Another MMO bites the dust... are we surprised?
I'm an old-school Star Wars nerd. I grew up with it in the 80s, and never stopped loving it. Even though I gripe about the prequels immensely, a part of me still loves the world Lucas introduced us to. I'm glad video games and fan-fic novels exist, because it often proves that other people can create better stories with the universe. :D
But in the past decade, the games have been rather hit-and miss. I did not like Galaxies one bit. The Force Unleashed started something promising, only to have it completely ruined by its teeny-tiny, lousy sequel. But Shadows of the Empire, Jedi Outcast, Knights of the Old Republic and Battlefront prove that when given to the right hands, this franchise has an awful lot of potential.
When BioWare announced this, I was actually excited. The guys behind KOTOR, Baldur's Gate and Mass Effect were going to make a Star Wars MMO?! I didn't get it at launch, but I did pick up the $150 collector's edition a month later... Proof that I actually had faith.
Pros: The Star Wars universe is effectively brought to life with a great sense of atmosphere and scale; Fantastic storytelling with multiple paths, all depending on the class you choose; Very user-friendly interface; Combat is fast-paced and enjoyable; Hundreds of quests and tasks that are guaranteed to keep you busy
Cons: Take away the compelling story, and you have one of the most painfully deliberate WoW-clones to date; The sense of shaping your own world and destiny is crumbled by the intrusive and forced multiplayer; Space combat isn't as fully realized as it could have been; Quests are often a recycled pattern of "kill/collect so many of these"; Lackluster PvP
Graphics & Presentation: 7
Visually, The Old Republic isn't as quite as appealing as other MMOs that have come out in the past few years, but that can be argued with folks as the cartoony look could easily be there to minimize performance issues. I mean, it definitely looks solid for what it is, but it easily looks like a game that came out in 2007, and not 2011. Unfortunately, even though my PC was capable of handling the game at maximum settings, the performance was still considerably slow. I even turned down some of them just to see if it could improve, and I was surprised to discover that it barely got any better.
One thing it definitely has going for it is the character-creation system, which allows you to fully customize their individual features. This makes every player unique, and greatly reduces any possible risk of anyone looking exactly like you. I'm glad more MMOs are adapting this feature. The sense of individuality is really embraced.
The environments, both indoor and outdoor, are magnificently detailed and will definitely please fans of the universe in a heartbeat. Different planets serve as the games different "zones" in where you're able to travel and build up your levels, and each one is a joy to explore. Just don't expect anything along the level of Mass Effect... which is really unfortunate given the amount of time and money spent on development.
Sound Effects & Music: 10
Even though everything here hits the mark, there's not really a whole lot I can really talk about that hasn't been praised before in my past reviews, hehe. Like with most Star Wars games, the soundtrack is excellent, with compositions that feel right at home with the movies. I've honestly yet to play a game in this franchise that has fallen below standards in the music department.
Sound effects are also perfect, with all the noises from the whooshing and clashing of lightsabers to spell effects and explosions, everything sounds crystal clear. You can walk past your friend's room while he's playing it, not even glancing at his screen, and you will immediately know what he's glued to.
Voice acting is pretty stellar, and you can obviously tell where the majority of the hard work was put in. EVERYTHING is voiced, including each and every single class you play. You could play this game for months on end, and still never hear everything that's been said from all the conversation possibilities.
Story: 9
In my opinion, THIS is the reason why this game should be given a fair chance. The story is probably the best I've ever seen constructed for an MMO, I honestly felt the character I created was an active part of it. Not just some pawn that goes through the motions. You actually interact and make a difference with the NPCs around you, and the choices you make WILL shape where your story unfolds from that point on.
Like I said before... everything is voice acted, including yourself, making the narrative that much more compelling. Yeah, some of the bits are cheesy here and there, and there are some predictable moments, but the way this is executed makes this feel like a living, breathing, interactive world that I'm shaping on my own terms.
