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. nopistons420
    Feb 7, 2012
    4
    its not an MMO; more like a single player game with a monthly fee. it feels unfinished; unpolished; and just overall lacking completely in features. it makes no difference if you choose light or dark side; the combat is boring, companion system is buggy. the only real reason anyone would play this game is if they are huge star wars fans other than that they got the mmorpg part of the gameits not an MMO; more like a single player game with a monthly fee. it feels unfinished; unpolished; and just overall lacking completely in features. it makes no difference if you choose light or dark side; the combat is boring, companion system is buggy. the only real reason anyone would play this game is if they are huge star wars fans other than that they got the mmorpg part of the game totally wrong… Expand
  2. RecoveryRx
    Jan 3, 2012
    4
    Every review on here that is 0-3 or 9-10 is a complete joke in my opinion, every single one of them. Here's the bottom line on TOR, a game I was insanely excited about and now won't sub past my first month: the story and voice acting is amazing, the rest of the game is either mediocre or a huge back step for the mmo genre as a whole. Listen carefully - this is the biggest disappointmentEvery review on here that is 0-3 or 9-10 is a complete joke in my opinion, every single one of them. Here's the bottom line on TOR, a game I was insanely excited about and now won't sub past my first month: the story and voice acting is amazing, the rest of the game is either mediocre or a huge back step for the mmo genre as a whole. Listen carefully - this is the biggest disappointment I've ever experienced in a video game. EVER. I am 33 years old and have been playing video games my entire life, this is the cake. It is shocking people, SHOOOCKINGGG!!!!!! how uninspired the world is, how mediocre and "just good enough" almost all of the game mechanics / systems are. And it's BAFFLING that a game with this much of a budget could be this bad.… Expand
  3. GhostDog24
    May 3, 2012
    4
    I think for an MMO it's a great game, because it's easy to play with (still a WOW copy) and have some new feature in it, but for a RPG is piece of s**t... I would be much more happier with a KOTOR III instead of this, since this is the KOTOR series next "episode" without the "Commander Shepard" (in this case I mean Revan or the Jedi Exile). Just think about it for a second, What would youI think for an MMO it's a great game, because it's easy to play with (still a WOW copy) and have some new feature in it, but for a RPG is piece of s**t... I would be much more happier with a KOTOR III instead of this, since this is the KOTOR series next "episode" without the "Commander Shepard" (in this case I mean Revan or the Jedi Exile). Just think about it for a second, What would you feel if after the ME2 they came out with a ME MMO and there you play with some "no name" character, where the first thing is to kill Commander Sheppard (the KOTOR series are not about jedi or sith fight, its about Revan and his heroic acts) or what would the star wars series be without Darth Vader? I read the Star Wars The Old Republic: Revan book and I hope one day BioWare or LucasArts or someone else will make a game of it (just like they did with The Wither) SO basically it's a good game but I'm disappointed with the storyline if I think of this as a continuation of the KOTOR 2, but if it's not then the story is acceptable. But since I can't think of the story in any other way I just give a 4.… Expand
  4. Ruzgfpegk
    Apr 15, 2012
    4
    Story (SP content) : 9/10 (at least, if all are as good as the one I played)
    Immersion : 8/10
    Graphics engine : 7/10 Game balance until 1.2 patch : 5/10 (7 PvE, 4 PvP) Pleasure to play until 1.2 patch : 6/10 Game balance since 1.2 patch : 2/10 (4 PvE, 1 PvP) Pleasure to play since 1.2 patch : 2/10 The balance was broken so much in 1.2 that I kept losing in PvP for hours (playing Republic    Story (SP content) : 9/10 (at least, if all are as good as the one I played)
    Immersion : 8/10
    Graphics engine : 7/10
    Game balance until 1.2 patch : 5/10 (7 PvE, 4 PvP)
    Pleasure to play until 1.2 patch : 6/10
    Game balance since 1.2 patch : 2/10 (4 PvE, 1 PvP)
    Pleasure to play since 1.2 patch : 2/10

    The balance was broken so much in 1.2 that I kept losing in PvP for hours (playing Republic healer).
    I'm part of a guild with more than 100 members and since a few weeks if we get more than 3 people online at the same time it's a celebration, and since 1.2 I'm often alone.
    Quoting the Ancient Aliens narrator, "where did they go?". Now I know.

    Healers (I play one) are useless since 1.2, both for themselves and the other players, even with a massive amount of endurance and with a full heal skill tree.
    What do experienced players say to the healers now? "If you see one of these enemy classes, RUN". Are you SERIOUS? Playing PvP to RUN? Is that how BioWare sees a balanced game?

    I wanted to love this game but BioWare disgusted me from playing.
    As it is, I wouldn't want to touch it again even if it was Free to Play.
    I hope it will get better in the future, but in the meantime I'll just stop playing AND paying.
    Did you already feel like you wasted your time playing for months hoping it would get better? I did.

