There is plenty of material out there that spins both a positive and negative light on the game. These various sources include, beta players, professional journalists, experienced MMO players who have been able to play Demos of the game at conventions, all have expressed various differing opinions on TOR. For those on the bubble of the game who have been burned to many times by any number of other MMOs that have released are approaching this game very cautiously. The fact that there is so much positive/negative surrounding the game is not something players can ignore, when one impression says this, and another says that. The lack of a consensus on the matter of the game is disconcerting to some because such a split on the impressions players are getting is difficult for players to make that leap and jump.
I am also unfortunately reminded too much of the months leading up to the release of WAR. Who knows perhaps I have gotten to used to the openness of Blizzard Betas, but the game is only 2 months from release and the fact that NDA is still up is disconcerting at least to me. I remember with the WAR release NDA wasn't lifted until 1 month before release. Not saying that the same fate that occurred with WAR is going to happen with TOR, but the fact that the gag is still in place on players concerns me as it gives off the appearance of them wishing to hide something.
Anyway, one of the important matters to take from that article I linked, that I didn't quote from is the following in:
Having played Guild Wars 2 before SWTOR, I wish it had been the other way around and I sense then I would have had a better word to say for the game. As someone who has grown tired of World of Warcraft and its archaic gameplay, SWTOR is not for me, as it is so irrefutably close in design to World of Warcraft that it feels years old already. For those that love World of Warcraft still, you will absolutely find a home here, that is unquestionable. For people seeking innovation, originality, fluid combat and a game structure that removes questing and the level grind, you really need head to the door marked ‘Guild Wars 2‘.
So after playing GW 2 he goes and plays TOR and it is from his experiences at playing GW 2 that all of sudden his impression for TOR is more negative because he got to play GW 2. Every comment he makes about questing and combat all comes from his experiences with GW 2 which actually does the very things he is criticizing TOR about.
You can read his GW 2 impressions here:
http://tap-repeatedly.com/2011/09/29/impressions-guild-wars-2/#more-17489
After the units were switched over to PvE, I decided to jump straight into a high level zone. Selecting an asuran ranger, I headed out into Sparkfly Fen, a relatively high level area. With only 40 minutes on my demo timer, I decided I’d be best placed to just have a wander around and see what the game world threw at me. I briefly mentioned at the beginning of this piece, but Guild Wars 2 really is incredibly stunning. The world has been so lovingly created, down to the most minute of details, that I actually grinned from ear to ear throughout my entire time. Everything just looks and feels right, a world that has so obviously been lavished with affection by those who created it. The last time I was this excited to explore, just to explore, was in Dark Age of Camelot.
TOR has found itself in a very difficult MMO landscape right now as far as matters are concerned. It is releasing at a time where WoW subs have dropped and people are both disappointed in the offerings found in Cataclsym, while waiting to see what the next expansion might offer when it gets revealed this month at BlizzCon. This will help TOR for sure in the end as people will gravitate to the game due to the above reasons and the fact it is a Star Wars game made by Bioware. What will determine how successful TOR is in retaining subs though is whether or not how tired MMO players truly are of the standard MMO formula that has been in existence since the success of WoW. TOR will of course retain new MMO players, SW Fans, and players that aren't tired of the formula. The difficulty in the MMO landscape that TOR does face is the fact that you do have waiting in the wings GW 2. Where the general consensus among experienced MMO players, professional journalists, and just about everybody else who has played that game, that it delivers a new experience on the MMO game front compared to just about every other MMO currently out there.
That is the rock in the hard place that TOR sees itself in basically. You have it were it does differs from WoW, one 800 lb. gorilla Yet, by how much does the game differ from WoW and will it be enough in those differences, primarily in presentation. Meanwhile you have GW 2, another possible 800 lb gorilla, also soon to be releasing in the near future that is promising change from the current MMO formula, and from all impressions they are delivering on those promises. Only time and the players will decided as far as what they are craving, the familiar or the different.
A few other words, thanks to Korrigan for understanding the Pun, apparently some people fail to understand a pun with literal interpretation. As far as my own personal preference. I have zero desire o log into LOTRO or re up my sub on WoW even after my 7 days of free time because despite different settings and lore, both of which I love, the similarities in the overall gameplay of the two outweighs any desire to actually play either game. This is why my own excitement for TOR has been diminished greatly over the course of months as I have read up on the various impressions of the game and why I am undecided as far as if I will actually pay for my 60 dollar preorder or not. Even if I do decide to pay and play the game, it will only be the stop gap before GW 2 releases, or if I am lucky enough to Beta GW 2. As I sated earlier, I am looking for a new experience when I play a new game not to mention the same feeling of wonderment I had when I first started playing MMOs in the first place. Currently looking and researching all the information I can on both games TOR just doesn't look like it will completely fulfill both of the requirements.
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Looking Forward to Guild Wars 2 and serving crow.
Currenlty Writing: The Web of Life.
