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. hpate
    Dec 27, 2011
    10
    This is by far the best mmo i have played to date and i have played a lot of them. I does have a few bugs but most new mmos have 10x more. there is some reuse of textures and buildings but wow is a bigger offender of it. and if anyone cares to look you cant judge pvp based on anything other than max level because it will be unbalanced to an extent and graphics are amazing as long as youThis is by far the best mmo i have played to date and i have played a lot of them. I does have a few bugs but most new mmos have 10x more. there is some reuse of textures and buildings but wow is a bigger offender of it. and if anyone cares to look you cant judge pvp based on anything other than max level because it will be unbalanced to an extent and graphics are amazing as long as you dont have a Windows ME grade computer. Also if you take the time to listen to the VO its like watching a movie that you control. I to this date have not had to look at the quest log to find out about single quest. NO MORE QUEST TEXT. And one other thing, the people that thought this was going to be KOTOR 3 apparently didnt look at the genre, apparently, its not just rpg its MMORPG so you will not get the full benefit of the game unless you group up. Also the fact that there are mini instances throughout the game is awesome. not many people enjoyed the first few days of cataclysm because of spawn times. the instances fix that issue, and bioware did it to the best of anyone's ability.… Expand
  2. Matt2696
    Dec 27, 2011
    10
    Don't listen to all of the trolls on this site; TOR is an awesome refinement of the basic MMO structure with a healthy dose of story. All of its features work well and are fun. Crafting especially is a step above similar games. If you have never liked WoW or other similar MMOs, don't expect TOR to change your mind. While it doesn't innovate much, it is the Star Wars game many have beenDon't listen to all of the trolls on this site; TOR is an awesome refinement of the basic MMO structure with a healthy dose of story. All of its features work well and are fun. Crafting especially is a step above similar games. If you have never liked WoW or other similar MMOs, don't expect TOR to change your mind. While it doesn't innovate much, it is the Star Wars game many have been waiting for.… Expand
  3. dingoperson
    Dec 27, 2011
    2
    Whilst the game is passably enjoyable as a one-off casual romp through a Star Wars theme park, any person who has played MMOs before will find severe design flaws. There's really too many to list in full, but includes: 1) PvP rewards are enormous compared to PvE rewards, 2) PvP is seriously unbalanced (battlegrounds frequently have 80% of players as ONE class), 3) Classes that are supposedWhilst the game is passably enjoyable as a one-off casual romp through a Star Wars theme park, any person who has played MMOs before will find severe design flaws. There's really too many to list in full, but includes: 1) PvP rewards are enormous compared to PvE rewards, 2) PvP is seriously unbalanced (battlegrounds frequently have 80% of players as ONE class), 3) Classes that are supposed to be "mirrored" across the faction split are not, 4) There are no level brackets so lv10s get thrown in with lv50s, 5) botting, 6) cheating/exploits, 7) a range of other things, 8) Bioware not commenting on or doing anything to fix these issues. The company is completely unresponsive, simply throw out form messages, and doesn't discuss design decisions.… Expand
  4. SuperGawl
    Dec 27, 2011
    10
    So far I've been loving this game! Great MMO! Not sure why so many people are saying it feels like a single player RPG. It doesn't. Not everything is instanced like a bunch of these people are saying. It is definitely NOT a lobby game. First MMO I have ever played where I'm actually enjoying the story and not just grinding to max level. Didn't want to get this game at first but a friendSo far I've been loving this game! Great MMO! Not sure why so many people are saying it feels like a single player RPG. It doesn't. Not everything is instanced like a bunch of these people are saying. It is definitely NOT a lobby game. First MMO I have ever played where I'm actually enjoying the story and not just grinding to max level. Didn't want to get this game at first but a friend talked me into it, and I'm damn glad he did.… Expand
  5. Manical_Koala
    Dec 27, 2011
    8
    I enjoy the game. It's not the end all of end alls.. or the new MMO that will lead us to the glory land. It's an MMO that focuses around voice acting, crafting and a Star Wars feel. To clear a few things up. The "fanboys" claiming its just a clone of WoW, remember that WoW is just a clone of EverQuest. Yes, this is a holy trinity game. Tank / Healer / DPS. Yes. It features stories,I enjoy the game. It's not the end all of end alls.. or the new MMO that will lead us to the glory land. It's an MMO that focuses around voice acting, crafting and a Star Wars feel. To clear a few things up. The "fanboys" claiming its just a clone of WoW, remember that WoW is just a clone of EverQuest. Yes, this is a holy trinity game. Tank / Healer / DPS. Yes. It features stories, choices and gear grinding. It also has a new crafting system and I find space combat and the voice acting a welcome distraction. All BioWare did was take the time tested and proven formula, and shined it up. Just like WoW did. This is a "better" version of WoW / EQ / etc. If you don't want toolbars, hotkeys, or were hoping it'd be a FPS MMO... I'm not sure what to tell you. You're obviously clueless about what the game is and you're trolling. So, I give it an 8.… Expand
  6. TheManKnownAsX
    Dec 27, 2011
    9
    I notice there seems to be a lot of haters on here making the same cookie-cutter comments about the game. There's a thing called Stockholm Syndrome. My guess is that the haters here are likely suffering from Blizzard/WoW Stockholm Syndrome. They've come to identify with their captors, and the idea of another company coming along and creating something better than the company they'reI notice there seems to be a lot of haters on here making the same cookie-cutter comments about the game. There's a thing called Stockholm Syndrome. My guess is that the haters here are likely suffering from Blizzard/WoW Stockholm Syndrome. They've come to identify with their captors, and the idea of another company coming along and creating something better than the company they're currently attached to is just downright frightening.

