As a life-long Star Wars fan I’m looking forward to Star Wars – The Old Republic (though I don’t think any game will ever live up to the awesomeness that was Star Wars Galaxies before they gutted it).
I do have issues though. Aside from the fact the cartoony actual game graphics look sub-standard to the mind-blowing cinematic trailers, the big problem I have is with the world of the Old Republic itself.
The Old Republic is set thousands of years before the events of Star Wars and yet the technology is no different. Yes, the designs might seem a bit more angular, but you’re telling me that in several thousand years the biggest technological advance was sexy curves?
Look it this way, if I told you that video was set 300 years after Star Wars it would seem just as plausable. I know that in trying to tell a story that is essentially Star Wars, you’ve got to have lightspeed travel, droids and lightsabers. There is a look that is essentially Star Wars, but the Old Republic has never held any interest for me because the worldbuilding seems to ignore its time period in favor of being a license clause todo loads of Jedi without breaking the cannon.
Even so, the game trailer does rock. I’ll try out the game when it comes out, no doubt, but I’m sure I’ll find myself mourning for Star Wars Galaxies, pre-Combat Upgrade.
The trailer is a little wide to post here without breaking the site design, but you can view it at http://www.massively.com/2010/06/14/alderaan-stands-up-to-darth-malgus-in-new-e3-trailer-for-swtor/