Star Wars: The Old Republic

 PC
User Score
6.0

Mixed or average reviews- based on 2879 Ratings

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

Review this game

  1. Your Score
    0 out of 10
    Rate this:
    • 10
    • 9
    • 8
    • 7
    • 6
    • 5
    • 4
    • 3
    • 2
    • 1
    • 0
    • 0
  1. Submit
  2. Check Spelling
view
per page
  1. supernaturality
    Mar 14, 2013
    2
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. First of all, I have to congratulate Bioware for giving men very ample buttocks (unlike, for instance, Star Trek Online which doesn't have the ability to make a cute guy). Although sexy backsides are out of place on the uglier guys in the name (and there are plenty), there is plenty of NPC eye candy to go around. However, that brings me to a big problem. Running around massacring cute guys is not my idea of fun. For instance, there's a section of Coruscant where ordinary guys supposedly were given vigilante control. I can't remember the name of them, but it's a very thin plot idea, particularly with the way things are set up. We aren't talking about a small gang here, but a giant sprawling army, spread into little pockets everywhere. The army is equipped in some places with medical guys who are very cute, both in terms of face and body, and it's frankly very sad to be forced to shoot them. In fact, one of them looked exactly like my in-game husband (the Legacy system let me marry my other character), which was not only surreal but offensive. It also makes little sense from a Star Wars morality perspective. I'm supposedly a light side character and I get off on killing vast amounts of people like medical assistants because my character is a "scoundrel"? This isn't Star Wars at all. This is really Massacre Central. The only light and dark morality consists of lame dialogue and lamer plot options. I can't believe so much money was spent to make this game. Shoving big-breasted women at me, one after the other, with flirt options is heavy-handed, too. There is no man-to-man alternative unless you're talking about very limited ghetto options on pay-to-gay Makeb. The inability to run for free players is too punitive, as is the inability to have two function bars visible. It's also lame that you are awarded an item that lets you modify your companion's appearance but can't use it. What kind of game gives people items and says what you were given is completely useless? That's not a reward system. A game developer walks a very fine line between being patronizing to players and motivating them to spend money.

    People say they play the game for the story, but as a gay player, the only thing I'd be interested in at all is finding some romance, and there is none to be had. I got my fill of massacring bored groups of milling creatures and men right away. Plus, even if romance with my companion, Corso, were possible, something would have to be done about his face. Oh, that's right... can't use the customization item that I was rewarded with. It's ironic that the most memorable thing to happen to me in this game was feeling sad when looking down at the fetching body of a medical dude in that Coruscant section. I did not feel like a hero, only a butcher.    … Expand
  2. okristian
    Mar 13, 2013
    0
    The beginning was about as interesting as watching paint dry. The NPC dialogues were horrific and you were basically just asked to go around fixing and/or disabling stuff for people you don't care about. This is bad in a game that promised good stories and interesting NPC's.

    The companion you get is very annoying and you basically have to keep using him unless you want to get molested    The beginning was about as interesting as watching paint dry. The NPC dialogues were horrific and you were basically just asked to go around fixing and/or disabling stuff for people you don't care about. This is bad in a game that promised good stories and interesting NPC's.

    The companion you get is very annoying and you basically have to keep using him unless you want to get molested by the enemies in the game while not in a group of real people since the game is balanced around using your companion. It got better once you get to the first Flashpoints and group missions. The game started actually being fun after trudging trough the first 10 or so levels.

    It was all good until I hit lvl 16 and Bioware/EA whatever decided to KEEP MY ACCOUNT HOSTAGE.
    Now all I get when I try logging into my character is this line:

    "To continue playing this character, you must validate an email address for your account. You may validate your email by visiting https://account.swtor.com/user/info."

    It just takes you to your basic information page on swtor.com. No apparent place to to any kind of validating. My e-mail is already there and I have even bought stuff on the account while being registered with that e-mail. Inputting a different e-mail address sends this to the new e-mail address you use:

    Locrin:

    "We have received your request to update your email address for the Star Wars™: The Old Republic™ website. To complete this request, simply click here to verify your email address.

    Remember, if you have a linked EA account, it will be changed with the new email address."

    Clicking the link in the mail only gives you this error: "An error has occurred.
    Your email address could not be validated.

    Please check the URL and try again."

    And since I am not a monthly subscriber, but only a guy that sometimes use the real money market for the stuff I want I AM CUT OFF FROM ANY KIND OF CUSTOMER SUPPORT.    … Expand
  3. SumoScott
    Mar 9, 2013
    10
    Although in terms of gameplay mechanics The Old Republic closely resembles World of Warcraft, it's not just another MMO. It's a full-blooded RPG that makes your character important from the start and tells stories that are worth following. It also allows you to enjoy them alone if you're not keen on that whole multiplayer thing.The addition of free-to-play has further broadened it's appeal!
  4. Gargus
    Mar 8, 2013
    1
    The issue with this game is it's just more of the same thing on the market now. Yes it has a few new trappings and cool ideas thrown in but the core mechanic that makes up 90% of the game is still the same thing as all of the other mmo games. The novelty factor wore off after a couple weeks of playing and I found myself doing dailies, doing the same routine every time I logged in and IThe issue with this game is it's just more of the same thing on the market now. Yes it has a few new trappings and cool ideas thrown in but the core mechanic that makes up 90% of the game is still the same thing as all of the other mmo games. The novelty factor wore off after a couple weeks of playing and I found myself doing dailies, doing the same routine every time I logged in and I quickly fell into a sense of familiarity with this game. That's when it hit me; I was bored before my free 30 day subscription was even up.

