The time of the recluse nerd has come to an end. As the world of communications continues to expand, gone are the days of the anti-social gamer looking to level up his sorcerer alone in the confines of his darkened bedroom. With social networking expanding and internet access becoming more accessible we bid a fond farewell to traditional solo gaming as we find ourselves struggling to stay up-to-date and free of boredom in the Massively Multiplayer Online era.
Of the countless MMOs to have been released, none such have acted as both savior and saboteur as the formerly-sweet, now-bitter title "World of Warcraft:" a game so popular and so over-played gamers everywhere roll their eyes, drop their mouses, and shut off their computers at it's mere mention. What once set the bar for all other games to be judged by, WOW now acts as the industry's best example of what not to emulate for all new titles. We've all seen it: the closer a game resembles World of Warcraft, the more criticism it undoubtedly receives.
Because of WOW's influence there now exists a stigma withing the industry. All MMORPGs, no matter how hard they try to distance themselves, are viewed as nothing more than World of Warcraft in a different setting and with different characters; a nice little conundrum we at GAYmer Guide have come to call the "WOW factor". Though countless developers have tried to reverse this stigma, only one seems to have the goods to really succeed and revamp everything we thought we knew about MMO gaming.
The time of the recluse nerd has come to an end. As the world of communications continues to expand, gone are the days of the anti-social gamer looking to level up his sorcerer alone in the confines of his darkened bedroom. With social networking expanding and internet access becoming more accessible we bid a fond farewell to traditional solo gaming as we find ourselves struggling to stay up-to-date and free of boredom in the Massively Multiplayer Online era. 
Of the countless MMOs to have been released, none such have acted as both savior and saboteur as the formerly-sweet, now-bitter title "World of Warcraft:" a game so popular and so over-played gamers everywhere roll their eyes, drop their mouses, and shut off their computers at it's mere mention. What once set the bar for all other games to be judged by, WOW now acts as the industry's best example of what not to emulate for all new titles. We've all seen it: the closer a game resembles World of Warcraft, the more criticism it undoubtedly receives. 
Because of WOW's influence there now exists a stigma withing the industry. All MMORPGs, no matter how hard they try to distance themselves, are viewed as nothing more than World of Warcraft in a different setting and with different characters; a nice little conundrum we at GAYmer Guide have come to call the "WOW factor". Though countless developers have tried to reverse this stigma, only one seems to have the goods to really succeed and revamp everything we thought we knew about MMO gaming. 
Hailing from a galaxy far, far away and riding on the coat tails of it's developer's uncanny reputation for making a quality RPG, BioWare's Star Wars: The Old Republic has what it takes to break the blockade of repetition in our MMOs and jump to hyperspace as the next best thing to come to online gaming. Still, despite overwhelming evidence that TOR is the answer to our prayers, gamers everywhere are a tad skeptical and many remain on the fence as to whether or not they'll pick up a lightsaber and join the battle to shape the galaxy. Having done the research and seen the footage, GAYmer Guide can tell you: this is what we've been waiting for. But for those still worried that TOR is just WOW in space we give you the following to consider:  |
| An example of the dialog featured in TOR |
1 - The force speaks to you, and so, apparently, will TOR- Probably the biggest difference between the two games will be the fully voiced environment featured in The Old Republic. Unlike the occasional "Zub Zub" heard when talking to an Orc in the Badlands, every cutscene, mission briefing, and character interaction in TOR will feature voice actors playing out a scene for gamer's amusement. Rather than having to read through a scroll-shaped text box in order to find out why they're being asked to explore yet another kobold-infested mine, players can sit back and relax as they watch the captain of their imperial battle cruiser explain their next assignment. In addition to just briefings and debriefings, players will have options for input in conversations, adding a little more personalization to a massively multiplayer world.
2 - Class, Some People Have it, Some People Don't- In Star Wars it takes all types: Humans, Twi'leks, Iridonians, the list goes on and on, but in the galactic melting pot that is The Old Republic, race is no more important than what color lightsaber crystal to choose. Sure gamers will be able to select from the many familiar and not-so familiar humanoid species from the galaxy far far away, but what defines their story and gameplay experience is the Character Class they choose to be. Whether players choose to pick up a lightsaber and commune with the force as a Jedi Consular or sling a blaster rifle and run blockades as a Smuggler, players' story, quests and game experience will be drastically different between the various classes. While there will still be the occasional shared quest in which a Sith Inquisitor might have to team up with an Imperial Agent, gone are the days of dinging at level 20 and finding that your story has become the same as every other character you've ever created; a persistent problem in the world of Azeroth.
