In semi-funny video format: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RFV_0ub8W1Q

Thats probably not how its gonna go lol.... won't be a big amount of people leaving WoW for Tor... Most of the crowd that tor is attracting is people new to MMOs and thats why it will work because these new guys havent played an MMO before and everything about an MMO is fresh to them.

Yes carrot on a stick but thats old news for WOW. I don't think TOR will have the pull to take down WOW, from all accounts the game world is dull and the pvp in TOR is bland even on WOW standards. I think the die hard Star Wars fans will play it then realized what an mmorpg really is and then not play it as much any more. I think players wanting a challenge will jump ship to GW2 before they fool with TOR. I actually think TOR might end up being another FTP wow clone sooner than you think.

Originally posted by Azaria

Yes carrot on a stick but thats old news for WOW. I don't think TOR will have the pull to take down WOW, from all accounts the game world is dull and the pvp in TOR is bland even on WOW standards. I think the die hard Star Wars fans will play it then realized what an mmorpg really is and then not play it as much any more. I think players wanting a challenge will jump ship to GW2 before they fool with TOR. I actually think TOR might end up being another FTP wow clone sooner than you think.

Nothing against WoW, I have been an avid WoW player since early 2005 and WoW will always be a wonderful game to me, but lately WoW just isn't innovating enough to keep their world fresh. Cata is getting stale, and Blizzard releases content too slowly. Pandaria doesn't really seem like a good fit for me either. I'll probably try it, but with all the competition coming out, I can't see it holding me. Even Cata didn't have the hold on me like BC or WotLK.

I have only beta tested SWTOR for probably a play time of about 20-30 hours, so I can only speak on it a bit. I can say that it shares a lot of WoW's good qualities, combat is fluid, the game is cool to look at, and it of course has dungeons (flashpoints), raids (operations), and pvp in the form of world pvp in several areas and battlegrounds (warfronts).

Where SWTOR actually surpasses WoW is in the story telling and immersion aspect. Bioware has done an exceptional job of making the story intriguing and fun, and with the full voice acting, it is easy to have a very cinematic experience, something that WoW has never really been able to do.

In addition to this, there are some nice new features like the companion system, which is cooler than it sounds, and the lightside/darkside options which give you some reason to be involved in the story as you form your character. I also like how dungeons have a story component to them, and offer your group the ability to decide the direction that it unfolds within the dungeon, while also gaining light or dark points.

Essentially, SWTOR is a very solid MMO, but has taken that basic framework which WoW truly perfected, and added some new and very awesome feature on top of it. I was never a Star Wars fan prior to playing it, but this game is helping to change my mind on that.

Will it destroy WoW? Most certainly not. Nothing can put WoW out of business, even games that are terrible are still going, and WoW is a great game with many loyal customers. However, SWTOR is the best contender that WoW has seen so far, imo, and I think the two will learn to live in harmony, players now having an option of which huge mmo they want to play. When GW2 enters the market, I think that will open up even more if it is able to pan out as well.

I think SWTOR stands on its own and is a really well done game. I think this is good for players. Perhaps a contender that doesn't have a major flaw for once will actually force Blizzard to innovate more to stay on top. Anything that makes the games better can only be a good thing.

tl;dr SWTOR is really a well done and fun game, and should be able to stand on its own. WoW is a great game, but could use the push of another big title to force innovation. I think the two will live together harmoniously. Previous competitors to WoW have always had a major flaw, to which so far I can't find a major flaw in TOR.

As for TOR being a great game well, thats highly subjective considering which Beta Tester you ask, you usually get one of two responses. " The VO was great i really really liked the VO and the story wow with the VO"

OR 

" PVP was boring and didn't make sense, world looks and feels dead, It feels too much like wow only less fun.

Now since the truth is usually somewhere in the middle, neither stance bode well for the game.

Originally posted by Azaria

As for TOR being a great game well, thats highly subjective considering which Beta Tester you ask, you usually get one of two responses. " The VO was great i really really liked the VO and the story wow with the VO"

OR 

" PVP was boring and didn't make sense, world looks and feels dead, It feels too much like wow only less fun.

Now since the truth is usually somewhere in the middle, neither stance bode well for the game.

Great is certainly subjective depending on how you define greatness.

For TOR, I don't think most people would disagree that it is a well done and polished themepark MMO that has some cool innovations. Being set in the Star Wars universe also helps it out a lot. It certainly feels as polished as WoW, but different, which is not a bad thing.

It is not for everyone, to be certain, but it has a lot of merit, and I think it also is being released at a critical time, when WoW Cata is stale (read most wow players have played it A LOT), and Pandaria has put a lot of people off. For me personally, this is WoW's lowest point. 

That being said, Blizzard has a tendancy to impress when it comes to polish and content, so Pandaria could be amazing. I think it has to overcome a lot of obstacles though since it so closely resembles Kung Fu Panda, implying that it will be geared toward the same younger audience (which may be completely wrong, I don't know).

Originally posted by SethiusX

Great is certainly subjective depending on how you define greatness.

For TOR, I don't think most people would disagree that it is a well done and polished themepark MMO that has some cool innovations. Being set in the Star Wars universe also helps it out a lot. It certainly feels as polished as WoW, but different, which is not a bad thing.

