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. Ardonas
    Dec 21, 2011
    10
    I was an avid WoW player for years, but I would leave WoW for this game even if I hadn't already cancelled my subscription. The storylines are better than some single player games I've picked up, and the group mechanics work well. the lack of a standard lfg system outside of trade chat is a tad annoying, but it only encourages the player to get out into the world and meet people within theI was an avid WoW player for years, but I would leave WoW for this game even if I hadn't already cancelled my subscription. The storylines are better than some single player games I've picked up, and the group mechanics work well. the lack of a standard lfg system outside of trade chat is a tad annoying, but it only encourages the player to get out into the world and meet people within the game. I've played the classes on both sides, and they really are unique, though parallels can definitely be drawn (agent-smuggler, trooper-bounty hunter, sith-jedi) they're diminished by the stellar storylines for each class and the highly customizable AC's. Play this game. It's fun, trust me.… Expand
  2. Telpy
    Dec 21, 2011
    0
    Honestly, this game should have a 6/10 score, so why i'm giving it 0/10? Simple this is absolutely the most overhyped mmo of all time with the WORST ratio of money spent on the project / quality overall. Graphics is on 2004 levels, if you want the game to be playable on most rigs ok, but at least do a decent work on the textures. The questing system is not rivolutionary at all, the gameHonestly, this game should have a 6/10 score, so why i'm giving it 0/10? Simple this is absolutely the most overhyped mmo of all time with the WORST ratio of money spent on the project / quality overall. Graphics is on 2004 levels, if you want the game to be playable on most rigs ok, but at least do a decent work on the textures. The questing system is not rivolutionary at all, the game follow the classic "kill 10 mobs pattern", even World of Warcraft is exploring new directions but not this new title. Voice acting is fine for few hours, after that you end up skipping most of the dialogues because they are of the same, even the story is not engaging at all.
    Animations are even worse, the combat feels choppy and the chars movements are innatural.
    PvP is a joke, not fluid at all.
    When exploring the world it feels like you are on a monorail, you must follow a certain path.
    Bloated skill list, awful ui, no support for addons, poor interaction with the world, companions are "pets" and nothing more, poor char customization, all playable race are humanoids alike, no support for AA, auction house mechanics are terribles, no lfg tool.... and so on

    This game could survive only because it's "Star Wars", but honestly, the quality of this product overall is garbage if confronted with all the announcements done pre launch.    … Expand
  3. darth_karnus
    Dec 21, 2011
    9
    As can be seen from the spectrum of scores for this game, it's one of those things you either love or hate. Personally, I fall into the first category and believe this to be the embodiment of everything that I could have ever wished for from a Star Wars MMO. Yes, comparisons can be made to WoW...as well as many other MMOs...but the same goes for almost any new MMORPG on the market. JustAs can be seen from the spectrum of scores for this game, it's one of those things you either love or hate. Personally, I fall into the first category and believe this to be the embodiment of everything that I could have ever wished for from a Star Wars MMO. Yes, comparisons can be made to WoW...as well as many other MMOs...but the same goes for almost any new MMORPG on the market. Just because the game reminds of you another one, doesn't necessarily mean that it's bad, in fact it can mean the complete opposite, as with SWTOR, which takes elements from other games and upon combining them surpasses them. As is said, the student has now become the master. The fact that the game is fully voiced greatly adds to its appeal and makes it much more playable and enjoyable. The companion system is perfect and the character progression is well paced. Even during the common 'kill this' or 'fetch this' quests, the game remains interesting as one is always given multiple options during dialogue sequences. All in all, SWTOR is my favorite RPG to date and does so many things right that all of its minor flaws can be overlooked. I know which game I'll be playing several years from now.… Expand
  4. enrogae1
    Dec 21, 2011
    4
    I see the smear campaign has begun. I will try to be as subjectively objective as I can. This is no Asheron's Call, Ultima Online, or Shadowbane. It is as much a theme park game as every other "AAA" MMO to come out in recent years. It looms as a shadow over other titles, such as Age of Conan or Star Trek Online. It is supremely better than anything modern except for the one datedI see the smear campaign has begun. I will try to be as subjectively objective as I can. This is no Asheron's Call, Ultima Online, or Shadowbane. It is as much a theme park game as every other "AAA" MMO to come out in recent years. It looms as a shadow over other titles, such as Age of Conan or Star Trek Online. It is supremely better than anything modern except for the one dated title that everyone likes to compare it to... I won't even bother saying it because we all know which one.

    Does it share elements to this grossly successful "other" title? Of course it does. Just like "it" did, The Old Republic has copied elements from what worked in other, successful MMO titles. Is it a clone or a copy? I would have to say maybe, but it is something new and refreshing in many other ways. It is a theme park MMO... and that type of MMO hasn't changed much since Everquest (except to remove that pesky sandbox, which many of us still lament).

