It seems that the German magazine PC Action has been released with details on the space combat in The Old Republic. And to say that the official forums have exploded over it is probably an understatement. The gist of it is that it seems that space combat in The Old Republic isn’t the X-Wing, Tie Fighter or even the Jump to Lightspeed type gameplay that everyone was hoping for, but rather more of an on-rails shooter meant for the more casual gamer. SWTOR-Station has the (translated, you might have to click the English flag first) details both on Space Combat as well as some further class details (nothing shocking there though). Here are the space combat details from SWTOR-Station: Sprace Combat reminds of Rebel Assault We call this gameplay “tunnel shooter”. That means there are especially designed levels which make you follow a certain path. The player has a range…
Author: Soeren Kamper
Timeline trailer 9: The Mandalorian Wars
Star Wars: The old republic Timeline trailer 9: The Mandalorian Wars, has just been released. Since the last timeline told us about Revan and Malak and the events of Knights of the Old Republic, we are now presented the bloody wars, which were responsible for KotOR events: the Mandalorian Wars. In this timeline Bioware basically made everything that happened in Kotor 2 Vapor-Ware and made their own story canon. So Exile didnt really do anything with Malachor V, it was all Revan. Carth Onasi Also get a mention in this timeline trailer though. The Mandalorian Wars included some of the bloodiest battles in the Republic’s history. Mandalore the Ultimate’s relentless campaign to goad the Jedi into open conflict cost the lives of millions. Though the entrance of a Jedi splinter faction into the war is perceived as the factor that turned the tide against the Mandalorians, the perseverance of Republic…
Jedi and Sith Species Announced for Star Wars: The Old Republic
The Star Wars: The Old Republic website has announced that all classes in the upcoming MMO will include different alien species to play as. Aside from Chiss, Rattataki, and Twil’lek, fans haven’t heard a lot about the playable races in Star Wars: The Old Republic. Now Players can look forward to becoming a Sith Pureblood, a Miraluka, a Mirialan, or a Zabrak. So far we’ve only dropped hints about the range of playable species in Star Wars™: The Old Republic™. You may have heard about the Rattataki Bounty Hunter, Chiss Imperial Agent, or the Twi’lek Smuggler, but we can tell you now that all classes will include optional non-human species. Sith Purebloods are “the red-skinned descendants of such notorious Sith Lords as Naga Sadow and Marka Ragnos.” SW:TOR is the first video game allowing players to choose the original Sith as a playable race. Sith Purebloods originated on Korriban and later settled on Ziost and…
George Lucas joins other billonares in “Giving Pledge”
George Lucas is among the billionaires making a public pledge to give away at least half their wealth to charity. In a letter posted on The Giving Pledge website, Lucas writes: My pledge is to the process; as long as I have the resources at my disposal, I will seek to raise the bar for future generations of students of all ages. I am dedicating the majority of my wealth to improving education. It is the key to the survival of the human race. We have to plan for our collective future – and the first step begins with the social, emotional, and intellectual tools we provide to our children. As humans, our greatest tool for survival is our ability to think and to adapt – as educators, storytellers, and communicators our responsibility is to continue to do so. The “Giving Pledge,” spearheaded by Bill Gates and Warren Buffett, is…
E3 Interview with Greg Zeschuk
The Danish Gaming site Pixel.tv ( or TV station as it actually is) released an interview with Biowares co founder Greg Zeschuk about Star Wars: The old Republic. We’re probably about at the tail end of E3 now. There might be a few more things (like perhaps some awards) after this, but I’m not expecting much more.