    Star Wars Galaxies was run by SOE; the same disaster of a group that handled DCUO and a number of other fail-sauce MMO's. SWG was a solid first shot, but fell apart as soon as they introduced the Jedi without any proper counter-balanced class.

    Now, does this game take a lot of what's right with WoW and do it? Sure it does. Name a single MMO that has come out in the past 7 years that hasn't borrowed from WoW in some form or fashion.

    Then you get the whiners that are complaining about the instancing of zones. Instanced zones means more stable servers, less crashing, less disconnects. As Martha Stewart would say, "It's a good thing!"

    The truth about SWTOR is that this game is wicked good. The graphics on a good video card look fantastic. If you're playing on some crap rig with less than a GTX 4xx then you're missing out. The game is far beyond what WoW is, by a long shot. If you can't find something to like about this game, you're going in with a bias. Period.    … Expand
  7. zeukin
    Dec 27, 2011
    10
    I've been a WoW player for three years , and let me tell you this game is nothing like WoW! Yes, They might have implemented similar elements and game style that originated from WoW but only because they know 95% of the MMO population is on WoW, for me that's a plus cause once I started playing I got adjusted to the game pretty quickly.The rest MMO's that the bad reviews refer to as "I've been a WoW player for three years , and let me tell you this game is nothing like WoW! Yes, They might have implemented similar elements and game style that originated from WoW but only because they know 95% of the MMO population is on WoW, for me that's a plus cause once I started playing I got adjusted to the game pretty quickly.The rest MMO's that the bad reviews refer to as " innovative , different" in comparison to this game are not that great,"different" and " innovative" doesn't mean you will like it and so it has been proven cause nobody really plays guild wars , AION , lineage..Bioware has played smart.So far I'm a level 12 Sith warrior and I'm loving it, really enjoying the game overall and it certainly doesn't deserve a low rating,any user reviewing this game below a 6 is really out their minds .At this moment I'm playing the game on low graphics because my PC is garbage and it still looks amazing , for those who complain about the graphics being should consider updating their video card.really.… Expand
  8. Kauldric
    Dec 27, 2011
    8
    This is a fun game. The class story quests make a huge difference. Bioware does a good job of putting you in the middle of a story that progresses and makes you want to find out what will happen next. I do not feel a sense of quest grinding at all. The game very much feels like Dragon Age or Mass Effect. The idea of having companions whom you can affect plus a Light/Dark meter isThis is a fun game. The class story quests make a huge difference. Bioware does a good job of putting you in the middle of a story that progresses and makes you want to find out what will happen next. I do not feel a sense of quest grinding at all. The game very much feels like Dragon Age or Mass Effect. The idea of having companions whom you can affect plus a Light/Dark meter is brilliant. The phasing is also great and adds to the immersion. The crafting system is great: just sent one of your six companions in a crafting missions while you keep playing! All in all, it has been a very fun experience.

    There are small features that are missing, such as dual spec, that would make the game better, but all-in-all, I would certainly recommend this game.    … Expand
  9. boot20
    Dec 27, 2011
    10
    I just don't get the low scores here. TOR is well done and the story is very interesting. The instancing that people are complaining about are a non-issue as it is easy to group and to move instances. Anyone calling TOR a WoW clone hasn't played the game. TOR has the mechanics of most MMOs on the market, but questing is far more interesting, as there are very few kill X of Y quests,I just don't get the low scores here. TOR is well done and the story is very interesting. The instancing that people are complaining about are a non-issue as it is easy to group and to move instances. Anyone calling TOR a WoW clone hasn't played the game. TOR has the mechanics of most MMOs on the market, but questing is far more interesting, as there are very few kill X of Y quests, and the story is quite engaging. Not only that, but your decisions matter. Your character grows, based on your decisions. The Flashpoints have a story and don't take 6 hours to complete. Each class has their own unique storyline and they really make you care about what you are doing. This is where Bioware shines. The story is excellent and always well done.

