Star Wars: The Old Republic MMORPG is how Star Wars should be imo.

[Samtemdo8_v1legacy]

Say what you will about SWTOR as a game, but as a Star Wars thing, I believe it truly captures the concept of Star Wars better than most things.

And its all to do with the with the factions at play here, the Great Galactic Republic vs the Evil Sith Empire.

I feel the "Star War" between these 2 factions have the most compelling stories, battles, and charcaters that are at odds with each other.

I mean compared to the new movie I feel the wars between the factions are rather one-sided, the whole Underdog Rebellion/Resistance vs the Dominating dictatorial Empire, we know we have to root for the Underdog, but in the case of SWTOR, I feel I am rooting for both factions because they both seem even.

I want the good guys of the war to be equal to the bad guys in power and resources.

To sum up I think this one image of SWTOR sums up what I think Star Wars should be and look like:

Notice how it feels like the war between the 2 factions and characters you see feels like it could go either way. Both factions feel balanced and not one-sided.

Do you guys understand what I am trying to get across, do tell what you think?

 

[Azure-Supernova]

I mean, the gameplay and story (in expansions anyway) aside, I totally agree. The squabbling and infighting between Sith Lords, how Imperial Intelligence basically only tolerates the Dark Council out of fear whilst they do most of the actual politicking. Meanwhile, the Republic are just as bad as their enemy, refusing safe haven to war refugees for fear of overburdening themselves and with the Jedi Council single-mindedly pursuing Sith without a thought for the ramifications.

There is this grand scale that the movies don't seem to match. The Empire never seems powerful in any of the movies.

 

[Samtemdo8_v1legacy]

I mean, the gameplay and story (in expansions anyway) aside, I totally agree. The squabbling and infighting between Sith Lords, how Imperial Intelligence basically only tolerates the Dark Council out of fear whilst they do most of the actual politicking. Meanwhile, the Republic are just as bad as their enemy, refusing safe haven to war refugees for fear of overburdening themselves and with the Jedi Council single-mindedly pursuing Sith without a thought for the ramifications.

There is this grand scale that the movies don't seem to match. The Empire never seems powerful in any of the movies.

I think that is something I also think should be mentioned, Wars are always a politcal and ideological thing, whether you are fighting for food to fighting for ideas.

And I like how they at least some sembelence of depth in SWTOR's portrayal of thier Wars.

 

[springheeljack]

I think it's due to the fact that in terms with the movies they are constantly dealing with a last days situation. The final Jedi, the final Sith, the last days of the Empire, the last days of the Republic everything always seems close to the end.

 

[FalloutJack]

I did rather like the story, especially surrounding my version of Darth Nox.

 

[oRevanchisto]

The Imperial Agent Storyline is one of the best stories in a game and easily outclasses any of the recent SW movies, especially Rogue One. You want to tell an interesting tale that isn't centered around the Jedi? Well, the Imperial Agent storyline is how you do it.

 

[Samtemdo8_v1legacy]

The Imperial Agent Storyline is one of the best stories in a game and easily outclasses any of the recent SW movies, especially Rogue One. You want to tell an interesting tale that isn't centered around the Jedi? Well, the Imperial Agent storyline is how you do it.

How's the Repulic Trooper and Smuggler and Empire Bounty Hunter like than?

 

[oRevanchisto]

The Imperial Agent Storyline is one of the best stories in a game and easily outclasses any of the recent SW movies, especially Rogue One. You want to tell an interesting tale that isn't centered around the Jedi? Well, the Imperial Agent storyline is how you do it.

How's the Repulic Trooper and Smuggler and Empire Bounty Hunter like than?

Of those you listed I've actually only finished the Smuggler though I've played a good amount of the other two. The Smuggler is a good fun tale, though I thought it peaked during the second Act. The smuggler has probably has the best theme with regards to soundtrack. I also think playing the smuggler works best playing as a female, so many great lines as a female smuggler, plus you can hit on just about everyone. The trooper starts off really interesting but I kind of got bored after the first Act. The Bounty Hunter I'm just trying to finish now, it's got an interesting hook but is kind of repetitive at the moment. Get told of a target to hunt, find out a bunch of complicated reasons you can't get them quick, do some bullshit until you can get the target, go to a new planet. But, I'm still too early to judge since this will undoubtedly change as the story progresses.

So far I've completed Jedi Knight, Sith Warrior, Imperial Agent, Sith Inquisitor, Smuggler. The JK story line is also pretty good, though it is a standard SW tale. It's what I feel KOTOR 3 would have been. But, Imperial Agent is the best overall story. Nothing else is as imaginative or creative.

 

[Tsun Tzu]

How's the Repulic Trooper and Smuggler and Empire Bounty Hunter like than?

I enjoyed the BH, it's a decent actiony romp that's kinda light on story, but kept me going purely due to the fact that I was a badass with a jetpack and a flamethrower. The female VO is solid throughout too, but...well, let me confess something:

I play all of my Empire characters as light siders. It makes 'em more interesting to me. Ya know, decent people who just happen to be on the "wrong" side of the conflict.

