I think maybe you anime fans might recognize the voice in this video.
See you, space cowboy…
Tag: swtor
March 4, 2011
November 17, 2009
Dragon Age: The SWTOR Preview Made Manifest
These days Star Wars: The Old Republic fans are in a stage where they are looking forany piece of info they can get their hands on. With two class reveals (the Jedi Knight and Imperial Agent) the latest bits of discussion that has since died down, fans of Bioware‘s upcoming MMO effort are looking for any clue as to what will be in the gameplay.
Well, I’m here to tell you that one place that you could look is in the very excellent and well-rounded new hotness of Dragon Age: Origins. This single-player RPG from Bioware just came out a couple of weeks ago to huge fanfare and tons of praise from folks looking to get their latest Bioware fix. The deep story, multiple origins, and cast of characters have received a ton of posts from the blogosphere, and overall the reception has been largely positive. Hell, even my self-proclaimed nemesis enjoys it.
But within the decidedly independent experience of Dragon Age are hints and thoughts about how Star Wars: The Old Republic might actually work in terms of gameplay. You have a set of party characters that go with you – companions in SWTOR – and you have ways in which they may approve or disapprove of your actions. You have a moral choices system where you make difficult decisions about dilemmas in the game, just as they say SWTOR is going to have. The voice acting, featuring prominent actors such as Tim Curry and Claudia Black, is a huge part of the experience, and the fully-voiced environment reflects hours upon hours of recording time. And last but not least, the story, which has many threads, sidesteps, intrigue, and twists, serves as the backbone, a pillar which makes Dragon Age not just another rollicking RPG adventure, but one that has a unique stamp on its genre – just as SWTOR’s core marketing element has put forth.
Now, you may say “but Frank, we’ve seen this all before already – in KOTOR, or in Mass Effect – so what’s different here that points to SWTOR?”. Well, what’s different is that Dragon Age: Origins is the latest refinement of those core elements and systems, a way of playing an RPG that started in KOTOR and carried over into Dragon Age, over the span of years. Dragon Age: Origins highlights the latest and greatest in some of Bioware’s storytelling and RPG-style design docs, so to see Dragon Age as a way to preview Star Wars: The Old Republic’s gameplay is not that far of a stretch.
Bioware is well aware that this experience is just one element of the overall MMO experience, and that the multiplayer aspect is something to be integrated. So those concerned that SWTOR will be nothing more than a glorified single-player experience should rest easy – the feedback coming from Dragon Age’s experiences will no doubt be taken into account, but it won’t be the whole of the picture. Bioware’s drawing on the history of previous MMO releases for making a great online multiplayer experience – but you can rest assured that the single player feedback is going to be melded into it based upon the reception of games like Dragon Age: Origins.
But don’t let me diminish Dragon Age for you too much. Regardless of whether you want to play it to see how SWTOR might be or not, it’s a solid title and one worthy of a pickup – if for nothing else to hear Claudia Black mock you about saving kittens in trees.
November 9, 2009
[Darth Hater] Secret (Imperial) Agent Man
Over at Darth Hater I’ve dropped in a new article about the most recent Imperial Agent class reveal, talking about some thoughts on the class and how the lack of strong lore is actually a positive, not a negative.
You can check it out here – be sure to comment there!
November 7, 2009
Bioware’s Balance And TOR Careers
Bioware’s been on a bit of a tear lately with Star Wars: The Old Republic, as the RPG developer revealed the latest class for TOR, the Imperial Agent, a week after their announcement of the Jedi Knight. With this reveal, there now only remain two more classes to show off to complete their picture of TOR careers.
While there was some initial cloudiness regarding Bioware’s philosophy on balancing two sides, now that most of the careers have been shown we’re starting to see a bit more of that come to light. The picture that I’m seeing so far, honestly, is uplifting to me as a player. Here’s some of the key points:
- Two sides of the same coin – While it seems that Bioware is not taking a stance where they are creating the exact same abilities for both Empire and Republic, they do seem to be taking a mirrored approach. This reflects the overall lore of the Star Wars universe in the “good vs. evil” sense. For example, the Smuggler and recently revealed Agent are both covert and stealthy in different ways, they will be using cunning rather than brute strength, and they’ll be reliant on the element of surprise. The Bounty Hunter and Trooper are both resourceful warriors with a variety of tools at their disposal and are both frontline fighters. The Jedi and Sith are painfully obvious. All of this points to a “similar but different” idea that Bioware has been known to refine with their previous titles.
