's pathetic. I have also heard from end game players that there is only ONE RAID, which is bugged to the max. I canceled my subscription already, and have a another week or so for the 30 free days but I won't be playing it again. If you like WoW like I do for it's polished, accessible, vast world and lore, I would suggest you avoid this bland in comparison copy with a StarWars skin. If you hate WoW then perhaps this is the game for you.… Expand
  49. rps
    Jan 10, 2012
    9
    Attention trolls, your orcs and trolls have had their heads cut off by a light saber, and jealousy is not healthy. This game is the new king of MMO's, and will be for the forseeable future. You can't beat the force, you can only join it.
  50. outfctrl
    Jan 10, 2012
    10
    I just bought the game last week and I must say, it is very refreshing to find a good story line in conjunction with questing. Love the cut scenes. Made two characters and both had totally different story lines. I haven't experienced any PvP yet, but am looking forward to it as I get higher. Also, am looking forward to buy a space craft so I can visit other planets. I have been playingI just bought the game last week and I must say, it is very refreshing to find a good story line in conjunction with questing. Love the cut scenes. Made two characters and both had totally different story lines. I haven't experienced any PvP yet, but am looking forward to it as I get higher. Also, am looking forward to buy a space craft so I can visit other planets. I have been playing WoW since release and this game does not feel like it, at all. Sure, there are some bugs, but overall, I say it is a solid game to be experienced.… Expand
  51. Ergonomic_Cat
    Jan 9, 2012
    9
    SW:TOR is firmly at the top of my MMO list at this point. It's been called WoW with Lightsabers - while that's not entirely inaccurate, it's also entirely missing the point. It does what WoW did 7 years ago - takes the tropes, and makes them fun again.

    Bioware stresses the story a lot, and with good reason. People saying it's just a voiced MMO are, again, missing out. The voiced    SW:TOR is firmly at the top of my MMO list at this point. It's been called WoW with Lightsabers - while that's not entirely inaccurate, it's also entirely missing the point. It does what WoW did 7 years ago - takes the tropes, and makes them fun again.

    Bioware stresses the story a lot, and with good reason. People saying it's just a voiced MMO are, again, missing out. The voiced storylines mean that, for the majority of the quests, you're actually paying attention to what's going on. Your class story is involved and interesting, with a few truly awesome moments. And, more than any other game, the characters are *characters.* The moral choices, and just general dialogue options (which should be more than familiar to anyone that's played a Bioware game) mean that people are actually developing an attachment to their character. Rather than "fire focused mage" a player is a "smuggler who does it for the money, but won't hurt women or children" or "a jedi knight who does what has to be done, regardless of light side/dark side." Even casual players end up considering key choices when they might simply have hit "complete" in another game.

    To me, this is precisely what I imagined when someone said "KOTOR + MMO", with all that entails. It's not MMO 2.0, but it may well be the first mainstream MMO*RPG*.    … Expand
  52. Etrute
    Jan 9, 2012
    8
    For what it is, its not bad at all. If you want to waste some expendable time, this is one of the games to do it with. If your looking for innovation, then you can see the attempt with the starfox-like in space combat which is the equivalant of a mini-game that can break the monotony of the basic mmo formula "point-click-kill-lvlup". Beyond that, its an mmo that will be recieving updatesFor what it is, its not bad at all. If you want to waste some expendable time, this is one of the games to do it with. If your looking for innovation, then you can see the attempt with the starfox-like in space combat which is the equivalant of a mini-game that can break the monotony of the basic mmo formula "point-click-kill-lvlup". Beyond that, its an mmo that will be recieving updates and polishes with wonderful story line (A different story for each class, as opposed to WoW's story for all classes/races.) Innovation of voice acting an mmo could be considered, however when games attempt to go all-out with voice acting, they make a few slip ups (thinking oblivion and its small cast of actors). Tl,dr; A solid MMO with strongpoints in narrative and story, some experimentation on behalf of the devs, and some bugs that annoy for now, but will be fixed later. no doubt.… Expand
  53. tsavostfu
    Jan 9, 2012
    1
    The most linear game that I have ever played. It even manages to be more linear and boring than most single player games. There is no control over the UI elements of the game. Raid bosses still have names like boss_beast_1 , boss_beast_2, etc... Which means those raids werent even play tested once.

    Sad state of MMO's is that people accept and give rave reviews for what is less than even    The most linear game that I have ever played. It even manages to be more linear and boring than most single player games. There is no control over the UI elements of the game. Raid bosses still have names like boss_beast_1 , boss_beast_2, etc... Which means those raids werent even play tested once.

    Sad state of MMO's is that people accept and give rave reviews for what is less than even mediocrity.
    Review sites need to grow a spine.    … Expand
  54. Preachir
    Jan 9, 2012
    10
    LOL i love all the 0`s that people are posting just to bring down the score, lets be honest, is it revolutionary? no. Does it need to be ? no. when you by new music from an artist you are expecting it to sound a certain way, when you purchase a game following a certain genre your expecting it to be a certain style of game play. I have found Biowares Latest entry into the MMO community toLOL i love all the 0`s that people are posting just to bring down the score, lets be honest, is it revolutionary? no. Does it need to be ? no. when you by new music from an artist you are expecting it to sound a certain way, when you purchase a game following a certain genre your expecting it to be a certain style of game play. I have found Biowares Latest entry into the MMO community to be great, with several improvements in the genre i.e.: no auto attack.… Expand
  55. kick2crash
    Jan 9, 2012
    3
    Got to level 35 and I am done. It is just not very fun. The best part is the voice acting and the atmosphere because I love star wars. I do not like the cartoony looks of the game, didn't think it would annoy me but it sure does. The combat is not fun at all. The world doesn't feel like a large populated world. I wasn't even a kotor 3 supporter and now I wish they would have made that instead.
  56. MisterPants
    Jan 9, 2012
    6
    Average game with some good voiced quests. However, don't believe the marketing hype that it is fully voice acted it isn't. In addition to some mission terminals, much of the dialogue is simply re-used, in many cases where it doesn't make sense, or makes use of alien speech where they can re-use the same voice clips over and over.

    Combat is the usual mmo combat, and nothing original    Average game with some good voiced quests. However, don't believe the marketing hype that it is fully voice acted it isn't. In addition to some mission terminals, much of the dialogue is simply re-used, in many cases where it doesn't make sense, or makes use of alien speech where they can re-use the same voice clips over and over.

    Combat is the usual mmo combat, and nothing original there, though some of the combat animations are enjoyable. PVP combat is terrible. Space combat should have been delayed until they could build a proper space combat game, not some terrible rail shooter. Quests are the standard mix of fetch-it and kill quests, though admittedly that's not a complaint more of an expectation.

    Graphics are decidedly average and lack high res textures. Very limited character generation options. Blocky buildings that are repetitive (if you've played Biowares Dragon Age II you understand what this means).


    Large amount of bugs. Multiple hundred page threads on the customer service website about lag and stutter on systems that significantly outpace the system requirements (people with GTX570's, SLI or Crossfire video cards, 2.4GHz quad cores etc.). This is in addition to the many bugs that exist of mobs spawning in walls, player getting stuck in the environment, quests hanging and not being able to be completed. This is combined with terrible customer service. Having been a part of the release of many mmo's over the years, including some of the smoothest in terms of bugs and stability (LOTRO) and worst (AO/AOC) this game is on the worse side of the spectrum, not as bad as the worst, but a far cry from the best. Multiplayer aspects often seem like an add-on and the focus is definitely on the single player experience. Companions seem to emphasize the single player experience. For a game with a seemingly large population, the worlds seem fairly barren.