    All the good things in it I liked are the same things I liked about rift, world of warcraft, everquest and so on so I'll just cut to what I didn't like about SW:TOR.

    1) The engine and game isn't optimized at all. Even my computer (which is way way above reccomended specs and will run any game on the market with headroom to spare) never ran it smoothly, especially at any higher end settings. It always felt like it was running just a little too sluggish. Bioware said the massive complaints about performance were due to so many people running inferior computers but that isn't the case really. The games engine simply isnt optimized well enough. The graphics are subpar as well. I am never one to think that good graphics will equal good game but given a game where you're basically repeating the same actions day in and day out it should atleast look pretty while doing it. WOW looks better to me and it's a dated engine, but it's wonderful use of color and art direction makes it stand out while TOR has this underlying feel of looking like a dozen other games.

    2) It requires you to use EA's origin service. This is ultimately why I canceled my subscription and won't play this anymore. Origin was the last straw for me in my list of complaints. Origin IS spyware, it tells you it is in the EULA you agree to when you agree to the terms and conditions to install it. It also was recently changed to say you can't sue EA. There is a reason why germany (yes the whole country) took action against Origin because it invades privacy. I detest origin and again was the last straw in my choosing not to play battlefield 3 anymore. And as someone tried to point out in the comments section that origin isnt required, yes it is and the gams official FAQ says so. http://www.swtor.com/info/faq#170974

    3) The game is a theme park much like WOW. Once you start playing you're constantly guided through the game via quests and so on. It never felt like I got to explore anything on my own or discover anything because the game was always holding my hand and telling me where to go. There was no sense of awe, no sense of exploration, no sense of discovery because you're constantly having the game tell you what and where to go next as you progress through the game. It's like there is a invisible path of quests you have to follow through from level 1 to 50.

    4) The game is too easy and that makes most people you meet insufferable to be around. Much like everyother mmo out now the game is geared toward allowing in anyone who wants to play to get maximum subscriptions. In order to do that you need to appeal to the lowest common denominator by making your game as easy as you can get away with. Much like wow it takes little effort to level up and do things aside from the occasional time you need a party to do something (which makes it feel inconvient). You never get this feeling of accomplishing anything by overcoming a challenge because the game has no real challenges or penalties. The problem with a MMO like this and it being easy is that when it becomes easy then players get bored easily and bored players become obnoxious players and obnoxious players are players I don't want to play with. There is a reason why the majority of the player base for like WOW are petty, obnoxious and sarcastic brats and why the majority of the everquest player base are friendlier, kinder and more helpful and that reason is because WOW makes players lazy and bored by being way to easy to play and everquest requires work and teamwork. Even death has virtually no penalty, there is no real reason to be careful or thrill of being almost taken down. In this if you die it is just sort of a ho-hum experince and you go on not really caring, thus there is no element of danger.

    5) Everything feels like one big corridor. It always feels like you're being funneled through this corridor from one objective to the next. There is no sense of a large scale and all the areas feel so small and cramped. Once you have checked out a area it feels even smaller. At first everything was fine but it didn't take long before all the area, dungeons and so on all just start feeling like little compartments in a rat maze.    … Expand
  5. electroRogue
    Mar 8, 2013
    2
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I like this game, yet the restraints placed onto free to play players are immense. The total game killer for me was being limited to 200,00 game currency credits, yet all the things I need'd to "Unlock" my character were well above that :S, so ok you can buy straight from the cartel and not go though the player run economy (GTN) but still the same issue raise's again and again for things not in the cartel and only available though luck of looting or buying on the GTN.

    Other retarded things include skill bar slots you have to unlock via cash, to use all your available skills.
    Only two characters per server reduced XP, reduced gold, less choice in quest awards, only 3 space battles per week instead of infinite, 1/2 the inventory space, no cargo hold space, only so many flash point (special instance) rewards per week, No support only 3 races to choose from, no custom skins for companions, sprint training lagging behind subscribers by 10 lvl's same for speeder training, many more but the total game killer is the 200,000 credit limit. If you think you will subscribe, then may be worth trying, I personally didn't get enough out of it to make it worth losing money every month for. As a dip into game and buy something occasionally direct from the Cartel, would be nice, but too many restrictions on that method.

    The story is a little one dimensional, though nicely scripted with only minor issues in enemies being immune at the wrong time ect, or kills or switch's not activating the next step in the quest. Reasonable voice acting really help set the mood, music is good yet sparse. Planets are confusing, especially Taris with a map from hell I was forever trying to work out 3 dimensions on a 2d mini-map, with no visual clue or arrow system to help point you in the right direction. No voice support for mic which is a bad call for a MMO with PvP.    … Expand
  6. DustyPig
    Mar 6, 2013
    7
    I've never been immersed in an MMO before, but I felt like giving SWTOR a try due to it being, well, a Star Wars game. It didn't make me like the combat system commonly used in an MMO, but I began to see why someone would. The graphics aren't great but they do the Star Wars world justice; after all, who sees Star Wars for the realistic and detailed content? Being a Sith Lord is awesome,I've never been immersed in an MMO before, but I felt like giving SWTOR a try due to it being, well, a Star Wars game. It didn't make me like the combat system commonly used in an MMO, but I began to see why someone would. The graphics aren't great but they do the Star Wars world justice; after all, who sees Star Wars for the realistic and detailed content? Being a Sith Lord is awesome, and anyone who appreciates Star Wars will enjoy emulating their favourite character or creating their own. The free to play option is decent; it's annoying to get less XP and be forced to grind to progress in the story, but it doesn't feel restricting in terms of PVP battles and space missions. Overall, my main complaint is the grinding, but it's only bad because of the story focus something that is rare in MMOs. And if the player finds it that bad, all they need to do is get a subscription.… Expand
  7. jamvaru
    Mar 5, 2013
    8
    My first impressions (after a year since playing the beta, which i loathed) is that SWTOR is a good MMO with lots of potential for growth and improvement; it does seem to be interested in being the star wars mmo that the people want, though they are moving a bit slowly on the 'f2p', or 'premier account' option; i bought the $5 digital upgrade pack for the speeder and the 'premier pack' atMy first impressions (after a year since playing the beta, which i loathed) is that SWTOR is a good MMO with lots of potential for growth and improvement; it does seem to be interested in being the star wars mmo that the people want, though they are moving a bit slowly on the 'f2p', or 'premier account' option; i bought the $5 digital upgrade pack for the speeder and the 'premier pack' at $10 (about 1000 cartel coins) for the early speeder access and a couple of other things (only affects one character)... so $10/character gets you a very playable game, plus the $5 for the account, all characters

