SpawnPoint - Where Game Begins

Star Wars: The Old Republic-The Esseles

Today Bioware and LucasArts released a new video walkthrough of The Esseles, a flashpoint early on in the game where players must group together to protect a high-ranking diplomat and fend off Imperial boarding parties.

The developer walkthrough features commentary from Director of Production, Dallas Dickinson. Dickinson does a great job hyping up what’s going on in-game and showcasing the abilities of each class and what they bring to the fight.

Each time I see this game it looks better. Visually it’s shaping up to be one of the crispiest MMO’s to date, and with in-game cut scenes Star Wars: The Old Republic looks to immerse the player into the story. Most MMO’s are hindered by their rotation-mashing inputs and endless grinding, but in prime Bioware fashion, The Old Republic looks to be equally story driven.

From the looks of it, the gameplay is solid, the story looks more than adequate for an MMO, and it’s all aesthetically pleasing, but if I’ve learned one thing from playing MMO’s it’s that the little things are what make the difference. Each MMO has a great deal of intangibles that make it unique, and the only way to judge Star Wars: The Old Republic is by playing it.

I can’t wait to play this game and find out for myself. Let’s hope for a holiday release this year.