    I just hope they'll release a patch to let us play in single-player mode with more bots, and with pre-1.2 skill trees, as the game seems to have been designed for this.    … Expand
  5. OhRly
    Sep 26, 2012
    4
    The cut scenes, acting, and dialogue are amazing but that's not what a game is, the game play is what the game is, and the game play is flat, it's WoW with a Star Wars setting, massively disappointing.
  6. tzedan
    Dec 29, 2011
    4
    I beta tested this game and found that it is a single player RPG with MMO bolt-ons. This is not a bad thing, but if I am going to play a single player RPG then I want awesome rocking graphics! It is true that the graphics are better than World of Warcraft, but WoW is seven years old and SWTOR looks only marginally better. If Rift can manage near photo-realistic graphics then so can SWTOR.I beta tested this game and found that it is a single player RPG with MMO bolt-ons. This is not a bad thing, but if I am going to play a single player RPG then I want awesome rocking graphics! It is true that the graphics are better than World of Warcraft, but WoW is seven years old and SWTOR looks only marginally better. If Rift can manage near photo-realistic graphics then so can SWTOR. I had high hopes for this game and IMHO it tries to be an RPG and an MMO and it fails at both… Expand
  7. Todayshero
    Apr 2, 2012
    4
    I'm a huge PVP player and was looking forward to some epic battles in the middle of city districts and getting caught off guard while trying to shop at the local droid station. Unfortunately the warning that SWTOR gives before entering a pvp server is far from the truth. It states you will be in constant battles between players, I was in 4 pvp fights before level cap outside the warzone,I'm a huge PVP player and was looking forward to some epic battles in the middle of city districts and getting caught off guard while trying to shop at the local droid station. Unfortunately the warning that SWTOR gives before entering a pvp server is far from the truth. It states you will be in constant battles between players, I was in 4 pvp fights before level cap outside the warzone, and 1 of those was because we got people to tell us where anyone was. The game is far to controlled, has no end game worth mentioning, the only thing that is even remotely different and worthwhile in the game is the main story line of each class, which will send you playing warzone over and over again trying to level up just so you can get to the next part without dealing with side missions you've done plenty times before. This is a single player game smashed into an mmo which then goes by mmo rules, and if you've ever played an mmo you know what I'm talking about. Less than stellar NPC (standing around waiting for you to come kill them), same skill to button type combat. In my opinion, an mmo isn't worth playing if it has no pvp and the end game wasn't well thought out. Whats the point in maxing your level if there are neither of these. It wouldn't take a lot of changes to make this game great, but it's highly unlikely those changes are coming.… Expand
  8. garland_spqr
    Jan 15, 2012
    4
    Up until now I have liked every Bioware game and some of them are my all time favorites. This game however, is a gigantic disappointment.
    I played a Jedi sage to level 30 when I stopped as every second spent felt like a waste of time. I expected a game with a good story and rich lore in a vivid star wars world. Sadly, I found nothing of it.
    In my opinion, Jedi sage until level 30 has no    Up until now I have liked every Bioware game and some of them are my all time favorites. This game however, is a gigantic disappointment.
    I played a Jedi sage to level 30 when I stopped as every second spent felt like a waste of time. I expected a game with a good story and rich lore in a vivid star wars world. Sadly, I found nothing of it.
    In my opinion, Jedi sage until level 30 has no story. The quests consist of: disable an array there, hack a terminal there, loot quest items from dead bodies etc. The quests do not feel connected to each other or embedded in a story, everything feels very random and pointless. There are no memorable characters throughout the journey and the companions are annoyingly flat placeholders with no story.
    I expected living, breathing city worlds full of life. They are nothing more than tunnels filled with lifeless mobs. I expected varied crafting professions that let you explore the world. They are nothing more than a "click and wait" game. I would have liked to see flashpoints connected to the planets you travel through, but they are just random missions on the fleet. A starwars game should be filled with passion, but this game is passionless. The dialogue and codex writing is very mediocre and not anywhere near the quality of Mass Effect or Dragon Age.
    Its possible that things look different with other classes, but from a jedi sage perspective, this is a poor game.
    The only things I liked are the music and the voice-actors, which are both brilliant. The rest is forgettable.    … Expand
  9. Sula
    Dec 21, 2011
    4
    Polished game BUT very limited gameplay, WoW-like clone with VO slapped over and more instancing.
    End-game is about running instances over and over and not much aside of that.
    Insane amount of money spent on Voice Over and cutscenes shows with this game lacking in other departments. Though if you like a game to concentrate on nothing else than on grinding instances and battlegrounds once    Polished game BUT very limited gameplay, WoW-like clone with VO slapped over and more instancing.
    End-game is about running instances over and over and not much aside of that.
    Insane amount of money spent on Voice Over and cutscenes shows with this game lacking in other departments.

