Star Wars The Old Republic

 

The Old Republic is a game built upon the Bioware Engine and the similarities to WoW offer both  a comfortable and familar interface as well as an amazing social aspect that provides a great in-game community and economy. While the similarities are in-your-face-obvious the engrossing storyline and classic franchise offer enough unique attributes to separate it from Azeroth.

Game Play: 7

    Within approximately 20hrs I was able to level-up an avatar to level 13 with minimal knowledge on the game and below average knowledge of WoW. The numerous storylines/missions that can be  pursued means many hours of fun and leveling-up. With a PvE group queue and a PvP Warzone queue seasoned players have a way to channel their force in endless hours of combat.

Graphics: 7

    The graphics are on the same echelon as those that can be found in WoW. While character development and the game universe offers for more detailed non-playable character (NPC) outfits the graphics are still cartoonish and remind me more of a child's game then one geared toward adults. Interface options to affect graphical settings are minimal.

Sound/Music: 9

    I grew-up in the Star-wars culture and so have a special place in my heart for the ambient sounds and background music offered by LucasArts, but there are several unique, idealistic tracks that simply amazed me. The accumulation of audio effects and tracks really brings you into the universe of "Star Wars: The Old Republic", helping to immerse players and offer them a real sense of involvement in the flow of the force.

Free vs PvP: 9

    While the benefits of being a 'pay to play'(P2P) are evident and heavily highlighted by the game for the first ten levels, the reality is that it does not prevent you from enjoying some of the better aspects of the game. Acceleration in the ability to traverse the game, added reward items and added race options are available for P2P'ers.

Depth: 8

    The character alignment to 'choose-your-own-adventure' storyline relationship provides a great way to offer player involvement and ownership while further immersing players into their avatar's role in the game world. The group conversation feature is both unique and enjoyable, giving The Old Republic it's own place in the MMO history books.