Massive Multiplayer Games (MMO) are a different beast, they are more of a service than a product. A service that the gamer, as an individual or as a community, chooses to pay to play. The main difference between MMOs and other genres is that the curtain between single player and multiplayer is nonexistent. The entire time someone is playing a MMO, he or she is always sharing the space with thousands of other players. BioWare, on the other hand, are masters of the single player. Their games are filled with multiple plot lines and a deep involved story. One of their best games is Knights of the Old Republic, a game within the Star Wars Universe that stands as one of the best Single Player role-playing games available. This is why I was both excited and reluctant when BioWare wanted to do a Star Wars MMO. BioWare is well versed with Star Wars, but the developer is doesn’t have the experience to put forth a MMO. Now that Star Wars: The Old Republic has been released, the community has an overall favorable view of the game. But there is still a significant number of gamers who believe that the game is fundamentally flawed. This is my opinion about the game.

Story

From the reveal of the game, BioWare has said this is the first “story-based MMO,” where the story takes front and center stage. And I have to say the story is definitely the strongest aspect of the game. The entire leveling experience from the beginning to the end follows a storyline based on your class. There are eight classes within the game, and each class has their own storyline. Though there aren’t branching paths, non-player character (NPCs) treat you depending on the choices that you make. The overall story is split into three acts that escalate slowly until an epic climax, from the Operative who tries to uncover a Galactic conspiracy, to the Sith Sorcerer’s quest to climb to the top of the Empire’s ruling class. The story for each class is vastly different. To compliment the overarching storyline of the classes, each planet has its own story. Start with Belsavis: While the Operative is breaking into the secret vault, the ruling Sith also tasks the player breaking out the imprisoned Dreadlords. While the overarching story is depends on the classes, the individual story of the planets is the same for every class.  The story is up to the high caliber that BioWare has set for itself. The plot is filled with twists and turns, and best part of the game is the sheer massiveness of the plot.

Questing

The questing is hit or miss. One thing that sets the questing apart from other games is that the NPCs are completely voice acted, and more importantly, the player holds conservations with the NPCs before accepting the quests. There is satisfaction when you can argue with the quest giver before getting or declining the quest.

The problem with the quests is that they are mostly fetch quests that involve getting to the area and clicking something or defeating a specific monster. There also bonus quests that involve killing those that roam the area that award bonus experience. Though at first I thought there was no need to do these bonus quests, I had a significant level gap between one area to the next. So these “bonus” quests soon became a requirement.

I started doing the quests just to move the story along, since the quests in of themselves are not that interesting. Though there are some unique ones, like a spirit quest on the Voss planet, most of them are just cut and paste fetch quests.

End Game

There are enough flashpoints, operations and player verse player (PvP) arenas to keep max level characters busy. One thing I quickly noticed about flashpoints is that they are extremely fast paced with regular story points. There are enough of them and they are varied enough to keep players interested until the Operations. Currently there are only two with a promise of more.

PvP involves three arenas Huttball, Voidstar and Alderaan. Out of three, Huttball is the clear winner. The warzone is a twist on handball, where players try to move the ball to the other team’s “net.”  It is hectic, constantly changing and extremely fun. The planet of Ilum is a worldwide PvP zone that has gotten a lot of attention. It involves capturing points from the other faction to earn rewards. Players have been exploiting this to earn the rewards faster and easier. Fortunately, BioWare has taken steps to correct the problem.

Graphics and Sound

The graphics are slightly cartoonish, but allow for a wide variety of visuals. It works well with lower-end computers and still scales with better hardware.  The combat animation, especially for the classes with the lightsaber, is one of the best in the genre. When there is a parry or a critical hit, you really feel the impact of the swing. The animation is complemented with an excellent soundtrack that mimics the fantastic John Williams music perfectly. The music is a big part of the Star Wars Universe, and it is a big positive that game features a good selection on it.

Summary

The game is good but not great. This is BioWare game through and through, the storyline, the conversation trees and the excellent production value is what makes the game good. Unfortunately, the game does not have a guild bank, the auction house is clunky at best, etc. There are just too many small problems that keep the game from being great.  Fortunately, BioWare seems to be releasing regular patches with new content and fixing problems. This is a can’t miss for Star Wars fans, and there is a lot of excellent content that will keep a player busy for a long time. At the same time, it won’t hurt to wait a few more months until the developers iron out the problems.