    Oh, and grinding isn't needed in this game as quests and side quests offer plenty of XP and rewards.    … Expand
  10. nicktaste
    Dec 27, 2011
    10
    I love it. Awesome story line, Fun game play. Great Audio. I feel this game advances the mmorpg genre and sets the new standard. I am interested to see what new content is added in the next few months.
  11. Kuse
    Dec 27, 2011
    10
    The Negative Reviews you have seen thus far are WoW Players and right now they fear this game more than anything else they can muster, so what they do is run rampant around here giving false reviews to make WoW look like a crowning jewel. Fact of the matter is WoW is a dying breed and its leading the way for Games like SWTOR to come into frame. The game runs and plays fine and I enjoyThe Negative Reviews you have seen thus far are WoW Players and right now they fear this game more than anything else they can muster, so what they do is run rampant around here giving false reviews to make WoW look like a crowning jewel. Fact of the matter is WoW is a dying breed and its leading the way for Games like SWTOR to come into frame. The game runs and plays fine and I enjoy every minute of it.… Expand
  12. LuigiTMW
    Dec 27, 2011
    9
    This game is nearly the experience that all of us were looking for. BioWare fans and Star Wars fan alike all speak in chat about the wonderful things this game has done for them. Good job BioWare. I only give it a 9 because of the sub-par servers and minor bugs.
  13. panderson1988
    Dec 27, 2011
    9
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I'm going to be fair about this game with some things I really enjoyed, and describe some areas in which that could use improvement. First this is a solid and fun game. I've played WoW off and on for the last few years, and the aspects of the MMO I enjoyed such as instances, exploration, and teaming up with other players to complete tasks are here. Personally I enjoyed the art direction of the game as the environments are well done and feel lively. I like how you'll see groups of NPCs talking to each other in the Senate Tower, and it makes it feel more lively than WoW's NPCs just standing there by themselves shrugging their shoulders. But what has kept me interested in the game is the story for your character. The downside is that it takes away that mentality of creating your own story and life, but when it comes to most MMOs, you really just end up feeling like a regular soldier doing simple quests. While those quests are back, but since your class has it's own storyline makes it more interesting and addicting to see where your character ends up in the TOR story. The story adaptation to TOR makes the game feel fresh, and keeps me engage as I feel my character has an impact on my surroundings unlike most other MMOs. The other positives of the game are: the voices are well done, the sound effects are really good, the combat feels mostly smooth, but there are times it may get clunky when you are a tight corridor or lag, and the music is amazing. I'm not just talking about the John Williams music, but their own music is really good. The downsides to the game. So far PVP is limited. I enjoy the 3 maps they provided, but for an MMO there needs to be a little more than that. Especially since there is supposed to be a war going on, and since only one map is a true warzone (Alderann), it is lacking in that area. Hopefully they'll add more PVP options as the game moves along. Second thing that could use improvement is character and outfit textures. I know the engine isn't the most powerful, but I would like to see more detail with the characters armor and faces. If anything, I prefer to see the armor in more detail instead of being a bit blurry. Finally the only other thing that needs improvement is area stability. The bugs in the MMO hasn't been a big deal, but there are times the game lags when there are more than a few players in the area, and there have been some memory leaks on certain planets along with some quests being bugged. Fortunately they haven't been too prevalent, but they need to be patch as soon as possible. In conclusion, this is a fun MMO with possibilities of expanding the game further over time. One word of caution, watch out for the negative and positive reviews on here. First most negative reviews from the 20th are from users on **** Their comments are obvious as they'll say "graphics from (insert year)", it's a single player game, WoW clone, $300 million on advertising and voice acting, and etc... A lot of their comments are narrow-minded, and it shows they haven't played the game, or barely touched it during the beta weekends. Those people hate this game mostly because it's Bioware, and the fact it isn't KOTOR 3. These negative reviews are easy to spot as just about every one of them uses the same rhetoric, and they posted their review on the the first day of release. Seriously, do you think they have had time to make a fair judgement on the game within hours of release, no. That said, watch out for the perfect score reviews as they claim it's the best ever. It's not the best game ever. It's a good game, but there are rooms for improvement, and it does copy parts of the WoW formula.… Expand
  14. WellAardvark
    Dec 27, 2011
    9
    I simply do not understand the bad reviews here?!?!? I am a former WOW and Rift player. SWTOR has everything, and more, that these two MMOs offer. I simply cannot wait to get back online to continue my main's quest story (smuggler). Loving every minute and ca't wait for end-game. Also loving the fact that I don't need to roam the countryside to scavenge.
  15. ztilleto
    Dec 27, 2011
    9
    SWTOR, maybe not the best game ever, but still one of the smoothest games to be launched in the MMO sphere and one of the best balanced class vice. Even though the customization isn't RIFT, there is still good diversity in the different classes and talent trees, but still kept simple in what stats to use. I would say that this is easy the best success of MMO in a long time, giving both theSWTOR, maybe not the best game ever, but still one of the smoothest games to be launched in the MMO sphere and one of the best balanced class vice. Even though the customization isn't RIFT, there is still good diversity in the different classes and talent trees, but still kept simple in what stats to use. I would say that this is easy the best success of MMO in a long time, giving both the casual player the ability to play a singleplayer game with friends or have the MMO style play where you group up with PUG or friends from guilds. Given the long story lines and really nice scripted quests and scenes, this game will last for a singleplayer perspective a long time, and with the added bonus of such as legacy system, this will be giving players many hours of different gameplay to come.… Expand
  16. Jessrond
    Dec 26, 2011
    9
    This game is excellent, and it would be nearly as good as a single-player game than it is as an MMO. The single-player content is more developed, the stories are richer, and the characters seem to have more personality with excellent voice-acting. Yet that is also a bit of a problem, as multiplayer content sometimes seems like an afterthought, with pointless "social points" tacked on toThis game is excellent, and it would be nearly as good as a single-player game than it is as an MMO. The single-player content is more developed, the stories are richer, and the characters seem to have more personality with excellent voice-acting. Yet that is also a bit of a problem, as multiplayer content sometimes seems like an afterthought, with pointless "social points" tacked on to reward players for doing soloable content in groups.

