Saephon
Die young and save yourself
Full disclosure: I expected this game to suck. Not only have I grown tired of MMOs in general (6 years of WoW on and off will do that), my faith in BioWare has been slipping these past couple years.
So here's the twist ending: I'm liking TOR. A lot. The gameplay will feel right at home for anyone who's tried World of Warcraft; but at this point can you really blame them? It's the most successful MMO ever to exist. Borrowing heavily from it is a no-brainer, both financially and design-wise. Is it identical though? I'd have to say no. Where Warcraft's early game seems like a series of motions designed with just the goal of handing you your first set of gear, TOR jumps right into letting you make the call. Quests will frequently have multiple ways to complete, and bonus objectives pop up from time to time, offering you more rewards if you do something extra. The dialogue wheel we've all come to know so well also makes an appearance in this game's storyline. But I'm surprised to say it doesn't feel like a cheap version. It's more "Mass Effect 1" than, say, "Dragon Age 2" if that makes sense. And on that note, the voice acting's really good. No complaints.
Speaking of story, I'm enjoying my character's plotline so far. I love my companion; she's basically a 2nd main character who has traits of her own, and an affection system with gifts like in the DA games. Not only does my Sith Bounty Hunter affect quests with Renegade....er, I mean Dark Side decisions, but my companion can agree or disagree with my choices. It's not as cut and dry as "good" vs "evil". For example, my partner Mako is a fellow bounter hunter who will usually support the decision that makes us the most money. Alongside that though, she has a soft spot for helping female NPCs out. So it's kind of interesting.
I've only played two classes so far so I can't comment too much on the game's balance. I can however say though that PVP seems pretty even as far as classes go. And on that note, the battlegrounds are so fun. Some are warcraft-like with capture points and stuff, but my favorite is Huttball, which is basically capturing and passing a ball into the enemy's endzone, while avoiding traps and trying not to get killed by the other team. Kinda Fusion Frenzy-ish.
The game isn't perfect by any means. There are some weaknesses and bugs in the UI, like a random chance for your guild roster to be incomplete or disappear altogether...that one's pretty annoying. I also think the Auction House is extremely inefficient, and professions aren't as balanced as they should be when it comes to making money. That said however, I'm amazed at how polished TOR is at its launch. There are so many things they did right, and the things that need work are being responded to rather quickly. BioWare seems to be listening to feedback as attentively as possible, and a lot of improvements have been patched already. There doesn't seem to be a lack of content either, like the kind that plagued Age of Conan. A lot of players are already in their 40's and aren't finding themselves bored.
To summarize: I sound like I work for BioWare's marketing firm, but I honestly did not expect to like this game. And I'm having a blast. It's very polished and well-made, and it couldn't have come out at a better time. If any MMO has the potential to match WoW's success, I think it's gonna be this one. All that money they poured into it does not seem to have gone to waste.
So here's the twist ending: I'm liking TOR. A lot. The gameplay will feel right at home for anyone who's tried World of Warcraft; but at this point can you really blame them? It's the most successful MMO ever to exist. Borrowing heavily from it is a no-brainer, both financially and design-wise. Is it identical though? I'd have to say no. Where Warcraft's early game seems like a series of motions designed with just the goal of handing you your first set of gear, TOR jumps right into letting you make the call. Quests will frequently have multiple ways to complete, and bonus objectives pop up from time to time, offering you more rewards if you do something extra. The dialogue wheel we've all come to know so well also makes an appearance in this game's storyline. But I'm surprised to say it doesn't feel like a cheap version. It's more "Mass Effect 1" than, say, "Dragon Age 2" if that makes sense. And on that note, the voice acting's really good. No complaints.
Speaking of story, I'm enjoying my character's plotline so far. I love my companion; she's basically a 2nd main character who has traits of her own, and an affection system with gifts like in the DA games. Not only does my Sith Bounty Hunter affect quests with Renegade....er, I mean Dark Side decisions, but my companion can agree or disagree with my choices. It's not as cut and dry as "good" vs "evil". For example, my partner Mako is a fellow bounter hunter who will usually support the decision that makes us the most money. Alongside that though, she has a soft spot for helping female NPCs out. So it's kind of interesting.
I've only played two classes so far so I can't comment too much on the game's balance. I can however say though that PVP seems pretty even as far as classes go. And on that note, the battlegrounds are so fun. Some are warcraft-like with capture points and stuff, but my favorite is Huttball, which is basically capturing and passing a ball into the enemy's endzone, while avoiding traps and trying not to get killed by the other team. Kinda Fusion Frenzy-ish.
The game isn't perfect by any means. There are some weaknesses and bugs in the UI, like a random chance for your guild roster to be incomplete or disappear altogether...that one's pretty annoying. I also think the Auction House is extremely inefficient, and professions aren't as balanced as they should be when it comes to making money. That said however, I'm amazed at how polished TOR is at its launch. There are so many things they did right, and the things that need work are being responded to rather quickly. BioWare seems to be listening to feedback as attentively as possible, and a lot of improvements have been patched already. There doesn't seem to be a lack of content either, like the kind that plagued Age of Conan. A lot of players are already in their 40's and aren't finding themselves bored.
To summarize: I sound like I work for BioWare's marketing firm, but I honestly did not expect to like this game. And I'm having a blast. It's very polished and well-made, and it couldn't have come out at a better time. If any MMO has the potential to match WoW's success, I think it's gonna be this one. All that money they poured into it does not seem to have gone to waste.