Sith Warrior is particularly enjoyable from that perspective. Especially when you're a dark red, pure-blood Sith. Practically a demon...so everybody's reactions to merciful decisions are always so surprised.

One thing that struck me was how vindictive and violent a lot of the Jedi ya face are. I like the whole lack of black/white to it.

Trooper- what I've played of it, which is after the big arc you start with...kinda feels listless. Doesn't help that Hale's voice just makes me think "Mass Effect" the whole time.

Agent- is definitely interesting and diverges a great deal from typical Star Wars fare. Thumbs up from me.

Guardian- Basically KotOR again.

 

[TilMorrow]

The unfortunate thing is that as great as the concept art represents it, SW:TOR doesn't really represent the faction conflict that well... well at least it didn't when I last played. I mean I remember the Jedi class starting area had a large section full of Empire Invaders whilst the Sith starting area was mostly about being a chill dick as you got your acolytes robes and that was only if you chose the designated dickish options on the chat wheel, in short felt kinda unbalanced to me. I rather liked how Star Wars Galaxies handled the faction conflict instead with players largely influencing the Rebellion Vs. Empire presence by giving the option to join either faction after some considerable time playing the game and building entire cities allied to that faction, not to mention you could also go neutral and just be a trader/entertainer that traveled between both sides.

 

[Kolby Jack]

Parts of it are well done, but the game really just sucks. I played it for a while when it first came out and then later I tried to get back into it, both times the magic quickly faded. The gameplay is serviceable, but the bulk of the writing is dogshit. And I mean it's been like 2 years since I last touched it so maybe that's changed, but what I saw when I played was garbage, not at all redeemed by the tiny gems hidden inside it.

I remember seeing ads for I guess the most recent expansion involving a powerful girl who was raised by dark-siders and turned against her light-side mother. Once again, the trailers had me intrigued. Then I saw a cutscene from the actual game involving that girl (now an adult) and she was practically the Wicked Witch of the West. Jesus.

 

[The Raw Shark]

The game is good when it's NOT trying to establish a canonicity for Revan and the Exile. When it does that, I can already hear my blood boiling with the words "DICK MOVE" forming in my veins.

 

[Bob_McMillan]

The game is good when it's NOT trying to establish a canonicity for Revan and the Exile. When it does that, I can already hear my blood boiling with the words "DICK MOVE" forming in my veins.

Man was I disappointed after recently playing KOTOR 2 and seeing how they decided to handle both of those characters.

OT: I agree, the sense of having an actual Star Wars is lacking in most Star Wars stuff, even in the Clone Wars cartoons. I'm really tired of one side being complete fucking assholes and the other saintly scrappy underdogs. This is one thing I enjoyed about the Star Wars Legacy series. Although the Republic was once again reduced to guerilla warfare, what they did with the Empire was great. You really get to see the whole universe and experience the different viewpoints of both factions.

 

[The Raw Shark]

The game is good when it's NOT trying to establish a canonicity for Revan and the Exile. When it does that, I can already hear my blood boiling with the words "DICK MOVE" forming in my veins.

Man was I disappointed after recently playing KOTOR 2 and seeing how they decided to handle both of those characters.

OT: I agree, the sense of having an actual Star Wars is lacking in most Star Wars stuff, even in the Clone Wars cartoons. I'm really tired of one side being complete fucking assholes and the other saintly scrappy underdogs. This is one thing I enjoyed about the Star Wars Legacy series. Although the Republic was once again reduced to guerilla warfare, what they did with the Empire was great. You really get to see the whole universe and experience the different viewpoints of both factions.

Same, I enjoy the shit out of the game when it's reminding me of the Clone Wars, especially the Genndy Tartakovsky cartoon. While the stuff about KoToR bothers me to no end and I have to take breaks fuming at the thought that my characters that I established as their own couldn't just get a brief afterword but had to be rewritten, I can still look past it when I get back in to it.

 

[Natemans]

The game is good when it's NOT trying to establish a canonicity for Revan and the Exile. When it does that, I can already hear my blood boiling with the words "DICK MOVE" forming in my veins.

Man was I disappointed after recently playing KOTOR 2 and seeing how they decided to handle both of those characters.

OT: I agree, the sense of having an actual Star Wars is lacking in most Star Wars stuff, even in the Clone Wars cartoons. I'm really tired of one side being complete fucking assholes and the other saintly scrappy underdogs. This is one thing I enjoyed about the Star Wars Legacy series. Although the Republic was once again reduced to guerilla warfare, what they did with the Empire was great. You really get to see the whole universe and experience the different viewpoints of both factions.

Legacy is such a fantastic series.

 

[Terminal Blue]

I thought the game was a pretty decent MMO, and I've enjoyed the old republic setting but..

Like a lot of the expanded universe, it fundamentally misunderstands Star Wars.

You aren't supposed to root for the Empire. They are literal space Nazis. That isn't a flaw or a weakness in the setting, it is a deliberate design choice.

