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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

    That's it then

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

    Faction Imbalance - Republic is getting destroyed by Empire players.

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

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

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

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

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

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

    I hope that in the future Bioware rectifies this problem.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

    Swtor however has cutsence and fully voiced choices for each and every quest, which are not only funny/interesting/entertaining but effect your alignment and relationship with your companions. If you want to play an mmorpg and not just another souless battle focused mmo, this is the game for you.    … Expand
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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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