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SWTOR uploads new companion HK-51's backstory
Coming to Star Wars: The Old Republic in Update 1.5 is the game's first additional post-launch companion: HK-51. BioWare's crafted an encyclopedia entry designed to get us familiar with the substance and style of this new character. Based off of Knights of the Old Republic's HK-47 (who is also in SWTOR), HK-51 is a more advanced droid assassin model that prizes "efficiency over brutality." While remarkably effective at killing, the HK-51s were all but destroyed. Only a single crashed ship carrying the remainder of their kind is reported missing on Belsavis. BioWare also mentions another starship that may have design blueprints for the droid, but it too is lost. The droid assassin will be obtainable in a new area on Belsavis that also comes with the update, although free players will need to purchase this content to gain access to the companion.
Star Wars: The Old Republic teases the upcoming HK-51
Observation: If you are playing Star Wars: The Old Republic, you have likely accumulated a variety of enemies within the game. Query: Perhaps you would enjoy having some assistance in removing those enemies in a more permanent capacity? Entreaty: Consider employing the coveted HK-51 assassin droid, a mobile platform capable of dispatching even the most stalwart foes when given the proper direction by a master. Aside: Even if said master is a sniveling meatbag. Anecdote: BioWare first showed off the trailer for the upcoming HK-51 companion during the recently concluded San Diego Comic-Con. Observation: The trailer can now be viewed by players who missed the convention, allowing everyone to see a first glimpse of this special companion. Caveat: It has not yet been revealed how players can acquire their own assassin droids, although hints have been dropped that the process will require a great deal of questing, possibly on both factions. Encouragement: If you aren't daunted at the prospect, by all means, take a look at the trailer and start clearing space on your ship for a new droid. [Acknowledgement: Thanks to Michael for the tip!]
Hyperspace Beacon: Force reflection
"Always in motion is the future," Yoda reflected to Luke Skywalker in the greatest of all Star Wars movies, The Empire Strikes Back. Even for a Jedi master, the future is unpredictable and always fluid. Likewise, I made predictions about Star Wars: The Old Republic that were completely off base and some that were spot on. Of course, the ones I got wrong were part of the BioWare plot to subvert everything I do. That's right, I'm looking at you, Georg Zoeller. This week, I'm going to borrow a phrase from the SWTOR-RP website: Force Reflection. Every weekday, these roleplayers pose a question about SWTOR, Star Wars, or some sort of roleplay trope to get you to think about how you play you character. However, I'm going to use the phrase to think back on the predictions I made in this column, specifically the first article of this year. Which ideas did I get correct? Which ideas did I get totally wrong? I can't be one hundred percent correct all the time. I have to leave room for some errors or else I'd lose my secret job as a psychic-hotline operator. Jump past the break to judge for yourself.
SWTOR: Ten things you need to know about companions
For those of you who have never played a BioWare RPG before (or any single-player RPG, really), the concept of "companions" may initially strike you as strange. After all, in MMOs we're so used to jaunting off into the wilderness solo without some semi-intelligent NPC tagging along for the ride, so for a game to inform us that we not only will have them but will have to use them all the time may feel odd. If so, we're guessing you've never been into pet classes, either. Companions are one of the long-standing features of BioWare RPGs; they're both useful fighters who help keep you alive and persistent beings whom you get to know, develop relationships with, and affect in significant ways. In the past, BioWare companions have often been cited as the most memorable parts of the studio's games, from Baldur's Gate II's Minsc to Mass Effect 2's Mordin (to name two of my all-time favorites). Yet in MMOs, companion NPCs aren't that common, and if you're feeling a little bewildered at the thought of having one at your side at all times in Star Wars: The Old Republic, then we're here to lay out for you 10 reasons why companions are as useful as all get out -- and why you're going to love them like crazy before too long.
Star Wars: The Old Republic trailer requests your silence, meatbags
Wondering when you'd get a chance to see that meatbag-hating droid HK-47 make his return? This latest Star Wars: The Old Republic trailer delivers just that. Also, it seems KotOR's Darth Revan will make an appearance in the game. Hope he'll be happy to see us!
Statement: Snarky assassin droid steals the show in PAX TOR trailer
It was starting to feel like forever since any new information had come out of The Old Republic's well-oiled marketing machine. Happily, a new video released at PAX 2010 has temporarily quenched the drought and simultaneously provided a glimpse into ground-based combat in BioWare's upcoming Star Wars opus. The trailer is heavy on dialogue and even heavier on exposition, as BioWare shows us lengthy snippets of a conversation between a player group and an NPC officer who offers them the opportunity to poke around the former stomping grounds of the legendary Darth Revan. There's a bit of battle footage thrown into the mix as well, but the highlight of the two-minute video is undoubtedly the appearance of everyone's favorite assassin droid. Check out the footage after the cut or on the official website.
Meatbag-hating droid HK-47 teased in Star Wars: The Old Republic
Good news for you HK-47 fans out there! The meatbag-hating android from KOTOR and KOTOR 2 was teased at the tail end of today's Star Wars: The Old Republic panel at PAX, meaning you can enjoy classic lines like "Observation: I am awesome" in a massively multiplayer setting. Check out HK-47's greatest hits after the break.
Star Wars: The Old Republic interview reveals shiny new information bits
IncGamers had the opportunity to ask Star Wars: The Old Republic's lead designer James Ohlen some questions regarding the newly announced title. The most interesting of responses from Ohlen have him making very strong hints that while 300 years have passed since the first two titles, everyone's favorite assassin droid will make a return -- among other possibly alien species. We also learn that even though certain characters obviously won't have lived that long, quest will make plenty of allusions and references to legacies of past characters.Another interesting reveal is that more than 100 people are currently working on Star Wars: The Old Republic. That's a fairly reasonable number for an MMO, but it gives us a good idea for how much effort is being put into a game that's apparently in a pre-alpha stage. BioWare has finally unveiled Star Wars: The Old Republic, their new MMO! Massively's got you covered on all the details -- from liveblogging the announcement to screenshot galleries and more. Join us in the Galaxy far, far away!
1UP weighs evidence for and against the KotOR MMO
The gaming community has been a-buzz with all sorts of speculation since LucasArts and BioWare announced that they'd be partnering up for a new project. The most popular theory: Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic is going massively multi-player. This theory isn't a total shot in the dark, but it's not without its flaws either, and if you're looking for conclusive answers, you won't yet find any. But maybe you just can't let it go. Maybe you can't wait until LucasArts and BioWare officially say something one way or the other; the possibility of a KotOR MMO is so cool, it nags at you, even if you won't get to play it for two long years. 1UP feels you. That's why they've written up a succinct overview of everything we know (and don't know) so far.You'll still be left wondering, but hey, at least it will be a sort of informed wondering, if that makes any sense at all.[Via TenTonHammer]
