AU Shippin' Out Feb. 27 - March 2: Star Wars: The Old Republic

After making Aussie Star Wars fans salivate like a hungry Rancor since December last year, EA and BioWare are finally ready to formally let gamers Down Under play Star Wars: The Old Republic. Players can choose from two factions, the Galactic Republic and the Sith Empire, and they can pick from nine different species. As for the classes, BioWare looked to George Lucas' classic franchise for inspiration, with Jedi knight and bounty hunters among the eight different options.

Just like previous BioWare games, Star Wars: The Old Republic is set before the events of the movies. After a lengthy war between the Sith and the Jedi, a temporary peace has been restored to the galaxy. The game picks up just as a new conflict arises, and decisions made during the game will dictate where the tide of the war goes.

Star Wars: The Old Republic will come with a 30-day trial card, with players then expected to shell out A$32.99 for 60-day subscriptions.

The other game out this week is SSX from EA Sports. Thanks to the use of geo-tagging technology courtesy of NASA, developers were able create over 20 different mountains for players to tear down. While SSX originally had a much darker tone when it was announced in 2010, it has since been revamped to be more in line with previous iterations of the franchise. The game also features a soundtrack of over 40 songs that include the likes of Run-D.M.C.'s It's Tricky and I Gotta Rok by DJ Shadow.

While there are only two games out this week, stay tuned to AU Shippin' out next week as it's going to be a big one! Not only does next Thursday mark the conclusion of Shepard's story in Mass Effect 3, but it'll also be up against the new Twisted Metal game and Street Fighter X Tekken.

March 1, 2012
Star Wars: The Old Republic (PC)
SSX (360, PS3)