A long awaited review of SWTOR.
Star Wars: The Old Republic has been a game on my radar for some time, the series is already well established within gaming and has a huge reservoir of lore and history to drawn upon and enrich. Add to this the fact the game has been created by Bioware and I'm frothing at the mouth. But after playing in the beta and now having hit the endgame, how does it stand up?
Firstly, it's Star Wars so you know a little bit of what to expect as you begin the character creation process. You have two factions: The Galactic Republic and The Sith Empire. Each faction currently has four unique classes, which obviously include Jedi/Sith, who don't vary greatly in their uses between each faction. They use either a combination of melee orientated attacks (Jedi Knight/Sith Warrior) or can rely more on force powers (Jedi Consular/Sith Inquisitor). The similarities end there as the two remaining classes for each faction have a little more individuality. For the Republic there are the Republic Trooper - a class that can use heavy armour from the go, and uses blasters and explosives to win out over enemies. And there is also the Smuggler class. The Smuggler makes use of cover to gain an advantage over enemies and can make use of many healing or stealth based abilities, of all classes the smuggler seems closest to a traditional rogue-type as you might expect.
For the Empire there is the Bounty Hunter, again heavily armoured, but making use of darts, flamethrowers, missiles and blaster pistols to deliver a punishing combination of short/mid/long range firepower. There is also the Imperial Agent, who can make use of stealth or healing abilities to aid in the fight against the Republic. The agent is also the only class to gain access to sniper rifles, which can provide a useful ranged advantage but can lead to a quick death if they are caught in melee.
In terms of graphics, The Old Republic has a very distinct art style, not overly realistic, but not exactly The Clone Wars either. This can seem a little strange at first, as it's a style I wasn't used to seeing in a Star Wars game, but it quickly becomes rather normal as you start playing. The game sounds as you would expect too, instantly recognisable blaster and lightsaber wounds help give that real Star Wars feel to the game and bring the combat to life. Weapons and armour are customisable too, which often changes their appearance and, I've noticed, even somethings the way a lightsaber sounds. This helps your character feel unique as two different player's equipment never quire looks or is upgraded in the same way. The game offers up plenty of planets to explore as you level, each with its own distinct visual style and inhabitants. These range from the classics such as Hoth, Tatooine, Alderaan and Ord Mantell, to ones not yet seen in the series such as Hutta, Voss and Dromund Kaas.
The gameplay is pretty much what you might expect from an MMORPG, but has a few twists along the way. With this being a Bioware game there are fully voiced dialogues between yourself and NPCs throughout the game, no matter how minor a quest it may seem you are about to undertake, it simply feels more important just because you have that engagement and interaction with the NPC. There is also a full dialogue wheel very reminiscent of the one seen in the Mass Effect series; your options effect the flow of conversation, can change the course of storylines and, in some cases, give 'Light' or 'Dark' morality points. Having an alignment with either the light side or the dark side gives access to certain equipments and modifications for your weapons and gear.
Bioware has also included a companion system, you can gain a crew of us to five NPCs who assist in terms of either melee damage, tanking, healing, ranged damage and so forth, they can even be sent on gathering and crafting missions - leaving you free to continue questing. Each companion has a unique personality and can gain and lose affection with the player depending on your choices through the game, a couple of them even offer up several quests personal to them, should you gain enough affection with them. And yes, some of them can even become the subject of a romance plot.
While on your class' main story line missons you will gain access to your very own space ship. These are different for each class and act as a means of travel, rest area, mission hub and place where your companions gather. The ships interiors provide access to what you need without becoming too confusing in layout, they also contain a storage locker for any excess gear you may be carrying. Your ship also allows you access to space combat missions. I became very excited about this after it was shown in trailers leading up to the game's release, but I was disappointed to find it's essentially an on-rails point and click shooter minigame with not much real variation.
Playing the game in groups allows you to complete group quests for a party of up to four players, and allows you to tackle heroic quests with others. These can range in difficulty but are never too hard for the level they are designed, they just require a decent amount of teamwork and communication mostly. Conversations are also multiplayer. All members of a party will be present in conversations and when a dialogue option is given players roll off to see who's character makes their selected response, which again can dictate the flow and the conversation and outcome of plot devices. This can have its most profound effect during 'flashpoints' - heavily story driven instances for groups of four players, where enemies encountered and even the length of the flashpoint can be effected by dialogue decisions.
In the endgame there are plenty of flashpoints to undertake, as well as 'operatons' - which are essentially massive flashpoints. Player groups of up to eight can engage in endgame operations which are challenging and rewarding. Teamwork is essential to these, especially during some tricky boss fights.
In summary:
Star Wars: The Old Republic is a unique take on the MMORPG genre, excellently written and engaging.
The game looks, sounds and feels right. The involvement of playing with a group makes the experience more social and flashpoints and operations are a real treat when you have a good group.
The game's space combat is a bit disappointing and feels like a missed opportunity, and obviously with the game being relatively new there are a few bugs encountered from time to time, as well as bugged quests.
all in all, I'd say it was worth the wait - there are several changes and new features planned according to www.swtor.com - and I can't wait to see how these features will improve the game.
I give Star Wars: The Old Republic 8.5/10