How stuff works: Teräs Käsi
Teräs Käsi, or “steel hand” in Basic, was an unarmed combat discipline. It was created sometime prior to 3,678 BBY on the planet Bunduki by the Followers of Palawa, refugees of the planet Palawa, which was devastated earlier in a war somehow involving the Jedi Council. The Followers of Palawa created Teräs Käsi solely to defeat Jedi, and presumably, ensure that another world would never be destroyed by the actions of the Council. The Followers of Palawa studied The Force and Midi-chlorians, even though they themselves where not necessarily force sensitive. Teräs Käsi, enabled a user to develop extreme speed, and an aptitude for anticipating strikes, most notably shown by clone assassins. In addition to this, Teräs Käsi taught non force sensitives how to close their minds to Jedi and Sith, thus protecting themselves from mental based attacks. Teräs Käsi also had a developed set of fighting skills, and Nine…
Star Wars: The Old Republic nears completion
BBC has an interesting interview with Greg Zeschuk from Bioware. We don’t get an exact release date, but it seems like spring 2011 is still the goal. The interview mostly made for people that are new to the MMORPG scene, but it is till an interesting read. The massive multiplayer online role-play game (MMORPG) Star Wars: The Old Republic is nearing completion. While the Canadian developer BioWare would not be drawn on an exact date, it said that spring 2011 “was not unrealistic””. “”It’s getting closer, it’s coming down the pipe,” the firm’s founder Greg Zeschuk told BBC News. At present the MMORPG market is dominated by World of Warcraft, which boasts more than 10m players. Star Wars: The Old Republic is set 4,000 years before the events in the movies, which gave the developers almost a free hand in creating a unique persistent Star Wars universe. “The only requirement…
While we wait for The Old Republic: Spaceballs
Spaceballs is a 1987 American science fiction parody film co-written, directed by, and starring Mel Brooks. It was released on June 24, 1987, and earned only modest returns, but has gone on to become a seminal cult classic on video and probably Mel Brooks’ most popular film. Its plot and characters contain numerous parodies of elements primarily from the original Star Wars trilogy, as well as Star Trek and other popular science fiction films, like Alien. The film received mixed reviews from critics. Rotten Tomatoes reported that 62% of critics gave positive reviews based on 20 reviews with an average rating of 6.2/10. At another review aggregator, Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 top reviews from mainstream critics, the film received an average score of 46%, based on 14 reviews. Many critics agreed that, while it was funny, doing a Star Wars parody ten years after the…
Comic-Con 2010 Recap: Best Star Wars Costumes
It seems you can’t go five steps without running into a stormtrooper at San Diego Comic-Con, and that’s fine by us. While Comic-Con has it’s share of the always-impressive fans in the 501st Legion and Rebel Legion, as well as the ever-stunning Slave Leias, we also wanted to feature our favorite Star Wars costumes that made us smile. May the Force Be With Your Cosplay. Utini! Ahsoka “Snips” Tano! Tusken Raider Darth MaulHan Solo probably wouldn’t resist THIS Boba Fett!Imperial BFF? When you need a costume quick, why not wear the Slave Leia apron?Star Wars Celebration V – Orlando Troopers Slave Leias! Obi-Wan’s expression says it all. Death Trooper! Anyone for a Rebel yell? Yoda, look out! It isn’t Comic-Con without Elvis Trooper! Jedi Aayla Secura! Zam Wesell & Jango Fett This young Jedi is ready for fun! Check out more Star Wars costumes here: Comic-Con 2010 (all photos)
Blood of the Empire #8 is online!
Star Wars: The Old Republic: Blood of the Empire concludes Arc Two of The Broken World [HERE] this week. The eight issue of the ongoing free webcomic is continuing the crazy mystery that left everyone hanging at the end of issue seven. Will Kel find his answers in time? What is Kressh’s ultimate plan? Check out the synopsis for issue eight below: Teneb Kel is confronted with a strange and frightening vision of the past, the future, and of his greatest enemy. As he lies broken in the Lenico wasteland, he must seek the truth about Exal Kressh and the Emperor’s goals within his mystical dream–or be utterly destroyed when he returns to reality. As if issue seven wasn’t confusing enough! The eighth issue continues to perplex the mind. Kel continues his “vision quest” or at least we are left thinking he’s having a vision. While in his vision he…
Haden Blackman Resigns From LucasArts
Only months after LucasArts saw its President, Darrell Rodriguez, depart the company, its Executive Producer has now also left. IGN reports that Haden Blackman, executive producer and writer for The Force Unleashed series, has resigned from his LucasArts position. IGN got confirmation from LucasArts on the news and a representative assured that the development of The Force Unleashed II will not be affected. Blackman issued a statement that included the following: “I’ve had a fantastic time working with the team at Lucasfilm and am really grateful for their ongoing support.” “While the decision to leave LucasArts did not happen overnight or come easily, I really feel that now is the best time for me to move on and explore new creative challenges and I look forward to the next phase of my career.” This news is just coming out so we’ll be sure to update as we learn more on…
Nar Shaddaa: Crowning Jewel of the Underworld
This Friday’s update brings us a new playable planet: Nar Shaddaa. To me, a surprising one, as I thought there would be no more planets left, then Corellia. Nar Shaddaa also featured in KotOR 2, so it will be an interesting planet to (re-)visit, though I must admit that I’m not entirely sure what it offers that other planets don’t already offer. With Coruscant already in the game we have a city planet and with Hutta we already have a crime capitol. But here it is: Circling the planet Hutta is its largest moon – Nar Shaddaa, the ultimate corrupt city. Dominated by underworld concerns and owned by the Hutts, this sprawling mass of skyscrapers is considered one of the most dangerous and exciting places in the galaxy, where anything can be had for the right price. Access the HoloNet to learn more about Nar Shaddaa. Check out this video…
Chewbacca riding giant squirrel, fighting Nazis
Created by DeviantArt user Gamefan84, who says all that needs to be said: “Craziest request ever: Chewie riding a giant cute squirrel chasing down Nazis. He needs long flowing fur and a giant roar.” You might stop by his DeviantArt page and tell him how great this is.