Controls & Gameplay: 5
This is essentially a futuristic World of WarCraft with lightsabers. Don't even stand there and try to fucking deny it. My mind is completely blown at how much this game rips off. Not only from the UI mechanics, but the basic macros, the controls, and even the EMOTES are exactly the same. Instead of flight-path griffons, you have taxis. Instead of walking mounts, you have speeders. Instead of flying mounts, you have your own ship.
The talent tree structure is the same. The action bar is the same. The map and waypoint system is the same. The way you receive and turn in quests is the same. The quest STRUCTURE is the same. Instancing is the same!
*head-desk* Why is this the staple? I know this is coming from someone who still plays WoW, but why is that the official blueprint for all modern-day MMOs?! Why can't someone create something entirely fresh and new, with NO ties to other games in its genre? What are they paying their creative development teams for? When I see MMOs like this (and believe me, there are more than I can count) it only shows a tremendous LACK of creativity. All they're doing is using the same exact skeleton, but only dressing it up in different clothing.
I know it's kind of unfair to bash a game for taking liberties from another successful property, but when you have people who are openly sick of WoW looking for something fresh, can you understand why so many have walked away from this game as well?
Now it isn't a COMPLETE carbon-copy. It does try to add some new touches. Like the AI party member that you control at all times, like a ... pet.... (goddammit!) But! You can have them run errands for you! You can have them sell your worthless loot, take on quests of their own, and still aid you in battle. You can even establish your friendship with them as well.
I did like that. It allowed you to mold and form your AI companion however you wish, and develop their own set of specific skills which you can choose for them. But the reason I liked it isn't likely to be what you think it is...
I liked it because it was a little touch to how this game could have been had it been set to be a single-player experience.
"But why on earth would you wish to play by yourself in an MMO?!" some may ask. Well... it all goes back to the story. You see, your quest line all depends on the choices you make, and who you choose to interact with. Killing one person can open a whole new set of adventures, but at the same time, it could completely lock away another path. These are choices that only YOU make, and not anyone else.
It's how personal the story is that makes the whole MMO structure in itself so intrusive and unnecessary. Let's say you party up with a friend who's a few levels behind you, and he asks for your help in catching up to where you're at. You can watch his cutscenes and even interact with them at times... and eventually see AI characters that you already killed, thus COMPLETELY NIXING THE PURPOSE of having the world shaped around your choices. Or you're excluded from the conversation/quest turn-in, and you just have to sit and wait while your friend watches their cinematic.
The only purpose the story serves in this MMO is whether or not you can access certain areas or instances, or how good or evil your persuasion is. As much as I love playing games with friends, playing with them on here (unless they plan on doing the exact same things you do) is literally a distraction. I'm more interested in seeing where the tale takes me than where my friend is gathering minerals to build a new lightsaber.
I compare it to watching TV with someone you have to share the remote with, and the person insists that you switch to his/her channel every five minutes while you try and watch yours.
I want to go in depth with the combat mechanics, cooldowns, and class abilities, but since practically everything has been done before in countless other WoW-clone MMOs, I'd sound like a broken record. From what I've observed, BioWare kinda went a little overboard with the abilities your class is able to learn, putting just a tad too many to toy with. Now there's nothing wrong with variety, but I assure you, some of them will almost never get touched.
The combat is SLIGHTLY more interactive than what you're used to, being that there are more instant attacks (most with a 1.5 second cooldown), so you're not just sitting there, watching you and your enemy go at it. There are knockbacks, stuns, and other various combinations of attacks you can perform, so it's definitely not stale. It just isn't all that new.
I did like that at level 10, each class is given a choice of an advanced class to take on, thus keeping all the classes from being exactly the same like in other MMOs. The benefit is two entirely different sets of abilities you're able to learn! But you must choose wisely. Once you pick one, you can't change your mind!