The two sides of the force were not meant to be equal and opposite. The "dark side" is not a deliberate choice or a necessary evil, it's not anti-heroic, and people who fall for it ultimately do so because they're morally and emotionally weak.

See, the Star Wars original trilogy is three things:

1) A WW2 movie in space.
2) A coming of age story (or more accurately the coming of age story, Joseph Campbell's monomyth)
3) A love letter to classic samurai movies.

And here's the thing, presenting the dark side as a viable choice (or even more so, presenting both the dark and light side as equally wrong in their respective obsessions) not only runs counter to George Lucas' express intent (but then, it's George Lucas, who cares) it also completely ruins point 2. See, if we view the Star wars movies as a metaphor for coming of age, then falling to the dark side means choosing to remain a child, it means being eternally immature, never able to deal with adult emotions and blaming everyone else around you (especially your dad or stepdad) for all the stuff which goes wrong in your life.

Notice how subsequent Star Wars films have (I suspect on a pretty unconscious level) followed this pattern perfectly, while the expanded universe and video games still desperately try to present being a violent, dickish edgelord as a viable or healthy choice.

And I mean, that's okay, video games are a power fantasy and shit, but it's not very Star Wars.

 

[Samtemdo8_v1legacy]

I thought the game was a pretty decent MMO, and I've enjoyed the old republic setting but..

Like a lot of the expanded universe, it fundamentally misunderstands Star Wars.

You aren't supposed to root for the Empire. They are literal space Nazis. That isn't a flaw or a weakness in the setting, it is a deliberate design choice.

The two sides of the force were not meant to be equal and opposite. The "dark side" is not a deliberate choice or a necessary evil, it's not anti-heroic, and people who fall for it ultimately do so because they're morally and emotionally weak.

See, the Star Wars original trilogy is three things:

1) A WW2 movie in space.
2) A coming of age story (or more accurately the coming of age story, Joseph Campbell's monomyth)
3) A love letter to classic samurai movies.

And here's the thing, presenting the dark side as a viable choice (or even more so, presenting both the dark and light side as equally wrong in their respective obsessions) not only runs counter to George Lucas' express intent (but then, it's George Lucas, who cares) it also completely ruins point 2. See, if we view the Star wars movies as a metaphor for coming of age, then falling to the dark side means choosing to remain a child, it means being eternally immature, never able to deal with adult emotions and blaming everyone else around you (especially your dad or stepdad) for all the stuff which goes wrong in your life.

Notice how subsequent Star Wars films have (I suspect on a pretty unconscious level) followed this pattern perfectly, while the expanded universe and video games still desperately try to present being a violent, dickish edgelord as a viable or healthy choice.

And I mean, that's okay, video games are a power fantasy and shit, but it's not very Star Wars.

I think you misunderstand, I am talking about SWTOR as how it presents the War part of Star Wars and that I think how both factions are equal in Power and status and the resources they have. Both factions can field massive fleets of warships and plenty of Jedi and Sith.

Also isn't RPGs in general a coming of age story?

 

[Asita]

I play all of my Empire characters as light siders. It makes 'em more interesting to me. Ya know, decent people who just happen to be on the "wrong" side of the conflict.

Sith Warrior is particularly enjoyable from that perspective. Especially when you're a dark red, pure-blood Sith. Practically a demon...so everybody's reactions -to merciful decisions are always so surprised.

For an added bonus, a Light Sided Sith Warrior tends strongly towards guile...and almost every antagonist you meet is absolutely convinced that the Warrior is a dumb brute. I found it very amusing to watch my "dumb brute" consistently outwit everyone.

 

[09philj]

See, the Star Wars original trilogy is three things:

1) A WW2 movie in space.
2) A coming of age story (or more accurately the coming of age story, Joseph Campbell's monomyth)
3) A love letter to classic samurai movies.

And here's the thing, presenting the dark side as a viable choice (or even more so, presenting both the dark and light side as equally wrong in their respective obsessions) not only runs counter to George Lucas' express intent (but then, it's George Lucas, who cares) it also completely ruins point 2. See, if we view the Star wars movies as a metaphor for coming of age, then falling to the dark side means choosing to remain a child, it means being eternally immature, never able to deal with adult emotions and blaming everyone else around you (especially your dad or stepdad) for all the stuff which goes wrong in your life.

Notice how subsequent Star Wars films have (I suspect on a pretty unconscious level) followed this pattern perfectly, while the expanded universe and video games still desperately try to present being a violent, dickish edgelord as a viable or healthy choice.

And I mean, that's okay, video games are a power fantasy and shit, but it's not very Star Wars.

If you go back to the old Tales of the Jedi comic series, especially the Dark Lords of the Sith and The Sith War arcs, the two primary antagonists sum this up pretty well. Exar Kun is a greedy jerkwad who can't leave well enough alone and falls to the dark side because he's too obsessed with finding out about it. The other is Ulic Qel-Droma, who falls to the dark side because he becomes consumed with anger and hate after his master is killed.