    Does it deserve a 1 or a 0? Of course not. It's better than Dragon Age 2, and even IT didn't deserve a 1 or a 0. I doubt any of the people posting such scores have played much of the game, and if they have then I'm not sure why they rate it so low. 1 or a 0 is reserved, in my mind, for a game that is unplayable or total garbage. That isn't even close to SW:ToR. Here's my quick breakdown:

    The Good:
    1. Voice Acting is Sufficient. You won't hear anything as well-done as the Mass Effect series, but it is adequate... and in places, pretty good.
    2. Stories are Adequate. The story lines in this game won't compete with a half-decent novel, but they are as entertaining as your run-of-the-mill prime time show.
    3. Group Questing is Actually Entertaining. I have always hated being in a group for questing in any other MMO. It's a penalty, curbing reward possibilities and just making everything take longer. The conversation and dialogue with NPC's makes grouping with a friend much more enjoyable.
    4. Instancing is at least Well-Done. I hate instancing... with a passion. Something ought to be said, though, about the way it was done in a way that is less immersion breaking here. Walking through a glimmering force field into a private instance with NO load screen is a step forward, to be sure.
    5. Art Quality is Good. Sure, the graphics aren't top-notch (see "The Bad"), but the environments are often beautiful nonetheless. You don't need Arkham City graphics to be pretty (Arkham City was beautifully ugly), and ToR shines here. Worlds like Taris and Nar Shadda offer stark changes in artwork that is easy to appreciate.

    The Bad:

    1. Character Creation is Severely Lacking for a Modern MMO. In the days of character models such as those in any Cryptic game, Aion, or even EvE's new generator, the customization in SW: ToR's character creation system is pretty much a joke. The mesh/textures on character models are also very "flat".
    2. Engine is Poorly Optimized. There are many posts on the forums about bad FPS. Personally, I run an AMD x4 Phenom II Quad-Core 3.2ghz, 6gb Corsair RAM, and a GTX 580 (GTS250 for Physx, which doesn't apply here)... and I'm lucky to average 30fps on max settings (ironically the same average as people with far lesser systems). Considering the lack of technically advanced graphics, something is amiss here.
    3. The first several worlds are very "corridor-ish". The worlds don't seem very big, there is little exploration at the onset of the game. You are funneled from point A to point B to completed objective H. 4. It doesn't feel "alive" the way an MMO should. The only critters in the world are occasional HUGE monsters that are too busy grazing to attack. This seems like laziness, to me.
    5. Sometimes combat does seem clunky, sometime it doesn't. Most of the time I have fun with it, and I suspect a lot of people's issues stem from timing issues with abilities that can be corrected at some point.

    These are just my highlights. There are other issues I have, such as it not being sandbox (they always said it wouldn't be, so this was expected), and lack of immersion things like being able to sit in chairs or sit on the ground without looking constipated. Despite the flaws, there are many good qualities here... so don't let the zero's, one's, and two's on here dissuade you from trying the game. At the end of the day, I have fun when I log on... for now. I'm quite certain, having been in the beta since early on, that I will get my money's worth before I stop having fun. Give it a try.    … Expand
  5. Dajon
    Dec 21, 2011
    9
    - Graphics: Ok. not great, but OK. Some zones really are gorgeous, others, not that much.
    - Character customization: Below average... We want more!
    - Story line, questing: Amazing. This is truly where the game shines. I have NEVER been so immersed, and it really IS hard to disconnect every night, because I really want to see more of the story. Besides, cut scenes and dialogues for EVERY    - Graphics: Ok. not great, but OK. Some zones really are gorgeous, others, not that much.
    - Character customization: Below average... We want more!
    - Story line, questing: Amazing. This is truly where the game shines. I have NEVER been so immersed, and it really IS hard to disconnect every night, because I really want to see more of the story. Besides, cut scenes and dialogues for EVERY quests is just great. The choices you have to make "a la" mass effect / kotor my not change the outcome of the dialogue (except for the dark/like choices) but it just feels much more like a "real" conversation. Dialogues in groups are awesome imo. BUT, if you're not the type of player who likes to listen to an NPC, you might not like it, because it's everywhere. So, as I read below, you will feel like "loosing" some time. Well it's a matter of opinion. I don't feel that way because I LOVE it. But I can understand that some ppl won't. Moreover, it has a feel of epic, right from the start. First time I feel that way in an MMO. "What? Seriously? Come on, where are my ten wolves to kill?"
    - Combat PvE: Feels more dynamic than wow (I play a tanking Sith assassin ), even if it is similar: GCD, CDs, ultimate skill every 20/30 minutes... they are all here. But the simple fact that there is no auto attack makes it more dynamic. You have to click on something for your toon to do something. As a sith assassin, there are A LOT of different skills you have to use at the right time, and some fights can be pretty intense (provided you're not 10 lvl over the quest). The fact that there are a lot of packs of mobs gives you a feel of epicness: You're not struggling with a strong mob. You're struggling with a bunch of medium mobs, which feels better.
    - Combat PvP: As a tank, I like the "taunt" feature, which makes your target do 30% less damage to everyone except you. Other than that, as for the "battlegrounds", nothing really new (it's nicely done though). The fact that the player's level isn't important in battlegrounds is nice.
    - Space combat: Nice rail shooting mini games, with a real star wars feel. Nice thing to do every once in a while. But space combat could be improved I think. I would love group and pvp fights, not in "rail" mode, in addition to what's already there. The fact that you can customize your ship with equipment, like your character or companion is a plus.
    - Group stuff: Nice. Bonus when grouped, social points earned which gives you access to specific stuff (mostly cosmetic, but not only)
    - Navigation: The map is really great, and clear. Even when grouped. Objectives are easy to find (that may be a downside for some of you ;)). - Auction house aka Galactic market: Could be improved. The UI does its job, but it's rough, and a few additions could be usefull. - UI: While good, it should be less "rigid". Checking for procs and CDs is a bit painfull as it draws your attention out of the action, for example. - Client and bugs: quite stable. Some players reported a few crashes in some specific zones that (should) have been fixed with the last patch. I'm level 30 and didn't see any game breaking bug (once, I had to restart a quest I could not validate, that's all)

