Return Of The First Impression: Star Wars: Galaxies

By Ryan Plas | December 4, 2008 | | Filed under: Features, Impressions | Tags: Features, Impressions, LucasArts, SOE, Sony Online Entertainment, Star Wars: Galaxies

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MMORPGs have a much longer life than other games and over time they evolve. Ryan takes a look at Star Wars: Galaxies. The game has several years and several major updates on its back. Hit jump to find out what Ryan thinks of the game today.

A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away…  there was a title from Sony Online Entertainment called Star Wars:  Galaxies.  It wasn’t greeted with with critical fanfare, but it did have a loyal following within the MMO community.  Since its inception, a lot has changed with the title, including the ”New Game Experience,” and a Combat Update that changed the way the game was played, and the way fans view the title and SOE in general.

Having been one of those fans back in the day, I’m not going to sit here and berate anyone for what happened, but instead take you on my first impressions of the title having not played the game since its initial release.  While a lot has changed, one thing that has stayed the same is that community (that still plays) is thriving, and as anyone can tell you, sometimes that is all a title needs.

When you first load Star Wars: Galaxies, whether in the free trial or a purchased a copy,  you get to take part in an area specifically designed to get you hooked.  In other words, content that is designed to get you interested in the title, and wanting to subscribe.  A lot of publishers out there are going with free trial offers, but not all content, even free, is created equal.

In Star Wars: Galaxies you run through a brief tutorial on the basics of an MMO, movement, inventory, quests and the like, before getting to meet Han Solo and Chewbacca and blasting off in the Millennium Falcon.  On the Millennium Falcon you get a quick turkey shoot, taking control the Falcon’s guns and destroying some TIE fighters.  While basic almost to the point of tedious, it does feel very iconic to the Star Wars legacy.

Upon destroying the TIE fighters, you land at the Tansarii Point Station, which is where you will spend much of the next 10 levels. Upon helping Han fix the Milenium Falcon, you can leave the station at level 5, but the big quest line once you reach Tatooine, doesn’t start until level 12, so you are better off staying and picking up some random quests once you reach top side.  While on the Station, you will be treated to quite a few different quests for XP and loot, a quest to get some early faction points, space missions if you are a fan of flying iconic Star Wars ships, and an obligatory dungeon.

To be honest, I hated Tansarii Station.  While it was a pretty quick trip to level 9 before you get to the meat

 and potatoes of the game, I think it’s pretty darn.. well.. blah.  While you get to see Han Solo and Boba Fett, the Star Wars feel just really doesn’t flow during your time on the Station.  Once you reach level 9 (or level 5 if you are in a real hurry), you can make your way to Tatooine, and get started to the real content of SWG.  After touching down, and running a couple fetch quests that at least net you a speeder to get you around quicker, you start working on what is called the Legacy Quest.  What this is, is a VERY LONG quest line that spans from the moment you touch down, all the way to level 50 or 60 or so, touching on most of the planets in the game.

While I have only played until level 20 so far, the Legacy quest is fairly entertaining and eventually brings you in contact with a few big names in the Star Wars Lexicon.  As you get closer to level 20, you will get to start working on Jabba the Hutt’s “themepark”.  No, there are no hutt slime dunk tanks, or crazy Ferris wheels.  A theme park in SWG is like a quest hub.  It is a place, usually of a certain faction, where you can go work on a multitude of quests.  For example, including the Jabba theme park, there is also a rebel and imperial theme park.

A lot has changed in the five years that SWG has been out.  Instead of the old skill based system, the title has moved to class based, instead.  Where as you used to have to pick up a weapon or skill set and use it to gain in strength, you know pick from an iconic class type, such as a Jedi or Bounty Hunter, and level up like you would in a normal title.  You now get “Expertise” points, which are points that you can drop into a skill tree to increase your effectiveness, or give you new skills, kind of like talents.

You cannot wear any armor until level 22, and up until then you will find quest rewards, and very rarely, loot items that you can use to upgrade yourself.  One of the biggest disappointments to me is that weapons and items in general, are a lot of times few and far between.  Crafters do not waste time making lower levels items.

Any questions I had were very quickly answered by again, what is one of the real saving graces of SWG, the community.  Just remember in character creation to pick a server that at least has a medium load, because while SWG has quite a few servers, most of them are dead at the moment.  But that should change soon, as SOE is going to be offering free server tranfers sometime after the first of the year.

The other saving grace of the title is of course that the game is Star Wars.  I mean lasers, light sabers, ships… who doesn’t like that sort of thing?   So far, I am actually enjoying myself, even if the title is a bit tedious at times.  If you like Star Wars, or are just looking for something a little different, give the title a try.  Just make sure you actually make it out of Tansarii Point Station before say Yay or Nay.