Star Wars: The Old Republic (PC)

I should probably start off by saying I am not the biggest fan of Bioware (shocking). A once great and imaginative company that created some of the best RPGs of all time has really become a shell of its former self. Its latest incarnations really show the lack of creativity and all around dedication to making big money games with little filler. This saying while being purchased and controlled by EA, they have only produced two games that I really count as original and enjoyable titles. Mass Effect 1 and Dragon Age: Origins. The other games in that series are just terrible creations that show the current trend that Bioware and video games as a whole have taken.

Well with that rant out of the way, on to Star Wars: The Old Republic. Unlike most people, I remember a time before WoW and the current trend of MMORPGS. I remember playing long hours of Meridian 59 (look it up) and Ultima Online. But probably the most fondest of my MMO memories was my time spent in Star Wars: Galaxies. Now this was a game that was huge and filled with depth. Everything was amazing about this game, until the combat upgrade that destroyed everything that anyone had worked for and sent Galaxies into a sort of dark ages.

Star Wars: The Old Republic is not like Galaxies in the slightest. It is essentially fresh coat of paint slapped onto the aging WoW genre of MMOs. With that being said, it lacks any sort of depth and imagination that all the previous MMOs had before it. Granted you can basically play the game soloing the whole time (which I did like because I detest humanity, especially people who play video games), but even that was disappointing. Where is the community? Where is the connection? You never feel like you are building towards something big, you feel like a piece in the puzzle and you are living someone else's story.

My other problem with the game is that its too damn linear. Where is the sense of exploration? The world are far too small and confined to actually feel a living and breathing world. You are essentially confined canyons with some open room between them to travel. Yes there is space travel, but that simply serves as a ship to travel to from one canyon to another.

While I don't play on PvP servers anymore (Thanks WoW for teaching me that people are truly dicks when given enough power) because of ganking. But even the PvP elements in SWTOR is essentially capture the flag? Who even enjoys this drivel type of entertainment? While WoW employed a sense of strategy with its battleground, Hutt Ball is a poor excuse for anything PvP related.

Lastly my final gripe is the crafting. While its fine to send your comrades off to go gather materials (don't get me started on your NPC partners, glorified pets), crafting is basic and lackluster.

All in all SWTOR is simply another game added to the WoW demographic of MMORPGs. While its the most costly game ever created it doesn't show that in a positive way. Just add lasers, a crap ton of voice actors and a space element to WoW and you have Star Wars: The Old Republic.