    For social points, you seem to get them for picking the same answers in conversations with NPCs as you turn in a quest. This seems to be interesting, and I suspect that the timing of your clicking on one of the 3 options provided to your characters also influences the number of social points awarded.

    The Jedi and Sith have four "different" class types each, but the catch is that the Jedi and Sith roles seem very similar. The Sith Inquisitor shooting streams of lightning at a monster is just like a Jedi Consular striking them with debris... both are damage over time spells that don't allow the player to cast other things without losing concentration.

    Each class has two sub-classes, and then those subclasses have 3 trees of their own where they can choose talents that interest them. One of my favorite things about SWTOR is that the classes are more unique than in other games, and really can't be compared to WoW, Everquest, and don't seem to be influenced by Tolkien and D&D like most MMOs, at least not as blatantly.

    I haven't done any end-game content as I am level 24 as I write this interview, but so far this game looks promising. It probably won't be the WoW killer, but I think it can appeal to enough people to compete with WoW and not fade into "free to play" status.    … Expand
  17. Crimsonking58
    Dec 26, 2011
    6
    It seems impossible for this game to stand on it's own. Angry hardcore players comparing it to WoW, rabid Bioware fans assuming its absolute perfection, the treatment this game is receiving is simply unfair. On it's own, without any comparisons to WoW or the existing MMO genre, this is pretty much a mediocre Bioware game with multiplayer capabilities. Which, in thee end, isn't too shabby,It seems impossible for this game to stand on it's own. Angry hardcore players comparing it to WoW, rabid Bioware fans assuming its absolute perfection, the treatment this game is receiving is simply unfair. On it's own, without any comparisons to WoW or the existing MMO genre, this is pretty much a mediocre Bioware game with multiplayer capabilities. Which, in thee end, isn't too shabby, but nothing that will go down in gaming history.

    You can easily get to max level in this game without interacting with a single other player, if that's your sort of thing. After dealing with the typical MMO role-shortages (no heals, no tank, no DPS), I gave up on group quests and flashpoints (dungeons) around level 20, and never interacted with anyone until I got to max level. Did it hinder my experience? Not really. However, upon playing the game solo, I couldn't help but think that the game could've been so much better if they had simply made it a single player game and released it as KOTOR 3. I believe that result could've been the best game of the decade so far. The problem that I faced around level 35 was a lack of memorable characters or situations. I thought hard one night of everything that had happened in the game so far, what characters I had met, the situations I had been in, the plot twists, the character development, all standard Bioware fare. I was disappointed to find that I couldn't remember anything spectacular. Memories of all the fantastic scenarios from Mass Effect 2 and KOTOR came back to me then, and all I could feel was disappointment. Thankfully, the plot picks up quite nicely again around level 40, but never gets fully up to speed. As far as a single player experience goes, it feels long and not that spectacular, but much more entertaining and cinematic than a faceless kill-em-all MMO.

    But what separates an MMO from a standard RPG is one thing: The endgame. I have yet to experience operations (raids) or any heroic flashpoints, but from what I can see they seem cinematic yet standard, like the rest of the game. I don't see where people are coming up with the statement that "there is no endgame", for there are 15 heroic flashpoints, 2 operations, an entire PvP planet, a higher replay value than standard MMOs, crafting, and more. There is certainly plenty to do, but an MMO veteran might not get the same rush as a new player would. It certainly brings back feelings of Burning Crusade WoW if I have to compare it to anything else.