May the schwartz be with you: Comic-Con 2010: Slave Leias
It wouldn’t be San Diego Comic-Con without Slave Leias. Of course, this year at the annual Slave Leia photo op, the usual mayhem occurred. Who needs red carpet celebrities when you can see all the Slave Leias at the convention all in one spot? The lovely ladies were out in full Force this year, complete with a supermodel addition of America’s Next Top Model winner and reality TV star Adrianne Curry. (photo by Bonnie Burton) (photo by Bonnie Burton) (photo by Bonnie Burton) Photo by Nicole Love. Photo by Nicole Love. Photo by Nicole Love. Photo by Nicole Love. Photo by Nicole Love. Photo by Nicole Love. Photo by Nicole Love. Photo by Nicole Love. Photo by Nicole Love. Photo by Nicole Love. Photo by Nicole Love. Photo by Nicole Love. Photo by Bonnie…
Making SWTOR Not Suck – Ending the MMORPG Launch Curse
Every announcement made for Star Wars: The Old Republic sends the loyal fanbase into a new swarm of debate, concern, and excitement that causes popular opinion to fluctuate faster than the stock market. It isn’t the little things though that will win it or lose it for BioWare’s latest Star Wars game, and we have learned a few important lessons from recent MMOG flops. We will make a dozen characters before settling down with a favorite one or two so if there isn’t variety in early content, compulsive altoholics will be clawing off their faces after playing through the same twenty levels every single time they start a new character. Save us the gore and plastic reconstruction bills and just give us something new to do while we are trying to make up our fickle minds. What features will BioWare have to nail in order to win player support? Ten…
Interview with Alexander Freed – Questing and choices
Massively brings an interesting interview with Managing Editor on Star Wars: The old republic, Alexander Freed. The interview is mainly about what the different types of quests will be available in SWTOR, what compelling choices players have to make, and what it takes to write for a project of this magnitude. Here us a snip: We’ve got four different kinds of quests. We’ve got our class quests, which is what we’ve really focused on when we’ve talked to the press about story. It’s traditional BioWare storytelling in an MMO space. The other three types of quests that we’ve got are all group quests. We’ve got world quests which are essentially like the side quests that you’d see in Dragon Age or Mass Effect. They can be played in a group. That is where you see our multiplayer dialogue system in action. Then we’ve got our flashpoints, which are our big,…
Family Guy ROTJ Spoof Gets A Title
The Hollywood Reporter Live Feed reports on the following Star Wars-related information coming out of the San Diego Comic-Con Family Guy Panel – December’s spoof of Return of the Jedi has been given the title “It’s a Trap!” – Due to the expense, this looks to be the last Star Wars parody from Family Guy – The creators of Family Guy are not looking to do any more full-out movie parodies, except for possibly Indiana Jones. Visit HollywoodReporter.com for more non-Star Wars related details on the upcoming Family Guy season. “It’s a Trap!” will debut on DVD and Blu-Ray on December 21, 2010. First Look At Family Guy ROTJ Spoof TV Guide provides our first look at the promo artwork for Family Guy‘s next venture into the GFFA, a spoof of Return of the Jedi. See below for some cliff notes of additional details from the TV Guide article: Guest…
Sean Williams Interview
Author Sean Williams talks about “Star Wars: The Old Republic: Fatal Alliance“, his other books (“The Force Unleashed, New Jedi Order: Force Heretic”)and blogging! at Comic-Con in 2010. Remember to check out our Fatal Alliance Review Update;: You can now read the first 50 pages of the book here.
