The Old Republic borrows the good ideas from an old formula and refines it with what BioWare does best: storytelling.

User Rating: 8.5 | Star Wars: The Old Republic PC
WHY THIS GAME IS UNIQUE:

Star Wars: The Old Republic is a good MMO. In fact it is good enough to get someone, like me, who doesn't care much for the genre to join the fray.

It might be surprising at first glance to see how is this so: 1) It borrows heavily from the games of it's type, especially in comparison to World of Warcraft (since I've played it quite a bit as well). 2) It retains the same formula of pressing 1-10 and alternate custom, user-defined hotkeys. And 3) Classically, it retains the go kill that and get this.

So why am still playing it?

Because BioWare knows how to put these things together into something interesting and make you care.

It's no secret that BioWare is the the proverbial god of storytelling in this day and age, and there is no exception to SWTOR. The stories in this MMO are actually what makes its multiplayer and combat so fun. The missions aren't presented to you in the traditional text or uninspired medium. Instead, everything - every single instance - is voice-acted in this game. Not only is this undertaking impressive, but it is also done pretty well around the board and you might actually remember why you are killing things or saving people. If you enjoy the Star Wars universe, you will love the attention to detail all the more. As MMOs are concerned, this is the most polished one I've ever seen (both with the environments and the combat).

When you are able to enjoy that experience with other people on missions, it makes it that much better. The Flashpoints (instanced missions) are fun, albeit linear. It is unique in that players make their choices with each other, usually over how to proceed with a quest or who to spare or kill, and the story is usually very good and, at the very least, interesting. Indeed, one of the biggest strengths to this game are Flashpoints. However, getting to group up with others is a pain. Prepare to type in LFG in chat and wait because there is no system they have in place (as of yet) to help group up people.

As you can imagine, there is a lot to this game. MMO's rarely can be covered in a short review, so I've listed the keypoints to what make this game good and what makes it lack:

PROS:
- Solid, well-paced combat
- Diverse (and fun) class specializations
- Excellent solo and multiplayer storytelling
- Immersive universe (good voice-acting and attention to detail in environment)
- Interesting quests
- Companions are a great addition to eliminate the monotony of crafting and gathering
- Fun and inspired PvP options
- You feel like the force is with you

CONS:
- Weak space combat
- Worlds hardly encourage much exploration due to their linearity
- No matchmaking for group quests
- Disorganized Auction House
- Limited loot variety (compared to other MMOs)
- Areas for PVP are scarce

CONCLUSION:
The Old Republic borrows the good ideas from an old formula and refines it with what BioWare does best: storytelling.

YOU WILL WANT TO PLAY THIS IF YOU:
- Like faster paced combat
- Are interested in story
- Like Star Wars

YOU WON'T IF YOU:
- Don't like the MMO formula
- Need high level caps and end game material
- Don't want to pay the monthly fee of $15