    -read my full breakdown on tumblr:
    http://jamvaru.tumblr.com/post/44304219941/my-swtor-review-of-sorts-that-is-too-big-for-a-raptr    … Expand
  8. Ellixer
    Mar 3, 2013
    8
    ToR is an interesting game, that doesn't mean it's necessarily good (though I for once certainly enjoyed the hell out of it), it's because TOR is a genuinely innovative as an MMO because it tried (and succeeded for the most part) to have 8 distinct epic class stories that suit any Star Wars fan's desire to role-play his own character, packed with the usual Bioware's consistentlyToR is an interesting game, that doesn't mean it's necessarily good (though I for once certainly enjoyed the hell out of it), it's because TOR is a genuinely innovative as an MMO because it tried (and succeeded for the most part) to have 8 distinct epic class stories that suit any Star Wars fan's desire to role-play his own character, packed with the usual Bioware's consistently well-written characters and plot.

    Let's get ToR's uninspiring if competent parts out of the way as quickly as possible. The music is decent but not used often enough, the visual is well-designed but technically unimpressive and the environment is hit and miss. Voice acting, on the other hand, was consistently good (or at least I thought it would). Gameplay is competent if uninspiring. I've heard many people say the combat is very similar to WoW but I've never actually played that one beyond a few levels at a friend's house so I can't really confirm that. Combat in ToR is neither as tactical as Dragon Age nor as action-packed like Mass Effect 3, rather it tests the player's ability to juggle numerous abilities to maximum effect. For the most part all you'll be focusing managing your cooldown and force bar (or other equivalents of a mana bar). Beyond that there are also many other usual MMO stuffs that I don't care for for the most part such as Guild stuffs, raids, PvP (which was surprisingly good according to most people), etc.

    Now onto the part that Bioware is known for, and for good reasons too. The writing and characters were on par with Bioware's usual standards, the lore was intriguing as well as fleshed out and the characters are numerous and distinct, if artificial due to the affection system. The story has ups and downs however. While they were well written and interesting, the pacing itself was severely hurt by the MMO format. Backtracking and endless side quests were the 2 biggest issues for me. Side quests kill any sense of momentum gained by the interesting class story and any remaining sense of flow is then finished off whenever you die by accidentally attracting a mob while fighting something else. Thankfully, the stories themselves when you finally get to them, are distinct and intriguing. Shockingly enough, the MMO doesn't just hurt the story-telling, it actually bolstered it in some ways. Having other people around actually helped me be immersed into the world sometimes. More importantly, having 8 classes mean that Bioware had to write full stories for characters that no one would actually write for a full Star Wars game, such as the story of the Imperial Agent, the Sith Warrior/Inquisitor, the Smuggler, etc. While there are ones that many people like and ones that most people hated, they essentially cover almost everyone's taste: the Imperial Agent is basically a sci-fi James Bonds (incidentally my favourite story so far), the Jedi Knight is your typical Star Wars story and the Smuggler is a humorous/adventurous story of a rogue living in the Star Wars universe. Furthermore, having all these classes provide the player with the ability to see the same universe through 8 different perspectives. As for the F2P model, yeah it has countless annoying restrictions but they're ultimately harmless in my opinion, at least up until you reach level 50. These restrictions are nearly all just either cosmetic or simply serve to slow you down. As a F2P player myself, I can confirm that these things are indeed infuriating but I willingly levelled my way up to 50 without paying any real money and that has to be a plus. But really, the game started out as a subscription game and getting a F2P model can't be a bad thing (for consumers) so I suggest you grab it if you have any interest in the game and see how it goes with the prologue.

    In short, I had a blast at the game and I didn't have to pay anything for it (I know probably should). People may say that I gave it too high a score after pointing out so many that was wrong with it but ultimately it boils down to how much those shortcomings bother you. Yeah I'd have prefer it to be a single-player episodic series (so we can have all 8 classes) in order to solve the dumb pacing issues and absurd amount of production money but what is here is a very entertaining but flawed MMORPG that provides a new take on the genre in term of narrative. Since it's also free, definitely check it out if you're either a fan of Star Wars or a fan of Bioware story-telling.