    Light and dark side choices seem to have no consequence beyond the graphical of being able to look like a sith (whether you want to or not as the show sith corruption is bugged forcing you to have to reset it everytime you zone). This forces a gaming of the system to get the higher light/dark gear, rather than making dialogue choices that seem appropriate.

    Pros: - storyline quests are for the most part enjoyable
    - the music and sound effects are terrific (both the original John Williams scores and anything they added)

    Neutrals
    - combat is the same old mmo combat
    - crafting is not bad, not great but at least not terribly intrusive

    Cons
    - bugs
    - last gen graphics and poor graphical differentiation
    - space combat is terrible
    - pvp
    - customer service    … Expand
  57. bigbradford
    Jan 9, 2012
    4
    Overall I'm very disappointed with the game. While the story and voice overs are nice the first play through they get very repetitive the second time. The quests like others have mentioned are very boring; loot x, kill x and repeat that to 50, though each class has a unique class quest. The visuals are okay but nothing jaw dropping. At release there were bugs and glitches everywhere;Overall I'm very disappointed with the game. While the story and voice overs are nice the first play through they get very repetitive the second time. The quests like others have mentioned are very boring; loot x, kill x and repeat that to 50, though each class has a unique class quest. The visuals are okay but nothing jaw dropping. At release there were bugs and glitches everywhere; some couldn't play the game at all, game freezing during load times, guild and party chat were not showing, end game fp's and op's were broken, customer support is non existent etc.

    I can kind of understand Biowares motive in getting the game out before Christmas but this game was NOT ready, Bioware and EA should be ashamed of themselves, there was literally zero communication from the devs about the bugs and general problems people were having and that was most likely due to the holidays but there is no excuse for that.

    This game has potential to be very good but it really doesn't offer anything over the more established game that is World of Warcraft other than the fact that it's Star Wars, light sabers weee! Overall some what decent game with a lot of work ahead to really differentiate itself from what is already currently available.    … Expand
  58. Rujholla
    Jan 9, 2012
    8
    I signed up for this game at launch, and despite the flood of people telling me how horrible it is, I've not had so much fun since the early days of WOW. Lots of people are complaining about the quests being kill 10 of this, but I don't know where they are getting that. When you get a quest often times you can get a bonus quest to kill certain number of mobs in the area, but theyI signed up for this game at launch, and despite the flood of people telling me how horrible it is, I've not had so much fun since the early days of WOW. Lots of people are complaining about the quests being kill 10 of this, but I don't know where they are getting that. When you get a quest often times you can get a bonus quest to kill certain number of mobs in the area, but they aren't required to complete the main quest, if you can sneak in and out without killing then you can.… Expand
  59. Ganbitsu
    Jan 8, 2012
    4
    Honestly this game is plain boring, maybe Jedi Knight's storyline should be boring? And most of the time the "storyline" is just text added to the standard "kill 5 rats" quests. Also for a product of such price i wish it had less bugs, dropping through Star destroyer's floor during pvp match is kinda annoying. Canceled sub after one week.
  60. dwillo82
    Jan 8, 2012
    4
    WoW in Space without the polish and missing many features. I feel that the game has failed to provide for meaningful or entertaining gameplay. Whilst the story aspect was amusing for a time I found that it became apparent that this was the focus rather than providing for deep gameplay mechanics. Overall the game is simplistic and lacks real choice in either character development (from aWoW in Space without the polish and missing many features. I feel that the game has failed to provide for meaningful or entertaining gameplay. Whilst the story aspect was amusing for a time I found that it became apparent that this was the focus rather than providing for deep gameplay mechanics. Overall the game is simplistic and lacks real choice in either character development (from a story perspective) and with regards to perks and skills (gameplay perspective).

