I chose Mesmer, but I am honestly torn between that and the thief.

Giving it an 80-81. Solid and polished. Very stale gameplay. A few gems: voice overs and companions. Without the VO and companions I'd give it a 73 or so.

Elves, as a concept, are fine. It is the lack of variety in their depictions that are the problem. Culture, physiology, attunement to magic...these are the things that change very little between games/literature within the fantasy genre.

Think Poison Elves. Feral elves. Human-hating, blood-drinking savages standing at a towering 8 feet tall with the strength of ten men wielding weapons made out of the bodies of the last village they razed to the ground.

Originally posted by Cthulhu23

Shhhh, whatever you do, don't use the "I" word (it rhymes with "Schminovation") with this game, or the sandboxers will descend upon you like a pack of wild spider monkeys.  

I would pay money to see a pack of wild spider monkeys descend on something, anything.

Oh..uhh...Voice Overs!

While I share a lot of similar concerns the OP has, it'd be unfair to characterize the Companions as 'just an extension of yourself". For me they add some new dimensions to the genre while augmenting/experimenting with how they enhance familiar MMO aspects, like crafting in particular.

Story is more than nice. It pushes the genre forward. Fail or succeed, it is now out there, and while I can appreciate the viewpoint that people will get sick of it, I can't agree with the generalization.

Flashpoints were unexpectedly fun for me, and I am not a PvE kind of person. Was easy to find a friendly, helpful Juggernaut to go with my mercenary and we tore up the joint. Did it a few times to see how the story played out with different decisions. They were possibly a little too easy, at least Black Talon seemed to be.

Only played Huttball, was I was not expecting it to be as much fun as it was. The PvP is worthy of a second look from me. My first game I had top kills (which means something must be wrong with the leaderboard...37 kills seemed extravagant for a 3 minute game).

Is it a fairly static themepark with cut-and-paste mechanics for a foundation? Yes. However, I am finding that, in-between the sameness, I can enjoy the few bright, unique jewels that the game offers. Good for at least a few months.

Here's why I think they will be, and I will present two reasons:

1) For people like me who enjoy story and the immersion it brings, it is a no brainer. It will bring people who have those preferences into the fold. AoC's Tortage got huge, rave reviews, but it ultimately underscored how lifeless the rest of the world felt in comparison. While that is a loss for AoC, it was a win for VOs.

2) And this is the big one...it reduces one's perception of the grind. Simply put, it makes the grind more bearable, and I think many, many companies will be, or are,  interested in masking what can become, at least in the Western markets, anathema. I say mask because the grind is still there, of course. It's simply a little more gauzy and indistinct behind a translucent veil of storytelling.

It can be both a gimmick and a 'must have', honestly.

edit: spacing

No, SW:ToR needs to be online, for all the reasons people before me mentioned.

I'm not a Star Wars fan, nor a Bioware fan, but this would be a completely different game if it was a SPRPG.

You rest your case? You honestly believe you made a compelling argument?

Hey, gameplay IS more important than graphics. Except SW:ToR's gameplay is completely average, even failing to reach some of the levels of depth that many F2P games out there currently use. Unfortunately, their graphics are even less than that.

The graphics, I suspect, were intentionally tied to the overly simplistic and juvenile style of Clone Wars in order to create some cross-media consistency with their target audience; children. It makes sense, from a marketing standpoint, but also makes the game look like it was released 8 years ago.

So, while gameplay > graphics, in SW:ToR's case, the equation is more like: gameplay = graphics. Depending on your standards, that might be good enough.

Originally posted by BadSpock

bump for great justice!

 

What I hate the most about TOR?

The Empire story lines (that I've seen) are better. Sad panda :(

Trooper and Bounty Hunter may have same exact talent trees and skill variety, but BH story+animations > Trooper imo

Inquisitor and Consular may have same exact talent trees and skill variety, but SI story + animations > JC imo

I only played the SI (though I'll give BH a shot in about an hour) but it was a well done personal storyline. I especially enjoyed the final chapter, walking into that room with this vast and airy chasm between you and the Deshade you have to free.

