<12/19/2011 Edit:> I received my collector’s edition SWTOR yesterday, been busy leveling since. Another con I have encountered is there’s no implementation of macro’s in SWTOR. They will probably implement the use and creation of macros after the launch. Macros are pretty useful in controlling your character and mastering the class you play. I know I’m not the only one waiting for them to allow for UI mods and macros.
SWTOR Collector's Edition Box
We all know the hype that comes with every major MMO launch – Is this going to be the Wow killer? Although the membership subscription of World of Warcraft has slowed and declined a bit, WoW is still the MMO to play. There are several aspects of Wow that I feel is causing the game’s slow decline. But I’ll get into that later. Here are my impressions of Swtor:
Star Wars: The Old Republic is very polished. Unlike other major MMO’s before, the gameplay and server seemed very much tested and polished. I recall some really terrible, glitchy and basically half-assed betas such as Age of Conan and Aion. Swtor feels like a finished product even in beta gameplay. From the UI, graphics, storyline, servers, and their website, Swtor feels very well thought out and executed.
I enjoyed the gameplay and storyline both as a Jedi and Sith. If you played Swtor on xbox, you will be very familiar with the force alignment where you interact with npc’s to boost your alignment with the light or dark side. Another gameplay feature I enjoy much more than WoW is that you can solo fight and kill a multiple mob at once without the need to party. I am sure other wow players are sick of having to solo kill 1 monster at a time when questing /leveling alone. Another feature I enjoyed was the cut scenes and voice acting of Swtor. There is a cut scene for almost all the initial quests which makes you feel for your game character and takes away the tedium of leveling up. Yes, questing was actually enjoyable!
The items and professions – This is a huge part of any MMO game. For the beta, I had just limited access to these. I saw that they have banks, extra bags, rare items, crafted items, etc. just like wow, so I believe the goodies and rewards will be there to keep players motivated and competitive. The game is also very intuitive and easy to begin playing regardless of your gaming experience level.
So, overall although I had very limited time in the beta, I really enjoyed the game and am glad I per-ordered the collector’s edition. But is it a wow killer? I do not think so. Even though I mentioned all the great features and benefits of basically being better than wow, it is still missing something. The colors and feel may have something to do with it, but it seems to be a bit deeper than that. Blizzard games all just have this addictive, visceral feel to them. Swtor simply does not have that quality and I do not know why.
I’ve been playing wow on and off since it launched 7 years ago, and it still has some qualities that keep drawing me and other players back into it. What I do not like about Wow is the heavy time commitment necessary to be and stay competitive. Unlike other blizzard games where you can master your character and obtain the best in game items and finally feel “Godly”, you just cannot do that for Wow. And even when you reach that peak feeling and in-game achievement where you know you are the top 0.5% of all players in Wow, it is only temporary. Maybe blizzard will leave the game in a “steady state” that is balanced and allow players to “become godly and enjoy it” once they release a few more expansions so the final character level is 100.
