The following article was posted on TAP.

http://tap-repeatedly.com/2011/10/05/impressions-star-wars-the-old-republic/

Some of the more memorable highlights from the article.

There are other concerns; the lack of pace in combat due to it being dictated by global cooldowns, the complete lack of necessity to be mobile whilst taking part in combat as well as the lack of movement from enemies or the ability to dodge incoming projectiles and attacks. Sadly, these are all due to the fact that Bioware have copied a formulae that was popular (and still popular) five years ago.

What I cannot forgive, is the fact they have failed to recognize the fundamental flaws in the design (and wider genre) and have ploughed on with a game that plays more like a mod than an independent product. Shoe-horning class archetypes into Star Wars is agonisingly dumb whilst using a combat system the same as World of Warcrafts is even worse. Star Wars combat needs to be involving, fast, frantic and to make the user feel powerful, instead SWTORs is devoid of any emotion and feels pitiful. Drawing influence from Age of Conan’s combat system (a far from perfect game) would have been far more rewarding and in keeping with Star Wars than the lifeless uninspired skill system they’ve implemented. Who wouldn’t want the ability to swing their lightsaber in multiple directions to make contact and cut down, multiple targets at once?


The cutscenes and acting are great and the world looks fantastic, but yet again the product is kneecapped by World of Warcraft’s influence, where character progression through a carrot on stick approach is going to define the game and where zones are just a tool to see you progress from one level to the next, rather than to be explored or enjoyed.

I wish Bioware well, but they deserve little praise for what they’ve achieved. Blizzard did all the hard work, after all.

 

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i've been in the beta since summer i want to say more things about it but i'm going to refrain, i'm just going to say PASS and everyone else should as well


edit:

I will just chime in and say the cut scenes got old really around level 17-20

I've been in the beta for the past 3 builds, but do to the NDA I can't really say much.

All I WILL say though... is I do not and CAN not agree with that article 100%. Yes there are issues, but every build Bioware has done fairly well in addressing some of those issues given the time between builds.

Suffice to say, in my opinion, by the time the game goes live, a hefty chunk of what that article says will be wrong. Even now, there is more than a bit of it that is wrong (due to the author playing a much earlier build), or just bad journalism used to provide negative hype to make the article appear more "genuine".

 

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No new builds of game can fix the inherent flaws that I quoted with the main point and gist of the article in that every aspect of the game plays like WoW and that instead of trying to innovate, they copied.

 

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Title should be: "ToR is not the game I AM looking for."
And yeah, I understood the Star Wars pun... but still.

All I want is that it keeps me busy until GW2 comes. And considering the majority of "reviews" I've read, even the negative ones, say that it plays like a KOTOR game story wise, I think it will do the job.

I still haven't pre-ordered though

 

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Really? You and I have argued back and forth on this. What is the point of trying out a new game? To actually play something new and different! What have MMOers been playing the last 12 years going back to Everquest days, with WoW perfecting that formula? A copy of a copy of a copy of a game in every MMO. All that is changed is skin of the game, nothing else.

So what are MMOers looking for then when they try out a new game? More of the Same? If that was the case WoW wouldn't have been able to maintain the subs it has for so long. People try out other MMOs and see that they inherently play like WoW, and are generally more flawed as well, and then most return back to WoW because to play a sub par copy just isn't worth a damn.

 

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Iv'e been playing in the last 3 builds, and I hardly log on, it's just like a wow clone, the combat is slow and slugish.Why copy something that has 2 million players waiting to leave?

Roll on guild Wars 2 I say.

Read the second part of my post, Jacon (I must have edited while you typed yours).
Makes more sense to you now? If not... *shrug*.

SW:TOR will still be new enough (KOTOR 3, basically) to keep me busy a couple of months.

 

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ToR is going to play just like WoW. Who would have thought.....

 

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Aye, I have preordered just so I can get the early access, but not sure if I will keep that preorder. I keep going back and forth.

 

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