It’s been years. Just think about that for a second. I know many of us MMO veterans have been there before, but it’s truly rare that a game has sustained a fever pitch level of hype for years at a time without really a lapse at all. While The Old Republic was officially announced in October 2008, I keep thinking back to E3 2009’s “The Wait Is Over!” graphic and cursing aloud. Not even close! The wait only just began!

Reading through various forums and fan comments I’m starting to sense that the fatigue is really starting to set in for some people. Has it just been too long? Or is it some weird effect of knowing the game is around the corner but not having an exact date that’s actually making people exhausted? Heck, even Game Informer recently placed Star Wars: The Old Republic at #2 of their “Fallers” section in a “Risers & Fallers” piece.

I go back and forth myself, mostly in-between major announcements. My friends will yack excitedly at me about the game, and it doesn’t really do anything for me. Then BioWare will go and make some huge announcement and I get sucked in all over again. They don’t consume information on the game as obsessively as I do so it’s a bit easier for them to stay excited. I actually have a friend who refuses to read or watch almost anything about the game. He’s still surprised when he accidentally learns of some of the game’s basic features. Sometimes my excitement is reignited indirectly. I’ll watch the Star Wars films, or play an old Star Wars game and start fantasizing about finally playing the damn game and owning my own character. My Star Wars: The Complete Saga (Blu-Ray Edition) is on the way now and I know I’m going to start frothing at the mouth for the game once I marathon run the films. Yes, even the prequels. Deal with it.

I’m generally pretty resilient when it comes to being excited for something, but The Old Republic makes it a bit harder for me, and oddly enough, a lot of it has to do with the game’s focus on story.  I love story. I love BioWare RPGs (with the exception of Dragon Age II).  And while I’m always initially excited for a play opportunity or reveal, it’s that desire to just sit down and have my own story happen already and make the choices I hope to make that will sometimes get me to say, “Shut up already! Give me the damn game!”

Looking ahead into the remainder of 2011 we’ve got a holiday season absolutely dense with amazing games. There’s so much I’m excited for and a lot of it has a set release date. As we get closer and closer to the holiday season, I’m actually re-prioritizing The Old Republic behind some games I know are coming quite soon. It’s not even intentional; my brain’s just gone into crazy excitement mode over games like Battlefield 3 and Skyrim. Let me tell you, I lost hundreds of hours in Oblivion, and I plan to lose hundreds more (that I don’t have) in Skyrim. I’m going to add an extra day to the week. I’ll make it work, somehow.

Of course, BioWare will probably announce a release date soon and throw all my plans out the window. Skyrim may just have to wait. I’d love to explore its dragon-filled lands, but I’d rather be in a galaxy far, far away.  

How about you? Has the fatigue set in? Or are you even more excited than ever now that you know the game is coming soon? Share your thoughts in the comments below!