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| The many faces of a human female |
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| A Smuggler crouching behind a crate to take cover during a battle |
3 - "Say Hello to my Little Friend"- We've all been there: fighting the final boss of a two-hour dungeon when some ranged DPS player builds too much threat and now has to run for their life as said boss barrels after them. While BioWare has decided to employ the classic Melee/Healer/Range setup that most RPGs use, ranged units who might not be the best at taking damage aren't totally helpless should they get targeted. Units using blasters such as the Smuggler or Imperial Agent will have the ability to take cover behind environmental objects, greatly reducing their chances of being hit. Other ranged units such as the Bounty Hunter and Republic Soldier have a good deal of armor reinforcing them should any stray blaster fire come their way. Ranged units will also be able to switch out different cells in their blaster rifles for added effects such as armor piercing rounds; perfect for taking out an over zealous defense droid.
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| TOR's setting plays to it's advantage as a story telling game. |
4 - Finally, An MMO That Doesn't Kill Lore- One of the biggest grievances for fans of the WarCraft franchise was WOW's apparent disregard for any lore or continuity within it's own universe. Just about every iconic character in the world of Azeroth is killable at one time or another, taking years of story and dumping it down the drain. TOR's setting, on the other hand, will be giving characters a chance to further explore Star Wars lore as they adventure through the galaxy in a time fans don't know much about, and writers have purposely left unwritten. We know eventually in 3,000 years Vader comes into the picture and starts force choking everybody, but for now it's a galaxy of anything goes during an era in which heroes are made and overthrown almost daily.
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| A Jedi knight and his trusty droid companion |
5 - The More the Merrier- Like it's predecessor, Knights of the Old Republic, TOR will feature companion characters that gamers will meet while venturing throughout the galaxy. These non-playable characters can accompany players on missions and even join in on combat. Building on the voice mechanics of the game, players can take time to get to know their companions as they venture along, or tell them to stay out of it when they try to give their two cents in a conversation.
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| Companion characters take care of crafting while you're out exploring the galaxy |
6 - Save the busy work for the drones- No more will players have spend endless hours searching for linen cloth and sewing it into ill-fitting garments in order to acquire crafting experience. That's right, in TOR the tedious task of item crafting is done behind the scenes by your companions as you go about your travels. Different companions might specialize in different areas, giving you the chance to choose who best focuses on what type of crafting while you're out rounding up Jawas or slicing up Wookies.
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| A class-specific starship, the Republic Defender, docked on a planet |
7 - Home is where the hyperdrive is- Taking place in a galaxy that's not only far, far away but probably fairly large, players will be in need of some means of transportation from planet to planet; enter: the starship. Each character class will have a starship assigned to it that acts as your base of operations on the many different worlds found in the Old Republic. This is where companions not accompanying you on missions will stay and work on the tasks you've assigned them to. In addition to being you're intergalactic RV, starships can also be used to engage in space battles: special missions that require the player to take to the cockpit and pilot their ship through an onslaught of cannon fire and asteroids as they try to destroy other starships or even massive battle cruisers.
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| Choosing to attack a peaceful heard of animals can result in a deeper slip into the dark side. |
8 - You say potato, I say force choke- Another feature of TOR that it acquired from its precursors is the use of a light side/dark side meter. As players experience the world of Star Wars they'll have countless opportunities to make decisions that will effect the world around them. Players choosing to save innocents and stand for justice will retain lightside points, while players choosing to kill, maim, or seriously disfigure can bask in their evil glory as they acquire more dark side points. This adds a great deal of customization to the gaming experience. While players will never be able to switch factions, one could theoretically become a rather cruel Jedi, but still loyal to the Republic just as one could become a Sith Warrior with a penchant for petting bunnies and picking flowers.
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| If he's not careful, a rowdy Bounty Hunter could step on the wrong toes and have to deal with the repercussions. |
9 - Actions have Consequences- Unlike World of WarCraft, players traversing through The Old Republic will rarely find themselves playing the same game twice, unless they play as the exact same class and make the exact same choices every time. Players who choose to murder a back-talking soldier might later find themselves staring down the blaster barrel of a disgruntled widow wanting revenge for what you did to her husband. Choices a gamer makes will influence his game so much that in some cases entirely new quests might come as a result of an earlier made choice. This is certainly a far cry from the repetitious if not seemingly copy-pasted quests of World of WarCraft.
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| Jedi mind tricks are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to moves you'll be able to perform when you live out your Star Wars fantasy. |
10 - In case you didn't realize, it's Star Wars- Any nerd who truly wears the title with pride is a fan of George Lucas's brain child. While allegiance to WarCraft and Blizzard might waver, the bulk of us grew up making light saber noises or begging our parents to let us dress up as Princess Leia for Halloween. Featuring a Lucas-approved story line, hours of music made just for the game, and endless amounts of quality Star Wars action, Bioware has worked tirelessly on it's labor of love to give us all what we've been wanting since we could first say the words "force push."
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