Reviewed: August 31, 2005
Reviewed by: Tyler Whitney
Publisher
LucasArts
Developer
Sony Online Entertainment
Released: May 24, 2005
Genre: MMORPG
Players: Online
ESRB: Teen
8
8
9
8
8.2
System Requirements
Recommended System
Screenshots (Click Image for Gallery)
Star Wars Galaxies: Total Experience is the collection of all the updates of the past two years from veteran companies Lucas Arts and Sony Online Entertainment. From the space exploration of Jump to LightSpeed, and the newly added Rage of the Wookiees, this title adds a lot of playability and depth.
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.
Rage of the Wookies, while sold separately, is certainly the catalyst driving this Total Experience bundle. Regardless of how you purchase the expansion it will add all new content to your existing Star Wars universe in the form of all new missions on Kashyyyk.
You can team up with the Wookiees and fight the Empire or join the Rodians and hunt the Wookies. But before you can do any of this you have to get there and the only way to Kashyyyk is via a hyperspace jump. That means you are going to need a ship so you had better been playing JtL already.
Kashyyyk offers numerous zones and your access to these are rewards for completing quests including a lot of fetch quests. Fortunately, this expansion adds some new and interesting vehicles to the mix.
Missions are not limited to merely the planet, and you will find plenty to do in space in the Kashyyyk sector including some challenging pirate missions where you must defend the system and some mining missions in the nearby asteroid field.
Star Wars Galaxies: Total Experience takes place between Episodes IV and V, just after the destruction of the Death Star. You find yourself aboard a ship traveling to a distant planet, as you choose your race and build. Unlike most games, you can choose from an innumerable amount of options to tweak your character, short, tall, fat, thin-to races such as Wookies, Trandoshans, Bothans and Humans to name a few.
Once into the vast world- one in which belonging to a player association (PA) is recommended, you have a plethora of directions to take. Do you take up the just cause of the Rebel alliance? Do you side with the mighty powers that be with the awesome might of the Empire? Or do you remain neutral, making clothes for the populace to enjoy while the war rages around you?
The profession choices alone are staggering-fencer, brawler, rifleman, creature handler, musician and droid engineer are just a few of the career paths. You can even become a mighty Jedi, but you have to spend an arduous amount of time striving to attain such an awesome character. Many sell on E-bay for well over $500. SWG is very flexible as well, in that you can unlearn these skill points and apply them back into a new trade later, though it may cost you a chunk of change.
You can buy from an immense assortment of druids, weapons, homes, clothes and so on. This game is really crafter friendly with a player based economy, and some player cities can set up whole mall areas reserved for the best items in the galaxy. Speaking of player cities, a few months back SOE added this feature, that took some of the more established cites and granted them special permits for becoming full-fledged urban centers, complete with shuttle ports, cantinas and so forth.
Not only has SOE added a core of new content of space and Wookie goodness, it also has fleshed out many of the previous issues with a whole new revamped Combat System. They also added a handy respec option for returning players, as your current profession may be not to your liking, or you may just want to fool around as another one for kicks.
The new Combat System scraps a lot of the old style of fighting-there no more auto-queue boring attacks, it adjusted damage on many weapons, and also redefined all the armor levels. The latter now breaks up the weaker fighters into more appropriate armor, while letting the heavy hitters, like Bounty Hunters and Weapons Masters, use the all-powerful assault armor.
This is also one of the most grouping friendly MMOs in existence. Pretty much anyone can group with anyone, as the highest-level party member bumps up everyone else “artificially” to their respective level. There are few level restricted areas (if any) and you are free to fight and challenge anyone in PVP, you just may come out worse for wear if you’re a lowbie.
The questing and mission system consist mainly of talking to a static terminal or NPC, reading some random text, and following your waypoint in your data pad. Most of these are admittedly boring, and without much reward, but you can earn faction points/credits and experience with the respective missions. Even the flying missions in space aren’t that impressive. True the combat is joystick intensive; it really isn’t cutting edge physics and action really, and consists of boring, straightforward NPC missions. Only when you get into deeper space and around the massive space battles, do things really get interesting.
