Duel of the fates: Two class previews outline the positives and negatives of SWTOR
Star Wars: The Old Republic previews are coming fast and furious in the afterglow of E3, and PC Gamer adds to the mix a pair of them that focuses on extensive (and class-specific) play sessions. First up is a 17-hour session with the Bounty Hunter, and the reviewer has nice things to say about BioWare's story-telling prowess (and a whole lot of meh for TOR's MMORPG elements).
The lengthy piece touches on combat, grouping (which is described as quite awkward due to the narrative focus), and BioWare's infamous penchant for NPC romance. The author concludes that TOR is worth playing if you're into single-player storytelling. "If BioWare had sacrificed the story-driven aspect of their game, there wouldn't be much reason to play The Old Republic. Other MMOs have better combat models and more impressive worlds," the magazine says.
The second preview (by a different author) also features a 17-hour stint, this time at the controls of an Imperial Agent. The piece focuses on the specifics of the Agent questing experience and also paints TOR in a more positive light. "The quest design feels reminiscent of World of Warcraft's Burning Crusade expansion [...] and the game's PvP system feels like a refined and upgraded version of Warhammer Online's," the author says. You can read the full text of both articles at PC Gamer.