    Combat is repetitive, linear, and has been done better before. There is only a few options on which to conduct a battle, with little real options and each battle feels VERY similar. This is my biggest gripe in that the core gameplay has been done better before, and offers nothing new to the extent that I played this game extensively for about two weeks and quickly tired of it. I didn't even finish my free 30 days. PVP doesn't feel right. Ability delay and a general clumsiness pervade and the war-zones are terrible (BIOWARE what were you thinking with Hutt Ball.. no Sith or Jedi would play something like that!). There is little to no open world PVP and certainly no incentive to engage in it. I think in my many hours of gameplay I got into 1 open world fight - now I admit I didnt go looking for it that hard but surely it should have found me on a PVP server? I chose a PVP server to get ganked yet was never forced or inclined to engage in open world PVP at all. The worlds feel empty and soulless due to the sharding issue but it is more because the game feels designed the game to play like a single player game with a chat window attached. How could chat bubbles not be included? I just cant fathom the decision making that went into that. Imperial fleet is probably the only place the game feels full but there is no connection between people speaking in general and PC's which may as well be NPC's. I played up to 40 as a Sith Inquisitor and I found the story to be well voice acted but for the most part boring and generic. Thats not including the standard "go here, kill 20 things" quests which are fully voice acted - to the games detriment, at the end of the day it just extends the grind. I would have loved to stay around for longer in this game. I love the Star Wars universe and I really wanted a MMORPG to engage me. Unfortunently I'll take engaging gameplay over voice acting and "story" any day.    … Expand
  61. Larnot
    Jan 8, 2012
    9
    Having played tons of mmo's, mudd's, digital and pen/paper rpg's I am going to rate this in the top 15% of my gaming experiences. It still has some minor yet annoying bugs so it doesn't get a top 10%, but I think it has the potential to end up there. It is likely that many of the nay-say'ers don't remember the bugs and shortcomings that UO, EQ or WoW had when they were new, let alone howHaving played tons of mmo's, mudd's, digital and pen/paper rpg's I am going to rate this in the top 15% of my gaming experiences. It still has some minor yet annoying bugs so it doesn't get a top 10%, but I think it has the potential to end up there. It is likely that many of the nay-say'ers don't remember the bugs and shortcomings that UO, EQ or WoW had when they were new, let alone how far this kind of gaming has come from it's roots; games like Zork, Adventure Construction Set, the many mudd's and bbs games to appreciate the potential of this game. I think we have all become a little spoiled and look for what to pick apart instead of appreciating the magnitude and beauty of what we have.… Expand
  62. murtle52
    Jan 8, 2012
    0
    No innovation, just a copy of WoW and not copied well at all. This should be free to play but even then it would still be an epic fail. I want my money back
  63. marinara
    Jan 8, 2012
    5
    Fun single player game with some mmo co-op online. TONS of bugs, bio ware should be ashamed of the shoddy work on this. Virtually every feature has development flaws, gfx error at random intervals, sorting items, skills in lists doesnt work, gear compare only works on main not on companions, no addon support.
    If you want a new knights of the old republic with some mmo aspects and a TON of    Fun single player game with some mmo co-op online. TONS of bugs, bio ware should be ashamed of the shoddy work on this. Virtually every feature has development flaws, gfx error at random intervals, sorting items, skills in lists doesnt work, gear compare only works on main not on companions, no addon support.
    If you want a new knights of the old republic with some mmo aspects and a TON of bugs, this game is fore you.    … Expand
  64. ardacakir
    Jan 8, 2012
    10
    Peoples are expecting to get 'WoW' from this game, and that is why they fail. This game is huge and lots of different headlines in the content, so it is very usual there will be bugs... Stop comparing years old games with this little baby 2 weeks old. I like the game although I hate bEAware!
  65. SnakeByte
    Jan 8, 2012
    6
    Great game! The combat feel extremely fluid and well balanced PVP for just released game. Sure PVP needs some tweaking but for 3 week old game its more than good and not far from where it should be. I was not very optimistic for this game after the first week 'cos of the bugs and some ability delay issues. But now after 2 more weeks, 4-5 bugfix patches and one major patch coming before endGreat game! The combat feel extremely fluid and well balanced PVP for just released game. Sure PVP needs some tweaking but for 3 week old game its more than good and not far from where it should be. I was not very optimistic for this game after the first week 'cos of the bugs and some ability delay issues. But now after 2 more weeks, 4-5 bugfix patches and one major patch coming before end of January the game future seems very promising - considering how fast bugfixes come and patch 1.1 contents and bugfixes that include patches for most annoying and spread bugs, ability delay improved, flash-point(dungeon) and 4 operation(raid) bosses.… Expand
  66. foodforthought
    Jan 8, 2012
    9
    SWTOR comes with a big caveat: if you're one of those people who drools over sandbox MMO's and can only enjoy those MMO's or MMO's of 10 years ago or if you're one those gamers who have grown jaded and burnt themselves out on themepark MMO's after playing them for many years and many thousands of hours, then look elsewhere: SWTOR is not the MMO you're looking for. It should be obvious toSWTOR comes with a big caveat: if you're one of those people who drools over sandbox MMO's and can only enjoy those MMO's or MMO's of 10 years ago or if you're one those gamers who have grown jaded and burnt themselves out on themepark MMO's after playing them for many years and many thousands of hours, then look elsewhere: SWTOR is not the MMO you're looking for. It should be obvious to everyone who has an inkling of knowledge about MMORPG's: SWTOR is a themepark MMORPG in the style of WoW, LotrO, Rift and others in that MMO subgenre. Those people who have lost the ability to enjoy themselves in themepark MMO's or lacked that ability from the start, I'd advice to steer away from SWTOR, unless you enjoyed former BW games or can appreciate a more story focused questing experience. However, those people who up till now had a great time with themepark MMO's like WoW, LotrO, Aion, and/or Rift, SWTOR has a wealth to offer. All the usual MMO features like open world PvP, dungeons, battlegrounds (warzones), large planets to explore and crafting are fused with BW's brand of story crafting and level of quality. Does BW's own twist makes a difference? Hell yes! I can honestly say that BW's approach to adding more immersive story to the gameplay makes questing the most interesting, immersive experience I have had so far in any MMO in 10 years of playing MMO's. I tried Rift a year ago, and I found the questing boring as hell, making leveling a lot more tedious. I got a glimpse of how story can make questing and leveling more fun in MMO's like LotrO book quests and AoC's Tortage and destiny quests. But SWTOR upgrades it to another level and fully immerses you in that kind of questing experience. And it's great. Add to that huge planets to explore (those that enjoyed exploring in vast worlds like Asheron's Call and Everquest will certainly love this aspect in SWTOR), crafting that's more varied and fun than in as good as all other MMO's, and PvP fun to be had in objective based open world PvP, Free-For-All PvP and SWTOR's battlegrounds with a fun gladiator sports style arena like Huttball, and there's a lot to keep busy and entertained with, at least for gamers who're still able to enjoy themepark MMO's :-) I'm looking forward to what more BW has planned with SWTOR.… Expand
  67. Kebeck
    Jan 8, 2012
    9
    The game doesn't revolutionnize anything.. But it does a great job at doing everything right. Keep hearing people saying this is not an MMO.. Those people haven't bothered trying to play the game with others, it's a blast !

    A great game all around !
  68. Razor464
    Jan 8, 2012
    5
    If it wasnt for the star wars license this game would be a major major flop. In my opinion it still will be it will just take a little longer. How a game can go from a smooth running beta to a broken retail client is beyond me. Forget the fact that this is just a bog standard rehash of any mmo you have ever played but with voice acting the main problems lie underneath.

    The engine is very    If it wasnt for the star wars license this game would be a major major flop. In my opinion it still will be it will just take a little longer. How a game can go from a smooth running beta to a broken retail client is beyond me. Forget the fact that this is just a bog standard rehash of any mmo you have ever played but with voice acting the main problems lie underneath.

    The engine is very very poor. i have a hi end rig that blows BF3 out of the water on ultra and my fps in this game is horrific. Bioware fails to acknowledge this even after page after page of forum posts highlighting the issue. There is no AA (really its 2012 not 2001), Textures are crappy and low res. Customer service is non existent and clueless about their own game. Its overrated tosh and i expected more from bioware. It seems like when they got in bed with EA they dropped the ball completely. And dont get me started on how much it is to buy...    … Expand
  69. MrWhiggy
    Jan 8, 2012
    5
    If you like Star Wars and MMO's, get this game. If you just want a new MMO to play, don't get this game. This is your typical, mediocre MMO mixed with the Star Wars Universe. That's not to say this game isn't enjoyable, it just loses it's freshness quite quickly.
  70. Delaro
    Jan 7, 2012
    6
    The Graphics are very good and it has a great Story line but that is where it ends. In the end it ends up being just another MMO following in the World Of Warcraft mold, somehow I was expecting something different. Quests are the same as what you expect, except Npc's talk more and dungeon boss mechanics are Blahh, nothing challenging. SWTOR is above the typical Asian grindfest MMO's thatThe Graphics are very good and it has a great Story line but that is where it ends. In the end it ends up being just another MMO following in the World Of Warcraft mold, somehow I was expecting something different. Quests are the same as what you expect, except Npc's talk more and dungeon boss mechanics are Blahh, nothing challenging. SWTOR is above the typical Asian grindfest MMO's that is all I will give it but nothing inventive. If you are bored of the typical MMO scenario then this game will not hold your interest for long.… Expand
  71. Warpster
    Jan 7, 2012
    10
    Top notch MMO, the culmination of the last 10 years of the genre with the addition of fully voiced branching path storylines and quests. Impossible to go back to any other MMO and the lame quest text boxes after playing SW:TOR. Multiple characters over level 30 (one 50) and still cannot get enough. The bugs will be ironed out, and already new content is up on the test server.
  72. h0tangel99
    Jan 7, 2012
    6
    If you like RPG's and Star Wars, then this is the game for you. If you like MMO's, don't get it. This game feels like a single-player RPG. All the planets are empty due to the amount of instances there are. (Which I heard might be only temporary) Because of this, it's almost impossible to find a group for Flashpoints (dungeons) and Heroic Missions (quests that require a group)

    The story    If you like RPG's and Star Wars, then this is the game for you. If you like MMO's, don't get it. This game feels like a single-player RPG. All the planets are empty due to the amount of instances there are. (Which I heard might be only temporary) Because of this, it's almost impossible to find a group for Flashpoints (dungeons) and Heroic Missions (quests that require a group)

    The story in the game is great, though. It is very intriguing and will make you want t know what happens next. But I'm not joking when I say that is the only positive thing I can say about this game.