GW2, most likely. If the PvP is fun and addictive at end-game, there is a good possibility I'll remain.

Keeping an eye on it, but Holy Age of Conan, Batman, Funcom has a reputation of being clueless with launches and client stability. Everything could be the second coming with TSW, but if the CTD's are constant no one will care.

I agree with the OP...it isn't about hype, but I expected to be dazzled due to the alchemy of Bioware, EA, and enough cash to make Bernie Madoff blush. That the gameplay and combat was only average, something surpassed by even modern F2P games, was disappointing. I was not dazzled. Still, I give them props for understanding you need a complete and polished game, and there were no glaring bugs. That's a hell of a lot better than most games even a year after launch.

They did Companions and Story and Grouping very well, and those are the gemstones in an otherwise typical iron crown.

Irony lives, because I got an invite as well.

Originally posted by Praetalus

Wow.. I voted about a 9 average, as I was very impressed in most areas. It looks like most of the community so far is right around there also. 

I know graphics are subjective, but you honestly thought Combat was a 9? I don't see how anyone who has played something other than WoW could ever, ever think that (and I assume you've played many games, like most of us here). I think perhaps I expect too much out of my MMOs and my standards aren't realistic with the tepid mediocrity that is getting rehashed these days.

Can you help me understand why you rated Combat so high, please? I'm curious.

I voted Passable on most things. The gameplay and combat are routine and stale, but they worked smoothly and without glitches.

I voted 8 on Companions because I did enjoy them (well, the SI companion worked extremely well for me, at least) and thought they were a nice and interesting direction. I could also warm to their place in the Crafting.

Grouping/Questing would normally have gotten a 5 from me (nothing great, but nothing bad), but I gave it a 7 due to the VO and how much I liked the ease of grouping for the Heroic areas.

I did vote Bad on graphics/customization. This is 2011, not 2004. I expect something more than warmed over Clone Wars quality graphics.

I have pre-ordered and I think this will keep me occupied for at least 3 months; more if the PvP proves to be truly entertaining.

I think the OP nailed it very well as a reflection of my own thoughts on SW:ToR. It's a solid game with some tired mechanics but also contains some very salient aspects like VO and companions.

Except there are open PvP worlds. This has been documented and mentioned more than a few times, in a variety of venues.

Originally posted by BadSpock

I could go on a LOT longer about some things that don't sit quite right with me, but I didn't want the piece to be too negative or too long.

My over-all impressions are still very cheerleader-ish if you want I can reiterate those? :)

 

Haha, that's all right. I think I understand your overall stance on the game. I might even agree with you on many of them. The world has gone crazy!

Decent mark up. I was expecting an entire wall of ToR cheerleading, and was pleasantly surprised you had some critical thinking in the piece. Well done.

Like most everyone and their dog, someone saw fit to open the floodgates and let this partocular lunatic into the SW:ToR beta. I've been a dubious critic of the game; hopes raised in some instances, and finding no merit in other aspects. However, nothing compares to having actual experience under your belt. I found my impessions of the game mixed, my thoughts tumbling from an odd alchemy of sameness and salient points. So, because nobody demanded it, I am writing my review.

Some points about me that will help you get a better understanding of the shapes of my opinions: I was playing in UOs hayday. I never played SWG. Sandbox can be fun, just as themepark can be fun. I played WoW, had fun, but quit a long time ago. I've beta tested many games, and played/subbed even more.

Another pertinent point: Since I am getting the game, I decided to play opposite faction, and a class I would never, ever think about playing. Ever. I rolled a Rattaki Sith Inquisitor, got him to level 14, and chose Sorcerer advanced class.

Patcher/Logging in: This may seem like a trivial point, but if you haven't found a game that has problems with logging in and patching, you haven't been playing MMOS for very long. ToR had a very smooth, error-free, patching process, and logging in gave me zero trouble at all.