And the quest structure has some differences, but they're slight at best. Whenever you're out doing side quests, you're sometimes greeted with bonus quests. These are not ones you normally accept like the others. Instead, these are activated upon killing a certain number of foes... which often ask you to kill EVEN MORE of that enemy type. Some going as far as asking you to kill over 25~30 of them... or MORE. The game's already a mindless grind fest with this mechanic, but now it's making me wander around and kill more troopers for another few bars of experience?
But don't panic. Many of these quests go pretty quickly, being that the game is so underpopulated, you won't have to worry about swarms of other players stealing your kills. I jumped into this game during its steady climb in popularity, and there were many areas that were shockingly barren. However, for quest grinding, this can work to your advantage, being that you'll always get 100% of the loot, and you won't have to worry about some kid in your party that dies at every encounter.
Also, if you're looking for PvP... don't even bother. The entire time I played my Sith character, not once did I encounter an enemy Jedi player. I pick PvP servers specifically to give my adventure a "danger" element, thus increasing the challenge a little. And being that I didn't play long enough to reach the level 50 cap, the only PvP I really experienced was through duels with friends.
You also get to take part in space battles with your ship, but the missions are very generic... and repetitious. Kill so many of these... Escort this guy from here to there.... The concept has so many possibilities, I feel it was all squandered just so they could sell the game with the "LOOK! YOU GET YOUR OWN SHIP! AND YOU GET TO SHOOT OTHER SHIPS WITH IT!" pitch.
Overall Grade: B-
Some might think I gave a bit too high of a score for this, being that I had so many complaints about the gameplay. But to be perfectly honest, as a standalone RPG, the game really isn't that bad at all. The Old Republic truly excels as a compelling and captivating adventure for the single player, offering a rich story and plenty of interactivity to keep things unique to each person.
But this is definitely one of the biggest failed executions for an MMO I have ever seen. It just feels so tacked-on and lazy, and it deliberately deters you from remaining engaged with your own quest. It really hurts to say this, because this was one game I truly hoped would help evolve the genre.
Now that the game is going free-to-play, I can actually say it's something worth giving a try. If you're interested in the story, and simply want to tinker around with all the classes and plot paths, I can safely recommend this as another RPG. But if you're looking for an MMO, just keep on walking... there's nothing to see here.
But in the past decade, the games have been rather hit-and miss. I did not like Galaxies one bit. The Force Unleashed started something promising, only to have it completely ruined by its teeny-tiny, lousy sequel. But Shadows of the Empire, Jedi Outcast, Knights of the Old Republic and Battlefront prove that when given to the right hands, this franchise has an awful lot of potential.
When BioWare announced this, I was actually excited. The guys behind KOTOR, Baldur's Gate and Mass Effect were going to make a Star Wars MMO?! I didn't get it at launch, but I did pick up the $150 collector's edition a month later... Proof that I actually had faith.
Pros: The Star Wars universe is effectively brought to life with a great sense of atmosphere and scale; Fantastic storytelling with multiple paths, all depending on the class you choose; Very user-friendly interface; Combat is fast-paced and enjoyable; Hundreds of quests and tasks that are guaranteed to keep you busy
Cons: Take away the compelling story, and you have one of the most painfully deliberate WoW-clones to date; The sense of shaping your own world and destiny is crumbled by the intrusive and forced multiplayer; Space combat isn't as fully realized as it could have been; Quests are often a recycled pattern of "kill/collect so many of these"; Lackluster PvP
Graphics & Presentation: 7
Visually, The Old Republic isn't as quite as appealing as other MMOs that have come out in the past few years, but that can be argued with folks as the cartoony look could easily be there to minimize performance issues. I mean, it definitely looks solid for what it is, but it easily looks like a game that came out in 2007, and not 2011. Unfortunately, even though my PC was capable of handling the game at maximum settings, the performance was still considerably slow. I even turned down some of them just to see if it could improve, and I was surprised to discover that it barely got any better.
One thing it definitely has going for it is the character-creation system, which allows you to fully customize their individual features. This makes every player unique, and greatly reduces any possible risk of anyone looking exactly like you. I'm glad more MMOs are adapting this feature. The sense of individuality is really embraced.