    Overall, while being a little disappointed at first with the graphics/customization, the more I play, the more I feel attracted to it. A lot of nice ideas make a lot of little improvements, which make the game better than others imo. The fully voiced over quests are THE improvement (if you are into that, obviously). There is room for a LOT of great stuff (space combat!!) to come. Re-rolling is eased since the class story line are really nicely done. If you're in to star wars, ans liked kotor/ME games and stories (i.e. you actually enjoy listening to them) then it's your game. If you're more into rushing max level and then grind some stuff for your toon, it might not be the best option for you. For me? I have a BLAST and I'm enjoying every minute of it :)    … Expand
  6. intruder313
    Dec 21, 2011
    7
    They really have played it safe with this one, largely cloning WoW but adding a few nice touches that make things even easier and allows you to focus on the fun rather than the grind (so far it seems). Highlights include Space Combat events, Companions and Crafting by proxy.

    Very much marring the experience though are the horrendous PvP Instances, the blatant dominance of the "Mage" Class    They really have played it safe with this one, largely cloning WoW but adding a few nice touches that make things even easier and allows you to focus on the fun rather than the grind (so far it seems). Highlights include Space Combat events, Companions and Crafting by proxy.

    Very much marring the experience though are the horrendous PvP Instances, the blatant dominance of the "Mage" Class (this was abundantly clear in Beta so no excuses for going live like this) and the gigantic queues (which will subside).

