"Star Wars: Old Republic" - What Does Nick Think?

This week marks the announcements of one of the industry's worst kept secrets. Bioware and Lucas arts have collaborated again to bring players an MMO like no other, "Star Wars: Old Republic". That's right, this game is the successor to two of the most popular RPG's to grace gaming consoles ever; KOTOR (Knights of the Old Republic) and KOTOR 2. Bioware has had a soft spot in my heart for some time now and there is no developer that I would trust more with an MMO outside of Blizzard. It seems that the stars have aligned and all of this information has began to flood in and cause immeasurable levels of anticipation inside of me. In fact today, I found out that an old high school friend of mine is actually a concept artist at Bioware now and is in fact working on "The Old Republic". There really isn't many hard facts about the game but I know enough to at least give our readers my opinions.

As of right now, I don't dabble very much in the MMO genre. For some reason, I just can't get my interest to stick. Final Fantasy XI is by far my game of choice and I really can't get behind World of Warcraft. I know... it's nuts. So why am I actually excited about a new MMO then? Bioware has a reputation for quality and tends to do things a lot differently than other developers. In addition to the name behind the game, Star Wars in general is one of my most beloved IP's of all time and is probably the most well suited Universe for an MMO because of it's rich history and over abundance of quality content.


The Star Wars Universe is so rich with content that it is almost impossible to imagine this game being bad. The idea of being able to travel from planet to planet and across the galaxy with other players seems almost too good to be true. The movies alone have introduced a large number of different planets, creatures, races, and technologies to make an MMO by themselves. What many people may not realize is just how huge the actual universe is. Between the novels, TV shows, animated movies, and comic books, the Universe is expanded 100 fold! The fact is that Bioware has an unlimited source of content to pull ideas from and make one hell of a killer game here. Even after launch, there will probably be enough remaining Canon to create expansion packs for years to come.

Despite my obvious excitement, I am very disappointed that we won't be seeing a direct follow up to KOTOR 2 running on the Mass Effect engine anytime soon. It hurts me right down to my core but somehow, Bioware has made it alright. I can still remember when Lucas Arts announced "Star Wars Galaxies" for the PC and the excitement that I felt when I thought about being able to explore a giant, open universe with thousands of other players. Then came the reality and it hit me like a ton of bricks. The game suffered from balance issues, bugginess, and lack of quest content. This was a real shame because it is obvious that the Star Wars Universe is expansive enough to become an incredible MMO. Bioware has hopefully given us the answer and is about to show the world that WoW is not the only quality MMO on the market.

One of the most important aspects that you will probably notice immediately is the game's stylized graphics. Rather than striving for an ultra realistic look to the game, the developer chose to make their game fall somewhere in the middle. The visuals appear somewhat real but somewhat cartoony at the same time. This was an intention decision that was made to make it more appealing to a wide audience and to make the game less demanding on the players rig. In short, this equals more players and less system problems. This is definitely one page that I think Bioware is taking from Blizzard's play book. Part of the reason that WoW is so successful is its style and accessibility.


So what exactly do we know so far? We do know that the game will be based around moral choices and that you will not be forced to choose whether to play as good or evil right from the get go. In fact, as the game progresses, players actions will mold whether or not they are considered good or evil regardless of whether or not they are playing as a Jedi or a Sith. While Galaxies suffered from balance issues due to the over population of Jedi's, Old Republic stands to learn from that mistake. This is a universe where Jedis and Sith are common. In addition to the two primary jobs, there have been hints as to the other jobs or classes that you may undertake. To avoid speculation, I will wait to comment on these until they are made official.

Story is also a very important aspect of any game that I play. This one reason that I can't seem to get into MMO's. Due to the continuous nature of the genre, a good, solid narrative never seems to be told. Bioware seems adamant that Old Republic will include a deep and engaging story line unlike any that you have ever seen in an MMO. Don't get me wrong, I am very skeptical of this but then again, it is Bioware and they know how to present a story. This is one aspect I really can't wait to hear more about.

As for actual gameplay details, not much is known at this time. The purpose of the Lucas Arts event the other day was to reveal to the world the game's existence and show off a teaser trailer to wet peoples appetites. We can however confirm that there will PvP, guilds, and crafting (designing a lightsaber perhaps??). While these details have been confirmed, Lucas Arts provided no in depth information on any of these aspects. They also did not reveal a release date, a level cap, a list of races, or even a concrete business model. Don't fret though, this game is coming and it may be the game that actually draws me into the addictive world of MMO's. Only time will tell.

I'm sure "Star Wars: The Old Republic" will be a big topic of discussion on this weeks podcast so be sure tune in later this week!

-Nick