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Review: SWTOR MMO Beta

I've examined the NDA for my beta test this weekend, so this post will avoid specifics and deal in only generalities.

The short version is: I liked it, but not sure I want to buy it.

The longer version is:

Jean and I played up to 13 or so over the weekend, in a real binge run that took most of Saturday and part of Sunday. I'm sure that if I wasn't binging, I probably would've liked it more. Jean stuck to the force-user healy class (shocking!) while I went with the blaster-wielding DPS. First caveat: the roles in SWTOR are NOT as explicit as the roles in WoW, so I'm being a little cagy about it.

There are some very clear Bioware influences, too, including the morality slider and lots and lots of social interactions that change the way the world sees and responds to you. It's quite nifty.

Also, as Jean pointed out, the morality is much more clear. Unlike in WoW, where both sides are roughly morally equivalent, it's VERY clear who the bad guys are in SWTOR. The bad guys in SWTOR make the Empire from the SW movies look positively cuddly and attractive in comparison. I can see the appeal of playing that side of the conflict, but I'm not sure I'm going to like those people much. I'm certainly not going to like the characters much.

Ask me again in a week, when I haven't just come off a 20-hour bender, and I might've changed my mind. Because there's a LOT of good stuff in the game.

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