    Though if you like a game to concentrate on nothing else than on grinding instances and battlegrounds once you finish questing, then you'll find good game here.

    If you want more diverse experience and more mmorpg, social and "world-like" feeling avoid it.    … Expand
  10. TixyLix
    Dec 20, 2011
    4
    What they've done is created WoW seven years later, only this time the quests are linked up by chat wheel cutscenes. I was hoping that Bioware would change things up, nope.....

    The worlds feel sterile, the NPCs all stand in one place, barely animated at all. The sound effects are very poor, they just seem missing as all I hear is footsteps and music. The planets are small questing hubs    What they've done is created WoW seven years later, only this time the quests are linked up by chat wheel cutscenes. I was hoping that Bioware would change things up, nope.....

    The worlds feel sterile, the NPCs all stand in one place, barely animated at all. The sound effects are very poor, they just seem missing as all I hear is footsteps and music. The planets are small questing hubs and then you travel between them via a main lobby and everything is either instanced or phased. You barely see anyone as there never seems to be more than 100 people per zone and world PVP is pointless so everyone is in battlegrounds.

    They had the perfect opportunity to fix what is wrong with todays MMOs and instead they just made a worse version of WoW, like every MMO has done since...

    I'm only giving it 4 because it isn't a total train wreck and is polished, I just wont be playing it any longer.    … Expand
  11. QuakerOfDoom
    Dec 20, 2011
    4
    I'll be honest here, I only got to Level 33 before quitting out of boredom, so if there is something to make up for the poor post-endgame, consider this a 6 instead of a 4. It's just that I just can't support Bioware anymore for what they've done to the SW:TOR games, with the retcons to Revan and the boring quests. I've always been a huge fan of Bioware ever since the SW:TOR 1, but everI'll be honest here, I only got to Level 33 before quitting out of boredom, so if there is something to make up for the poor post-endgame, consider this a 6 instead of a 4. It's just that I just can't support Bioware anymore for what they've done to the SW:TOR games, with the retcons to Revan and the boring quests. I've always been a huge fan of Bioware ever since the SW:TOR 1, but ever since they were bought out by EA, the quality of their games has noticeably dropped. TOR, being, in a nutshell, WoW with lightsabers, has done little to change my opinion of this. I really hope Bioware manages to buck the trend with the upcoming ME3, but I can't help but feel doubt about Bioware's ability to continue making quality games after this.
    Anyway, if you're into WoW, you might like this game. If you're not, then TOR won't do anything to change your opinion.
    P.S. I know that I will be called a troll for expressing my honest opinion, but I don't give a ****    … Expand
  12. 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.
  13. Mema
    Dec 30, 2011
    4
    Gameplay: The same as World of Warcraft.... seven years ago. The space combat is a poor reskin of Star Fox. The quests are just rehashed kill x amount of y and fetch/deliver quests.
    Graphics: Absolutely appalling for a game released in 2011, even for an mmo.
    Story: An insult to Star Wars fans. Hopefully it isnt canon. The voice acting is on and off. Some characters have better stories    Gameplay: The same as World of Warcraft.... seven years ago. The space combat is a poor reskin of Star Fox. The quests are just rehashed kill x amount of y and fetch/deliver quests.
    Graphics: Absolutely appalling for a game released in 2011, even for an mmo.
    Story: An insult to Star Wars fans. Hopefully it isnt canon. The voice acting is on and off. Some characters have better stories then others. Disappointment of the year.    … Expand
  14. liabilityman
    Jan 13, 2015
    4
    TLDR: "I couldn't be the character I wanted to be....and this is a MMORPG!"

    Having loved SWTOR, this game excited me initially. After about a day of play, the gameplay for which was quite fun, all I wanted to do was tweak my characters appearance. Change hairstyle for example. When I eventually found out that the only way to do so is to spend real-life money, all my enthusiasm for this    TLDR: "I couldn't be the character I wanted to be....and this is a MMORPG!"

    Having loved SWTOR, this game excited me initially. After about a day of play, the gameplay for which was quite fun, all I wanted to do was tweak my characters appearance. Change hairstyle for example. When I eventually found out that the only way to do so is to spend real-life money, all my enthusiasm for this game disappeared. Yes it might be a minor reason, but to me it broke all immersion and attachment to the game. I couldn't be the character I wanted to be....and this is a MMORPG!

    I severely dislike the FTP model used in SWTOR, with free players having ridiculous restrictions.

    I have played other FTP games such as DCUO, which were a lot of fun, and ultimately let you play how you wanted. Paying for things was optional if you wanted the extra stuff. In SWTOR however, I feel like they only give you access to half the game.

    Very, very disappointed. Bioware/EA, whoever is responsible, needs to sort stuff out.

