9.0

Star War the Old Republic

Star Wars: The Old Republic (called TOR for the rest of the review) is the new Star Wars MMO by Bioware, creators of the Mass Effect, Dragon Age, Knights of the Old Republic, and Baldur’s Gate series. As anyone who has played a Bioware game knows, they are the experts at creating memorable stories, rich characters, and a fun adventure. Even years after the original Knights of the Old Republic I can still go back and enjoy the game.

While TOR isn’t a direct sequel to the original Knights of the Old Republic (it is set around 300 years after), the game still holds close to its roots and fans of the original series will find countless tributes, references, and other connections to the original. I’ll be honest; TOR was my first pay-to-play MMO so I’m not sure how it compares to others. But as its own game it has been nothing but memorable, amazing, and has me hooked.

First off, I’ll discuss the story. The interesting thing about TOR is that each class you play has its own unique story that will take you from level one to the current level cap of fifty. I’ve been playing the Jedi Knight story and it has been amazing. There were countless memorable moments, quotes I’ve loved and memorized, and moments where I found myself cheering or even feeling bad for my character. The game does a wonderful job of immersing the player and making them feel connected to their character which is very important for a story based game.

The next most interesting aspect of the game is the sound. Bioware went all out and every character you can talk to is completely voiced with high quality voice acting. Sure, there were some actors not as good as others, but even the worst ones tended to be at a much higher level than you find in most video games. There were a few lines in the game that were voiced so well that despite being a simple line grew close to my heart due to the tone of voice. Hearing the smug villains come across so suave, the confident hero challenge the enemy without fear, or listening to a broken-hearted man caught in the middle beg for help caused me to truly feel for the characters. Voice acting is only one part of sound, however, but none of the others fail either. The music in the background helps set the moment with dramatic music playing during epic duels, soothing music during times of meditation, and more. Listening carefully, Star Wars fans might here some classics like Duel of Fates or variants of other well-known Star Wars Soundtracks.

The graphics are probably one of the most questionable areas of the game. TOR’s graphics look about on par for your typical MMO and don’t really stand out too much most of the time. While playing in game the graphics look very similar to other modern games and as such while they are beautiful, nothing really sticks out as special. However, the intro cinematic and each faction’s special trailer all look beautiful. Bioware went all out with these scenes hiring professional fight choreographers and basically making short mini-movies for these. As such they are probably some of the most impressive and exciting cinemas I’ve seen in a game and really help set the mood before you start.

Being a brand new MMO of only a month old (not counting the Beta), The Old Republic still has its fair share of glitches, bugs, and other issues. While Bioware is working hard to fix this, some people might have some issues in game and people looking to play this need to realize a head of time that the game is not finished. The sheer number of people mixed with the newness of the game has caused the customer service for the game to be rather poor and slow in replies, but the game is still playable and enjoyable. The only reason I mention this is to make sure you realize that the game is still being worked on and improved. MMO’s are constantly growing and improving with patches, expansions, and more.

When I first got the game I was hesitant due to disliking having to pay a fee to play a game. However, after only a short time playing any regrets and hesitation were gone due to how addicting the game was. If you can afford the cost of the game and the monthly fee, I highly recommend you give it a try because it is well worth the price. With eight different stories and sixteen different advanced classes along with future expansions this game will definitely keep you engaged and be worth the money.

In conclusion, The Old Republic is an extremely addicting game with an amazing story, beautiful music and voice acting, and an engaging and fun gameplay. The bugs and glitches along with the monthly subscription fees might turn off some people to the game, but I still highly recommend it. So come, join the Old Republic and start your Star Wars story now! 

-Michael Riling