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Bioware recently made available their servers to test a game that is coming out just around Christmas. It's an MMORPG ( think World of Worldcraft ) and it's based in the Star Wars universe. More specifically, the Star Wars "Ancient" universe. Those of you familiar with Star Wars: Knight of the Old Republic will know what I'm talking about. A couple of years in the works, it's a daunting attempt to cut its way into the market that World of Warcraft has so firmly entrenched itself. What does it have going for it? Well for starters, it's Star Wars. Always an easy sell ( even those who hated the prequels still went out and watched them ). But that isn't enough, LucasArts tried their hand at this a few years ago with Star Wars: Galaxies, and that pretty crashed and burned.
No, this is developed by Bioware. That's the other thing it has going for it. The feel of the game is very much like that in previous single player games such as Star Wars: Knight of the Old Republic, and the wildly popular Mass Effect series. And don't assume everyone has to be or will want to be Jedi either! There are a multitude of choices of Race and Class, on the Light side AND the Dark side. That's right, not only can you play a "scoundrel" or "trooper" beyond playing a Jedi. But you can also play a Sith or a Bounty Hunter as well.
Add to that Bioware's quality story writing and voice acting ( something often not seem much in other MMORPG's ) and you've got a killer game that will suck up your life for days, weeks, months. The room for social interaction is there, same as "WoW", with guilds and chat channels and what not. But much of the story arc can be played "solo" as well.
True to the Star Wars universe, the game spans several planets across the Star Wars universe. Only three of which I got to explore in my time in the BETA, but that's just how expansive each planet is. I know if you play a Sith, Korriban is in there and I'm sure we'll get to see the old favorites such as Tattooine and Kashyyk.
Finally it all comes down to one thing. Price. Like WoW, Bioware did not opt for the microtransaction "free to play" format that many MMORPG's are using these days. Despite the fact that this has gotten other game's foot in the door, they seem confident enough that they can take WoW head on and use the same billing method. 14.95/month to play. You also need to buy the actual game up front for around 60$. But if that doesn't scare you away, I'm sure you'll be all too happy to get lost in the Star Wars universe.
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