Reviewing this game without out the hype getting the best of them.
Prologue lvls 1-10
Classes I reached
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Jedi Shadow
Sith Sorcerer
Jedi Sentinel
Mercenary
Sniper
Scoundrel
Good
World Variety
World Layout
Lightsabers!!!
Cinematics!
Bad
Questline Diversity
Weapon Differential
Traveling
Certain Storylines
Above are all the classes I hit level 10 with. The main reason I did that is because people would argue that I only saw one of the storylines so I can't really give an opinion on an entire game, and they are absolutely right. I didn't like some of these storylines. Bounty Hunter, Jedi Consular, and Jedi Knight all bugged me. Mostly because of the limitation and just the clunkiess of the game. They feel the most like "Go to point A to point B. Kill these guys. Try and make this guy a good guy." There also was never a certain threat to it. Mostly because in Tython you got so far leveled up with Flesh Raiders that you were lvl 9 or 10 before you even constructed your saber and fought the main guy for either (Master Org's old Padawan or that Twi'lek dude... shut up. Its hard to cram it all in.)
To continue with the bad out of the way, so I can continue on praising the good things about the game. The Weapon Differental is very limited. You get a training sword or blaster. At level 6 you get a different looking, then at around lvl 10 you get a lightsaber. Now, I always switched weapons while leveling on. But it seems that they had to keep a limited mind since all they have is laser blasters and lightsabers. It seemed like a concept that needed to be fleshed out more than what the original lore had been given.
Traveling is a problem. With the whole bind areas to your Quick Travel is very tedious and annoying. Also, the world map is discovered as you go along yet they don't show you were potential camps are. Which pretty much means unless you have a quest to go there. Your walking your butt around just trying to find out more places to go quests. With my Jedi Shadow I had gotten to level 8 and already going to Corescaunt. I had to try and look around till I could find an outpost in the middle of nowhere to begin there.
On a last note, The Quest Differental is very annoying. Oh, my goodness this confirmed alot of my fears of this being too linear for an mmorpg. Right from the get go your forced to take this storyline and have to follow the same path as a million other people are taking. This will continue on till at least level 30 when a conclusion comes to your Act I to finally be given some freedom. However, that is more than half-way through the game before you can actually try the whole exploring and going on. Which is a problem that they need to address in later expansions.
Now, time for the good to come into this. Starting with, is the great difference in the worlds. Ranging from the ruins and desert of Korriban to the lush green forrests of Tython. To the polluted lands of Hutta, Every place has their own sense of origin and whether its from the Star Wars lore or not. I still loved everyone moment of looking around and just seeing the scenery that is this amazing game. Everyone moment I left the game I wanted to go back to check out everything that this game had to offer. If you ever wanted to learn how to make a land. That's how you do it.
Another thing, is, unlike Star Wars Galaxies, we get LIGHTSABERS!!! Oh my goodness I got my nerd panties up in a knot *sorry for the mental image. However, I felt like the Sith could've been given a more dramatic moment when you were recieved your lightsaber instead off.. Take my old dude's lightsaber. K? Thanks. However, on another note, I would've liked more different colors and more diversity with those lightsabers. Especially with a more Sith oriented instead of orange, yellow, and red. Which are all butt buddies right next to each other in the color spectrum.
Last thing of course, is the cinematics of this game. From the very beginning it feels like a game with promise. If you love something that has story. Don't bother finishing this review. Just go and buy this game and you will enjoy it from day one. This is in a nutshell a less-story oriented version of a Star Wars themed ME2. With less awesome action-scenes too. That is also a problem that they face I will address later.
Levels 11-20
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Jedi Shadow
Sith Sorcerer
Mercenary
Jedi Sentinel
Good
The Esseles/Black Talon
The VoidStar
Dromund Kaas
Levels for Planets
Space-Ship Battles
Bad
Coruscant
Any other Flashpoint
Any other Warzone
Limited gear
Continuing you on with the gear. Let me start by saying I hate Republic characters after this moment! The storyline gets boring for them, due to it being a rinse-repeat of how much of screw-ups the Republic is and need your help all the god dang time, and for the most part. Choosing the light side, your going to just smile and get your light side points up and not yell at people for being the idiots they are. Also, it feels like they drag on Coruscant too long for its own good. Even with the Padawan perspective of Kira. They should work on the overall storyline for that overall.
Another problem is that the Flashpoints after BT/Esseles it gets really bad on the whole trade they were selling this game. That this game was too make you feel like you make a difference when you do it. That their is this whole rolling on conversation expirence where you make key-points in the flashpoint to continue their story. They only have an average of 1 scene where you get 50 light side or dark side by where if you want to kill some people or let them live directly or indirectly. God dang you Athiss, Hammer Station, and more! Please, please, dont make operations as bad as this or im going to leave this for good!
Also, warzones are a piece of crap! The Voidstar is the best one, the bareable one is Alderaan warzone. But huttball! I hate that so much.. and we play it 95% of the time it makes me want to pull my hair out of my head! Why can't they make it bareable! It is the concept of football of them continuing on until they cross the line, and basically killing them back-and-forth where you either have a 5-0 or 6-0 blowout or a close 1-0 victory! Also, another problem with warzones, is that the whole thing with them is that there all levels together! This unbalances it because some people don't have the same spells as they level up! So if you have a group of level 10s to a group of levels 50s, your screwed no matter what the outcome due to the lack of knowledge and spells that your other team has! Don't buff them!
Also, the design for gear is very limited. It is a robe for any Jedi/Sith and basically any heavy armor stuff for Mercenary. (As far as I know). I kinda wish they had more variety with the overall armor due to them because they have nothing to them. It has the some-what same designs and the only ones that strike out as interesting are the ones They need to fix this later on or BioWare to do something better!