    I should know better with an EA game.    … Expand
  15. Astralis
    Mar 17, 2012
    4
    I was offered the seven-day free trial and played for four days. I really enjoyed the ambiance and the universe of the game. It feels like a Star Wars world. But the quests are boring and repetitive. There really is little difference between Wolfenstein and this, besides better graphics and music. Running through miles and miles of sewers shooting the same creatures and people over andI was offered the seven-day free trial and played for four days. I really enjoyed the ambiance and the universe of the game. It feels like a Star Wars world. But the quests are boring and repetitive. There really is little difference between Wolfenstein and this, besides better graphics and music. Running through miles and miles of sewers shooting the same creatures and people over and over and over and over is not a good time. Doing the same thing in a building and then reaching a "boss" character that you can't kill and then have to realize you need to play the whole quest again because you forgot to get a weapon that was hidden under rock is tedious, not fun. Then when I saw the price to buy the game ($59 at the time of writing this), I realized I wouldn't spend that much to play this game, but the world is worth exploring a little bit. But you have to participate in every single little bit of fighting -- by smashing all the buttons -- and gets so repetitive that it really only goes so far for me. Then I saw it costs $20 for a limited amount of time to play per month! That's when I stopped playing altogether. It's not worth spending $59 one time, certainly not an additional $240 to play it for a year. As of this review, many people are leaving it and playing Massive Effect 3 instead, so the servers are not really full these days. I'm not so sure they'll be coming back, either. I won't.… Expand
  16. BXBlodia
    Dec 25, 2011
    4
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. SWTOR is a strange case. Was it a single player RPG, It'd be a very, veery good game. Most class storylines are very good (except for smuggler, jedi knight and sith warrior unfortunately), and the game has good flow and quite a lot of content. However, it's all single-player content, and there is literally no reason to subscribe for longer than the free month at the moment.
    Unfortunately, someone decided to make it into an MMO. Which lead to simplifcation and a huge amount of time sinks. So much for the Next-gen experience here, sadly.
    Another thing I do not understand is why would anyone create an MMO in which one of the factions will suffer an utter defeat, and it's clear from the very start. Every quest line on both Empire and Republic side leads to the inevitable end: Empire loses. Everyone important dies. You cannot even save anyone. Your decisions are meaningless.
    Another issue I have with the game is that SWTOR's Sith are... dumb. There's no other word for it. They are written to be superpowered angsty teens who know NOTHING about ruling an empire. If you look at the (TABOO!) EU stories, comic books and even Palpatine himself, the Sith are cunning (both in new hope era and old republic, so there), and they'd never act like idiots. Which is what SWTOR's Sith turn out to be. Infighting, petty conflicts, impulsiveness. They screw up everything they touch, and apparently all the want is to CAUSE TERROR AND FEAR. You cannot rule an empire that way. Sith have no way to go other than lose here.
    Multiplayer part of the game is horrid. The netcode stutters, animations fail to play (tested on my brand new i7 aswell as my brother's older machine) and there is no class balance. I wouldn't expect class balance so soon after release, but it's strikingly apparent that some developers loved their classes more than others. Instances are boring too, we seriously have seen this kind of gameplay and over what, 7 years? it grew pretty stale. There's no reason to even socialise in this MASSIVE MULTIPLAYER game, because your sidekick can get the job done. At worst he/she/it will die.
    Was SWTOR a single player RPG, it'd be a very solid title, a strong 8/10 (4/10 if smuggler. yes, it is THAT bad). BioWare decided to make it into a MMO though. Therefore, 4/10. Because the single player part receives a 7 overall from me (i just can't forgive the smuggler. sorry), and the multiplayer is a strong 3.    … Expand
  17. Thorn14
    Dec 20, 2011
    4
    My experience in this game has been a level 40 something imperial agent and just a myriad of other lower level everything

    Okay, first thing we see in the game and this is a major bleh for me. The Character Creation. It is absolutely dreadful. Obviously its not on the level of suckiness that you see in your average F 2 P Korean Grindfest, but not by alot, especially if you've played any    My experience in this game has been a level 40 something imperial agent and just a myriad of other lower level everything

    Okay, first thing we see in the game and this is a major bleh for me. The Character Creation. It is absolutely dreadful. Obviously its not on the level of suckiness that you see in your average F 2 P Korean Grindfest, but not by alot, especially if you've played any Bioware game in the past. There are only 4 body types for men, and they are each varying degrees of awful to meh. Theres Shape 1, which is Justin Beiber (and what is used for "kids") Shape 2 which is your average Bruce Lee build, theres Shape 3 which is Big Mc Large Huge and Shape 4 which is Lord Lard Ass. Shape 4 is absolutely awful, and for Sith Warriors, is the shape of your Master, which, if you look at his Wiki, is not how he should look at all. It makes no sense.The races are...well...everything is just "Human but" Obviously this was done for cutscenes and voices (No wookie would talk like your character) but there are still races like Togruta or Nautolan that would be fine but are not in. Chiss are pretty sweet however. There is no long hair, at best you have hair that goes down to your chin. I guess this is because it would be too graphics intensive? Complexions and Scars aren't so bad, shame you can't stack them. And yes, no sliders still, you choose predetermined faces. For a game where you spend alot of time looking at your character in cutscenes, the amount of corner cutting in CC is disappointing. It should have been one of the top five priorities. The number of unique models in this game, NPC wise is also staggeringly low.