    Oh yeah, and 1 more thing, this game looks like it was made in 2003. I know graphics don't matter too much, and it's mostly about the gameplay, but I mean c'mon...A game made in 2011 should at least look somewhat decent. The combat is trite, and the game is just overall boring. I don't recommend it, but if you are a huge Star Wars fan, and love RPG's, then try it out.    … Expand
  73. DeNovo
    Jan 7, 2012
    2
    TOR is less than mediocre. The group encounters are a boring rehash of every MMO you have played before. The boss mechanics are lame and easy. There is no sense of achievement beating any of the heroic instances.

    The pvp boils down to 3 small warzones. 3 is not enough, and if you play on the Imperial side, you may as well call this game The Huttball Republic, since you are forced to    TOR is less than mediocre. The group encounters are a boring rehash of every MMO you have played before. The boss mechanics are lame and easy. There is no sense of achievement beating any of the heroic instances.

    The pvp boils down to 3 small warzones. 3 is not enough, and if you play on the Imperial side, you may as well call this game The Huttball Republic, since you are forced to play on that map more than half the time. The warzones are a sloppy mess that have no level brackets to seperate low levels from the well geared high levels. Players constantly hide in a corner and go afk to farm commendations, and there is no system to report them or remove them. The actual pvp combat is also a mess, complete with high levels of server lag that is death for melee characters that can never seem to hit moving targets. The "resolve" system to prevent being chain stunned / cc'd to death is present in the game, but is completely broken and has no effect.

    As for the world pvp I was excited for? What world pvp? I'm on one of the most popular servers with a faction balance closer to 1:1 than any other pvp server and three weeks after release, the questing zones are empty of players when I go out looking for action.

    The game is still rather unstable, lots of crashes, missing textures, and game breaking bugs both big and small, even after the first major patch. The customer service is poor and didn't respond to my request for help for 3 days when my character was stuck in the wall, by that time another player had helped me escape.

    Character creation was an afterthought, there is very little you can do to make your character look good or unique. But that's ok since the gear in this game looks so terrible, no one will want to look at your guy anyway. You will either be dressed up in your sci-fi clown suit, or you will be in the exact same pvp set that everyone else in your class is wearing.

    The only strength of this game is its solo questing with full voice acted cut scenes. In an mmo setting, who gives a **** about single player cutscenes? Its a side detail at best, and yet that was their main focus. You can tell Bioware doesn't have their priorities straight about what makes a great MMO game. I made it to level 50 with a pvp valor rank of 52 in my three weeks here, and I wish I had not bought the game. But at least they won't even get one month of subscription fees out of me. Star Wars fans will enjoy this game I'm sure, but gamers looking for a solid MMO, with intense competitive pvp gameplay should look elsewhere. If they were going to copy WoW, they should have copied all of it, because this game isn't much fun, especially at the level cap.

    For $300 million dollars, Bioware has created a turd that hasn't even been polished yet.    … Expand
  74. Adadgultm
    Jan 7, 2012
    9
    I can't believe some of these people on here are able to function in normal society...
    This game is fantastic and if you haven't picked it up yet you owe it to yourself to do so. Yes, it is an mmorpg and has many of the staples that every other mmorpg has. If you don't like mmorpg's, don't play them. Does the game have similarites to WoW? Of course it does. However, it is much better    I can't believe some of these people on here are able to function in normal society...
    This game is fantastic and if you haven't picked it up yet you owe it to yourself to do so. Yes, it is an mmorpg and has many of the staples that every other mmorpg has. If you don't like mmorpg's, don't play them. Does the game have similarites to WoW? Of course it does. However, it is much better in every way. The story elements are fantastic, no longer do you right click an exclamtion point and hit accept. The gameplay is smooth and polished, and visually exciting. Never have I played an mmo at launch with as FEW bugs and problems as SWTOR. I say few because there are some minor ones, which will no doubt be ironed out with patches.

    You people on metacritic are ridiculous, I made an account just to make that point. It's like every game that comes out now that is "too similar" to another game you just give a 0. This game is wonderful and will only get better, you'd be doing yourself a favor by picking it up and not listening to these trolls.    … Expand
  75. dardar111
    Jan 7, 2012
    10
    I've been playing this game since early access now, it's just amazing. I've not had chance to get into the end-game areas yet because each class is so unique it's hard to decide. But now i'm playing an Imperial Sniper, from what I've seen this game is incredibly balanced and the story telling of this is out of the world. However, as it's pretty new there are still a few things that haveI've been playing this game since early access now, it's just amazing. I've not had chance to get into the end-game areas yet because each class is so unique it's hard to decide. But now i'm playing an Imperial Sniper, from what I've seen this game is incredibly balanced and the story telling of this is out of the world. However, as it's pretty new there are still a few things that have not been implanted yet such as Macros and Chat Bubbles, but I believe they will be diving into the SWTOR universe pretty soon. I've read other reviews on this, and anyone who is giving below a 7 is just a troll and a WoW Fanboy. Many having been saying this is a WoW clone, but no, this game is completely unique to all MMOs. The PvP requires a lot more skill than many other MMOs and in situations can really test your abilitys. Also, this MMO is actually a challenge, you must work for your luxury's. Be that gear, mounts, pets, lore or even ship upgrades, you will feel rewarded whatever you earn. But all in all this is new the the MMO family and should be given a chance and I highly recommend that you try it, you won't be disappointed.… Expand
  76. wkk
    Jan 7, 2012
    10
    Excellent game. Won't please any WoW fanboys though. If you are looking for another replica of WoW, look elsewhere. But if you are sick of WoW and the many clones out there, come on in. The negative ratings by many of you just shows how silly you are. On one hand you hope for a game different from WoW but criticize it when it doesn't feel like WoW. Stick on to WoW for life and spare othersExcellent game. Won't please any WoW fanboys though. If you are looking for another replica of WoW, look elsewhere. But if you are sick of WoW and the many clones out there, come on in. The negative ratings by many of you just shows how silly you are. On one hand you hope for a game different from WoW but criticize it when it doesn't feel like WoW. Stick on to WoW for life and spare others of your narrow vision of what is considered a fun game.… Expand
  77. hagelt18
    Jan 7, 2012
    8
    This game in no way shape or form deserves ANYTHING below a 5, such scores should be reserved for truly abysmal games. I would give this a 8 or 9 out of 10, but I feel the need to counteract the trolls. First of all, this is an amazing star wars game I would recommend to any fan of the movies. Second, the storytelling, notable bioware conversation system, and the voice acting are allThis game in no way shape or form deserves ANYTHING below a 5, such scores should be reserved for truly abysmal games. I would give this a 8 or 9 out of 10, but I feel the need to counteract the trolls. First of all, this is an amazing star wars game I would recommend to any fan of the movies. Second, the storytelling, notable bioware conversation system, and the voice acting are all outstanding. Unlike any MMO I've played before it, I actually care about the story. The main story arc for each class is very enjoyable and even the side quest stories can be interesting. I cannot understand the hate.… Expand
  78. RazvanDad
    Jan 7, 2012
    0
    Im very disapointed with this game. I cant bealive a company can pull something like this wich such huge budget. Behind the story/voice acting which i agree is very catchy (at least at begining) hides a lazy developed game, with little to none inovation, boring, dead, full of bugs, way too linear. It has so many wrong things im just puzzled it been launched like this. Ofc it have hugeIm very disapointed with this game. I cant bealive a company can pull something like this wich such huge budget. Behind the story/voice acting which i agree is very catchy (at least at begining) hides a lazy developed game, with little to none inovation, boring, dead, full of bugs, way too linear. It has so many wrong things im just puzzled it been launched like this. Ofc it have huge success at launch because of the big fanbase, but the real question, how long it will take until this game will collapse? Not long, because D3 /GW2 are coming.… Expand
  79. KETTLECORNASU
    Jan 6, 2012
    0
    This game is an abomination among MMOs. The asinine focus on telling cliched love stories, the broken PVP, the on-rails shooting all comes together as one big cluster of terrible mechanics. The story scenes are so poorly voice acted and animated I could swear they were created by a child using 'The Movies'. The actual stories themselves are so weak and tedious that I ponder their relevanceThis game is an abomination among MMOs. The asinine focus on telling cliched love stories, the broken PVP, the on-rails shooting all comes together as one big cluster of terrible mechanics. The story scenes are so poorly voice acted and animated I could swear they were created by a child using 'The Movies'. The actual stories themselves are so weak and tedious that I ponder their relevance in a WoW clone of all things. PVP - dancing cancels damage, 'nuff said. Now what would have been nice is an open world. Not only are the planets enclosed, but space consists of on-rail shooting sections that have absolutely no place in an MMO, just like the weak exposition. Add to that - the on-rails sections are really boring and repetitive. I hope TOR crashes and burns, it's a mess, it's a joke of an MMO, and it's horrendous.… Expand
  80. tttsssrrr1
    Jan 6, 2012
    5
    This is about as much time, money and effort as you can put into a game and still have it come out average. Underneath the veneer of storyline and the glossy Star Wars theme lies what will strike anyone as instantly familiar. This isn't always a bad thing, but in the case of Star Wars, it is. I just don't think many people wanted a Star Wars game that felt like Warhammer Online, butThis is about as much time, money and effort as you can put into a game and still have it come out average. Underneath the veneer of storyline and the glossy Star Wars theme lies what will strike anyone as instantly familiar. This isn't always a bad thing, but in the case of Star Wars, it is. I just don't think many people wanted a Star Wars game that felt like Warhammer Online, but that's what we ended up with.