    Treat it as a solo Bioware game and it's great, the MMO aspects needs a bit more work though to escape the WoW-clone badge.    … Expand
  7. MasterPJ
    Dec 21, 2011
    0
    The year is 2007 and Blizzard release a star wars MMO skin. They decided to concentrate on awesome audio...skipping all the other key elements: Graphics (Cartoon which makes the game lack any serious appeal), Gameplay (Wait...I watched the movies...is this really Startrek?...no wait it's meant to be starwars right?), Storyline (This game should be a racing game...why? Same loops differentThe year is 2007 and Blizzard release a star wars MMO skin. They decided to concentrate on awesome audio...skipping all the other key elements: Graphics (Cartoon which makes the game lack any serious appeal), Gameplay (Wait...I watched the movies...is this really Startrek?...no wait it's meant to be starwars right?), Storyline (This game should be a racing game...why? Same loops different scenery), Uniqueness (Did I mention the year is 2007 and Blizzard make a startrek skin for WoW?...dammit I meant Starwars!). So all in all - If you are 12 and fresh to the MMO's world, you'll be highly impressed if you had a lack of any education. If you have had at least half an eye open over the last 5 years and watching even just gaming adverts you'll see this game is just a 'cash cow' with little new or even an appealing environment. This is what is wrong with today's MMO gaming (SSDD). I think even some of the hardcore Starwars lovers will fail to see the appeal of this game. But it's new, it's shiny and it isn't Azeroth and this is the only reason why this game gets any ratings.… Expand
  8. xosso
    Dec 21, 2011
    10
    This is, without a doubt, the most fun I have had playing a video game in quite a long time. The few bugs i have encountered are going to be easily fixable.
  9. Darkstlkr
    Dec 21, 2011
    10
    If you go in to this expecting it to be like galaxies you will be highly disappointed. This game has more star wars feel to it than galaxies ever had I love this game.
  10. obro
    Dec 21, 2011
    6
    The only good things in this game are voice acting and music. Both of those things do not make a video game. Gameplay pretty much WoW so why even bother playing it if it's the same thing I have been playing for years now? Huge lags and ques and instanced zones. No sense of exploration since it's instanced. Animations are terrible for a 2011 game but then again BioWare never had goodThe only good things in this game are voice acting and music. Both of those things do not make a video game. Gameplay pretty much WoW so why even bother playing it if it's the same thing I have been playing for years now? Huge lags and ques and instanced zones. No sense of exploration since it's instanced. Animations are terrible for a 2011 game but then again BioWare never had good animations in any of their games. All in all completely average MMO interesting only in the beginning because of the voice acting but you soon start to skip it all because no choice you make matters.… Expand
  11. Xae77
    Dec 21, 2011
    0
    Unfortunately, SW:TOR is pretty much the epitome of what is wrong with the world of mmo's today. The Old Republic is a WoW clone minus a lot of features, content and just plain common sense but has Lightsabers. Character creation is easily the worst half assed attempt Ive seen in quite some time, even including Asian FTP titles. Models including faces are recycled between races, leadingUnfortunately, SW:TOR is pretty much the epitome of what is wrong with the world of mmo's today. The Old Republic is a WoW clone minus a lot of features, content and just plain common sense but has Lightsabers. Character creation is easily the worst half assed attempt Ive seen in quite some time, even including Asian FTP titles. Models including faces are recycled between races, leading to everyone regardless of race looking almost identical. The art style itself is pretty much a joke, it looks like the Star Wars kids cartoon. I don't mind the 'graphics' being dumbed down a little for the sake of performance or even "cartoony" but to do it in such a kiddie way makes me hate even looking at my character. All in all its A Star Wars Mod for vanilla WoW.… Expand
  12. Hobnobb
    Dec 21, 2011
    10
    An excellent MMO with so many different aspects included. The story and voice-over are just two fantastic things about this game - crafting, space combat, PvP, morale system, and flash points; everything is a blast.
  13. SonofQuatto
    Dec 21, 2011
    2
    I am sorely disappointed with this 'cough' MMO. The years they spent of developing and they bring out this????? Character creation is laughable. Graphics are sub par for a 2012 game. The world is stagnant and lifeless, mobs just stand grouped in 3's doing nothing. I have no feeling of a Star Wars universe. Quests are a chore. Inventory items unappealing like in LOTRO. Combat is simplyI am sorely disappointed with this 'cough' MMO. The years they spent of developing and they bring out this????? Character creation is laughable. Graphics are sub par for a 2012 game. The world is stagnant and lifeless, mobs just stand grouped in 3's doing nothing. I have no feeling of a Star Wars universe. Quests are a chore. Inventory items unappealing like in LOTRO. Combat is simply button bashing, doesn't flow at all. Kids will love it granted but most people with an ounce of intelligence will see it for what it is. bland and rubbish.

    I gave up on the story as the gameplay is that bad. Plus i'll simply go to the movies to see a film. SWTOR does a bad job of even telling a story, glossy CGI doesn't make a good film. Remember the turd Transformers?????    … Expand
  14. lockedigitalus
    Dec 21, 2011
    8
    I've played a lot of MMOs (starting with the original EQ, and including every AAA and AA MMO every released), and I really like what SWTOR brings to the table.

    Your class story is the central feature -- and most of them are at least interesting. A few are quite good. Related to this is the companion system, which is like having a really shy person in your group at all times that might    I've played a lot of MMOs (starting with the original EQ, and including every AAA and AA MMO every released), and I really like what SWTOR brings to the table.

    Your class story is the central feature -- and most of them are at least interesting. A few are quite good. Related to this is the companion system, which is like having a really shy person in your group at all times that might have quests from time to time.

    If you like a game experience similar to Mass Effect and Knight of the Old Republic, but with added cooperative and PvP features, you should give SWTOR a try. It isn't for everyone, certainly, but for me it has been a fresh, story-focused take on the typical MMO grind. A slightly different flavor, if you will, one that will please some and irritate others.    … Expand
  15. Menudo84
    Dec 21, 2011
    9
    Don't trust user reviews anymore, MW3 is a fun game and delivers exactly what's its fans want, yet it got a bad user score. I love Kotor, but Tor is better.
  16. Dickwolves
    Dec 21, 2011
    1
    If you hate yourself you owe it to yourself to play this mess of an MMO. Makes FF14 seem like the best game in years. From instanced EVERYTHING to combat that feels like it's been ripped right out of WoW. The game is creatively bankrupt much like everything else Bioware has placed their hands on in the last few years. A developer that is utterly stagnant of imagination or innovation.
  17. Nexecus
    Dec 21, 2011
    10
    Sadly alot of these comments people are posting are people that are having either bad experience with Customer support and are raging their anger off here... Real constructive critique is not really their strong points but alot of them are oldtime WoW players that have a blind eye.

