TenTonHammer.com - Taking MMO Gamers to the Next Level!

Star Wars-themed MMO is trying to turn itself around

In GameSpy's ongoing feature, State of the Game, we got an indepth look at Star Wars Galaxies.

Despite its problems, many fans found enjoyment in areas of the game that did work. But in the time since, the game has seemed unable to catch a break: for every improvement, the game seemed to suffer another disaster. Three years down the line, even the game's most die-hard defenders seem to be losing heart. In this edition of State of the Game, we take a look at Star Wars Galaxies, where it started, where it is, and where it's heading.

Read the full article to learn more as GameSpy takes us on a history of Star Wars Galaxies. Have something you want to say about the game? You know where to head...that's right...the forums right here at Ten Ton Hammer!

A New Hope?

In a move dubbed NGE or "New Game Enhancements" SOE / LucasArts re-launched its ailing MMORPG Star Wars Galaxies (SWG) for the second time last November. Despite a wave of angry criticism from the alternately hopeful and disillusioned subscriber community, both licensor and licensee maintain that subscription numbers have steadily risen since the change.

We tell the somber story of the MMORPG that was supposed to bring our brand of gaming into the mainstream two years ago, then lighten things up a bit with a review of the game as it stands today.

When we arrived at the neutral station, the nastiest surprise was lag, lots of lag. My rig handles today's graphics-intensive games with ease, but for SWG I had to viciously scale back settings before the frame rate got above a barely playable 10 / sec. Even afterwards, the game seemed to move faster than it could load. The elevators jerk you down or up a level in a split-second (literally - they put the "hyper" in hyperlift), but you'll go tear-assing into the cantina (characters seem to move at something like 200% movement speed all the time) and you'll have to wait a few seconds for the NPCs to appear.

After trying out several character models I've noticed an unsettling "slippery floor" quirk, resulting from the character's gait being unnaturally faster than the actual movement rate. Another painful tendancy: the dialog boxes which appear when you converse with NPCs actually move with their (sometimes spasmodic) gestures. When I talk to an NPC, I sometimes feel like I'm trying to shoot Bin Laden in one of those "Win a PS3!" banner ads.

In the end, SWG received a doleful 2 out of 5 hammers. But have a look for yourself: the Star Wars Galaxies "New Game Enhancements" review at TenTonHammer!

You know this game really NEEDED a new review. I tried playing it again recently and what I experienced went beyond confusion. *whisper* It was easier the other way *end whisper*

Anyhoo, IGN does a marvelous job of explaining, critiquing and whatnot. They end up giving the game a 7.7/ 10. Not too shabby although nothing of supersonic stardom. For a game that's over it's prime it's a good score.

Feel The Force This Way For SWG Info and News

It's deja vu all over again. .
MMORPG.com has posted a review of Star Wars: Galaxies- New Game Experience, the "revamped" (new gameplay mechanics) SWG.

" Due to the massive changes recently implemented within the Star Wars Galaxies (SWG) Mmorpg, we felt it was necessary to update our review to reflect the changes brought out by the New Game Experience (NGE). We do hope that this review will provide you with the information needed. Also, I will refer to the combat upgrade (CU) along with the NGE. In the last 6 months, SWG has done multiple changes to the game and we’ll try to be as clear as we can. "

We also have some Pre-Enjoyed Star Wars: Galaxies News.
 

Like a lightsabre to the head...
Eurogamer reviews the Star Wars Galaxies: Trials of Obi-Wan expansion. It's a pretty expansion, they say, but ultimately score it 7/10 for, you guessed it, developing $35 worth of content almost exclusively for the level 65 plus game. When someone figures out how to make the high-levellers and low-to-mid-levellers happy at the same time, it'll be huge! Oh, yea...World of Warcraft, gah.

"So it boils down to this: the expansion is aimed squarely at the high-level ground-based combat players, and is a solid addition of content for them. That only this one group of players is catered to fully though only serves to alienate those left behind and devalues the offering overall. "

Star Wars Galaxies: Trials of Obi-Wan reviewed at Eurogamer.
Other links you might enjoy:

• Other Star Wars Galaxies news

The Total Experience, and by total we mean most of it.
Game Chronicles has posted a review of Star Wars Galaxies: The Total Experience. Our top secret sources have told us that upon seeing the review Chewbacca turned to Harrison Ford and roared:

" Personally, I played the original when it first came out for a solid three months, was in a strong guild (Sturmgrenadier-Starsider), and had a blast. After awhile though, the grind of gaining experience, bugs, and limited content got to me, and I left for greener pastures. I was very intrigued to try this title again to say the least. "

You can read the entire Star Wars Galaxies: The Total Experience Review at Game Chronicles.
 

"Laugh it up, Fuzzball!"

Okay, I promise that's the last of the Star Wars quotes! TTH takes a ride on the gamer's unrealized dream slash developer's turgid rollercoaster that is Star Wars Galaxies, and the resulting "MMOG profile" is like the overpriced picture you can buy at the end (except ours is free!).

While Anarchy Online set a high bar for the sci-fi themed MMOG, it's hard to think of Star Wars Galaxies as fitting any kind of mold. Star Wars has had a life all its own for over 27 years, before the mid-to-low end of the MMO demographic was even a twinkle in our daddy's eye.

SWG desired to place us in the world of Luke Skywalker, Obi-Wan Kenobi, and everything that makes Star Wars a cultural phenomenon. It was, and is (at least until Lord of the Rings Online is released in 2006), the only MMO that has endeavored to inhabit a world whose structure is largely scripted, rather than built from scratch by producers and designers. Far from simplifying the process, high storyline expectations and stringent artistic production values (thanks to the magic of LucasArts, SWG was the finest looking MMO of its day) plus some truly unique (and, at times, disasterous) innovations lead players and developers on quite a ride.

Far from eulogizing games like SWG or boxing them up as "past their prime", we honor them as "going concerns" in the only genre for whom constant improvement is a way of life for the developers. MMOGs are truly gamers' games.

Check out our writeups on EverQuest, Dark Age of Camelot, and Anarchy Online too!

Chewbacca, I'm you're Fatharoaaaaaaaaarrrrrrrrrrr.
GameSpy has reviewed Star Wars Galaxies: Rage of the Wookies. GamePeepingTom did not review the game, nor did they admit looking into your window last night. They did release this little tidbit:

"Recent days, though, saw the long awaited release of the two things that were going to "save" Star Wars: Galaxies, the infamous "Combat Upgrade," and the game's second expansion pack -- Rage of the Wookiees. The good news is that it seems to have worked. Rage of the Wookiees brings in lots of interesting content, plenty of quests, some decent rewards, and (at last!) something for combat characters to sink their teeth into that makes the game as rewarding as its always been for crafters and role-players. The down side, however, is that while it's a rewarding enough experience for Galaxies veterans, there's little in Rage of the Wookiees that would attract any new Galaxies players."

You can read the entire Star Wars Galaxies: Rage of the Wookies Review at GameSpy.
 

Industrial Light and Wookies.
WorthPlaying has reviewed Star Wars Galaxies: The Total Experience. These are not the words you are looking for:

"Star Wars Galaxies takes place between Episodes IV and V in the original movie trilogy, so despite the destruction of the Death Star, the Empire is far from defeated. After the obligatory opening credits explaining your situation, the character generator pops up. A healthy mix of races is available to choose from, including the all-around humans, reptilian Trandoshans, mighty Wookiees, and the often-mentioned-but-never-seen Bothans."

You can read the entire Star Wars Galaxies: The Total Experience Review at WorthPlaying.