    In conclusion, I believe Bioware has created their most mediocre single player experience to date. But given Bioware's standard of quality, that doesn't mean it's bad. The hours of voice acting and thousands of quests to complete will either bore or immerse you, depending on your Star Wars enjoyment and previous MMO experience. For new players trying to decide between this or WoW, I would go with this, for it will feel much more like the plot-driven games that many are used to as opposed to a faceless trek through 85 levels that WoW feels like nowadays. For veterans, I would steer clear for now. If plot doesn't interest you, and you've already gone through the raiding motions in other MMOs, this will just feel like an elongated single player game with nothing at the end. For now, a 6 for slightly above average. If the end game proves to be as engaging as Burning Crusade was, and Bioware manages to keep content flowing nicely with patches on a regular basis, I'll bump it up to an 8 or a 9. Here's to hoping.    … Expand
  18. Mixersan
    Dec 26, 2011
    1
    This game's an absolute failure in every aspect. It looks like it was developed 5-10 years ago in terms of graphics. The character models and animations are awkward looking, the landscapes are VERY bland and the particle effects, particularly blaster bolts and lightsabers, look like they're drawn in crayon. As far as gameplay is concerned, it's no better. It's almost a complete cloneThis game's an absolute failure in every aspect. It looks like it was developed 5-10 years ago in terms of graphics. The character models and animations are awkward looking, the landscapes are VERY bland and the particle effects, particularly blaster bolts and lightsabers, look like they're drawn in crayon. As far as gameplay is concerned, it's no better. It's almost a complete clone of every other MMO out there, which isn't a terrible thing in and of itself, but the class skills and abilities are uninteresting and you don't actually feel like you're doing much when you're fighting. The funniest part about it, however, is that there ISN'T AN AUTOATTACK. As a trooper, I actually had to press a button EVERY TIME i wanted my guy to shoot at something.....wtf?

