Thanks to the Massively site, I was able to grab an invite to the last weekend of beta testing for this game. I must admit, I was more impressed than I thought I would have been.
There were a few buggy anomalies in the UI and browser but I doubt those will be present in the release version. There were a few things that weren't clear in the game, such as save points. But that was definitely not a showstopper in terms of game play.
My game time for the beta was very restricted since I was only among the wave of testers that were allowed in on Saturday instead of Friday. Plus I had a lot of holiday engagements to attend to during that weekend. So I was only able to level a few characters: a Sith Inquisitor, Smuggler and a Jedi Knight. Out of all of them I spend the most time with the Inquisitor.
The story arcs for the classes are very immersive. The game starts with that famous scrolling text that showcases the player's character as a major force in the game's storyline. Each class has its own introductory area which is nice. However as things quiet down in the game, it could turn those areas into ghost towns. Which will definitely be the detriment of the many group quests/heroic areas in these beginning levels.
The quests are extremely linear and there seems to be little room to run off the path. This could be problematic in the future. But as of now, I don't have a problem with it since the quest stories are very interesting. Each quest gives all character classes the opportunity to choose between light side and dark side decisions. Sometimes there is an indication between which is which but more often there is no tip as to what is a Light/Dark decision. In essence you could have a very light force influenced Sith Inquisitor/Warrior or a Dark Force natured Jedi Knight/Consular. Another nice addition to each character class is a companion that helps with harder solo quests. Each class gains his/her own companion in a unique way with varying levels of difficulty. On my Sith Inquisitor, the companion required my character to fight it and it was an elite fighter. It definitely took me a few tries to subdue it. On my Jedi Knight it only required my character to rescue the companion. Unfortunately I did not level my Smuggler enough to get a peek at her companion.
The cut scenes and voice acting, which is a highly touted part of the game, I am ambivalent about. On one hand, I got a kick out of seeing my character talk and interact with other NPC characters in a meaningful way. On the other, some of the cut scenes dragged on so long, it annoyed me. There is no way most of the scenes can be skipped because they require decisions that affect your character. So you must sit through them. Playing these scenes while in a group added a whole new level of complexity. Responses to the NPCs while in a group are determined by rolls of the dice. So everyone gains light side or dark side points depending on who won the role to respond. It remains to be seen how many players will have the patience to keep sitting through these cutscenes a few months/years into the game.
The graphics were very basic, nothing fancy or too advanced. RIFT definitely looks better in the graphics department. This game is barely a few notches above WOW style wise. The UI is the same as any mmorpg out there. However the game takes away auto attack so the player is kept on his/her toes during playtime. If you aren't hitting attack buttons, your character isn't attacking.
Will this game blow WOW out of the water? No, I don't think so. It could take away a few more subs from the powerhouse but not so many that it will falter. I have my doubts that there are that many die hard Star Wars fans out there still playing WOW. Most of them are saving up their dollars in preparation for SWTOR pre-orders and subscriptions, not idling in WOW. Will I play SWTOR? I'm not sure right now. I do like the game. But I'm not a crazed Star Wars fan. But I do think that this game will be a hit and the source of enjoyable holiday hours of game play for many gamers.
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