I really wanted to like this. I really did.
I was lucky to get that email inviting me to beta-test. Finally, I would have a look at this long awaited game. It took about 30 min of game play when I realized this wasn't the MMO I was looking for. This was going to be KOTOR 3 with a 15 dollar a month subscription to play.
Graphics:
The look of SWTOR is okay. Not bad...not really good, just okay. Maybe a slight improvement of BioWare's KOTOR 2. By comparison, Mass Effect (the 1st) is ten times better.
Character Creation:
Not really good at all. Limited species, 3 body types(skinny, buff, and fat) and clothing choice is the same for all. Most players look the same in one fashion or another.
Gameplay:
The combat is excellent visually but does get repetitive as do all MMOs. There are vast areas to travel. Most of that on foot. There are speeders but these are just glorified taxis that transport you from one "speeder station" to another and that is only after you reach and discover the speeder stations. Once you get on one, it's an auto-piloted ride to the station you've chosen. The quests are the usual fair....get mission, talk to npc, do nps a favor to get an item for the original quest, talk to another npc, etc. Most of this, if not all, can be solo played and as such, feels like a single player game.
After the beta test and a couple weeks of Free Trial, I can only say that it isn't what I wanted or hoped for at all. A little more of a sandbox game would've been great. As is, this is 100% Knights of the Old Republic 3. To subscribe to this would be like paying to play the first two KOTOR games and that is where I feel this game failed. Is it fun? Yes, for awhile. Is it worth the price? It would be if it had been KOTOR 3 out of the box but add the subscription fee and it definitely is not. I predict this will go to a free-to-play model in a year or so once the initial excitement wears off. For now, it is a really over hyped MMO that doesn't bring anything new to the table other than quality voice acting.