Star Wars: The Old Republic

All of you World of Warcraft junkies, there’s a new competition in town. Might be time to switch over to a new dark side and check out Star Wars:  The Old Republic. Animation degree majors, this release is revolutionizing the online gaming industry.

For years, there has not been an online video game that has been more popular than World of Warcraft. It was created and marketed by Blizzard Entertainment. This game has maintained over 12 million subscribers who have paid about $15 per month to enjoy the privilege of gaming in an online community setting. Blizzard was the original “pioneer of Internet gaming.”

BioWare, a division of Electronic Arts, has been known for years as a producer of video games for single players. However, The Old Republic is going to overhaul that image. This game goes far beyond World of Warcraft with full voice-overs for each character (unlike Warcraft where the characters don’t speak and users must read the characters’ text instead). The Old Republic hopes to “draw players into an emotional connection with the story” in a manner that is “much more personal than the tales in World of Warcraft.”

Seems like they might succeed. There are hundreds of thousands (probably even millions) of Star Wars fans out there. Many would most likely jump at the chance to be Obi Wan or a Sith assassin or Darth Vader. Knowing that BioWare and Electronic Arts spent over $125 million to make The Old Republic has to say something: they have taken this game seriously, very seriously.

Die hard gamers know that multiplayer online games are not merely about silently staring at computer screens. It’s about talking to friends while navigating through enemy territory. It’s about relationships that are formed through playing these games within communities. It’s about fun! So, even though World of Warcraft probably won’t be knocked completely out of the gaming picture, it might be bumped down a few notches as Star Wars fanatics discover The Old Republic and realize that it is the most exciting Star Wars game in cyber world.