    p.s. Also I should point out that this is my first review and I rarely play MMORPG so avid fans of the genre should take note of that.    … Expand
  9. Jaz
    Feb 23, 2013
    6
    I am a Star Wars fan, played Star Wars Galaxies and the Knights of the Old Republic 1-2. I expected more from this game as did so many others. It isnt bad but it isnt great either. Pros: Star Wars, companions, crafting, combat animation, dungeons, personal stories. Minus: End game, repetitive combat, wasted transition time between planets, space combat, lacking small MMO details that makeI am a Star Wars fan, played Star Wars Galaxies and the Knights of the Old Republic 1-2. I expected more from this game as did so many others. It isnt bad but it isnt great either. Pros: Star Wars, companions, crafting, combat animation, dungeons, personal stories. Minus: End game, repetitive combat, wasted transition time between planets, space combat, lacking small MMO details that make world "real" like night/day etc. I was a subscriber, left and when i got back i found out that their "f2p" model is bad, even for me. I d still recommend to play it, raise a character to max lvl from each faction and thats it, dont ask for more.… Expand
  10. AlienSpaceBats
    Feb 16, 2013
    5
    It's Star Wars meets World of Warcraft! Players will no doubt get more out of this game if they are 1. insane for Star Wars or 2. love MMORPGs. If that's your cup of tea, jump right in. The Old Republic has done little to convince me to stick around, however. It's not badly made, it's just bland, and throughout I wondered why time was wasted making it an MMO when an excellent single playerIt's Star Wars meets World of Warcraft! Players will no doubt get more out of this game if they are 1. insane for Star Wars or 2. love MMORPGs. If that's your cup of tea, jump right in. The Old Republic has done little to convince me to stick around, however. It's not badly made, it's just bland, and throughout I wondered why time was wasted making it an MMO when an excellent single player game could have been made. I am impressed that the player character is fully voiced (Jo Wyatt, Jennifer Hale, Grey DeLisle) and there is a conversation tree similar to the one used in BioWare's Mass Effect and Dragon Age II but the majority of game time plays out as tedious fetch quests and lengthy, unnecessary and boring point-and-click combat.… Expand
  11. Scornholio
    Feb 13, 2013
    9
    A high quality MMO with an immersive storyline. The companions is revolutionary and each class having its own unique story is really darn cool!! The end game has me a little bored which is why this did not het a 9 or 10, but the journey there is absolutely incredible. Whether you are a Star Wars fan or not, this is a great game.
  12. Capo_Marmaglia
    Feb 9, 2013
    10
    Beh Star Wars The Old Republic veramente un bel gioco. Ma può anche essere bruttissimo, se lo si gioca in stile WoW o normale MMO... bisogna ascoltare, bisogna saper seguire la storia, straordinaria anche nelle quest secondarie. Bisogna intuire tutto l'immenso lavoro che BioWare ha fatto. Non un gioco perfetto anzi, ha tante pecche... ma siamo già alla versione 1.7, esiste conBeh Star Wars The Old Republic veramente un bel gioco. Ma può anche essere bruttissimo, se lo si gioca in stile WoW o normale MMO... bisogna ascoltare, bisogna saper seguire la storia, straordinaria anche nelle quest secondarie. Bisogna intuire tutto l'immenso lavoro che BioWare ha fatto. Non un gioco perfetto anzi, ha tante pecche... ma siamo già alla versione 1.7, esiste con possibilità Free to play e per di più esce già un'espansione (Rise of The Hutt cartell) questa primavera. Non ci vuole uno psicologo sociale per capire che chi dà giudizi negativi lo fa perchè attaccato ad altri giochi, ed ha paura che la fama di swtor possa in qualche modo intaccarli (impossibile, cmq, perchè swtor ha un pubblico molto più limitato del mondo fantasy, ed un bene così): 865 voti negativi (i fan di altri giochi) 1000 e passa i positivi (i fan di swtor) e solo 230 quelli medi (che lo hanno provato, e onestamente dicono la loro opinione). Da provare. Poi può non piacere, ma assolutamente un bel gioco, fatto da persone capaci a cui bisogna rendere onore! … Expand
  13. Pureray
    Feb 8, 2013
    10
    This game is Fun, Massive, and addicting once you get into your story. I'm not enjoying the free to play restrictions that they have since I used to be a paid subscriber. I'm still rating this as a 10 because of all the fun I had during that time, and the quality is wonderful like actually being part of the star wars galexy. Also Their are no quest boxes which is annoying and never readThis game is Fun, Massive, and addicting once you get into your story. I'm not enjoying the free to play restrictions that they have since I used to be a paid subscriber. I'm still rating this as a 10 because of all the fun I had during that time, and the quality is wonderful like actually being part of the star wars galexy. Also Their are no quest boxes which is annoying and never read they actually communicate with you with your own response and decision to make a good or bad choices which makes this game a must get now that its free.… Expand
  14. AnEwOkSeXsLaVe
    Feb 4, 2013
    1
    'Star Wars mask' to SELL TRASH. NO GOOD, GUYS. Talking about a WoW clone? Dude, they took the WORST aspects of WoW and cloned them. lol The retarded juiciness of the WoW art/story style at least made that game enjoyable. Let me tell you something, a basic quest chain in WoW had more story then this entire game. ALL OF MY BUDDIES and I played this game, every class. Empire are the'Star Wars mask' to SELL TRASH. NO GOOD, GUYS. Talking about a WoW clone? Dude, they took the WORST aspects of WoW and cloned them. lol The retarded juiciness of the WoW art/story style at least made that game enjoyable. Let me tell you something, a basic quest chain in WoW had more story then this entire game. ALL OF MY BUDDIES and I played this game, every class. Empire are the only enjoyable storylines (as far as the enjoyment goes...). Republic is BLAND. It is serious trash. It is BORING. 2 of 3 of us played Republic preferrably... could not stand any of the storylines. Consulars are notoriously craptastic and just painful to sit through. Nothing happens in that story. The game just follows the same pattern all the way through... generic and unoriginal. #1: IT'S NOT KOTOR PEOPLE. If you played Knights Of The Old Republic you most likely loved the sh@# out of it. Knights 2, sadly was rushed in development by corporate greed and had content chopped out and rushed to market (which explains a lot) they cut an entire planet for godsake. But still... decent and good game. This is nothing like those 2, at all. It is a sh#$ WoW clone, yet not fun. WoW was somewhat fun, this isn't fun at all. The dialogue/options and effects do not exist. 3 options all same result. No dynamics no change no effects. 0, I've played to 50, me and friends have palyed different classes. We've been subscribers. COMBAT IS TERRIBLE. Bland and so unimaginitive. You WILL BE BORED. Hit buttons for few more points of damage. Slowing skill. Ranged skill. The End. Tons of skills doing the same sh#&. No combos. You will see vendors everywhere, tons of gear, but that doesn't make a game. Who cares. Item customization? Modification? KOTOR2 had it for real. This game does not, it's yet again, a mask of something bland and terrible. Nuff said. Worst part of game: REPUBLIC AND EMPIRE ARE THE SAME THING. They mirror each other in classes and skils and skill-trees. SAME stuff, different names. The names and icons ar ethe difference. Period. The mark of horribleness. SPACE COMBAT? Rail shooter. You don't fly freely. Missions repeated. Shoot things poping in on screen. Character CUSTOM? Everythings human: Chiss: Blue Human Miraluka: Green Human Cyborg: Human with 1 additional custom option, (metalic crap on face). TwiLek: (almost exclusively Republic unless unlocked, only closest thing to an alien). Rhatataki: White Human etc. etc. No wookiees, no rodians, no trandoshans. Nothing. Companions, 1 at a time only. Trade professions, done almost all exclusively for credit-cost and by companions in backround of game. Same with crafting. 