    So since the majority of these guys cannot do a proper score review and just select the 0 or 1-3 because    Sadly alot of these comments people are posting are people that are having either bad experience with Customer support and are raging their anger off here... Real constructive critique is not really their strong points but alot of them are oldtime WoW players that have a blind eye.

    So since the majority of these guys cannot do a proper score review and just select the 0 or 1-3 because they are to lazy to objectively review the game. guys you all need something else to do go away from metacritic your useless :)

    To the game:

    The game has a sound story line for all classes making questing and leveling a complete diffrent experience while still offering the same old objectives (kill x amount of that on place y) . Customization, crafting and many other areas need work or players just have not explored deep enough into these yet to have a sound conclusion.

    So far the games release has been stable (dont think the whiners are the majority) with a few hiccups but nothing major. Because of this ill give the game a 10 just to give weight against all the retards voting rediculous low just cause they are WoW Fanbois.    … Expand
  18. Dangerous_L
    Dec 21, 2011
    4
    This game is hardly an MMO. It feels more like a single player experience that you could bring friends along with. I didn't find the grouping mechanics to be all that good, linearity is ridiculous, PvP is a mess, FORGET about exploration (especially levels 1-25)... People are comparing TOR to WoW. I'll tell you this much, I literally went back to WoW after playing this game. I'm actuallyThis game is hardly an MMO. It feels more like a single player experience that you could bring friends along with. I didn't find the grouping mechanics to be all that good, linearity is ridiculous, PvP is a mess, FORGET about exploration (especially levels 1-25)... People are comparing TOR to WoW. I'll tell you this much, I literally went back to WoW after playing this game. I'm actually telling you that WoW has better group mechanics, less linearity, and much better PvP. Not to mention overall atmosphere. SWTOR lacks any atmosphere, I didn't click on any of the worlds I played. Anyone who says this game has more polish needs to get their eyes checked. SWTOR may be worth checking out, like, 6-8 months from now when they work out the kinks. However, it is NOT worth $60+sub. If you're looking for WoW-type gameplay, go play WoW. It's established, cheaper, and works better. God knows I wish they would have just made this a single-player game.… Expand
  19. shadus
    Dec 20, 2011
    5
    This game is a disappointment. That being said It's not a bad game. First the good points... The sound is one place the game really shined, but sound alone doesn't make a great game... and when I say sound I mean ALL of the sound. The music is very good, the voice acting and cut scene sounds are top notch productions as far as I've played in the game. If top end sound is a priority forThis game is a disappointment. That being said It's not a bad game. First the good points... The sound is one place the game really shined, but sound alone doesn't make a great game... and when I say sound I mean ALL of the sound. The music is very good, the voice acting and cut scene sounds are top notch productions as far as I've played in the game. If top end sound is a priority for you give this a try, it really does show where the future is headed and what can be done with a good budget and being willing to put forth some budget on the sound. The crafting system is also an improvement over the sit for 15m and watch a bar repeatedly zip to the top 400 times system that has become common place in many games. The downside is the combat and feel of the game is pretty much carbon copied from another large aaa game with a sci-fi skin pasted on it. The choices you have with your character feel contrived and limited as far as real skills go. The instancing level the game exhibits with 300 carbon copies running around doing exactly what I am doing being "the one" is a complete disappointment and is highly immersion breaking. The problem is, in my aspects it copied from another aaa game, but failed to innovate on the same formula. After the previous attempt with making a mmo with this ip it's easy to understand Bioware wanted to be more conservative, but they exceeded the bounds of reasonable in the degree of conservatism they are exhibiting. People have been playing games using roughly the same formula and style since the mid/late 90s and many are beginning to tire of the exact same formula. The biggest issue is that the game lacks the innovation you would hope to see in such a big aaa title. The game also lacks the polish you feel in the older games in the genre that it is similar to. The game already feels dated because of the many choices they made with regards to combat and core game play with many of the free to play games showing better feature sets even. However, if you're looking for a very well designed game that is largely a sci-fi re-skin or you're looking to be a part of the star wars universe as your primary concern, look no further-- this is the game for you. If you're looking for something different, something unique, and a change in functional way a game plays, this is not the game for you it fails completely on that front.… Expand
  20. Tent27
    Dec 20, 2011
    4
    I can't stop shaking my head in disbelief. Am I supposed to be impressed with a 300 million dollar game that looks, plays and feels like a game from 2004? So glad I played it on my friends computer and didn't get it myself. Textures in Knights of the Old Republic look better. Don't believe me, put them side by side and compare. The new bioware destroys everything it touches, and Star WarsI can't stop shaking my head in disbelief. Am I supposed to be impressed with a 300 million dollar game that looks, plays and feels like a game from 2004? So glad I played it on my friends computer and didn't get it myself. Textures in Knights of the Old Republic look better. Don't believe me, put them side by side and compare. The new bioware destroys everything it touches, and Star Wars is it's next victim.… Expand
  21. Keieueuue
    Dec 20, 2011
    0
    I have to give this game a 0, since many Bioware astroturfers are giving it a 10 (because they thought that people giving it a 3 or 4 wouldn't fly with EA). It is absolutely not innovative, except maybe for chores like crafting being helped by companions, but then again, why keep this system? Why not design factory-like mini crafting games? Seems all the mini-game Bioware could muster wasI have to give this game a 0, since many Bioware astroturfers are giving it a 10 (because they thought that people giving it a 3 or 4 wouldn't fly with EA). It is absolutely not innovative, except maybe for chores like crafting being helped by companions, but then again, why keep this system? Why not design factory-like mini crafting games? Seems all the mini-game Bioware could muster was this ridiculous shooter-on-rail spaceship sequences. Everything else is just WoW copy and paste, which definitely is a problem, given many years have passed since WoW was released.