 

Thats an opinion and based on beta reviews as far as I can tell most people might disagree. I didn't see any cool innovations in beta, some time consuming VO, which is fluff not an innovation. Fluff is not an innovation. It is polished graphically but as far as polished game play wise, I dont think so. I think its messy and I think the combat is slow paced and at times feels pointless. The world feels lifeless and the npcs dont move, thats not an element of a polished game, thats an element of a rushed out the door game. Not something you expect form such a high budgeted game.  It is being released during a critical time allright, its being released right on top of MOP and RIFT. Which are the most battle tested themeparks to date with the highest player base besides maybe AION. But most importantly its being released a few months before GW2 comes out or at least the Beta comes out, which is bad news if you want to attract non WOW players, cause no one in their right mind given the choice between GW2 and TOR is going to play TOR, unless they have a serious Star Wars Jones. Cata is stale for certain but you dont beat a stale game by putting out a game even more stale than the other one.

Originally posted by Azaria

Originally posted by SethiusX

Great is certainly subjective depending on how you define greatness.

For TOR, I don't think most people would disagree that it is a well done and polished themepark MMO that has some cool innovations. Being set in the Star Wars universe also helps it out a lot. It certainly feels as polished as WoW, but different, which is not a bad thing.

 

Thats an opinion and based on beta reviews as far as I can tell most people might disagree. I didn't see any cool innovations in beta, some time consuming VO, which is fluff not an innovation. Fluff is not an innovation. It is polished graphically but as far as polished game play wise, I dont think so. I think its messy and I think the combat is slow paced and at times feels pointless. The world feels lifeless and the npcs dont move, thats not an element of a polished game, thats an element of a rushed out the door game. Not something you expect form such a high budgeted game.  It is being released during a critical time allright, its being released right on top of MOP and RIFT. Which are the most battle tested themeparks to date with the highest player base besides maybe AION. But most importantly its being released a few months before GW2 comes out or at least the Beta comes out, which is bad news if you want to attract non WOW players, cause no one in their right mind given the choice between GW2 and TOR is going to play TOR, unless they have a serious Star Wars Jones. Cata is stale for certain but you dont beat a stale game by putting out a game even more stale than the other one.

Rift is failing fast, I know because I tried to play it but my whole guild quit. MOP is the worst idea Blizzard has ever come up with (my opinion). I hope they can save themselves because I am a big WoW fan and would like to see them do well. GW2 doesn't even have a release date yet.

All in all, the MMO market prior to TOR is really sour right now, with nothing else really good to play (also my opinion of course).

And, if you are basing your opinion of TOR on beta reviews, you are not reading the same reviews as me, because on the beta forums the general consensus was that TOR is an amazing game.

TOR is not your game, fair enough. I'm still going to enjoy it though regardless. Beta was the funnest experience I have had in an MMO in a long time, and that is greatly encouraging. With Bioware promising new content on a fast and fixed schedule, I hope it stays that way.

Naturally, we can't convince each other of anything, such is the fate of forum discussions, so I hope you continue enjoying whatever game you choose to play. May the force be with you ;)

I think we are past worrying about WoW's welfare. How many billions of dollars have they made again? They could drop to zero subs right now and no other mmo would come close to the revenue they made for 20 years.

Originally posted by SethiusX

Naturally, we can't convince each other of anything, such is the fate of forum discussions, so I hope you continue enjoying whatever game you choose to play. May the force be with you ;)

LOL agreed. I am probably going GW2 it offers the most bang for my particular buck. I dont mind themeparks I just dont want to play the same themepark again. All these WOW clones TOR included have given me a serious case of war weariness.

TOR will be no match for WoW as WoW will soon implement the coolest thing evah!!! Pandas!! Nuff said!

F2p with Item shops

Originally posted by fivoroth

TOR will be no match for WoW as WoW will soon implement the coolest thing evah!!! Pandas!! Nuff said!

ROFL :D Pandas ftw!

I am sick and tired of WoW. Been playing it for almost 6 years. Been a casual gamer for all of it. Sick of only the elite seeing all the conteent. TOR loves the casual gamer and  the normal mode raids are set for casual guilds. Thanks TOR, later WoW.

Yeah, I think WoW ultimately had the benefit of releasing at just the right time.  I don't predict Titan will fare nearly as well.

I think a better question is if TOR will survive GW2.

The same way it always does. Sit back and watch as all the people learn that the new shinny game is the same old crap they have been playing. Then give them a "good game" as all the people come back. It's not rocket science, we've been seeing this exact same thing happen whenever a hyped new game comes out; and it always ends the same way. WoW is here to stay people! Get over it.

Originally posted by grimal

Yeah, I think WoW ultimately had the benefit of releasing at just the right time.  I don't predict Titan will fare nearly as well.

 

Yet Blizzard do it every single time they release a game? In business you can be lucky once but if it happens all the time it's mad skills I tell you!

To be honest, TOR now is good only because of dialogs and Star wars themepark. What i ve seen in beta is not perfect at all , laagy and buggy and lots of casual staff/RIFT at beta was much smoother)  May be they will fix lot of things i dont know. But for the moment wow is better. Fanboys may anger but if you are not into star wars thing swtor is nothing special. However i understand people who is looking for somethng new. im one of them.