5 possible companions on each tpy eof class you pick (total): most all classes you pick, between 4 and 5 companions (all) are boring as hell. Flat personalities and wooden. Aliens add difference and can be fun, but almost none have personalities anyway. Vette was fun on my Sith Warrior. That was IT. Out of the other 15-20 companions on other classes I experienced, they're boring. You get a buncha dudes or you get what looks like underaged girls with poor voice acting (who all sound identical....) for romance options. Generic. Everyhting is mirrored in this game. COMPANION QUESTS? Terrible... mostly brief talking chains. My system is a few years dated... but still runs intense games well. This game... the WORST game for running on a system. Even with LOWEST GRAPHICS POSSIBLE this game lagged and glitched like Hell. Every time I naturally exit this game I get Windows Error Reports. Other times, my computer will hang on the desktop for literally 10 minutes.... NOT OTHER GAME DOES THESE THINGS. It's intoleralbe. My buddy has a max-performance system for gaming.... he gets stuttering all the same regardless. As most wil tell you too, with GRAPHICS, Highest and Lowest almost don't matter. My comp runs Highest settings amost exactly the same as the lowest.... program issues. Frankly the grpahics and LOOK of the game is awful and dated. The 'doo-dadds' to put in the world, like misc. objects like consols and trees... etc... few exist. You see Computer Consols stuck everywhere and htere's only 3 different types. There's computer consols on bridges for godsake... it's just a bunch of designer flunkees out of college rushing thorugh on a timeline with no care for quality. Push Product make reslease-date, charge-for or patch rest. 1 year passes, nothing changes either. Cartel Market. Real money/points store... there's not even anything in it. Different colors of same objects you get in-game. Or just junk like unlockable storage spaces.... you can unlock a playable Race for both sides for any class (yes, even if you subscribe, you are restricted as to the races to classes that you can play still). And that CARTAL DOLLAR SIGN IS RAMMED DOWN YOUR F#$#%NG THROAT. It's all over your windows and HUD.… Expand
  15. dkao12
    Feb 1, 2013
    4
    I waited till I turned lvl 50 on one of my characters before I reviewed this game. My honest thoughts are that this game was nothing but disappointing experience. as a MMORPG game, it's not bad but it's like any other generic MMORPG. As a Star Wars game, it was a huge disappointment to me and for a fantastic franchise such as Star wars you expected a lot. Bioware and EA failed to live upI waited till I turned lvl 50 on one of my characters before I reviewed this game. My honest thoughts are that this game was nothing but disappointing experience. as a MMORPG game, it's not bad but it's like any other generic MMORPG. As a Star Wars game, it was a huge disappointment to me and for a fantastic franchise such as Star wars you expected a lot. Bioware and EA failed to live up to our expectations. The cinematic CG trailers and the fully voiced characters were only the best parts of this whole game.
    - The gameplay was stale and uncreative; it does nothing to new to the MMORPG genre. There is not a single dynamic quest or instance (where is the Duel of Fates-inspired jedi battles or anything that doesn't have you kill this guy then go to the next objective and kill the next guy), it felt tedious like a chore. The space battles was a huge let down; just an on-rails shooter. Sadly, it was one of the only moments where it felt like Star Wars. 3/10 (Though I scored it low on this because the gameplay was terrible and unplayable, but as a Star Wars game it could have been a lot better)
    - The graphics on high definition looks okay but it could have been a lot better, espicially coming from Bioware. Character models look very ugly and literally everyone looked the same, if you compare to games such as Star Wars kinect (I know that game is awful but the graphics were better than this game). 4/10
    - The story was fairly interesting because it is separated into three chapters and each chapter has a different goal to reach. Characters and NPCs are fully voiced by many recognizable voice actors which I enjoyed a lot. The only real reward I got from each class quest was to see the story progress. Most companions were funny and interesting, and each of them had unique personalities for you to explore (even romance). 6/10
    - The music was great and fantasitc. What do you expect from Star Wars, it's awesome! 8/10
    - The lasting appeal I got from this game wasn't very good. Badly placed checkpoints, lots of bugs and glitches, barely a "free-to-play" game (ex. I had to pay either real money or game credits to HIDE MY HELMET), small server spaces, stuff in the cartel are too expensive, had to be lvl 15 to RUN!? (unless you're a subscriber...) and have to pay for an expansion. 1/10 Overall, I thought this game was extremely disappointing and the only reason I had to kept playing this was to meet my subscription fee's value. If you like the old MMORPG style gameplay and love the Star Wars franchise, I say at least give this game a go. AND I CAN'T BELIEVE THE HORRIBLE CLOSURE I GOT FOR ONE OF MY FAVOURITE STAR WARS CHARACTER OF ALL-TIME (I'm sure a lot of people know who I'm talking about here).    … Expand
  16. Aatirah
    Jan 31, 2013
    10
    I had my good experienced in this game. I usually dont MMO but firstly when i saw SWTOR promo in year 2010, it was like 'Awesome' i will play this game... and i dont have any regrets because its an amazing game.
  17. eempc
    Jan 26, 2013
    5
    An average game in my opinion. Of course there are some nice touches such as the voice overs but the game was just too inconvenient and frustrating for me. I define games by how much they don't irritate me as well as how much fun they are. This is an MMO, and repetition is part of daily life - therfore cutting down on the daily grind is important. So here are some criticisms. TRANSIT - IAn average game in my opinion. Of course there are some nice touches such as the voice overs but the game was just too inconvenient and frustrating for me. I define games by how much they don't irritate me as well as how much fun they are. This is an MMO, and repetition is part of daily life - therfore cutting down on the daily grind is important. So here are some criticisms. TRANSIT - I think my biggest gripe was with getting from A to B. The only automation was in the form of auto-forward (NUMLOCK) but you still needed to steer manually, and the distances were huge. Furthermore your path can be blocked by enemies who don't seem to have any purpose other than to annoy you. I discovered that sometimes the quickest way to get to your destination was to deliberately get killed and respawn. As for the taxis, I would go to the toilet only to come back and see that I was still in the taxi and had not reached my destination. Of course I get to see the beautiful environments but it gets boring after the first time, I just want to reach my destination! LOOT ROLLING - This has got to be one of the worst systems ever for distributing loot. The number of abusers of the system is ridiculous. I gave up on flashpoints and world bosses because of this stupid system. AUTO PVP FLAG - I wanted to play on the PVE server at first, but for some reason, every time I healed someone or shielded them, my PVP flag would turn on, simply because the person I healed had theirs on. I just kept thinking to myself, "What is this nonsense?" I understand the loophole in PVP where a non-flagged healer could heal a PVPer, but I'm automatically guilty for assisting my team mate in a quest? PRICE-PER-UNIT - The auction house did not have a price-per-unit column. I got tired of getting my calculator out to find out the price per unit. OTHER ISSUES - No barber. No interplanetary chat so it can be hard to recruit for the heroic missions. Lack of multiple windows (for shops, character stats, etc) - only 2 maximum at a time - and they close inconveniently when you try to get two particular windows open......... Some say the F2P game is just a trial - well I went through the trial and decided it was just not for me. Think this is the first BioWare game I failed to complete.… Expand
  18. Socratease
    Jan 23, 2013
    0
    My hatred of TOR does not stem from the fact that it was a bad WOW clone, or even that it was so repetative and boring.