    Finally, and probably the worst part of the game, are the features which BioWare touted as their differentiating advantages over the competitors. First, you get "companions", which were apparently supposed to be NPC's who join you for your storyline and talk to you, grow with you etc as you progress. I was THINKING it would be a lot like KoToR or Mass Effect or something, but it really wasn't. They might as well just be 'pets' for all that they add to the game. They're nothing like 'companions' in any other good RPG I've played, and they're definetly a lot like a 'pet' from WoW or any other game. I suppose that they talk to you now and then, which is different, but the dialogue is so ho-hum and the stories that Bioware has thrown together for each of the character classes are freaking lame. Bioware, as far as I'm concerned, hasn't written a decent story since ME1. After the pathetic stories they put together for DA:O, ME2 and DA2, I'd assumed that maybe the good writers from KoToR and ME1 were working on ToR. Unfortunately, it doesn't seem like it. I'd avoid this game. Patches won't fix it. It's an ugly, boring, uninspired effort and adds absolutely nothing new or interesting to the genre.    … Expand
  19. zaekeon
    Dec 26, 2011
    0
    Basically the game is wow with voiceovers and WAY WAY less features...it's sad that a game like RIFT came out with more features/customization than this blockbuster that has been hyped forever did...the even sadder part is all of the stuff people complain about now, are things they had been complaining about in beta for almost 2 years....the future of this game really scares me. It's goodBasically the game is wow with voiceovers and WAY WAY less features...it's sad that a game like RIFT came out with more features/customization than this blockbuster that has been hyped forever did...the even sadder part is all of the stuff people complain about now, are things they had been complaining about in beta for almost 2 years....the future of this game really scares me. It's good for 1 play through for a KoTR type experience, but after that, it's pretty dull....don't even get me started on how stupid advanced classes are (locking you out of 50% of your class, why do i want to play the same damn character again, with the same exact story, sharing a lot of the same exact skills and even a whole talent tree...yet you want to say it's a totally different class....yeah right, more like they already getting started on Rehasing like wow did.)… Expand
  20. Captainapoc
    Dec 26, 2011
    10
    People from other MMOs should feel right at home in this game, It rely on many trusted mechanics so that people dont have re invent the wheel. It has some great aspects in the game like Space combat, crafting and the fully voiced cutscenes that set it apart from other MMOs on the Market, The main storylines are great for propelling you through the leveling process and companions are aPeople from other MMOs should feel right at home in this game, It rely on many trusted mechanics so that people dont have re invent the wheel. It has some great aspects in the game like Space combat, crafting and the fully voiced cutscenes that set it apart from other MMOs on the Market, The main storylines are great for propelling you through the leveling process and companions are a great addition to the game. When you want a change of pace from the single player aspects then theres group quests to do as well as flashpoints which can be changling and require teamwork. This game has just realeased but i can tell it can only go up from here, with more patches and additions this could turn out to be something really special.… Expand
  21. Xuanlong
    Dec 26, 2011
    0
    I can not express how disappointed I am with this game. Normally I like Bioware and their games, I will admit that I wasn't all that upset with DA 2. This however, is a completely different animal, and I wonder who is to blame for this momentous failure. So what is wrong with this game? For starters, its stiff. By that I mean it is no different that any other MMO on the market. When oneI can not express how disappointed I am with this game. Normally I like Bioware and their games, I will admit that I wasn't all that upset with DA 2. This however, is a completely different animal, and I wonder who is to blame for this momentous failure. So what is wrong with this game? For starters, its stiff. By that I mean it is no different that any other MMO on the market. When one mentions star wars, images of epic dynamic flowing duels between Jedi and Sith, images of smooth Han Solo-esq smugglers getting by with wit and charm while quietly taking their blaster out its holster to take out the check-point guards just in case they decide to take a closer look at his cargo, or of massive naval battles between inconceivably large fleets of ships. This game is sadly none of these. Now I understand that this is a MMO and as such it is limited, I can live with such limits. But the game limits its self in just being what every other MMO on the market is, Kill x many of y mob, or gather so many of these items, etc. Nothing that hasn't been done for the past 6+ years.
    Now Bioware did try to do something different with their almost iconic morality system, which would have been something new and engaging if your decisions meant anything.
    The UI is terrible, rigid and uninspired. The user can't move anything, is unaware of what mob is attacking what beyond what is attacking them, and the Pet UI (and yes that is all the companions really are) is beyond atrocious, I cannot count the number of times mine have dropped an AoE on a group of CCed mobs. Speaking of groups of mobs, pretty much everything attacks you groups and are either really weak and die within two attacks or really powerful and the player will barely make it out.
    Furthermore, the combat mechanics are stated earlier are stiff, the same old recycled hotbar stand still and spam your key combat.
    Healing is slow, and awkward, the lack of any sort of macros really brings this home. How hard is it to enable simple mouse over macros?
    Space combat plays like a Star Fox mini game, though not a bad thing if you enjoyed the Star Fox series.
    The crafting system has much that needs to be improved, The characters aren't even the once doing the crafting its the companions, which would be a plus for them as it does make them somewhat useful if it wasn't for the fact that it takes about a minute for each item that one wishes to craft.
    Character customization isn't even there, preset faces, to be mixed with preset bodies, hair, etc.
    Race choices are pretty much human and human with different skin color and choice of horns. Now there are those who say that its early in the game's life, or that I am a "hater" or "troll".