    The graphics were no doubt simplified to accommodate as many systems as possible, like World of Warcraft, I understand that. But if that is the case, why does the game, for me and so many others run like absolute crap?

    It took me about 10 minutes AT LEAST to go from start up to getting my character in play. All my options are on low too. Yet I can play Skyrim and The Witcher 2 on Medium no problem. I understand its an MMO but this is just inexcusable Okay, gameplay. Know World of Warcraft? Good news! You already know how to play 85% of the game! Played KOTOR only? Bad news! Theres nothing from KOTOR in this! Its your standard MMO affair. Tanks, Heals, DPS, Burst Damage, DOT, Taunts, Rotations, ETC. If you're used to MM Os then you're in luck. It does that pretty well, although tanking as my Jedi Guardian has been a fittingly in character practice in patience. You dont get your first taunt until 15, and it has a long cool down. Your robot companion tanks better than you. The gameplay is the same tired WoW gameplay, and the game suffers big time for it.

    The missions are the biggest flaw in this game. Every quest is a variation of "Go here, kill stuff along the way for bonus maybe, kill boss or interact with object" or "Collect 5 blah blah blah" with varying degrees of logic in their drops,.

    All the flavor in the world, which does help a little, doesn't change the fact that is every quest. But maybe that is nit picking. Your choices in quests rarely matter as well.

    Story is this game's real saving grace, and why it goes from "Mediocre MMO" to "has potential." Imperial Agent's story was a freaking blast. But after you finish all the storylines, if you even do that, what next? Endgame in this game is pretty much non existant. one mediocre raid...

    And yes, Bioware continues the proud tradition of Dark Side = Stupid Evil Jerk Ass . I was hoping DS Jedi Knight would mean "Emotional and prideful" but nope, just "AHAHA LOOK HOW EVIL I AM FOR NO REASON"

    One issue isevery faction goes through the same planet order. Your Bounty Hunter and Sith Warrior's planets after the first one will be the exact same, as will the quests, save for your personal quests. This will make replay value for someone like me who can't stand doing the same thing again very difficult. Also this makes the whole "KOTOR 3-11" claim bull crap. Class storylines are only 20% of the game. Everyone shares about 80%

    And one of the best features I would list was removed.. Your armor could be matched to the color of whatever your chest piece was, avoiding clown armor. They removed that... All in all ,the story of this game is pretty decent, and had me hooked for the first 2 weeks. Sadly, the gameplay made it where it was a chore. I was FORCING MYSELF THROUGH GAMEPLAY for the story. Thats unacceptable for an MMO, where gameplay should always be important.

    Maybe this game will improve in the future, but for now, this game is just another WoW clone, in space, with kinda cool cut scenes, and with less content. Cant search the AH, no dual speccing and respecing is EXPENSIVE. There are just so many features you should expect missing. It attempts to be like WoW, without the things that made WoW popular. It just has neat storylines. But that is all it brings to the table.    … Expand
  18. Fappachino
    Dec 20, 2011
    4
    I really feel betrayed by Bioware.When they announced this game a few years ago i was over the moon knowing that my favorite things were being combined, Star wars and MMOs.Knowing it was Bioware i had great hope for this game ever since i played KOTOR which still-is one of my favorite Rpgs to this very day.Fast forward to now and what i got was:
    >Repetitive quest
    >Hours of Grinding >Lack    I really feel betrayed by Bioware.When they announced this game a few years ago i was over the moon knowing that my favorite things were being combined, Star wars and MMOs.Knowing it was Bioware i had great hope for this game ever since i played KOTOR which still-is one of my favorite Rpgs to this very day.Fast forward to now and what i got was:
    >Repetitive quest
    >Hours of Grinding
    >Lack of immersion

    I could go on.They claimed it was something 'new' but it was just vanilla WoW.They claimed they went all out on voice acting which is mostly true but the fact that it's only used to tell you to go kill 10 x and report back kills the whole feel. Ok game if you're just looking to play it for a month but i really can't see myself or anyone of my friends playing this more than a month.    … Expand
  19. PretentiousCat
    Dec 20, 2011
    4
    When I first heard about this game, many moons ago, I was instantly hyped. I loved KotOR and the atmosphere. I was de-based on Bioware after the DA2 fiasco but I said I'd give them a second chance.