    No, my hatred of TOR stems from the fact that bioware turned KOTOR, perhaps the most classic star wars series ever, into A **** MMO!! Instead of just giving us KOTOR3 like they SHOULD have, bioware instead opted for the crowd that would give them the most money.    My hatred of TOR does not stem from the fact that it was a bad WOW clone, or even that it was so repetative and boring.

    No, my hatred of TOR stems from the fact that bioware turned KOTOR, perhaps the most classic star wars series ever, into A **** MMO!!

    Instead of just giving us KOTOR3 like they SHOULD have, bioware instead opted for the crowd that would give them the most money.

    Bioware has no artistic integrity left. They sacrificed it on the alter of greed.

    Expect more TORs and ME3s from now on.

    The days of Baldurs gate, KOTOR1, and Dragon age: origins are over.    … Expand
  19. BalicanBreeze
    Jan 20, 2013
    7
    The game was pretty fun when it was first released, albeit a bit too similar to wow in how combat worked. The space combat was really disappointed, and dwarfed by SWG that's a lot older. The questing is fun on your first chars, but having to redo the same quests on alts is very boring. They dropped the ball on this game, it could have been awesome. I still recommend playing it onceThe game was pretty fun when it was first released, albeit a bit too similar to wow in how combat worked. The space combat was really disappointed, and dwarfed by SWG that's a lot older. The questing is fun on your first chars, but having to redo the same quests on alts is very boring. They dropped the ball on this game, it could have been awesome. I still recommend playing it once since it's gone free to play.… Expand
  20. Aristides1337
    Jan 11, 2013
    10
    Although the game did start off slow and many people left, after the key issues were addressed, this is probably the best MMO that I have played. So many different things to do and so much customization. This is truly a great game.
  21. ookami
    Jan 11, 2013
    2
    I was motivated to try it after it went F2P. After experiencing how heavy handed (and ridiculous) they are with what you can do as a F2P player I subscribed for a month. Playing a Sith Marauder I found the storyline quite enjoyable.. I admit it was hard for me at first because I played SWG Online on release and I kept comparing, I know they are different games but its still the same IP toI was motivated to try it after it went F2P. After experiencing how heavy handed (and ridiculous) they are with what you can do as a F2P player I subscribed for a month. Playing a Sith Marauder I found the storyline quite enjoyable.. I admit it was hard for me at first because I played SWG Online on release and I kept comparing, I know they are different games but its still the same IP to me. Anyway, while it took some time - I warmed up to SWTOR. The plus side is the storyline which is quite enjoyable, and if you focus on that, it is worthwhile. Regretfully in the end I must say that the storyline is the only thing I enjoyed.