    This game has been in development for almost 4 years with a rumored cost over $135 million. I know Bioware can put out better product than this. I know they can have engaging dynamic combat look at "Jade Empire" they can have tactical combat, DA:origins proved this. It even had decent AI if one knew how to tell the machine what to do.
    In short this is not a next gen mmo, and will never be a next gen mmo. Bioware wasted a lot of time and money to make this, what they should have done instead is make KotOR 3 and gave it a mutiplayer, multistory option. Maybe something PSO like from way back on the Dreamcast, or even Diablo 2, with the different classes but add in the seperate stories that you could share with your friends if you so wished.
    That would have been a much better game. A single player game with 8 story lines that I could play with my friends online.    … Expand
  22. shingoukieh
    Dec 26, 2011
    8
    This game is what you would expect it to be. It is a standard mmorpg with a twist...Star Wars!! Now in all fairness this game is very different from World of Warcraft. Yes it has the skill tree like WoW, for the most part similar quests, and also classes but what it does different is combat..The combat in SWTOR is very fast paced..it is similar to titles such as DCUO and COH. So in thisThis game is what you would expect it to be. It is a standard mmorpg with a twist...Star Wars!! Now in all fairness this game is very different from World of Warcraft. Yes it has the skill tree like WoW, for the most part similar quests, and also classes but what it does different is combat..The combat in SWTOR is very fast paced..it is similar to titles such as DCUO and COH. So in this game you will be swinging ur light saber away in fast thrilling combat sequences. The game story is very impressive! It is particularly impressive when you are in a group doing a story. All of your group members get a chance to speak and sometimes its funny to see what your team mates say. The game is very immerse and you feel like you feel connected to the starwars universe. The only negative thing i can think of so far is the side quests....some of them are just boring to do..the main quests are fun and has good plot to it but the side ones make me want to skip the talking. Im not the furthest in the game but what i can do is recommend this to any starwars or mmorpg player looking for the next big mmorpg....I have to warn you the game starts off a lil slow...but once you leave the starting area it gets alot more fun!!!… Expand
  23. crnppscls
    Dec 26, 2011
    4
    I've never paid £39.99 for a pc game so this was a first for me. Also i've never played wow (but plenty others) i did have really high hopes for the game but was a bit meh in beta.
    The voice acting i like, plus there are some soul searching decisions you have to make especially if you play a dark side char. It isn't awful by any means, but there are just a lot better mmo's out    I've never paid £39.99 for a pc game so this was a first for me. Also i've never played wow (but plenty others) i did have really high hopes for the game but was a bit meh in beta.
    The voice acting i like, plus there are some soul searching decisions you have to make especially if you play a dark side char. It isn't awful by any means, but there are just a lot better mmo's out there, i am just so disappointed in this release. The questing is normal and generic to any other game, 'epic space battles': non existent, character customisation is a joke, it is not a pretty game either, the bland textures used seem to distract you from any exploration of your new world + the heavy instancing where you can't progress because of barriers.
    Seriously, i think people have become so sick of these generic mmo's (most of which you can play for free) and relied on bioware being their last bastion of pc greatness to deliver something groundbreaking. Well they didn't. If you're a diehard lover of sw lore, you will love it (probably) but for the price of the game and the sub, a lot of people won't bother basically because there is better out there.
    And another thing lol, i spent months telling my console owning friends that this title will be the pinnacle of pc greatness and they all wished the game was available on console. Now i have to say it's uninstalled but you lot just wait for gw2 and then we'll see .    … Expand
  24. RampantAndroid
    Dec 26, 2011
    4
    Zones are instanced, gameplay is otherwise identical to WoW, pretty much. The game pretty much bores me to tears. I gave it chance because it was Bioware, but after Dragon Age 2 and now SWTOR, I honestly wish Bioware would go under so I remember them in a somewhat positive light.
  25. rakista
    Dec 26, 2011
    4
    Besides the voice acting there is nothing to distinguish this game from any of the other WOW clones. The engine alone is just dreadful with delays beyond the global cooldown on skills making PVP an exercise in anger management at times. The PVE areas because of the extreme instancing are dead. Some planets have less than 10 people on 20 square miles of virtual space. Space combat is aBesides the voice acting there is nothing to distinguish this game from any of the other WOW clones. The engine alone is just dreadful with delays beyond the global cooldown on skills making PVP an exercise in anger management at times. The PVE areas because of the extreme instancing are dead. Some planets have less than 10 people on 20 square miles of virtual space. Space combat is a mini game rail shooter, need I say more?… Expand
  26. spankusmaximus
    Dec 26, 2011
    0
    I was really hoping that this game would live up to the hype but alas it has fallen far short, which is not to say that mmo's do not have a rough birth - i beta tested and then played WoW from vanilla to cata and the first 2 years were the most outrageous including server instability, 3 hr bg waits and 1-2 hr queues just to log, only to have the server crash. But it's been 7 years sinceI was really hoping that this game would live up to the hype but alas it has fallen far short, which is not to say that mmo's do not have a rough birth - i beta tested and then played WoW from vanilla to cata and the first 2 years were the most outrageous including server instability, 3 hr bg waits and 1-2 hr queues just to log, only to have the server crash. But it's been 7 years since WoW hit and anyone paying attention, as Blizzard had obviously been doing to everquest in creating WoW, could make a quick cheat sheet of things to work on that would make an outstanding mmo. Let's begin there. 1. Use the star wars universe. Great idea. I do not know a single person that wouldn't enjoy running around as a han-type, luke-type or vader-type running quests and bgs, killing things w/ a blaster or a lightsaber. not to mention using the star wars universe as a backdrop must have been a relief for bioware knowing that there is no way possible to **** up the star wars anymore than lucas has already.