Now, time to get bright side. Starting off with the BT/Esseles, which are by far the best Flashpoint! They have so much variety due to them giving you a real choice of how you want to play the game! I really wish that they do this more often! It has social point while they want to give it a more group interactive of how the people struggle and give light or dark choices that fit really well like ME did. Its level 7-10 and if you ever buy this game. Do this flashpoint the second you are done with the 1st homeworld wherever you may be. I am doing you a favor.
The Voidstar is amazing! Sorry, had to get that out of the way. The only good Warzone is also by far the best. I wouldn't be suprised if they spent all their time doing this instead of getting any of the others right! It is an objective warzone with them being able to cooperate and get this storyline down! I also love whoever voices Darth Marr who announces everything that goes on during the warzone.
The Sith side of Dromund Kaas is very good. Let me start off by saying that, only playing 2 of them. I can honestly say im not dissapointed, especially with the slaying of a great Sith (not Spoiling) The whole sequence takes place is quiet well done, and have to just give credit to that. Which is by far one of the highlights of the game.
I have to tip my head to the fact that levels are different to each class where people got a more diverse playing as they don't have to planet hop when you get a ship as you progress through the storyline. Which I must admit excited me when I saw it.
Space Ship Battles! Oh my god! My prayers have been answered! I had always wanted Rogue Squadron be implemented into another Star Wars game, and here it goes. Which was one of my favorite games when I was a teenager. I have to admit I was really pleased with it! When you get your ship at around level 16 you get to do these missions. More come when you level up. It also does more diverse things as you go farther on! Very pleased with it! Go Rogue Squadron!
Levels 21-30
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Jedi Shadow
Sith Sorcerer
Good
Vehicles
Sorcerer Questline
Bad
Continuing Problems
Give me a break!
Im going to have to get good out of the way for this. So I can rant and rant and rant. So here we go:
Vehicles is standard. They are some pretty good models and kind of glad they are 90% instead of 60%. Pretty expensive for a total cost of 48,000 credits. Very well done.
The Sorcerer Questline was great in Nar Shaddaa and Tattooine. The Whole quest to finding the artifacts of Tulak Hord was pretty well done. Even though I hate Darth Zash. Which makes me glad later on. Just sayin'
Now, this game doesn't get better. Every-single problem I had before continues you on, I really don't even need to go. They don't introduce anything new. Except some more cliche events into the game. Even though this entire god dang game is in the past! The problem with this game being in the past is the problem that the past has already been determined. So whatever you do, in the end, doesn't matter.
The Sith Empire will fall. The Siths will only go by pairs of two. Darth Vader rises to power 4000 years later. And Luke Skywalker blows up the Death Star a 2nd time to end the whole reign of the Sith. So everything you work on has already been determined. Why couldn't George Lucas instead of the fear of making the movies 7-9. Given 4,000 years into the future!?! Where Bioware could be released of the chains of limited story. This story can't reach its full potiental of the game when the whole thing is marketed as great story! Oh my goodness, when will they learn over at Lucasarts that they should give their slaves of marketing people to think for a minute to realize how this game should've been given out.
Levels 31-40
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Sith Sorcerer
Good
Freedom
Design of level 40 Mounts
Bad
10% extra speed
No changes of Diversity
Flashpoints are still a dissapointment
Companions
To get rid of the bad, just real quick because their are some things I actually do praise here. 1st has to be the whole thing that the change is only 10% speed from level 25 mounts to level 40 mounts, I mean, why? What is even the point of that? I can honestly say that I don't really notice a 10% difference to speed. However when telling people about it they just say they will take that over no-increase. True, but the whole thing is that it should be baby-steps to increase exploration. From levels 1-25 you are on your feet. Running from place to place seeing the entire scenery. When you get your mount they adjust the sights of the world, Places like Alderran and Taris has a more openess to them than Nar Shaddaa. This is because you are expected to have your mount by then.
Another thing is that they have no changes in Diversity with the planets themselves. In the fact yes the enivornment is different, but the quests in them. Why still in Hoth am I versusing the Exchange Gang when I already blew them up 3 times in Nar Shaddaa? It doesn't make any sense why we are still aiming for the same goals, it seems like every single planet we go on is to tighten our grip on the planet by either getting rid of the Republic/Empire and getting rid of Rebels.
Flashpoints are also still keep on the dissapointment. I had about given on them just for a 1/3 level grind where you can update your gear. Which I had really hoped it wouldn't come to, because that just means they are no better than WoW dungeons. Which I have to admit in my 3 years of playing that was always one of my biggest problems with it. I really hope they decide to straighten up.
Last but not least are the Companions. Mostly about after Khem' Val, none of them will accept you being a jerk. Which thats why I picked a Sith in the first place. And I can only romance with that Padawan who you have to act like a good guy to her non-stop! Why?! I know this is mostly for Sith Inquistor (Also Bounty Hunter) But It just gets on my nerves when they always have to question my motives. Its like: Khem Val get back here.. YOU UNDERSTAND!?
Time to go onto the Good. Which these levels are the rest redemption I have for them. Which starting after Act I you get some freedom for once for the love of god. Even though you have continue with each planet with 4 levels in each area. You can stay in one planet for a little bit longer. However, you always seem to want to continue the story because its so good. They need to change that up.
Now one last note is that the level 40 mounts while only giving a 10% boost have some pretty cool mounts. Especially the whole Speeder Bike one.
Overall, I think this game has flaws. And the whole excitement of it is limited. Buy this game at your own risk. If you like Mass Effect and Star Wars. Yes. Anything else? Bring your friends and you should be fine. Don't pay $15 a month. Unless you realize what you are getting yourself into. Very time consuming also.