    I suppose I should say I did not engage in PVP... I never do, in any MMO I've involved myself in, I generally avoid PVP whether SWG, WoW, EVE, LOTR, etc. Anyway, back to my cons on SWTOR. The space missions are entirely guided, you cannot really control your ship, and you'll find the map has only about 3 varieties, it got boring quickly. The environments are just boring and uninspired I really couldn't care what planet I was on. In most MMO's I can pick an area or world that I enjoyed. WoW - I loved Darkshore and Stranglethorn Vale (Before Cataclysm which I hated), SWG - Corellia... You get the drift..

    One thing that really killed it for me was it did not allow me to play a middle ground Sith. At ALL times I was REQUIRED to play light or dark. Even some of my choices, while I thought were just good strategic choices, were considered evil, or good... seemed to me to be a massive hole in the storyline process, despite certain... revelations in the game that I won't mention . They further press this point in your equipment as certain items and relics can only be equipped if you are one side or the other... this was not how I wished to play my char, and yet was forced to do so I could equip certain items.

    Other issues I had were minor but significant to me, like not being able to create my own waypoints on the map... Bioware's classic conversation selection was a killer for me too where your char does not say what you actually wish them to. I really mean this, you select the option for your char to say, "That doesn't work for me." and your char says, "You have failed me for the last time!" . I'm thinking... "waht?" Misspell on purpose.