    The PvP in this game is bad. The best solution they could come up with for healers is to put a 30% healing debuff to all PvP based combat. The actual combat is clunky and unresponsive. Stopping and starting movement is not registered and communicated crisply. Every class has a plethora of crowd control abilities, roots, and interrupts that will make the briefly entertaining PvP warzones into a mind numbing, headache inducing experience in even the best of circumstances.

    End game feels like a chore. The dailies are not entertaining. The heroics are too easy. PvP victory is determined by levels, team comp and gear. Skill in this game is based more off of understanding how your class works and targeting the right enemy and there is not really a lot of room for stellar individual play.

    I did not find the storytelling to be interesting. I just hope that I can enjoy Mass Effect 3 after being subjected to SW:TOR's abuse of BioWare's storytelling mechanic. In fact, once you get to end game, and you have to go through daily quests and daily flashpoints and you see that same story over and over again... you can't tap that spacebar quick enough.

    The talent trees are pretty much the standard "This is how you'll build and you'll get 1 or 2 discretionary points to waste at the end" that WoW is trying to move away from. Stats are already very inflated... SW:TOR is going for short term success by hitting the MMO sweet spot way too early. My level 50 has a 32% crit chance without any raiding. The mirrored classes don't really feel successful. The two faction system is so tired and boring. It basically forced them to come up with some pretty cheap gimmicks trying to come up with enough content for 8 individual stories spread out across 50 levels of content and two different factions. The talent on this game feels like it was spread out way too thin.

    If you buy it, you'll play it and you'll like it for a little bit, but that feeling you get when you are playing a solid and exciting MMO title won't last long, and in the end, this game is going to feel very transitory. If you are burned out on the standard MMO formula pioneered by WoW, there is not a lot going on here that is going to rekindle your interest in the genre.

    Even in World of Warcraft, you'd put in the effort to gear up because you know the next grand challenge is just around the corner, but what grand challenge does the Star Wars universe really offer that is so exciting to look forward to? The story before and after this little slice of time is already told. It's nice to be apart of something big, but the Star Wars universe is so big, you get lost in it. In the end, I just don't think this was a good way to design a Star Wars MMO and it sounds like a lot of people agree with this feeling.    … Expand
  81. senshi
    Jan 6, 2012
    9
    First off I have been playing MMO's for 13 years. Started with Everquest and moved onto many others through the years including Shadowbane, Final Fantasy XI, SWG, DDO, Vanguard, WOW (not much time spent in WOW) and Everquest 2. I show the games I have played so anyone that reads knows I am not just blowing smoke.

    About 2 years ago I just did not feel like playing MMO's anymore, I went to    First off I have been playing MMO's for 13 years. Started with Everquest and moved onto many others through the years including Shadowbane, Final Fantasy XI, SWG, DDO, Vanguard, WOW (not much time spent in WOW) and Everquest 2. I show the games I have played so anyone that reads knows I am not just blowing smoke.

    About 2 years ago I just did not feel like playing MMO's anymore, I went to log into a game one evening and just said to myself that this is just really not fun anymore. That night I canceled my active subs to the 2 games I was currently playing. Before that time I was really looking forward to SWTOR and even after I decided to quit MMO's I still followed the development off and on. I did go ahead and pre-order a couple of days after it was announced, I was really hoping that the game would reignite my passion for this genre.

    During my hiatus from MMO's I had some time to think about why I just did not want to play them anymore and what made me play them in the first place. Everquest and Final Fantasy XI to such a long time to level that you could go days without feeling like you achieved anything but I absolutely loved the communities. Shadowbane was just flat out fun to play when you felt like some PVP but that was it, no dungeons, economy was crap etc... DDO had awesome dungeons but nothing else. SWG was fun until they screwed it up with their improvements but could not attain mass appeal mostly because of the sandbox design, most people just do not want that. WOW was never really given a chance by me, I have the collector's edition still sitting on my shelf. I played for about 2 weeks and quit because of the obnoxious players that happened to choose the same server as myself. Everquest 2 was fun but I think this is when I started feeling like it was just not fun anymore.

    Having pre-ordered I was able to begin playing on day one of early access. Having played since the 13th I can honestly say that SWTOR has definitely brought the spark back. I cannot wait to get home from work to log in. Does it have some problems, yes but anyone who has ever played an MMO knows that there will be problems and with every new piece of content more problems will surface. Nature of the beast. The awesome definitely outweighs the problems.

    Cons:
    Ability animation lag. Cannot see this bug lasting much longer, not a game breaking bug but one that hampers enjoyment.

    GTN needs some refinement, it is passable for now but would like to see it improved.

    The UI needs to be customizable. I am running this on a laptop with an odd resolution, this causes some windows and bars to overlap oddly.

    Chat Bubbles would be a nice addition.

