Since its first announcement, I have been very excited about the Star Wars: Old Republic MMO. The endless potential that Bioware can bring to the table with this game will be amazing. Aside from all the good things I was thinking, the one question that stuck out in my mind was why anyone would want to play as anything except a Jedi? Sure, Han Solo is cool and all, but its not like a special power would be witty wise cracks or good looks. Thankfully, Joystiq had the same question as me and gave me some of the answers I was looking for.

In their hands-on demo with Star Wars: The Old Republic at GDC, the staff had a go with the Galactic Trooper class, and they have nothing but good things to say. Here are the major points as to why it is cool to play as a non force user:

  • No autofire boringness: All the abilities and shot types (which start off at three) have to be individually selected and performed every time you use them. This forces the player into strategic situations and takes the “click once and watch” annoyingness out of the mmo.
  • Fast paced action: Everything moves faster than most other online RPG’s. This makes the action oriented trooper class fun to play. Think shooter with RPG elements ala Mass Effect 1

    • Overall, the best qoute I could read from a person playing the old republic is this:

    . It is, at its core, a BioWare RPG — filled with vibrant landscapes, interesting characters and top-notch writing and voice acting. It’s clear that these principles weren’t compromised to fit the game into an established MMO archetype. The Old Republic is a whole new breed

    I just want this game right now. With this and The Secret World coming out, I am going to need to start building a new PC soon.