    After playing the early release, getting into the mid 40's in the first day of playing, I realized something. The rumors of a copy-pasted WoW were true. The skills were the same, the combat was    When I first heard about this game, many moons ago, I was instantly hyped. I loved KotOR and the atmosphere. I was de-based on Bioware after the DA2 fiasco but I said I'd give them a second chance.

    After playing the early release, getting into the mid 40's in the first day of playing, I realized something.
    The rumors of a copy-pasted WoW were true. The skills were the same, the combat was the same. Heck, even the quests were the same.

    What they didn't copy was the sense of accomplishment you get from attaining a high level and good gear.

    And don't get me started on the gear in ToR. Terrible textures, nothing that sets you apart from other classes and the clown syndrome is everywhere with mismatching gear.

    This game is nothing more than a mix of social networking and a glorified Facebook game.
    Avoid it at all costs.    … Expand
  20. amateurdude
    Dec 20, 2011
    4
    What can you say about this game which hasn't been said about every other MMO out there. Everything this game does.. There's other (you know what ones) that do it better.

    It's.. Just the same old regular crap that every other MMO to exist has already spewed out. When you have a terrible developer such as Bioware of Dragon Age 2 infamy and the pants on head retarded EA publishing this was    What can you say about this game which hasn't been said about every other MMO out there. Everything this game does.. There's other (you know what ones) that do it better.

    It's.. Just the same old regular crap that every other MMO to exist has already spewed out. When you have a terrible developer such as Bioware of Dragon Age 2 infamy and the pants on head retarded EA publishing this was doomed from the get go.

    And they didn't disappoint.

    If you're looking to play an MMO either stick with WoW, check out Rift, or give DCUO a go. Other than that avoid this if at all possible.    … Expand
  21. Quickfire
    Dec 20, 2011
    4
    What can I say about this MMO.
    The positives would be the limited physics in the game, reasonably well written storyline, conversation wheel system (unique), fantastic environment modeling and choreographed combat moves.
    The negatives would be lack of multiplayer support features, closed areas, lack of sandboxy content for casual players, poor NPC models and textures, poor space combat    What can I say about this MMO.
    The positives would be the limited physics in the game, reasonably well written storyline, conversation wheel system (unique), fantastic environment modeling and choreographed combat moves.

    The negatives would be lack of multiplayer support features, closed areas, lack of sandboxy content for casual players, poor NPC models and textures, poor space combat (no multiplayer), clunky combat flow and animations, lack of appearance/weapon/race/class choices and a poorly implemented UI and communication system.

    This game lacks many features considered standard for modern MMOs. It might be best to wait a few months for game improvements before purchasing this product, as you are really funding an extended beta after launch.

    A poor quality release with major potential down the road.    … Expand
  22. Dangerous_L
    Dec 21, 2011
    4
    This game is hardly an MMO. It feels more like a single player experience that you could bring friends along with. I didn't find the grouping mechanics to be all that good, linearity is ridiculous, PvP is a mess, FORGET about exploration (especially levels 1-25)... People are comparing TOR to WoW. I'll tell you this much, I literally went back to WoW after playing this game. I'm actuallyThis game is hardly an MMO. It feels more like a single player experience that you could bring friends along with. I didn't find the grouping mechanics to be all that good, linearity is ridiculous, PvP is a mess, FORGET about exploration (especially levels 1-25)... People are comparing TOR to WoW. I'll tell you this much, I literally went back to WoW after playing this game. I'm actually telling you that WoW has better group mechanics, less linearity, and much better PvP. Not to mention overall atmosphere. SWTOR lacks any atmosphere, I didn't click on any of the worlds I played. Anyone who says this game has more polish needs to get their eyes checked. SWTOR may be worth checking out, like, 6-8 months from now when they work out the kinks. However, it is NOT worth $60+sub. If you're looking for WoW-type gameplay, go play WoW. It's established, cheaper, and works better. God knows I wish they would have just made this a single-player game.… Expand
  23. enrogae1
    Dec 21, 2011
    4
    I see the smear campaign has begun. I will try to be as subjectively objective as I can. This is no Asheron's Call, Ultima Online, or Shadowbane. It is as much a theme park game as every other "AAA" MMO to come out in recent years. It looms as a shadow over other titles, such as Age of Conan or Star Trek Online. It is supremely better than anything modern except for the one datedI see the smear campaign has begun. I will try to be as subjectively objective as I can. This is no Asheron's Call, Ultima Online, or Shadowbane. It is as much a theme park game as every other "AAA" MMO to come out in recent years. It looms as a shadow over other titles, such as Age of Conan or Star Trek Online. It is supremely better than anything modern except for the one dated title that everyone likes to compare it to... I won't even bother saying it because we all know which one.