    The LFG tool is there, just type LFG in the search and it brings up everybody with their tag on but I would like to see this improved upon as a lot of people simply don't know you can do that.

    Jumping ability seems clunky and sluggish, one night I can get a datacron on the first try, the next I feel like I forgot how to jump onto a box.

    Pros:
    This is the first time with regards to my mmo characters that I feel like I am truly a hero and not just mage number 1100 or some Paladin who is not awesome enough to be protecting the king. The head of the Jedi Order actually asked to see me at level 3. Awesome.

    I can honestly say that I have not even so much as thought about looking at my experience bar, I am pleasantly surprised when I find the level up graphic over my head. That is saying something in the MMO world.

    Great balance between solo and group content. This past weekend I ran in a group all day Saturday, it was so much fun. Sunday I had to be on call for work so I knew I may have to stop playing at any second so I ran solo that day while having a blast hunting for datacrons with other people and chatting it up on General and through Whispers.

    I can honestly say I have not group this much since playing Final Fantasy XI when you had to have a full group to kill anything that conned hard or above.

    In every area of the planets I quest on I see people running around questing but I have not had to fight over a spawn once. Actually if I or someone else sees we are on the same objective we give a quick whisper to make sure and just group up. Much fun.

    The boss battles in the flashpoints have been a blast, you fight one who is a tank and spank and go into the next one thinking the same and bam, the boss disappears and you have to start dodging fireballs. Good times.

    Crafting has been fun, still too early to see how much money can be made and what will sell but I am very much enjoying the mechanics.

    This is starting to get fairly long so I will stop. I have to say thank you Bioware, this is the game for me and I will be here for a good long while. I am no blind fanboy but I know what I likes and I likes the game.    … Expand
  82. takingtheheat4u
    Jan 6, 2012
    10
    Where are the early reviews like G4's 5/5. This game is awesome and should be reflected as such.
    It is no doubt MMO of the year and the best total package to come along in some time.
  83. sintai
    Jan 6, 2012
    10
    I have played MMO's since the original EverQuest. I enjoy this more than any game I have ever played... Sound like a fanboi? Probably, but I have not ever reviewed another game, on any other site. It is quite simply, a wonderful game.
  84. Avidcold_Jackle
    Jan 6, 2012
    10
    Awesome MMO, one of the best yet! This game is nothing like wow, duh. Yet it does have mmo features like all of them, which would be ignorant if it didn't because it would not be a mmo then. For a game to be this good after just launching, new content and expansions is something to be really excited about.
  85. 23skidoo
    Jan 6, 2012
    7
    While this game may not be for everyone I have found it really enjoyable so far. I think that the varying scores indicate just how diverse the gaming community has become in what it seeks in an MMO. That said, I think the gameplay, interface, PVP (currently imbalanced), and questing seem fairly polished for a newly released MMO. I played vanilla WOW and can remember that the state ofWhile this game may not be for everyone I have found it really enjoyable so far. I think that the varying scores indicate just how diverse the gaming community has become in what it seeks in an MMO. That said, I think the gameplay, interface, PVP (currently imbalanced), and questing seem fairly polished for a newly released MMO. I played vanilla WOW and can remember that the state of issues people had were similar at the time but perhaps not judged so harshly due to it's innovation. SWTOR while not necessarily innovative appeals to me more than other MMO's mostly because it is a sci-fi universe and I find myself tired of the Sword & Sorcery fantasy settings brought forward in other recent MMO's. I feel I should give SWTOR a 10 to counteract all the 0's that have been given that seem unduly harsh, but I'm giving it a 9 instead because I do feel there are some issues that need to be addressed, such as PVP balance before this game deserves it.… Expand
  86. ristlin
    Jan 6, 2012
    7
    Read a review from someone who has actually played the game to max level and tried a mix of PvP and endgame content. The core of this game comprises two core elements: story-driven and Star Wars. And to be quite honest, if you don't love both of these with equal weight you won't like this game. This is a Knight of the Old Republic successor that has been given a facelift and a whole lot ofRead a review from someone who has actually played the game to max level and tried a mix of PvP and endgame content. The core of this game comprises two core elements: story-driven and Star Wars. And to be quite honest, if you don't love both of these with equal weight you won't like this game. This is a Knight of the Old Republic successor that has been given a facelift and a whole lot of real estate to allow for multiple stories to run in parallel. So you create your hero alongside other players of the same faction and, later on, next to the occasional enemy. For some, this trait alone breaks the whole attempt of immersion. But let's be real, every game's immersion breaks down at some point, and the ability to close the chat box (the lack of chat bubbles as well as the option to remove the name of other player's companions) makes for an easy solution to the common complaint of "story is moot when immersion is broken so early." The Companion system in an MMO is, simply put, revolutionary. It's well balanced to give you more roleplaying choices (gearing up, following companion side-quests, etc.) as well as eliminating much of the tediousness of crafting. Crafting also has a depth to it that rewards persistence. On the other hand, crafting is unfortunately on the bottom rung toward gear, being eclipsed rather early by PvE and PvP content. Unfortunately this game is far from perfect. The PvP, though ambitious in some respects, falls short of the whole Star WarsÂ… Expand
  87. ThaWiz77
    Jan 6, 2012
    8
    As far as MMOs go, at least the launch went smoothly. The first thing you will realize with this game is that they have copied a lot of what works in terms of gameplay mechanics from others MMOs like World of Warcraft. There's no denying that the similarities are plentiful. The differences are there as well though. Questgivers as well as your own character is fully voiced though the storyAs far as MMOs go, at least the launch went smoothly. The first thing you will realize with this game is that they have copied a lot of what works in terms of gameplay mechanics from others MMOs like World of Warcraft. There's no denying that the similarities are plentiful. The differences are there as well though. Questgivers as well as your own character is fully voiced though the story that is told when you do quests. Zones have a lot of instanced content, both for singleplayer and grouping. Graphics are good, but there are some bugs here and there. Questing does become repetetive, and by the time your reach the mid 30s in level you just want to reach the cap at 50 as quickly as possible because of this. But overall the game is solid and definitely worth a buy if you are a Star Wars fan.… Expand
  88. DrunkenMaster
    Jan 6, 2012
    9
    The game is an MMO at heart. If you don't like MMO's you will not like Star Wars. That being said what it does, it does extremely well. The story and voice acting are tremendous, as well as the game play is awesome. If you like MMO's and you like Star Wars it's a must buy.
  89. Fleeim
    Jan 6, 2012
    9
    I really do love this game. There's so much to do and all the worlds seemed unique. If you like Star Wars mythology you can find all kind of great things to read. Story is amazing (playing as Bounty Hunter) and voice acting is also really cool. Combat system is fun also.
  90. Mehowee
    Jan 5, 2012
    7
    A decent MMORPG that has followed in the footsteps of WoW but created a separate world with a range of innovative features and items, i.e. pvp, pve, spacebattles that die-hard stars wars fans will definitely appreciate. The focus is on the story lines while involving characters, this makes levelling up interesting.
  91. PearlJam20
    Jan 5, 2012
    10
    Been playing the game since the first day of early access and it's my favorite games of 2011 now. Well, it's a tough call between this and the Witcher 2 so let's call it one of my favorites instead. The best part of this game is the Bioware story, choices, and voice acting. It really brings a whole new immersion level to MMO's I haven't seen before. I actually feel attached to my characterBeen playing the game since the first day of early access and it's my favorite games of 2011 now. Well, it's a tough call between this and the Witcher 2 so let's call it one of my favorites instead. The best part of this game is the Bioware story, choices, and voice acting. It really brings a whole new immersion level to MMO's I haven't seen before. I actually feel attached to my character now as if she is really their inside the world. If you are a Star Wars fan and have been dissapointed where the franchise has been going you will be happy to know that this is the Star Wars you know and love. In fact, my Imperial Agent story has been the most interesting Star Wars tale I've seen. The visuals are really nice to look at and have a very unique style, however, there is a nasty bug where the high settings for the textures doesn't do anything and all you see is medium. While in conversation the high textures work but once out of it no go. So I am hoping they fix this soon.