The environments, both indoor and outdoor, are magnificently detailed and will definitely please fans of the universe in a heartbeat. Different planets serve as the games different "zones" in where you're able to travel and build up your levels, and each one is a joy to explore. Just don't expect anything along the level of Mass Effect... which is really unfortunate given the amount of time and money spent on development.
Sound Effects & Music: 10
Even though everything here hits the mark, there's not really a whole lot I can really talk about that hasn't been praised before in my past reviews, hehe. Like with most Star Wars games, the soundtrack is excellent, with compositions that feel right at home with the movies. I've honestly yet to play a game in this franchise that has fallen below standards in the music department.
Sound effects are also perfect, with all the noises from the whooshing and clashing of lightsabers to spell effects and explosions, everything sounds crystal clear. You can walk past your friend's room while he's playing it, not even glancing at his screen, and you will immediately know what he's glued to.
Voice acting is pretty stellar, and you can obviously tell where the majority of the hard work was put in. EVERYTHING is voiced, including each and every single class you play. You could play this game for months on end, and still never hear everything that's been said from all the conversation possibilities.
Story: 9
In my opinion, THIS is the reason why this game should be given a fair chance. The story is probably the best I've ever seen constructed for an MMO, I honestly felt the character I created was an active part of it. Not just some pawn that goes through the motions. You actually interact and make a difference with the NPCs around you, and the choices you make WILL shape where your story unfolds from that point on.
Like I said before... everything is voice acted, including yourself, making the narrative that much more compelling. Yeah, some of the bits are cheesy here and there, and there are some predictable moments, but the way this is executed makes this feel like a living, breathing, interactive world that I'm shaping on my own terms.
Controls & Gameplay: 5
This is essentially a futuristic World of WarCraft with lightsabers. Don't even stand there and try to fucking deny it. My mind is completely blown at how much this game rips off. Not only from the UI mechanics, but the basic macros, the controls, and even the EMOTES are exactly the same. Instead of flight-path griffons, you have taxis. Instead of walking mounts, you have speeders. Instead of flying mounts, you have your own ship.
The talent tree structure is the same. The action bar is the same. The map and waypoint system is the same. The way you receive and turn in quests is the same. The quest STRUCTURE is the same. Instancing is the same!
*head-desk* Why is this the staple? I know this is coming from someone who still plays WoW, but why is that the official blueprint for all modern-day MMOs?! Why can't someone create something entirely fresh and new, with NO ties to other games in its genre? What are they paying their creative development teams for? When I see MMOs like this (and believe me, there are more than I can count) it only shows a tremendous LACK of creativity. All they're doing is using the same exact skeleton, but only dressing it up in different clothing.
I know it's kind of unfair to bash a game for taking liberties from another successful property, but when you have people who are openly sick of WoW looking for something fresh, can you understand why so many have walked away from this game as well?
Now it isn't a COMPLETE carbon-copy. It does try to add some new touches. Like the AI party member that you control at all times, like a ... pet.... (goddammit!) But! You can have them run errands for you! You can have them sell your worthless loot, take on quests of their own, and still aid you in battle. You can even establish your friendship with them as well.
I did like that. It allowed you to mold and form your AI companion however you wish, and develop their own set of specific skills which you can choose for them. But the reason I liked it isn't likely to be what you think it is...
I liked it because it was a little touch to how this game could have been had it been set to be a single-player experience.
"But why on earth would you wish to play by yourself in an MMO?!" some may ask. Well... it all goes back to the story. You see, your quest line all depends on the choices you make, and who you choose to interact with. Killing one person can open a whole new set of adventures, but at the same time, it could completely lock away another path. These are choices that only YOU make, and not anyone else.
