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To SWTOR or not to SWTOR

Christmas is one of the few times of the year when a combination of loosened purse strings and available free time allows me the luxury of sampling recently released games. This year there are a few possible contenders for my Christmas holiday gaming list: Skyrim is a leading candidate while Arkham city, Shogun 2 and even Modern Warfare 3 are all possibilities and then of course there is the tantalising prospect of SWTOR.

The timing of SWTOR couldn't be better for a Christmas gaming blitz and there is something magical about the early days of an mmorpg. Settings, quests and activities that will come to be regarded as tiresomely repetitive over the coming months and years are still seen as fresh and new.  The only trouble is that it is an mmorpg and I thought I had grown out of mmorpgs. My recent attempt at logging into LOTRO to sample the Isengard content lasted all of 30 minutes before I got bored and logged out. I don't think this is just burnout with one game. The whole mmorpg genre fails to inspire me. In fact at this point in my life I feel tired of all multi-player games.  I play games for escapism and release from the stresses of every day life. Having to deal with other humans even if it is just a bit of friendly guild banter takes more social effort than I feel like putting in at the moment. I realise of course that modern mmorpg's can be played solo and SWTOR seems to excel at this but if I am going to play solo - then a game designed specifically for its solo experience is likely to be better.

Another factor is that if I do get into an mmorpg it is likely to consume all of my available gaming time for the next weeks and months. How then am I going to fit in Skyrim or any of the other games I really would like to play?

So: To SWTOR or not to SWTOR that is the question.







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Comments

Stabs said…
Well if you don't try it there'll be another one along in a while you can play. Maybe you'll feel more inspired.

I wasn't going to play it originally but have been talked around. If you do want to play and want a guild we're on the Red Eclipse server.
4:59 pm
mbp said…
Hi Stabs

Thanks for that Stabs. I will look out for you if I do decide to take the plunge.
5:11 pm
Wilhelm Arcturus said…
My own personal view was that I did not want to play badly enough to be in the first wave. I have other games I am invested in at the moment.

If our regular group was totally sold on the idea, I would probably have gone, but they all seemed to be okay with letting things settle for a few months.

Plus we have 5 people and a group in SWTOR only allow 4, so there is the "who gets left out" factor.
5:50 pm
Jak_Danels said…
Battlefield 3 is turning out to be a whole lot more fun than I thought it would be.
7:07 pm
mbp said…
@Wilhelm: only 4 in a group? I predict a dire shortage of tanks and healers.

:Jak_Danels - yes I should add Battlefield to my list. In fact a good rpg and a good shooter would complement each other nicely.
9:23 pm
Paul said…
I've been playing SWTOR for three days and I'm already regretting getting it. It's just tedious and increasingly uninteresting. The voice quest mechanic is mind numbing and unengaging.
7:16 am
mbp said…
Wow Paul that is quite a dissentin opinion. Most of the writers I have read are enjoying the game even if they don't intend playing it for long.

I have already asked Mrs. Claus to put a copy in my stocking but given my current ennui with mmorpgs I am worried that my experience may mirror yours.
8:59 am
Paul said…
mbp: do you think you're going to enjoy listening to random and largely forgettable collections of pixels prattle on about some unbelievable quest for a minute or so, and being forced to pay attention because you have to make a couple of "choices" that occasionally slightly affect something? If so, SWTOR is the game for you!

If my experience is any indication, this game is going to crash and burn surprisingly fast. I don't know if I'm representative of the average player, though.
12:53 pm
sinreal11 said…
Shogun 2 and even Modern Warfare 3 are all possibilities and then of course there is the tantalising prospect of SWTOR.swtor credits
swtor credits
6:15 am
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