    The combat to me is very smooth and rewarding, I personally love the cover system for the Imperial Agent and makes the game much more interesting. I always thought WoW had the best traditional MMO combat but ToR is up in that category I think.

    The sound and music is what you would expect from a Star Wars game. The lightsabers sound great, the pew pew from the lasers is just as iconic as in the movies, and the music is one of the highlights in the audio/visual department. The voice acting is suberbly done as well with some incredible talent like Jennifer Hale voicing the game. The worlds themselves are HUGE. So much to explore and see it gets overwhelming the further you progress. At the moment to control population the game uses instancing but that is only a temporary measure that should be removed shortly according to Bioware.

    I was thinking between giving the game a 9 or a 10. 9 because of some of the bugs and issues the game has but then again this is an MMO and a very large/ambitious game so I think personally I justify it as a 10. I really love the game and will play it for a long while to come.    … Expand
  92. i_like_games
    Jan 5, 2012
    9
    Let me preface my review with: Haters gonna hate.
    I've had a lot of fun with this game. I'm not new to MMOs having spent some time in EVE, but never playing WoW,so for me this was sort of a newish experience. There are some bugs which is why it's not getting a perfect 10 as well as the jumping mechanic makes it really difficult to get to some datacron locations (special hidden powerups) -    Let me preface my review with: Haters gonna hate.
    I've had a lot of fun with this game. I'm not new to MMOs having spent some time in EVE, but never playing WoW,so for me this was sort of a newish experience. There are some bugs which is why it's not getting a perfect 10 as well as the jumping mechanic makes it really difficult to get to some datacron locations (special hidden powerups) - it's not the difficulty but it just feels a bit difficult to control, in reality you should hardly ever need to use the jump so it's not too bad.
    Space combat is a nice throwback to rebel assault - great game. Although I would like to see something a bit deeper - maybe something closer to a starfox feel, but there are plans to improve it at the moment.
    Like most popular new games there are a lot of negative comments out there. I think this is common everywhere. Reading some of the critic reviews will give you a better insight if this game is for you or not.    … Expand
  93. northwoods21
    Jan 5, 2012
    6
    Graphics 8/10
    Gameplay 6-7/10
    Creative/Original 2/10 PvP 3/10 PvE 7/10 replay value: 5/10 Continued... (accidentally pressed submit on previous one sorry! lol...) Ok here are some very important gripes I think at least some players or ex players can agree with. Since publications like PC gamer and other "non user" reviews are writing nothing but pure gold about this game untarnished in    Graphics 8/10
    Gameplay 6-7/10
    Creative/Original 2/10
    PvP 3/10
    PvE 7/10
    replay value: 5/10



    Continued... (accidentally pressed submit on previous one sorry! lol...)
    Ok here are some very important gripes I think at least some players or ex players can agree with.

    Since publications like PC gamer and other "non user" reviews are writing nothing but pure gold about this game untarnished in any way... I'm just going to focus on the Cons or reasons this game really didn't meet any expectations I had for it.

    1.) character creation does not really let you create a unique character. You set your appearance, pick your race comprised pretty much of human looking people and aliens, pick your class and enter the game. For me, this is the opposite of what any player wants.I want to be able to spend hours thinking how to set up my character template before I even go in the game... and when I enter the game I don't want to be like every other player of my same class/lvl with just a different skin and face appearance. That's what us players call cookie cutter.

    2.) This game does not have a suggestion forums. I'm sorry but I think that's a pretty straightforward sign of how game development is going to go on this game. If your dev team is interested in what the players have to suggest or what their million base community wants from the game, they should have suggestion forums, no excuses.

    3.) The factions empire and republic only vary in storyline and character appearance. Republic fleet/ Empire fleet, the central hub of the game (think stormwind.) look almost exactly identical to eachother. The classes on both the empire and republic are practically mirrored, just like wow's classes.

    4.) There is like 8 sets of endgame pvp gear for any class and its 2 subclasses, aside from some color changes all these endgame pvp sets look the same... So out of 4 classes, and out of 32 endgame PvP armor sets, there is 4 seperate armor models! pure laziness. Endgame pvp'ers should at least have 2 choices of style on their endgame armors... come on.

    5.) the PvP Balancing is laughable. huttball a new pvp gametype for mmos and a lot of fun. the other two consist of a 3 point capture and hold map, and an attack/defend map that plays 2 rounds with teams alternating sides because it is not balanced enough to have attackers/defenders w/ the same advantage play only 1 round without swtiching sides. First off they will put lvl 10's with max level players in PvP matches and boost the lvl 10's stats by a lot... I've noticed leveling characters and playing a lot of PvP that sometimes as you gain levels your character will actually become weaker in a PvP match because you wont get as much as a boost.

    6.) getting your spaceship is exciting, but other than lookin around, exiting ship, and use you nav display/space combat... its kind of like just another zone. Never being able to fully control your spaceship and leisurely fly around and explore is a big letdown. I have very high hopes for space MMO's and they are never met.

    7.) server imbalance on every server. across the board there is about 7-8 empire characters for every 2-3 republic players. So we can throw any decent attempt at world PvP out the window.

    8.) the warzones are limited to 8 vs 8 matches. Truly nobody can call that "Massive Multiplayer"...

    9.) the lightside/darkside character choices do little other than display an imediate cutscene based on your choice. there are only a few items that require darkside/lightside levels and they mirror eachther, so it doesnt really matter which way you go.