- Non-Archetypal – The KOTOR games had loosely based archetypes around which you would customize your character with skill upgrades and stat point distribution. This appears to be making the transition to TOR , because as much discussion has been had about which class is the “tank” and which is the “dps”, none of those archetypes appear obvious in the classes themselves. Instead Bioware appears to be concentrating on making each individual class provide its own flavor to the universe, and with exclusive skills based on the moral choice system, another layer is added that combats the whole “role pigeonholing” we’ve seen in MMOs.
- Iconic and Epic - While it’s true that gameplay and mechanics make a class work, there is something to be said about how Bioware is treating these careers. They’re not just general roles in a Star Wars world, but heroes as well. They’re based upon well-known Star Wars universe characters (or ones easily referenced, as in the case with the Imperial Agent) and they are meant to evoke a sense of being that character when you are playing them. It might seem like fluff to some, but to Bioware, they consider it an essential lynchpin to playing the class, something which falls in line with their promotion of TOR as one that uses story.
While I’m sure some people are feeling a bit fearful that Bioware isn’t traveling a path that is well-trodden when it comes to their careers, I’m personally feeling excited for the potential class dynamic that will be occurring as a result of these philosophies. I’m a traditional support class player, but with two classes left I can’t help but wonder if Bioware is going to force me out of my healing shell and make all the careers healing self-sufficient, meaning I’ll be making my choices based on what feels right to play rather than what is practical. I can’t say that’s a bad thing, and I’m looking forward to what Bioware will be doing in the future to flesh out their chosen careers.
November 2, 2009
The Excellently Expected SWTOR Jedi Knight
By now, folks keeping tabs on Bioware’s Star Wars: The Old Republic know that the latest class reveal is the Jedi Knight, the second in the line of Force users revealed for the upcoming game. While there’s the usual buzz of excitement surrounding any major information chatter for this anticipated MMO, there’s also an undercurrent of “exactly as we expected” among the TOR faithful. Moon Over Endor’s Ayane even expresses a bit of disappointment over reading the description and Q&A and seeing, well, exactly what was supposed to be there.
While I can agree that of all the TOR classes, the Jedi Knight was the biggest “duh” out there, I don’t know that seeing exactly what we expected is necessarily a bad thing. For one thing, if there’s one huge pressure that’s on Bioware, it’s to get the IP of the Star Wars universe correct for those that are expecting an authentic experience (not to mention for Lucasarts).
There’s certain tried and true ideas behind a Jedi that everyone is familiar with – the sense of justice, the idea of fighting for the greater good, adventure and excitement not being craved, and all that jazz. If we didn’t have these core concepts behind the Jedi Knight, I’d say it’d be difficult to sell on those who’ve been at the lore longer than some of you have been alive.
This kind of stuff needs to translate into gameplay as well. Defensive techniques, finesse rather than brutality, and the overall heroic aura are apparently the Jedi Knight’s stock in trade, making them the obvious mirror counterpart to TOR’s Sith Warrior. TOR class balance in this sense is extremely important, lest one lightsaber wielding ninja-monk be more powerful than another. If this means creating a bit of predictability in the two classes’ abilities, skills, and gameplay, then that will be a necessary evil. Besides, expected gameplay for the Jedi Knight and Sith Warrior may translate into more people trying other classes to avoid the rush of lightsaber-y goodness on the battlefield.
All that being said, I also would hold out a bit more sunny hope for some alternative playstyles as well. I go into this in more detail over at Darth Hater when I write about the possibility of a morally grey Jedi Knight, but the morality and choice system creates some very interesting directions that a Jedi Knight could go. With exclusive abilities unlocked through aligning with one or the other side of the moral compass, there might still be a possibility that the Jedi Knight is not as straightforward as he or she may seem.
Regardless of all this, we’re now more than halfway done with the unveiling of the TOR classes, so there’s still more possibilities on the horizon that aren’t as expected as blue lightsabers. Keep the faith, TOR fans!
September 17, 2009
[Darth Hater] Sitting Pretty With SW:TOR
As if I didn’t have enough of a writing bug that’s bitten me hard, the folks over at Darth Hater are more than happy to see me write some interesting articles on SW:TOR. You’ll still see some here, but some of them might get diverted to this up and coming fansite for the game.
I’m building up quite a portfolio, I’d say!
Anyway, here’s a link to my first post: Sitting Pretty With SW:TOR, in which I discuss TOR’s relative distance from release and how, not surprisingly, I think that’s a positive thing: