A long time ago, on a server far, far away ...
Written: Jun 22 '03
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Graphics. Skill system. Crafting system.
Cons: Hard to do solo missions.
The Bottom Line: If you are a fan of video games, multi-player games, or Star Wars this is for you. Tremendous fun, with a lot of dynamic character options.
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| azjones's Full Review: Star Wars Galaxies: An Empire Divided for Windows |
I was fortunate enough to take part in the Beta testing of Star Wars Galaxies: An Empire Divided and was informed today that the Non-Disclosure Agreement has been lifted. The game is due for release in a week, so read up...
This game is a massive multi-player online roleplaying game based in the Star Wars universe. I'll begin with some basic information concerning the game options, then more specifics about game play.
The following races are allowed as PC classes:
Humans
Wookies
Rodians
Zabrak
Mon Calamari
Twilek
Trandoshans
Bothans
There is access to assorted planets, including:
Corellia
Tatooine
Naboo
Endor
Yavin IV
Dathomir
There are six starting professions:
Artisan
Brawler
Entertainer
Medic
Scout
Marksman
You begin the game with 250 credits and a few items based on your initial profession. You also get 250 Skill Points for the skills in your profession. Your first profession costs no money, but does cost 15 Skill Points, so you actually enter the game with 235 Skill Points. If you wish, you can train in another starting profession for another 15 Skill Points ( 100 credits to an NPC trainer in-game).
Now the fun begins... training in your skills. Each skill is broken into a "skill tree" that includes four chains of four stages each. If you learn an entire chain, you can qualify for an advanced profession. Learn all four chains and you qualify as a Master of your chosen profession.
Consider the Artisan Profession: The four chains are Engineering (building of devices, weapons, armor, buildings, etc.), Domestic Arts (building food & clothing), Business (establish vendors, access fees, and other things), Surveying (scanning for raw materials and mining them). If you learn Engineering I, II, III, and IV, you now qualify to become an Armorsmith, Weaponsmith, Droid Engineer, or Architect. If you learn all four levels of Domestic Arts, you're qualified to train in either the Tailor or Chef advanced professions. Business learning leads to the Merchant or Smuggler professions. (Survey doesn't lead anywhere, but pretty much any artisan will build up so much Survey XP that training it is no problem.)
Marksmen can progress in the use of their rifles to become Riflemen (i.e. snipers) or in Ranged Weapon Support and become a Squad Leader. Brawlers can train in unarmed combat and then go on to the Commando advanced profession. A Scout can become a Ranger or a Creature Tamer (capture animals and sell them as pets to other PCs).
The game encourages you to experiment to find what's right for your character. You can regain your Skill Points by unlearning a skill that you've previously learned and with 250 points at the beginning of the game, it'll be a while before you run out of them.
There are many aspects of the games that I never got to take part in. I started in beta fairly late. I haven't experimented much with either the Imperial or Rebellion faction aspects of the game, although I understand they're fun. I also cannot provide opinions on the "theme park" scenarios, such as Jabba's Palace...
Grouping is encouraged in this game. If anything, it's mandatory. Most of the significant enemies are in clusters and attack as groups, so it's important to have a strategy when going after the bigger targets. Missions tend to have fairly high difficulty ratings, so it's of a great benefit to go out in a fairly decent size of a group.
The crafting is well done in this game, with an assortment of "Star Wars" style items. The clothing and armor is top-notch... the stylistic immersion into the film world is perfect. Also you can build and trade in structures such as houses in various styles, as well as factories, resource mines, and the like, which look as if they belong in the movies.
In short, this game meets and exceeds my expectations. You completely control the growth and development of your character, even to the point of being able to "migrate" their stats, to simulate shifts of training emphasis over time. I could well imagine playing this game for a year without getting bored ... and by that point the Space Expansion will, perhaps, be out.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
azjones
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Location: Anderson, IN
Reviews written: 23
Trusted by: 1 member
About Me:
27 year-old Mensa member & published author. B.A. in Physics, Math, Philosophy.
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