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

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

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

    The Bad:

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

    These are just my highlights. There are other issues I have, such as it not being sandbox (they always said it wouldn't be, so this was expected), and lack of immersion things like being able to sit in chairs or sit on the ground without looking constipated. Despite the flaws, there are many good qualities here... so don't let the zero's, one's, and two's on here dissuade you from trying the game. At the end of the day, I have fun when I log on... for now. I'm quite certain, having been in the beta since early on, that I will get my money's worth before I stop having fun. Give it a try.    … Expand
  24. kingcheese
    Dec 21, 2011
    4
    WoW in space. Not a bad thing exactly since WoW is/was a good MMO, but it's 2011 and I was expecting something new. Instead we get the same old stuff but with voice acting. Really awkward voice acting.
  25. Jabrony
    Dec 21, 2011
    4
    Heavily instanced and linear like old single player RPGs. Basically a combat lobby like WoW but nowhere near as deep when it comes to group combat, fight dynamics, or even exploration. Gamers looking for deep gameplay should look elsewhere. The game's main selling point is story and VO. Story itself gives only the illusion of choice as there is never lasting consequence (save forHeavily instanced and linear like old single player RPGs. Basically a combat lobby like WoW but nowhere near as deep when it comes to group combat, fight dynamics, or even exploration. Gamers looking for deep gameplay should look elsewhere. The game's main selling point is story and VO. Story itself gives only the illusion of choice as there is never lasting consequence (save for aesthetics) to your decisions. This means that there isn't much room for game-play inside of the story, unlike previous Bioware titles. VO quickly becomes annoying after watching an NPC glorify a "kill ten rats"quest via 2 minutes of b-grade acting for the hundredth time. This game is a shallow copy/paste job of WoW but severely lacking in nearly every feature we would expect to see in an MMO released in 2011/2012. The list of missing features is loooooooong (and frankly shocking)... I would normally hold out hope for improvements via patches but many of the game's issues seem impossible to fix due to decisions made early-on in the design process (the heavy instancing, linearity, gear treadmill, etc...)

    Lastly, if the game were not a subscription title I would rank it higher. But as it stands now, it appears folks saw the success of WOW, made a SP game with MP elements, and called it an MMO to hopefully get more cash.    … Expand
  26. ReviewerX103
    Dec 21, 2011
    4
    This game is not all bad but overall not good. The soloplayer content is good for a mmo in my opinion. The content is story driven and keeps you moving. The group content... well saying just lacking would be an understatement. This is easily the most solo player focused mmo game in the genre. It is very obvious little went into designing content for anything above small group, and evenThis game is not all bad but overall not good. The soloplayer content is good for a mmo in my opinion. The content is story driven and keeps you moving. The group content... well saying just lacking would be an understatement. This is easily the most solo player focused mmo game in the genre. It is very obvious little went into designing content for anything above small group, and even that is limited. Really it is a mmo only in respect to alot of people being online at once... all other aspects of what you expect from a mmo are missing.

    Graphics wise the game is honestly really poor, it appears very little of the massive budget went into building a large world with unique and detailed elements. Even if realistic is not the goal ascetic wise the graphic related things such as texture detail and polygon counts are horrific for a late 2011 release. Animations are in the same boat. The graphics and animations might of been acceptable in 2006, but every other AAA mmo released since WoW easily outclasses ToR in the areas of Graphics and Animation.

    Voice overs are decent, better then any other mmo and most offline games I have played this is a plus. The storytelling lacks compared to the rest of the Knights of the old republic games. And the use of cut-scenes are overused for mundane events and just drags out the "Kill X mobs" quest. The whole lightside/darkside with quest gives a false sense of choice since the outcomes are the same no matter what you choose.

    Combat is a near perfect WoW clone same with the UI. While this is not a bad thing, It is not revolutionary or even remotely different. If you are tired of the WoW playstyle well this is more of the same in that respect.

    Instances are way overused for things that honestly have no reason to be instanced, and exploration is limited in the zones.

    In conclusion:

    If you are a Starwars and a big WoW fan you can probably get some enjoyment out of this game. If you are a Starwars Old Republic fan but not a mmo fan you will be applauded by what you see. If you are a mmo fan but not a Starwars fan you will probably play for awhile but leave once the new mmo feeling goes away.

    Those tired of group focused mmos should give this a try it might be up your ally. But for those wanting the group/guild focused mmo you should play another title and stay far away from this one.

