Star Wars fans flock to Star Wars: The Old Republic (SWTOR). As a Star Wars fan myself, I couldn’t resist the urge to play. The now Free-to-Play title falls into line with the epic adventure in the original series, while bringing in all the great aspects of MMORPGs.
Join us in the fight against the dark side and hone your Jedi skills.
Or perhaps, release your rage as a member of the Sith.
Gameplay
You can choose your faction: Sith or The Republic. The game starts with a pretty intense cinematic, and then continues on to character creation. In the free-to-play version character creation is limited. You can only choose from two races, but if you upgrade there are many more races you can choose from. The actual character customization is rather extensive.
There are four classes in each faction you can choose from:
The Republic:
Troopers, which are basically soldiers, have pretty thick armor and carry heavy weaponry.
A bit on the rogue side, Smugglers are quick and clever gun wielders.
Jedi Knights are warriors of the Republic, trained in the art of light saber combat
Jedi Consulars are ambassadors, who skilled in the ways of the Force.
Sith:
Bounty Hunters are the Sith’s hit-men.
Sith Warriors are the opposite of the Jedi Knights. They are champions for the dark side, and also very skilled with a light saber
Imperial Agents are the empire’s secret weapons. They are primarily assassins and vandals.
Sith Inquisitors are the masters of the dark side of the Force. They use their anger to fuel their powers.
The mechanics are the norm for most MMORPGs. It is a very story-driven game. You can do multiple different quests, help your friends in their quests, and explore the world. This game shoves you into the world of Star Wars. You are in the middle of this war, and forced to fight in it.
Graphics
The graphics are detailed. The cinematic animation blends in almost flawlessly with the gameplay graphics, which really heightens the immersive feeling. Even though it isn’t exactly realistic. The 3-D graphics are hard to beat in other free-to-play MMOs. Star Wars: The Old Republic was originally a subscription title, and that polish is evident in the graphics.
The world is absolutely huge. With 17 total planets, it is massive, and the landscapes of the different worlds are ready for exploration, and quests.
Bottom Line
Star Wars: The Old Republic is an awesome game. It is one of the best in its current genre– free-to-play. The graphics are smooth and immersive. The world is massive and filled with a war. It is a virtual haven for Star Wars fans and a great MMORPG even for those who have no clue what Star Wars is. When the game originally came out, there was a lot of negative feedback, and people were leaving the game left and right, but I urge you to check it out. Star Wars: The Old Republic is finally coming into its own as an MMORPG, and it’s free; what could be better than that?