    10.) chracter creation, zones, quests, pvp, warzones, flashpoints.... all these things copy wow completely in every way but A lot of the nice features that WoW has developed over the years, such as being able to refund an item you accidentally bought with hours worth of PvP marks, have been questionably left behind.    … Expand
  94. Hastis
    Jan 5, 2012
    10
    Really the best mmo I've played in a long time! Its the only mmo to date that is able to give me the fun i had when i was playing Starwars Galaxies before the famous "NGE" downgrade. Even if it don't have the same gameplay depth (i don't think i will ever see that again before a long time in a mmo, sadly...), the depth of the story really compensate that (at least while I'm doing it...)!
  95. Tkwz
    Jan 5, 2012
    0
    I think I can finally properly rate this game after a while playing, which I did just to make sure it's not wow-hate speaking through me. Well, it isn't and it makes me glad that my initial impression was accurate. This game is simply boring, I could go on for hours about every single little aspect, but the bottom line is exactly that: boring, boring and boring RPG-KOTOR-wannabe and it isI think I can finally properly rate this game after a while playing, which I did just to make sure it's not wow-hate speaking through me. Well, it isn't and it makes me glad that my initial impression was accurate. This game is simply boring, I could go on for hours about every single little aspect, but the bottom line is exactly that: boring, boring and boring RPG-KOTOR-wannabe and it is not MMO at all unless MMO has been recently redefined . Yes there are other players running around but I think it's a bug, since the interaction potential this game offers is equal to null and when you try to compile it, gives you exception and crashes your brain. And finally, there is nothing to do, once you hit endgame = there is no endgame. And if you try to do something out of the box, you get banned (true story, some people got arbitrarily banned for grinding money in higher level zone). Why on earth would I ever want to renew this subscription? Good at least I know how to sell it and recover most of my money, so I don't feel like wasting it.… Expand
  96. Monger923
    Jan 5, 2012
    10
    I have been playing the game since Dec 20th release date. I can say in all honesty I have been having a great time with it. I was nervous about spending the 60 dollars to try it out initally, but I am glad I did now. I have some friends on the same server aswell, and we group up to do Heroic quests and flashpoints. To make things clear about instanced areas, the game does have some, butI have been playing the game since Dec 20th release date. I can say in all honesty I have been having a great time with it. I was nervous about spending the 60 dollars to try it out initally, but I am glad I did now. I have some friends on the same server aswell, and we group up to do Heroic quests and flashpoints. To make things clear about instanced areas, the game does have some, but most of the game is open world like Rift or Wow. The instanced areas are mainly character specific quests, some heroic quests, and flashpoints. After playing Wow, Rift, and a couple FTP mmo's, I am like this one the most. Been a great time. Some complaints would be the Auction house interface needs some work, and many crafting nodes seem to be broke. But after playing the game for 80+ hours, I ran into no critical game breaking bugs, just some minor stuff here and there. Pretty good for a brand new MMO.… Expand
  97. Mako666
    Jan 5, 2012
    10
    This game is great, lots of fun, the best PvE I've ever seen so far in a Mmo (f2p or p2p), kinda wow clone with star wars theme (and that's great 'cuz I love vanilla wow but nowadays Cataclysm sucks so I was waiting for something like this, same gameplay, different stylah).

    It has bugs, but who cares, they'll get fixed asap, in 6 months I bet this game will be even moar awesome, with end    This game is great, lots of fun, the best PvE I've ever seen so far in a Mmo (f2p or p2p), kinda wow clone with star wars theme (and that's great 'cuz I love vanilla wow but nowadays Cataclysm sucks so I was waiting for something like this, same gameplay, different stylah).

    It has bugs, but who cares, they'll get fixed asap, in 6 months I bet this game will be even moar awesome, with end game raids and pvp shining in the sky like a bright star... just like Nar Shadda.

    Btw I've never been a SW fanboy, I liked 4 of the 6 movies (the original trilogy and the last one), and I barely knew any of SW lore before playing this, and i'm enjoying all questlines... so you don't need to be a fanboy to like this game ^^ .    … Expand
  98. iconicman
    Jan 5, 2012
    8
    I'm surprised at the many negative scores so hence my review.

    SW:TOR challenges the mold of MMO but falls well short of redefining it. That is no bad thing, this genre is certainly one that can only evolve slowly given the huge investment necessary to get an MMO off the ground, noone is likely to go for completely redefining it in one go. What SWTOR has managed to is craft a story    I'm surprised at the many negative scores so hence my review.

    SW:TOR challenges the mold of MMO but falls well short of redefining it. That is no bad thing, this genre is certainly one that can only evolve slowly given the huge investment necessary to get an MMO off the ground, noone is likely to go for completely redefining it in one go.

    What SWTOR has managed to is craft a story through the game that players can follow and be entertained with. Most MMO are sandboxes with camps you can grind through, or themeparks you can play in. SWTOR really does make you feel part of the world, with the excellent voice acting throughout the game and the overarching story for your character to take part in. What is even better is that you can solo (or with AI companions) through this at your leisure.

    SWTOR also adds crafting to the game but doesn't make it a chore. Crafting is levelled by investing time in it and using the cash you acquire from either questing or trading.

    The Companions all add another dimension to the game, providing support and also humour/ consequences to your actions.

    If you want to engage in group fun, there are instanced dungeons 'Flashpoints' that continue the great story telling and also provide social points, a reward path for grouping. Heroic quests also require people to group up.

    Finally if you want to take on the Republic/ Empire you can enter the battlegrounds.

    Most suited to the casual player but offers enough to keep hardcore players occupied but more content is needed in the coming months to keep that crowd happy.

    If you are a completionist you may grow tired of the missions on offer, still the standard 'Kill X number of' or 'Collect X items from' but that is inherent in MMOs. The voice acting and thought involved in each of the missions and the fact they are usually linked close to where you are questing anyway, does remove a lot of the tedium usually found in other MMOs.

    If you love Star Wars and online games, you'll love this game.    … Expand
  99. Meringue
    Jan 4, 2012
    9
    Most fun I've had in an MMO since the ol' Ultima Online days.

    Combat is weighty, crisp, filled with elaborate animation and aesthetics. Questing content is highly interactive and personal, also filled to the brim with good co-op mechanics missing in most modern MMOs. Meaty dungeons and elite areas. PvP is so-so, it has the potential to be really fun but there's some balance issues and    Most fun I've had in an MMO since the ol' Ultima Online days.

    Combat is weighty, crisp, filled with elaborate animation and aesthetics. Questing content is highly interactive and personal, also filled to the brim with good co-op mechanics missing in most modern MMOs. Meaty dungeons and elite areas.

    PvP is so-so, it has the potential to be really fun but there's some balance issues and queue issues holding it back for me. Hopefully fixed over time.

    WONDERFUL visuals and aesthetics again, let me stress that. It's so nice to have detail and cloth physics and elaborate armor in an MMO after so long. Very easy to make attractive characters, for those who only want to make fat people and space boogey men: Oh well, boohoo for you.

    In the end, I actually think it's a fairly so-so MMO (but there are aprox ZERO good true MMOs on the market currently), but as a good co-op KOTOR like, it's very engaging, very detailed, very fun.    … Expand
  100. Cavadus
    Jan 4, 2012
    2
    If you're a veteran MMO player TOR offers nothing for you. All of the gameplay and systems are absolutely archaic and ripped verbatim from World of Warcraft, the graphics are unimpressive, and the combat gameplay is incredibly stale and dull.

    The game doesn't feature a single sandbox element and dictates every variable of your character's existence. Also, the character creator and space    If you're a veteran MMO player TOR offers nothing for you. All of the gameplay and systems are absolutely archaic and ripped verbatim from World of Warcraft, the graphics are unimpressive, and the combat gameplay is incredibly stale and dull.

    The game doesn't feature a single sandbox element and dictates every variable of your character's existence. Also, the character creator and space combat are so bad that Bioware must be ashamed.

    The lone PvP world is horribly broken and routinely exploited. Open world PvP offers absolutely no rewards of any kind and the bulk of PvP is shoved into instanced warzones where a mechanic called "Bolster" allows low level players to get absolutely demolished by max level players.

    All in all there's nothing new in TOR and the gameplay is so old that you could read Greg Vederman articles and swear he was talking about this game.    … Expand
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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.
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  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.
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  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.
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