The faction points can be used to buy gear, such as AT-STs, storm troopers, weapons, uniforms etc. Some of the latest quests on Kashyyk may reward you with full sets of armor, or exotic weapons. Then there are the “theme parks”, like the Emperor's Retreat on Naboo where you can meet Vader, or Jabba’s Palace on Tatooine. These aren’t really more than superficial fluff, with lackluster missions in order to advance to inner areas. Still, when you see Boba Fett lurking in the shadows next to Jabba, you get that special Star Wars magic tingle feeling, one steeped in nostalgia.
PVP is handled in similar ways to most other MMOs. It isn’t open, free-for-all like some, it instead incorporates certain zones (battlegrounds) and “flags” to enter combat mode. The various “flags” or states are as follows: Civilian or on leave; you are basically neutral to the conflict, Combatant; whereby any NPC can engage, and you an also pull out faction pets, and finally Special Forces; full on PVP/NPC warfare.
Every enemy member you kill, you get faction points that can be spent on buying things, as I mentioned before. Many PAs buy large bases, complete with a full range of facilities. These outposts can then be attacked at certain times of the day, and require an eclectic mix of profession to destroy this expensive fort. This is a Galactic Civil War, and each planet records how many Rebels vs. Imperials there are, and so forth. But ever since release, this system has been buggy as heck, with whole battlegrounds, arenas and features offline.
Although the engine is considered dated, I think the views of landscapes, such as the Naboo falls, or the forests of Endor, are simply breathtaking. Terrain stretches on forever, and many different planets have interesting features, all faithful to the Star Wars universe. The swaying fields of wheat like grass outside Corellia, leaves you with Sting’s “Fields of Gold” song echoing in your head.
Character models are also pretty impressive, and sans City of Heroes, offer the most variation in MMOs today. From a wide selection of races, clothing, tattoos (image stylers can change later) and so on, help to carve out your unique character. They animate well enough too. While some of the creatures aren’t very impressive and poorly animated, the larger ones are awesome sights to behold.
The first time you see a pack of 20 foot tall Rancors prowling the lands of Dantooine, you will understand what I mean. Or a giant Peko Peko floating through the streets of Corelia. There are a plethora of models and behaviors in a rich bestiary.
Even the whiz-bang effects are nicely done, from outrageous explosions from a Scatter pistol, or the rumbling of a space battle, this truly is an epic visual experience.
It goes without saying that SWG is going to have some stellar music. Composer legend, John Williams lends his talents here again, recreating some amazing pieces from previous films, as well as adding a few simple touches. Music hastens during battle, and although aggravating at times, it still sounds awesome. When you enter or exit cities the soundtrack shifts again, adding further to the orchestral ambience.
The sound effects are also solid, with your favorite laser zaps, lighrsaber hums and Banta roars. Even the Mos Eisely Cantina is recreated here, down to the very jazzy, if odd looking band…dun da dun da dun da dun naaa na…
Being an MMORPG, this game has months and months of playtime in store, not to mention another few months with each upcoming expansion - a new one is coming later this year. SWG in the early days was very weak in depth and content, but with the two recent major additions, it has a good amount of areas to explore and some added variety in gameplay.
Although the missions and some quests may be tedious, forming a PA with some buddies, going on epic hunts for Rancor hides, or even the mighty Gorlok (giant creature at end of first Ewok movie), will give you plenty of stories to tell.
Ultimately, Star Wars Galaxies: Total Experience is a must have for any Star Wars fan. Of course, you probably already have tried this if you are a rabid fan boy or girl. It is also a solid MMO in it’s own right, with stellar graphics, award winning soundtrack and a myriad of character professions and options.
For a modest $30 for everything, plus $15 a month, Star Wars Galaxies: Total Experience is an intriguing MMORPG worthy of a look. Plus, with the SOE All Access Pass (around $20) you can play several SOE games like the recent Everquest 2 or Planetside, as well as SWG.