Star Wars: The Old Republic - Review

Star Wars: The Old Republic (SWTOR from now on) is the latest release by RPG veterans BioWare. The game takes place several thousand years before the events of the Star Wars films, and about 300 years after the Knights of the Old Republic game.
SWTOR is also BioWares first entry into the MMO field. For those who don't know what that means, basically an MMO is a multiplayer RPG.  Players will find their character exploring the universe with thousands of other players, both experiencing their own stories, and banding together to overcome much bigger obstacles.

Instantly the comparison between SWTOR and World of Warcraft are thrown up, and to an extent they are quite fair and valid points.   SWTOR has a very similar combat system, using hotkey combat and the tried and true trinty of TANK/HEALER/DPS class structure.  Many other MMO's have attempted this formula, but not as successfully.  Because I'm an ExWoW player, I like this. I found I could dive straight into SWTOR and find it instantly familiar.  Even the talent trees have a similar design.

Companions come in all shapes and sizes

The big thing that SWTOR boasts over any other MMORPG I've yet to see is the story.  Every NPC interaction is fully voiced, complete with Mass Effect 2 style dialogue chooses.  So while you are inevitably doing the same fetch or escort style quest, it feels more coherent.  It also opens up the opportunities to use a morality system, which is exactly what BioWare have done. Conversation choices have various effects.  Some are purely just aesthetic choices, while others can effect either the standing with your companions or you affinity to the force.  This opens up the possibility for players to have Sith who are more attuned to the light side of the force, as well as Jedi who are on a darker path.  It adds nice contrast to characters, as well as allowing access to various force level gear.

Companions are also a strong feature of the game experience.  This sounds quite odd to say, but companions are actually really useful.  Not only do they follow you faithfully into combat (and do a good roll in what ever area they are suited to), but they also form the basis of your crafting skills.  Your character can learn upto 3 craft skills, but when you're out in the world it is your companions who do all the hard work.  Firstly, they can gather materials from the environment you are in.  This works similarly to other MMO's, where you see a plant, for example,  and harvest it.  You can also send your companion of on missions for materials, although this will mean you have to adventure with out them for a small period of time.  Finally you can send them off to craft for you, again taking a small amount of time.  Initially when you have one companion this gets tricky, because you're going to want them out in the field with you. However once you get your second one you can leave one at your ship, giving them orders to craft for you while you're getting on with your game.  This is also a handy trick to do before you log off for the night.  Next time you log in, they'll be finshed and you'll have something shiny in your pack.

Sound also deserves to be mentioned, and the music in particular.  The score is unmistakably Star Wars, and is constant through out your game.  No matter if you are in a canteena on Tatooine, or exploring the seedy under belly of Nar Shaddaa, the music blends seamlessly. Its not obtuse in anyway, instead enhancing the overall experience.

So is the game worth getting?
That's actually a tough question to answer. Essentially this is 8 different fully developed stories rolled into one, without even considering PVP and end game.  If you are someone who is time poor, then this game is not for you.  If you love Star Wars, or loved the Knights of the Old Republic, then this game is almost certainly a must for you.  There is a monthly subscription fee, but for the amount of content on release, its more than worth the price of admission.

Final Verdict

Story:	9	The stories are well written, each would have been perfectly suited to their own stand alone title
Gameplay:	8	Combat Mechanics are tight, and the usual MMO trappings of grinding gameplay are really well hidden
Sound:	10	The voice acting is great, but the musical score is one of the best I've heard in a game
Graphics:	9	Even on the lowest setting (My PC needs an overhaul), the scenery is lush and well designed.  However the character faces do tend to look just a little like plasticine.
Overall:	9	There are hours and hours of entertainment to be had here, and for the about 2/3 the price of most console releases its an absolute bargain.

Xbox 720

Speculation has be flying around about Microsoft's next console release for months now. Will it be announced at E3? Will it's launch date be close to the Nintendo Wii U?

Today two new pieces of news are buzzing around the wires from various industry insiders. 
The first from fudzilla, which stated "the power behind the next Xbox will be a PowerPC CPU that is married to an ATI Southern Islands GPU, or modified 7000 series.". It seems that the System on a Chip (SoC) has gone into production.

The second piece of news come courtesy of IGN, claiming that the new Xbox will be six time more powerful than the 360, and 20% more powerful than the Wii U. The GPU is predicted to be similar to the Radeon HD 6670, and offers  multi display output, 3D and 1080p HD output.

This all points to an announcement this year at E3, and a launch date landing around October 2013.
With Microsoft expected to reveal their new console, and the Wii U it's line up of launch titles, one can only imagine that Sony will need something up their sleeves this year. Will we see the announcement of the PlayStation 4?

Back again

Well, as you may have noticed, this will be my first post in over a year. I'm hoping to change the format of the blog, offering news as well as reviews on all things gaming.

Last year was a pretty big year in gaming. We saw some great new IP's coming out, although it seemed that the year was to be dominated by sequels.  Battlefield 3 and Modern Warfare 3 went head to head to to compete for your hard earned dollars in the FPS market. Gears of War and Uncharted both delivered fantastic entries for their respective consoles, and fueled the every growing flame war that seems to plague the Internet.

Nintendo confirmed one of the worst kept secrets of the year, announcing the Wii U at E3. This will be their first contestant in the HD console category, and while it seemed the end of the Wii was written on the wall, the breath taking Zelda Skyward Sword had me dusting off the wiimotes once again.

2011 also had its share of turkeys.  Finally, after spending so much time in development hell that it became and ongoing gag, Duke Nukem Forever was finally released. Too bad it was a jumbled mess that had all the charm of a turd left to float in the toilet.

So what's to look forward to in 2012?
Bioware will be concluding their epic SciFi series with Mass Effect 3, Gearbox will be releasing Borderlands 2 as well as Aliens: Colonial Marine. The Wii U will (hopefully) be officially launched.  Microsoft and Sony are being tipped to announce their new consoles, and Max Payne will finally make his first true HD appearance in Max Payne 3.
2012 will be a big year.