    You're going to pay a monthly fee to play a mostly solo game (as is exemplified by the companion system), with online interaction for unimaginative raids, and heavily instanced cities. The multiplayer aspect of TOR is a joke, everywhere feels empty of players.
    There are tons of dialogues, all voice-overed, which asks the question: did Bioware blew 80 million dollar into an animated novel? And the dialogues are abysmal. It's your regular mix of lol, random, and faux grimdark, which you've seen in the Dragon Age series. It's absolutely repulsive, and shows how much Bioware despises the people who play their games.
    Everything is an insult to intelligence. Dialogues, design, which is completely cartoony without being enjoyable, and combat sytem, which is mash 1 to 4. I can understand how Bioware devs hate themselves -just look at how they look and how they speak-, but they could at least pretend they respect their customers.
    Let's not even go into the storyline aspect, the retconning everywhere and disregard for Star Wars lore. Episodes 1-3 have accustomed us to the unending rape of this IP, but TOR takes the cake, when set in the KOTOR storyline.
    I feel personally insulted when playing this game. Don't do as I did, and don't give your money to Bioware. It will only encourage the video game industry to spend ludicrous budgets on stuff that does not promote good gameplay. We customers have to send a clear message that we want to play engrossing, immersive videogames, not animated novels (with writing worse than slash or fanfic) whose gameplay is copypasted on games released years ago.    … Expand
  22. Veimi
    Dec 20, 2011
    9
    This game is the first MMO I have vastly enjoyed since the early days of World of Warcraft. It just feels so new even though most of the basic functions are already similar to other mmos. No it is not complete but yes, it has the content and the design that anyone will enjoy. Do not, I repeat, do not let this game pass by because of the 0 reviewers, they clearly don't have no idea how toThis game is the first MMO I have vastly enjoyed since the early days of World of Warcraft. It just feels so new even though most of the basic functions are already similar to other mmos. No it is not complete but yes, it has the content and the design that anyone will enjoy. Do not, I repeat, do not let this game pass by because of the 0 reviewers, they clearly don't have no idea how to rate a game. I am currently standing @ level 22 with my Jedi Shadow and don't want to shut the game down even though I go to work every morning. Try it, you won't regret it.… Expand
  23. DarthPadme
    Dec 20, 2011
    0
    Let me preface this by saying I love the Star Wars universe, and love Bioware as a developer. I have been anxiously awaiting the release of this MMO for some time now. Now that it's out, and I've played it extensively, I cannot quite express my severe disappointment with this title.
    You've probably noticed my score of a 0 by now. You don't have to take my word for it, but this game    Let me preface this by saying I love the Star Wars universe, and love Bioware as a developer. I have been anxiously awaiting the release of this MMO for some time now. Now that it's out, and I've played it extensively, I cannot quite express my severe disappointment with this title.
    You've probably noticed my score of a 0 by now. You don't have to take my word for it, but this game truly earned that score. The other things you may have read about SW:TOR are all true: it copies directly from nearly every other MMO, essentially ending up as nothing but a "skin" for WoW, and doing nothing to innovate save the addition of voiceovers. So, maybe I'll start there.
    The voiceovers, to their credit, aren't all bad. But, if you're anything like me, you will skip the dialogue because by the time they're done speaking two words of text, I've finished reading the on-screen subtitles, and will skip ahead. This feature, while highly lauded, is wholly unnecessary and only serves to get in the way and waste time - lots of time. Once your class-specific line is over, be prepared to be bored to death by questgivers touting the same monotonous and repetitive fetch-quest speeches, with only very minor variation thrown in.
    Now, you might be saying that in such a story-driven game, voiceovers are required, and Bioware obviously thought so, spending exorbitant sums to try to add value to what is nothing more than a carbon copy. Frankly, they failed. The story is something I was the most excited about, and while the class quest lines are somewhat interesting, everything else can be seen as nothing but a failure. I couldn't bring myself to care about anything, ANYTHING, in the game, least of all my own character's progression.
    To begin with, character creation options are the most limited I've seen in an MMO, and that includes WoW. As expected, this is how you start the game, and right away I felt like I was missing something - surely the game wouldn't fall so short on something so integral (after all, the cutscenes show you (and your friends) prominently quite often). There are only four body types, and you had better get used to seeing them, because they are all very distinct. I can't tell you how many people I ran into that used the "big" body type, and all looked visually IDENTICAL in EVERY WAY. There is no individuality in this game, no personalization of your character to make you feel like you're in any kind of RPG. It's tragic how many corners they cut here.
    I'll gloss over combat only a little, because I feel like that's where Bioware really glossed over in development as well. In a word, it's BROKEN. Glitchy, mindless button-pressing, cooldown-watching tedium. It's your typical MMO fare - tanks, heals, and DPS, fights that require you to move mobs away from explosions, or bosses that suck you in for an AOE you must escape. PvE is brain-numbingly repetitive, to the point it might actually drive some insane. For the record, I tried playing Aion, notorious for being 99% grinding, and to be blunt I do not see anything separating it from SW:ToR. PvP is another story - I don't even think they attempted any semblance of balance, because there certainly is none. Pray you didn't roll a bounty hunter, or else you'll be using one of 3 different types of blaster abilities the entire time. Characters have no collision, so there is constant overlapping of people fighting literally inside each other, spamming their abilities willy-nilly, needlessly circle-strafing in place as if it even matters what direction you're facing. Again, this is very reminiscent of WoW. If only that was a good thing.