Character creation: Skimpy on the choices, in my opinion. Not enough sets of faces and too many restrictions on tats, jewelry, piercing, etc. I feel there could be a more robust sampling of choices to assist with differentiation.

Graphics: Well, this was one of the most disappointing aspects of the game for me. If they were aiming for the Clone Wars style, they succeeded. Personally, I was hoping for something more modern and articulate in the way of styling. A science-fiction space opera holds great potential for sophisticated looks. However, that being said, the graphics didn't detract from too much of the game for me. I just kept thinking, "This is 2011, already."

Stability: Never had a single crash. Lag was largely non-existent. Extremely smooth for me. I run a decent gaming rig, however.

Personal Storyline: I am a person who enjoys nuance of character, and the storylines made me feel like I could express a certain degree of control over my personality. It did make questing more bearable. As a Rattaki Sith, I was exposed to lots of racism from other Sith, and this was consistent between different NPC's. I really enjoyed that. Personal storylines are something I hope continue in other MMOs. I think it is significant that I read through every single line of voice acting. I never skipped. And keep in mind this was for a faction/class that really holds no appeal for me.

Since I was only lvl 14, I didn't really get to see how my Light/Dark side choices affected me. Perhaps that would be revealed down the road.

Voice Acting: I see other posts saying they were disappointed by the voce acting. I confess I cannot understand how that can be. The timbre of the voices, the nuanced aggressive/dismissive/patronizing/grateful tones were all present, and there was no over-acting (not even the clearly insane NPC quest givers). Wonderfully done.

Companions: Going hand-in-hand with the Storyline, I found the companions to be unexpectedly nice. While I wish there was more choice for the first one you get, I understand why the did chose the ones they did. Khem Val tanked, while I shot lightning and healed from afar. I was also impressed with the Affection meter. Khem values individualism, honor, and strength. He despises subservience and reliance. It was interesting to hear him chime in on a decision I made. I wish there were more skin choices for him, and it was odd seeing everyone else running around with their own Tickle-Me-Khem doll, but they soon grew invisible.

Crafting: Honestly, I enjoy crafting in MMOs in general. I like taking a break from the questing and simply relaxing while creating some items while chatting with guildmates. SW:ToR kinda removes that for me by having Companions go after the materials via off-world quests. You can still do some of your own, of course, and I realize this is a matter of convenience, but it did not produce that same nostalgia for me as in other games. Still, a relatively minor quibble.

Combat: Fairly standard MMO fare. I saw nothing to grouse about, nor anything severely lacking.

Questing: Familiar is the best way I can put this. Very familiar. For some, this is good, for others, not so much. I could feel the sameness of the questing dragging on me as time went by. The stories behind them did help, but I know not everyone will care about cutscenes and backstory. I did very much like the Heroics where you only needed one other person. It was easy to get a group and do that content and then move along in your chain. I did not get to do any Flashpoints, so I won't comment.

Animations: Again, standard. I am neutral on the animations. I did see some clipping.

World size: Large. My most recent stint in an MMO is WAR, so my perspective may be skewed, but the ToR worlds seemed vast and huge. However, you are boxed in a bit. It is not as open as I was expecting, but the sheer size masks it rather well.

All in all? It's difficult for me to say. It is not the most amazing game ever, nor is it a pile of trash. It is comfortable, even if a little mundane for me, and I think someone with more of an attachment to Star Wars and/or Bioware will be thrilled. I am neither of these so I found some parts good, some parts mediocre. Nothing was bad (well, my issue with the style and graphics won't go away, but that's a very personal opinion). I'll play it, as I said before, only this time with the class and faction I want, and with a PvP-oriented guild. Given that, I think this will entertain me well for a few months, but beyond that I'll wait and see.

I did come to the conclusion that I'd make a terrible Sith. I ended with 250 Dark and 250 Light side points. What I found rather surprising (in a good way) was that some of my Light Side choices gave me Affection from my companion when it involved honor and independance.

Thanks for reading.