While it’s clear that BioWare’s The Old Republic is an MMO, it tells its story much better than your average game of this genre. The gameplay, too, very much feels like a traditional MMO, but the way it’s presented most certainly does not. Once I got around the whole MMO thing, I realized that its presentation is very similar to what was found in the Knights of the Old Republic games, and considering BioWare’s expertise in that universe, I think the final product is in very good hands.

During my time with the game, I played as a sith warrior and again as a republic commando, and the two different classes provided two very distinct experiences. Of the two classes, I thought the sith warrior was pretty boring, but considering that I was in a newb zone and playing with a very low-level character, I guess it makes sense. I was just hoping for more. Instead of running around with a lightsaber and cooking fools with lightning blasts, I was simply armed with a metal rod and the only abilities I had access to were a few melee attacks as I did basic fetch and “go here and kill that” quests. It’s fine, considering it’s a newb zone, but it wasn’t that dynamic.

However, that all changed when I played as the republic commando. Things started out with me talking with my commanding officer when a fire breaks out in the armored carrier we were in. After the fire is doused and repairs on the transport were underway, I was summoned to a nearby outpost under attack by sith forces. There was quite a bit of chaos, and I was picking up missions wherever I could to keep the action going. Not only that, this was a different style of gameplay as well, and it proved to be a bit more engaging from the sith class. I was able to unload blaster fire onto my adversaries, toss grenades and even use a sort of shotgun blast, allowing me to get a better taste of the game. Not only that, this particular narrative was simply more fun – rather than running into catacombs while playing as a sith, I was thrust into the middle of a warzone, creating a vibe that much more enticing and active.

One thing to remember is that most of the gameplay elements from KOTOR and KOTOR II translate perfectly into the MMO style of gameplay, but with some obvious tweaks. No longer will you be able to freeze combat and queue up actions – you’ll have to choose those on the fly. And, obviously, like the original games, you’ll earn some great new abilities as you level up, helping to create not only a formidable character, but something that’s customized to your play style. Add the great way of storytelling through interactions as found in the original games, and you have something that’s not a mere MMO, but KOTOR parts three, four, five, six and beyond, and that’s something I’m excited for.

I’ve yet to see some of the later level gameplay that is sure to better showcase what to expect with the game, but from what I’ve seen, things are on the right track. One of the best elements I noticed in the game is the balance of character classes – no one class is more prevalently featured over the other. There’s still a healthy amount of work to be performed on the game, but that doesn’t change the fact that the series, the pedigree of the developer, and the MMO experience are all coming together in a game that I simply can’t ignore.