    I could say more, MUCH more, but I will spare both myself and you. This game, I am sad to say, is a complete **** disgrace, and there is no chance in hell they will ever get another cent out of me, regardless of any expansions or "improvements" they make in the coming months/years. I have been let down in such a powerful way, there is no question of this. Rest in peace, my hopes and dreams of an even halfway decent Star Wars MMO... rest among the stars with the rest of Bioware's broken promises.    … Expand
  24. fooskin
    Dec 20, 2011
    10
    The voice acting is the best I've heard in any game... ever, actually. Maybe I don't play that many games!

    I picked up copies for myself and a friend, we're having a blast. Cinematics are good enough to impress my wife, so I think it earns a 10 on that alone. Anything that'll avoid the wifes' wrath gets a 10 in my book.
  25. demosthenes
    Dec 20, 2011
    10
    I would like to address the frequent complaints I have read that "SWTOR is unambitious in its gameplay." Firstly, to blame a game for adopting an existing archetype is patently absurd. Infact I can think of no (major) game that is largely derivative of legacy titles. WoW borrowed from Everquest, which borrowed from Ultima and so-on. The fact that combat in SWTOR is similar to WoW is onlyI would like to address the frequent complaints I have read that "SWTOR is unambitious in its gameplay." Firstly, to blame a game for adopting an existing archetype is patently absurd. Infact I can think of no (major) game that is largely derivative of legacy titles. WoW borrowed from Everquest, which borrowed from Ultima and so-on. The fact that combat in SWTOR is similar to WoW is only symptomatic of the genre itself, not necessarily of any intellectual laziness on the part of Bioware. Conversely I would argue that SWTOR is perhaps one of the MOST ambitious MMOs to date. Integrating single player continuity with MMO social structure has never been done before, and SWTOR accomplishes it beautifully. Let alone fully voice acting the entire 1000+ hours of content is completely unheard of for an MMO! After coming off of my first day of SWTOR I feel vindicated with my decision to purchase it so early. Not only is the storyline engrossing, but the combat, UI, and metagame were better than any game I've seen to date. Those of you who dislike the conventions of MMORPGs should not be surprised when you encounter the same archetypes of play in SWTOR. If you do not enjoy leveling, min-maxing, or instancing than I would not recommend SWTOR to you. As with any MMO there is a degree of grind, but I believe Bioware has done its utmost to eliminate the drugery of grind with engaging storylines. Ultimately SWTOR is a spiritual successor to the philosophies of bioware's first Star Wars IP: KOTOR, but placed within the conventions of a modern MMORPG. A fantastic purchase, I have no doubt I will be playing this game for many months to come.… Expand
  26. Publicius
    Dec 20, 2011
    7
    There's been a mixed bag of reviews here. Plenty of WoW comparisons, however I've never played WoW, but have played other MMO's such as Swg, Lotro, and Sto. As such I find this game somewhat difficult to judge. The VO is a nice addition to MMO playing, but you also have your typical kill that, kill this quest (which every MMO does). The class story lines are decent, some predictable,There's been a mixed bag of reviews here. Plenty of WoW comparisons, however I've never played WoW, but have played other MMO's such as Swg, Lotro, and Sto. As such I find this game somewhat difficult to judge. The VO is a nice addition to MMO playing, but you also have your typical kill that, kill this quest (which every MMO does). The class story lines are decent, some predictable, others not. The zone design and planetary design is very linear..however there is room for expansion. Having played in beta I've paid attention to the various progressions of the game. There is certainly room for improvement, in many areas of the game. However, if you like the star wars genre, you'll most certainly appreciate the game. The game has a decent ground to build off of, provided it's handled in thecorrect manner, which remains to be seen. For the most part it is your typical MMO, theres nothing surprising or jaw dropping from any other MMO (except maybe the VO), however it can be quite fun if you look past some little flaws. I would encourage to make your own conclusions based on your play, but would recommend the standard edition only, as the game is not worth spending the cash on the collectors edition.… Expand
  27. shalott
    Dec 20, 2011
    9
    I'm rather shocked to see so many negative reviews here. I've been loving the game so far (playing it since Early Access), and all the friends with which I'm playing seem to be having a blast as well. I admit that it started off a bit slow, and the graphics threw me off at first, but the quests became more involving as the game went on, IMO, and by the time I reached Coruscant, I wasI'm rather shocked to see so many negative reviews here. I've been loving the game so far (playing it since Early Access), and all the friends with which I'm playing seem to be having a blast as well. I admit that it started off a bit slow, and the graphics threw me off at first, but the quests became more involving as the game went on, IMO, and by the time I reached Coruscant, I was hooked.