The Guild – Talking with Krom
Last week I asked for people to write me about their guild experience, and it didn’t really matter if you were a leader, officer or simply a member – all we’d like to know was your experience in mmo’s. Luckily I encountered Krom, who was so friendly to share some of his thoughts and experiences through several mmo’s and over several years. He was also so kind as to answer some of my questions. What you read below is uncut. You can visit Krom’s guild here: www.crimsonnova.net And now, on to the interview! Hello. I go by the name of Krom in most of the games I’ve played. I got into guild leadership in 2001 as a third tiered officer in a Diablo 2 clan. Eventually, I became one of the tier one officers in that guild, KLS, and remained so until I left d2 for SWG at its launch….
“Beyond Solo” BioWare tells tales of Star Wars: The Old Republic’s storyline
Fans of Star Wars: The Old Republic managed to shut out a good chunk of media who had hoped to get into the Star Wars: The Old Republic panel today at San Diego Comic Con 2010 proving once again that Comic Con is definitely a fan driven event. The downside is that finding solid early media coverage is a little scarce but those of us who couldn’t attend the event will take what we can get! Gamespot has a small breakdown of what the panel covered. Questing, open worlds and, of course, storylines were the topic. Quests aren’t limited to players’ individual stories, however. The team discussed the concept of world arcs, which take place on a more inclusive scale and involve players joining up to complete a prolonged mission. The BioWare trio offered an example of the Battle of Hoth from the Empire Strikes Back film as one example…
BioWare Announces Space Combat for SWTOR
A big question among SWTOR fans has been, will the game feature in space combat? That question has been answered at this year’s San Diego Comic Con with a very big “YES!”” First, thank you to all of you who participated in our Comic-Con Reveal mission! While we didn’t quite make the numbers, we definitely saw how excited the community is about this and how everyone came together. After all of that, there’s no way we could hold back with our special reveal at Comic-Con! If you’ve been following the news coming out of the Star Wars™: The Old Republic™ panel at Comic-Con International, you’ve heard the announcement that we will indeed have Space Combat as part of the TOR experience! But what does that mean? Space combat is an alternative gameplay experience to the primary game of storytelling, questing, and ground-based combat. In space combat, you fly your personal ship to…
The Old Republic Fan Friday Returns
The Star Wars: The Old Republic Fan Friday feature made its return to SWTOR.com today! Community Creations – a reminder to submit your fan-made artwork through the TOR forums for possible future Fan Friday features Fan Art – TOR community member Tang has the spotlight shown on his concept art scrapbook – Community member Vitellius created a 4 minute 3D animation video of Darth Rasp infiltrating a Republic base – One more commuity member featured; Oxyjin displays what he hopes his character will look like Developer Corner – Get to know that Cathar species Events – Upcoming events for The Old Republic include Celebration V, Germany’s GamesCon, and the Penny Arcade Expo (PAX). Wallpapers – “Hope” cinematic trailer wallpapers are now available Fan Site Kit – The fan site kit has received its first update Avatars – New avatars are available with characters featured in the Galactic Timeline, including Master…
Star Wars: The Old Republic – Fatal Alliance Review
For those of you waiting for the dirt, you can finally find out what Sean Williams’s Fatal Alliance is like. Beware, spoilers follow! A smuggler, an agent and a Mandalorian walk into a bar. Wait a second, that’s not a joke; that’s a scene from Fatal Alliance! When all eight classes from Star Wars: The Old Republic find themselves in the same place, at the same time, faced with the same threat to the civilized galaxy, each class has a chance to let their class features shine. But is the story any good? Is it possible for a novel to do what it must to showcase all eight playable classes and still maintain that Star Wars vibe? I turned to leave. Darth Chratis had learned his lesson about me- he would not challenge me again. I saw a young woman, obviously another Sith, running past me with fire in her…
Star Wars: The old republic – Fatal Alliance synopsis
BioWare and LucasArts–creators of the hugely popular Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic video game–have combined their storytelling talents and cutting-edge technology for an innovative new massively multiplayer online role-playing game that allows players to create their own personal Star Wars adventure 3,500 years before the rise of Darth Vader. Now #1 New York Times bestselling author Sean Williams brings the world of the game to life in his latest novel, Star Wars: The Old Republic: Fatal Alliance. Tassaa Bareesh, a matriarch in the Hutt crime cartel, is holding an auction that’s drawing attention from across the galaxy. Representatives of both the Republic and the Sith Empire are present, along with a Jedi Padawan sent to investigate, a disenfranchised trooper drummed out of the Republic’s elite Blackstar Squad, and a mysterious Mandalorian with a private agenda. But the Republic’s envoy is not what he seems, the Empire’s delegate is…