It's how personal the story is that makes the whole MMO structure in itself so intrusive and unnecessary. Let's say you party up with a friend who's a few levels behind you, and he asks for your help in catching up to where you're at. You can watch his cutscenes and even interact with them at times... and eventually see AI characters that you already killed, thus COMPLETELY NIXING THE PURPOSE of having the world shaped around your choices. Or you're excluded from the conversation/quest turn-in, and you just have to sit and wait while your friend watches their cinematic.
The only purpose the story serves in this MMO is whether or not you can access certain areas or instances, or how good or evil your persuasion is. As much as I love playing games with friends, playing with them on here (unless they plan on doing the exact same things you do) is literally a distraction. I'm more interested in seeing where the tale takes me than where my friend is gathering minerals to build a new lightsaber.
I compare it to watching TV with someone you have to share the remote with, and the person insists that you switch to his/her channel every five minutes while you try and watch yours.
I want to go in depth with the combat mechanics, cooldowns, and class abilities, but since practically everything has been done before in countless other WoW-clone MMOs, I'd sound like a broken record. From what I've observed, BioWare kinda went a little overboard with the abilities your class is able to learn, putting just a tad too many to toy with. Now there's nothing wrong with variety, but I assure you, some of them will almost never get touched.
The combat is SLIGHTLY more interactive than what you're used to, being that there are more instant attacks (most with a 1.5 second cooldown), so you're not just sitting there, watching you and your enemy go at it. There are knockbacks, stuns, and other various combinations of attacks you can perform, so it's definitely not stale. It just isn't all that new.
I did like that at level 10, each class is given a choice of an advanced class to take on, thus keeping all the classes from being exactly the same like in other MMOs. The benefit is two entirely different sets of abilities you're able to learn! But you must choose wisely. Once you pick one, you can't change your mind!
And the quest structure has some differences, but they're slight at best. Whenever you're out doing side quests, you're sometimes greeted with bonus quests. These are not ones you normally accept like the others. Instead, these are activated upon killing a certain number of foes... which often ask you to kill EVEN MORE of that enemy type. Some going as far as asking you to kill over 25~30 of them... or MORE. The game's already a mindless grind fest with this mechanic, but now it's making me wander around and kill more troopers for another few bars of experience?
But don't panic. Many of these quests go pretty quickly, being that the game is so underpopulated, you won't have to worry about swarms of other players stealing your kills. I jumped into this game during its steady climb in popularity, and there were many areas that were shockingly barren. However, for quest grinding, this can work to your advantage, being that you'll always get 100% of the loot, and you won't have to worry about some kid in your party that dies at every encounter.
Also, if you're looking for PvP... don't even bother. The entire time I played my Sith character, not once did I encounter an enemy Jedi player. I pick PvP servers specifically to give my adventure a "danger" element, thus increasing the challenge a little. And being that I didn't play long enough to reach the level 50 cap, the only PvP I really experienced was through duels with friends.
You also get to take part in space battles with your ship, but the missions are very generic... and repetitious. Kill so many of these... Escort this guy from here to there.... The concept has so many possibilities, I feel it was all squandered just so they could sell the game with the "LOOK! YOU GET YOUR OWN SHIP! AND YOU GET TO SHOOT OTHER SHIPS WITH IT!" pitch.
Overall Grade: B-
Some might think I gave a bit too high of a score for this, being that I had so many complaints about the gameplay. But to be perfectly honest, as a standalone RPG, the game really isn't that bad at all. The Old Republic truly excels as a compelling and captivating adventure for the single player, offering a rich story and plenty of interactivity to keep things unique to each person.
But this is definitely one of the biggest failed executions for an MMO I have ever seen. It just feels so tacked-on and lazy, and it deliberately deters you from remaining engaged with your own quest. It really hurts to say this, because this was one game I truly hoped would help evolve the genre.
Now that the game is going free-to-play, I can actually say it's something worth giving a try. If you're interested in the story, and simply want to tinker around with all the classes and plot paths, I can safely recommend this as another RPG. But if you're looking for an MMO, just keep on walking... there's nothing to see here.