    I suppose combat is similar to WoW, but that's not a turn-off for me (I'm still a semi-hardcore raider) -- your mileage may vary, of course. Honestly, I don't really care about the combat at this point. It might be an issue at end-game once I've run out of quests, but that's a long way off. What I love is the sense of immersion, of wonder while running through the avenues of Coruscant, uncertainty while wrestling with one of the game's many moral dilemmas, cheer when sauntering into a cantina with trippy music and pole-dancing girls. I love the companion system, which adds an extra level to each dialogue choice, since every companion has their own personalities and value systems and will pass judgment on your decisions according to them. I love the crafting system, which allows me to do something constructive even when I'm idling in a city, alt-tabbed out or chatting in Vent.

    Is the game perfect? No. I would like to see more NPCs to interact with -- not quest-givers (I already feel like there are almost too many quests), just people that might spout off a random, hilarious line or two, same as in the Dragon Age/Baldur's Gate series or, of course, my beloved Planescape: Torment. I'd like some more humor in the quests and companion banter, although perhaps I've been shooting myself in the foot by playing an ultra goody-two-shoes Jedi; I really enjoy grouping with less determinedly virtuous friends and listening to the responses they can toss out without losing my own Light Side points.

    I'm only about a third of the way through my first character playthrough so far, so I can't guarantee that the bloom will last, but thus far, I feel like the game is giving me a really solid single-player experience while also allowing me to reap the benefits of grouping with friends (dungeons aren't scary anymore! I don't have to micro-manage every member of my party, or worry about their pathing, or about them running ahead bravely to get themselves killed!)

    I appreciate that others clearly didn't find what they were looking for in SW:TOR, but I've just been getting so much enjoyment out of the game, it's ridiculous, and that's with the core game as it stands -- the thought of what updates and expansions can do for this world makes my heart go pitter-pat.    … Expand
  28. Dolar
    Dec 20, 2011
    3
    This is a very well done WoW like mmo. The combat is a little more active, but not by a great deal. This is a game that feels like a MMO made 10 years ago. It is missing most of the modern MMO player convinces like a group finder, dual specialization, and several other features.. This is more like 8 single player games than a real MMO.

    Now the launch issues are numerous, 2 to 4 hour    This is a very well done WoW like mmo. The combat is a little more active, but not by a great deal. This is a game that feels like a MMO made 10 years ago. It is missing most of the modern MMO player convinces like a group finder, dual specialization, and several other features.. This is more like 8 single player games than a real MMO.

    Now the launch issues are numerous, 2 to 4 hour queues. Origin issues many people bought the game and were never set cd keys. CD keys not shipping with boxed copies of the game. There is a whole world in the game that will instantly crash the client and put you at the end of a 4 hour queue over and over. And the kicker? This has been known for more than a week and was never affress at all. CS when you speak with them have no idea what you are even asking them to do, and it can take up to 6 hours to get a phone reply, 2 hours in live chat, Forum you will be ignored, and I was told the Email support had a 4 week backlog as of tonight. Tons of technical issues, this game was not ready for launch. It is sad because a little more work and I think it could be great.    … Expand
  29. dspair
    Dec 20, 2011
    1
    This game is just a copy-paste of the World of Warcraft with the good voice acting. Nothing new, nothing special, even the interface is the same - another one soulless wow clone.
  30. donkeycum
    Dec 20, 2011
    5
    It feels very unpolished. Ill consider trying ti again in 6-12 months, hopefully its been patched and polished a little more by then.
    It doesnt feel innovative and in fact feels like a clone of WoW minus the 10 years of polish.
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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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