Live, Breathe, Eat, and Play in Star Wars Galaxies
Written: Jul 23 '03
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Game like no other. Endless angles of gameplay. Hours, no YEARS of entertainment.
Cons: A little expensive. Lag problems in cities. Need high end computer to meet minimum requirements.
The Bottom Line: Great game that is unlike any other. I suggest you buy it if you know your going to spend alot of time playing, otherwise its an expensive waste of time.
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| pirateddellr's Full Review: Star Wars Galaxies: An Empire Divided for Windows |
Before Star Wars Galaxies was even released to the public I had been keeping on eye on its development for months. Personally, I am not a very big Star Wars fan but the design and storyline of this game interested me from the beginning. When it hit the stores June 26, 2003 I was one of the first people to buy it and rushed home to install in my computer as soon as possible. To my dismay I couldn't play the game because my graphics card wasn't supported. I had read the minimum requirements prior to purchasing it, and since I had over a 32mb graphics card I assumed it would work. Little did I know my card didn't support the "Transform & Lighting" requirement that is in fine print on the bottom of the box. So I went out the next day and spent $130 on a new graphics card and got the game running.
Setting up the game is a breeze. A menu lets you pick from a number of different races for your character, along with countless variations in height, weight, facial features, etc. Also, their are a number of professions you can choose from which are listen on the SWG website with more information. In this review I'm going to try to focus on the gameplay experience since most of the other information is avaliable from www.starwarsgalaxies.com
I'm running a P4 1.7, 256 Ram, 128 mb ATI graphics card and the game runs smoothly with some exceptions. When I'm in the large cities there is noticible lag, one time it got to less than 1 frame per second. On the other hand, in the large open vast rural setting the game runs perfectly smooth. The graphics are stunning and the details very impressive. I remember running through a field with long grass blowing in the wind that seemed so real I could have swore I was there. The sound in the game I would rate average, since I don't have a high end computer speaker system and can't rate it occordingly. The sounds in the game seem average to a little above average compared to other computer games like Medal of Honor: Allied Assault.
The game play experience itself is awesome. There are so many different aspects of this game you could explore. You could be a artisan and craft materials and then sell them on the bazaar (the bazaar is a online marketplace you can access in the city which is similar to an ebay where you can auction off or sell items). You could be a marksmen and advance to a hypbrid profession like a pistoleer, smuggler, or sniper. Medics can profess to become bio engineers or combat medics. You can even become a creature handler, chef, or dancer. The only problem I would point out about the professions (although it isn't really a problem as much as it is a dissapointment) is that reaching professions like bounty hunter and jedi are extremely difficult. Becoming a bounty hunter is attainable if you spend a considerable amount of time with the game, but becoming a jedi is much more difficult. Jedi are very rare and I have never seen one in the game. Becoming a jedi is a mysterious process that Lucas Arts doesn't explain very well, although it says it is possible as the game progresses.
In SWG I started off as a Scout/Marksmen and have now advanced to the level of Adv Carbine. Being a scout you can extract natural rescources from the environment and then sell them to artisans who need them to craft products. Being a marksmen also aids your combat skills and allows you to branch off into other elite professions like a bounty hunter or smuggler.
If you still don't know what to do in the game, there are mission terminals in the cities which prompt you with a mission, waypoint, and objective...after which completing you receive a reward. Personally, I have done many missions and they seem to be much more enjoyable and easier when you do them in a group. That brings me to my next point, group play. One of the strongest points of SWG is group play. Joining a group is simple and easy, and it makes the game alot easier and more enjoyable. As a group, missions become easier to achieve, and chances of dying decrease. When you do become injured you can visit a Cantina which is similar to a tavern or bar where you listen and watch entertainers that can heal your health. While you heal you will often find yourself engaging in conversations with other players about other planets, professions, or basically anything.
I have been to 2 planets in SWG, Naboo and Coreilla. The environments are breathtaking, and you never know whats going to happen from a sandstom on Naboo to a rainshower on Coreilla. Its as realistic as it gets. Even the animals are interesting although I wouldn't suggest messing with them early on as some of them will attack you.
The only thing I dislike about this game is the monthly fee. With your purchase the game the first month is free, but after that its about $15 a month. This is comparable to other MMORPGs, but I find it kinda expensive since I'm not the type who plays daily and am on a tight budget. Otherwise no complaints here.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
pirateddellr
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Location: Belleair Beach, FL, US
Reviews written: 3
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