    After my month ran out I chose to transition back to F2P. I chose to do this because there were other games I wanted to play though I had intended to at some point come back and try other storylines, happily thinking I would again subscribe. By this time I was maybe level 47, had not finished the storyline yet. To my surprise the heavy handed status returned. Although I was considered "preferred status" I could no longer have a title, all my rested XP that I had saved up was removed, my Piloting lvl 3 skill was downgraded to level 2 (after putting down a lot of credits for an extra 10% speed oooooh... ) some other skills that I obtained and spent a lot of credits on were removed or downgraded. My purple items I had obtained... nope, you don't benefit from those enhancements anymore. Heck, I couldn't hide my helmet any longer. This was so over the top for me that I just detached from it, I uninstalled the game, and will never touch it again. Bottomline is if you are willing to suffer and persevere through the nonsense of F2P then you can enjoy the storyline. For me I won't come back because beyond the storyline its just uninspiring and the heavy handedness of their F2P/Subscription system is over the top.. This game could have been so much better. If I could, I would give the storyline a 10... but everything else a 0, so I've compromised and given a score of 2. It is storyline, and nothing more.    … Expand
  22. critterman
    Jan 8, 2013
    9
    I haven't reached the level cap yet, but so far this game IS living up to the hype. I actually find myself listening to the person/droid giving me a quest, (or mission if you want to be pedantic about it). The cut scenes are welcomed and the story line for the two types of characters I'm playing are entertaining. The very small gripes I have about the game are minuscule compared to theI haven't reached the level cap yet, but so far this game IS living up to the hype. I actually find myself listening to the person/droid giving me a quest, (or mission if you want to be pedantic about it). The cut scenes are welcomed and the story line for the two types of characters I'm playing are entertaining. The very small gripes I have about the game are minuscule compared to the overall value of the now "free to play", experience. I'll admit that some of the character models are a wonky and somewhat cartoonish, but that sensation is easily forgotten as one becomes further immersed in the story line and game play. I would also like to see Bioware/EA open up the source for add-ons, but this is far from a deal breaker. If you have the hard drive space and the patience for the very large download, it is well worth your time and energy.… Expand
  23. CaptainChaos
    Dec 29, 2012
    10
    I have about 40 hours into this game and so far, I would say it's a 10. I dk the reason so many people disliked it, other than all I can say is that I have been an avid PC gamer my whole life, but shied away from MMOs, except Anarchy Online which I never could really get into. They just weren't my thing. However, this combination of story driven/MMO really bridged the gap for me. I canI have about 40 hours into this game and so far, I would say it's a 10. I dk the reason so many people disliked it, other than all I can say is that I have been an avid PC gamer my whole life, but shied away from MMOs, except Anarchy Online which I never could really get into. They just weren't my thing. However, this combination of story driven/MMO really bridged the gap for me. I can play alone or with others at any time, it's great. The graphics are retro but clean crisp, the stories are really fun, and the Star Wars atmospheres are just amazing, both in creativity and in breadth (politically as well as environmentally). And it's free, so if you're not sure, try it out. If you like it, try buying a few Cartel Coins to get a couple of unlocks and you will become a Preferred Player which is better anyway and not that expensive.… Expand
  24. calxllum
    Dec 26, 2012
    0
    Personally I haven't been able to play the game, why? Because of the security system. So far I have attempted at around 9 different accounts with different emails. I have had so much trouble because their system is stupid, and once I didn't even get the code I need. I have a text file on my desktop with the security questions and answers. Game looks good, probably is OK if you can getPersonally I haven't been able to play the game, why? Because of the security system. So far I have attempted at around 9 different accounts with different emails. I have had so much trouble because their system is stupid, and once I didn't even get the code I need. I have a text file on my desktop with the security questions and answers. Game looks good, probably is OK if you can get around the silly system. Oh, and I forgot I also have to put a capital letter in my password. Lately I have tried again but the website has decided my display name isn't allowed to be correct no matter what I do.
    0 out of 10, probably will go to a 4-6 if they change the stupid security.    … Expand
  25. Minsc
    Dec 19, 2012
    2
    Ohh what a let down. I was so happy when I first heard about SWTOR, I got a deluxe edition bought the game guide and took a few days off work, thinking it was going to be great. Ive played a few MMOs in my time, but I didn't even make it to level 20 before I was soooo bored, I just gave up. Combat is a simple sequence of keys, and nothing more. Once you know your skills, it ends up justOhh what a let down. I was so happy when I first heard about SWTOR, I got a deluxe edition bought the game guide and took a few days off work, thinking it was going to be great. Ive played a few MMOs in my time, but I didn't even make it to level 20 before I was soooo bored, I just gave up. Combat is a simple sequence of keys, and nothing more. Once you know your skills, it ends up just being press 1 + 3 + 4 + 2, and move on. So dull. There is no innovation in this game. Its just a rip off of all the basic MMOs, but with Star Wars stuff in it. Space combat is simple and also boring. Now that its free up to level 20, check it out and you will probably get bored before you have to pay anyway.… Expand
  26. reg345
    Dec 19, 2012
    10
    The voice acting is marvelous and like nothing ever done in MMOs before, It's the type of thing that's bound to influence the genre (and it has). Great game! I think at its current state it has soooo much potential but it's up to EA/Bioware to make it happen. It's a very game as is and I think it can get way better. Truly one of the better MMOs in recent times.
  27. Zackis
    Dec 19, 2012
    7
    F2P review. much more polished than the original release. Pro: More people on the world to interact with, new content seems consistent,PvP keeps getting added war zones, fully customizable gear and clothes. Con: after the end of you story line it becomes a gear grind, not a ton of end game content. Still worth a look as it is free.
  28. AlphaLlama
    Dec 17, 2012
    8
    Where do i start with SWTOR ? to start with i wont lie this game upon release was very very buggy. There is also no doubt in my mind at least that it seems like the developers released this game way too early to meet a unrealistic marketing schedule. But after playing this game for a while now and seeing the game overcome the initial bugs and unbalanced issues i will say the game is now aWhere do i start with SWTOR ? to start with i wont lie this game upon release was very very buggy. There is also no doubt in my mind at least that it seems like the developers released this game way too early to meet a unrealistic marketing schedule. But after playing this game for a while now and seeing the game overcome the initial bugs and unbalanced issues i will say the game is now a lot more highly polished and worthy of most gamers time. If you are a star wars fan this game is now a no brainer, the cost of the game is low and is either free to play of a very low monthly sub to enjoy a game with a few more shinies than the free to play players. I can honestly say ive wasted a lot more money on games not half as good as this game so give it a whirl. If you are a new player you are coming to the game at just the right time.… Expand
  29. lostsideproject
    Dec 15, 2012
    3
    This game is buggy. Free to play players cannot submit a help ticket. This is a strategy to get subscribers. They let you play until issues inevitably arise, then, the only way to get help is to pay up. Bingo. Another subscriber. When my game kicks me out to windows at the last part of a group instance and I cannot do any other quests because of the order of things being locled up, itThis game is buggy. Free to play players cannot submit a help ticket. This is a strategy to get subscribers. They let you play until issues inevitably arise, then, the only way to get help is to pay up. Bingo. Another subscriber. When my game kicks me out to windows at the last part of a group instance and I cannot do any other quests because of the order of things being locled up, it makes the game unplayable. Get the bottom-line board room execs out of my gaming experience. They are most certainly the main characters in "The Old Republic".… Expand
  30. kane148
    Dec 13, 2012
    7
    I went into this game with very high expectations but was significantly let down. It's not a bad game, and in fact I would call it a good game, but it has some serious issues which bring it down a lot. There were numerous features lacking or underdeveloped such as auction sorting, group matching, and chat options. These oversights are inexcusable in my opinion, because they have long beenI went into this game with very high expectations but was significantly let down. It's not a bad game, and in fact I would call it a good game, but it has some serious issues which bring it down a lot. There were numerous features lacking or underdeveloped such as auction sorting, group matching, and chat options. These oversights are inexcusable in my opinion, because they have long been implemented in other MMOs, especially WoW, and since SW:TOR seems to copy so much else from that game, they should have done a little more stealing and at least had a decent auction house and chat system. On top of that, the character creation is pretty lousy with very few customization options for an MMO--especially if you don't want your character to look silly. I did however like that the racial bonuses are pretty much just cosmetic, so you don't have to choose between the race with the best stats and the one you want to play for aesthetic or role-play reasons. Where the game really shines is in its fully-voiced quest dialogue and relatively-strong storylines, which do a decent job of making your actions seem significant. However this becomes time-consuming after awhile--especially when you are re-running instances or playing a second character--and I felt that, in the end, Bioware had not done such a good job of blending their signature singleplayer RPG dialogue/story with the demands of an MMO. I played for a couple months and then quit, having already leveled 2 characters and gotten bored. Hopefully it has improved a lot since then, but even as a big Star Wars and Bioware fan, I don't miss it enough to give it a second try.… Expand
Page:

Awards & Rankings

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

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
85

Generally favorable reviews - based on 73 Critic Reviews

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