    This game is still an infant atm, and no mmo should be counted out especially at this early stage, but this is currently a very unimpressive mmo, if it can even be called a mmo, compared to what else is out there. This game does not even close to live up to the rest of the Knights of the Old Republic series. BioWare has a lot of work to do and very little time if they do not want to lose the big population they started with.    … Expand
  27. Wireded21
    Dec 22, 2011
    4
    I had 8 days of free early access due ot cancelling my pre-order but EA forgot to remove my early access code so thanks EA. I'm glad I did, had a good 8 days but it's not worth £45 + a monthly sub. It should be F2P as it doesn't offer anything innovating to make a subscription worthwhile. It really is WoW with a StarWars skin. It's a good game in it's own right but not goodI had 8 days of free early access due ot cancelling my pre-order but EA forgot to remove my early access code so thanks EA. I'm glad I did, had a good 8 days but it's not worth £45 + a monthly sub. It should be F2P as it doesn't offer anything innovating to make a subscription worthwhile. It really is WoW with a StarWars skin. It's a good game in it's own right but not good enough to justify a subscription.… Expand
  28. x_ares_x
    Dec 22, 2011
    4
    First off, BioWare doesn't only verify a credit card like most sensible companies, they deny it if you don't have at least $14.95 plus tax on it. They hold the 30 days of "free" time along with any forums access hostage if you don't have a payment ready. Now, onto the game itsself. - No macro system. You just cannot make any macros at all, no way, no how. No mouse-over heals, nothing.
    - No    First off, BioWare doesn't only verify a credit card like most sensible companies, they deny it if you don't have at least $14.95 plus tax on it. They hold the 30 days of "free" time along with any forums access hostage if you don't have a payment ready. Now, onto the game itsself. - No macro system. You just cannot make any macros at all, no way, no how. No mouse-over heals, nothing.
    - No addon system (not that I'm an addon fan, I hate them actually). This method of game playing is not implimented and honestly, I doubt it ever will be.
    What the lack of these two things mean is - there will probably be far too few healers in the future, especially in raids. There are a LOT of people who cannot function adequately without at least mouseover healing. -Uninspired combat. Sure, there is no auto-attack which is a plus, but there's also zero innovation outside of this, if you can call this innovation at all. It's mostly like every other MMORPG fight mechanic which has existed for the past 10 years or more. This isn't 1997.
    -No user interface customization. You can't move the chat box or anything else, which means you either keep it too small to read well, or you have to deal with it encroaching on your left Quickbar.
    -No autogrouping to run instances. Expect to see a LOT of "LFG for !".
    -Lethargic character creation. Do you enjoy looking like everyone else (including NPCs)? No? Too bad.
    Rift, Champions Online, and a massive number of other companies have very in-depth character creators and have come out long before this game. This is 2011, not 2000. There simply is no longer any excuse for slacking here.
    -Very small race selection. This is a game based in a universe where there are supposedly thousands of aliens. Even the movies had more than nine. If you count Human, Cyborg, Miraluka and Rattataki as looking so similar that they're all Human dirvatives, the choice is even smaller. -The entire game is one huge instance. What this means is that say you're on Ord Mantell. There will be three or four copies of this same exact world on the server. Most of the time you can see people chatting, but do not expect to see those same people in the game, necessarily. While there will be a given number of people in a given instance, the game world still feels dead and somewhat empty. You often do see others running about, but it just feels too sparse. If someone needs help and you group with them, it's up to you or them to figure out which instance the other is on.
    -Overall-
    The game is expansive, it has more than one well-known name behind it. However, it also feels rushed and half-assed in some parts. The subscription model seems backwards and bent on driving customers away, not welcoming them in. I think BioWare really screwed the pooch on this game and released it far too early. Why they would do that is beyond anyone's guess. This is not a new company who just popped up last year and decided to create a new Star Wars IP. These people should know better. Because they do no know better obviously, the game is feeling more and more like a World of Warcraft clone only there to make a cash grab.    … Expand
  29. nhpc
    Dec 22, 2011
    4
    It's World of Warcraft in space with better music. There is nothing revolutionary about the game, contrary to what the paid reviews and shills would like you to believe
  30. Andrewlol
    Dec 23, 2011
    4
    the game starts it bad with soo much little choices to create a unique character , cause everything looks the freakin same , get into the game and the soo praised story gets boring on the third quest , combat fells so outdate and its exactly like wow , the whole game feels like wow but the good tools in wow like dual spec , lfg tool , raid finder tool, are missing althogether , finding athe game starts it bad with soo much little choices to create a unique character , cause everything looks the freakin same , get into the game and the soo praised story gets boring on the third quest , combat fells so outdate and its exactly like wow , the whole game feels like wow but the good tools in wow like dual spec , lfg tool , raid finder tool, are missing althogether , finding a group to do a flashpoints is so hard cause the lfg channel is useless , pvp is no way near balanced cause when you join a warzone at lv 10 and face a bunch of 50s you see the whole increasing stats system and no brackets falls apart, i dont know whats in the end game but if its close to early and mid game , you gonna see a hugeeee drops in the subs after the first free month.At least for me i wont be coming back after the first month if i play the whole mwhahaha ;p.I put the wrong score on ma other rewiew mwhaha… 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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