    2. Take all logical controls and make them exceedingly clunky. I don't know what bioware was thinking but controlling your character is like trying to drive and do your taxes. Super fubar.

    3. Make certain that only nvidia hardware works correctly w/ the game. I built a friend a rig, using my old whs parts, which included a 3 year old nvidia 220, 3 gigs of ram and a duo core and swtor runs like glass on his machine. While i have a ~6 mo old core i7 w/ 8 gigs of ram and a 6880 and certain parts of the game look like a slide show. I still get ~120 fps in WoW on high settings. So chalk that up to a "rough birth" but it would be nice for bioware to at least acknowledge these issues and let people who are paying $ to play their game, that they are working on resolving the fps issues. So far, no dice.

    Thus far, this mmo has gotten 1 out of 3 things right - the backdrop and quest lines. following that it has utterly screwed the pooch. People will tell you that all the cut scenes are voice acted and blah blah blah - you don't play an mmo so that you can get a single player game out of it., so the fact that the cut scenes are voice acted by the second coming of Alec Guinness makes not a lick of difference. Avoid this mmo at all costs, or at least until they release the first few patches. I have no doubt that George Lucas had his hand in this, as this game is nothing more than the return of jar jar.    … Expand
  27. Amadus
    Dec 26, 2011
    10
    So my previous review shows the score as 0, though when writing it, is shows 10. My primary review is a 10, since I can't edit or correct it, I will just addendum here.
  28. op8
    Dec 26, 2011
    9
    My advice to anyone wasting there time reading these user reviews is to look away now and not to bother.
    its become such a joke now i think they should scrap user reviews or drastically change requirements to somthing like IMDB has.
    as far as this game goes, i think its a great bit of fun.It is what it is, and if you like mmo's and star wars you'll be happy. Even if you dont particular    My advice to anyone wasting there time reading these user reviews is to look away now and not to bother.
    its become such a joke now i think they should scrap user reviews or drastically change requirements to somthing like IMDB has.

    as far as this game goes, i think its a great bit of fun.It is what it is, and if you like mmo's and star wars you'll be happy. Even if you dont particular care for mmo's, you can just as easily enjoy TOR as a single player experience if it so pleases you.    … Expand
  29. TheangryOne
    Dec 26, 2011
    5
    Well, after more than a year of waiting and all the hype Bioware put behind it, here it is, WOW:TOR. This game has truly become a shining example of Bioware's stagnation and ineptitude. To summarize: This game takes all the classic mistakes all gaming companies love to make and thrusts them into one giant $15/mo flop. The most obvious shortcoming is that gameplay is literally the EXACTWell, after more than a year of waiting and all the hype Bioware put behind it, here it is, WOW:TOR. This game has truly become a shining example of Bioware's stagnation and ineptitude. To summarize: This game takes all the classic mistakes all gaming companies love to make and thrusts them into one giant $15/mo flop. The most obvious shortcoming is that gameplay is literally the EXACT same thing as WOW was; it even has the same problems (extreme lack of customization, massive grindfest, limited character creation, specialization issues, bad endgame). Considering how much was spent on this game, there is absolutely no excuse for this kind of laziness; it's 2011, Bioware. WAKE THE F*** UP! Next, is the stories which Bioware was basing all their success on. These stories are hit-and-miss, as are the companions (Some are epic, some just fall flat.). I've been saying for years that Bioware shows extreme favoritism in their character and story design, and if this doesnt prove it, nothing does. The only true saving grace here is that, despite everyone's whining about the voice acting, I actually thought it was pretty good. Still, would it've killed Bioware to make a few selectable voices for your character? They spent 300 million (yes, million) dollars on this. However, all of these things can be ignored, since it is a reliable system, even if it is outdated. I'll probably get alot of flak for that but it's the truth. I won't bother talking about the graphics for the same reason; ultimately, they make little difference in an MMO as long as they work. The one thing, however, that cannot be overlooked, and the one thing that kills this game (and killed WOW) is the monthly subscription. Not cool, Bioware, not cool. There are plenty of free MMOs out there that can more than match this, so close your wallets and open your eyes. Learn from SWG, learn from GW. You are not the powerhouse you once were, and Warhammer 40k's lore more than beats Star Wars'. Learn.… Expand
  30. Notluke
    Dec 26, 2011
    10
    The game is fun. Alot are too busy to write positive reviews cause they are enjoying the game, hell it's killing me to write this cause I would rather be playing.

    If you notice alot of the complaints on here are minor issues, minor complaints about small details that don't even matter. Overall the game is FUN. The game is designed to be savored and enjoyed, not rushed through. Of    The game is fun. Alot are too busy to write positive reviews cause they are enjoying the game, hell it's killing me to write this cause I would rather be playing.

    If you notice alot of the complaints on here are minor issues, minor complaints about small details that don't even matter. Overall the game is FUN.

    The game is designed to be savored and enjoyed, not rushed through. Of course you will have problems finding groups if you have rushed forward through PUG groups and gotten to a point to where your gear completely sucks. You have to take time to farm rep, lightside/darkside points and commendations if you want to be abe to compete later on.

    It's designed where backtracking and building your character up is absolutely essential and quite enjoyable. It's old school RPG gameplay mixed with an MMO environment that gradually builds as your character does.

    Take time and enjoy the game, don't rush it, make the most of all the content, in the end it pays off ALOT. Most MMO's don't payoff until you get into big groups, Star Wars TOR pays off constantly and is enjoyable for every type of gamer.

    It's a melding of casual and hardcore structure that until this point all other MMO's have failed to combine. It's isn't super easy and at the same time isn't extremely difficult, teamwork and strategy can make just as much difference as stats and gear.

    The balance is strong with this one.    … 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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