Star Wars Galaxies – it’s the game that will not go quietly into the night. We have written on it many times here and that’s partly because we know the readers (at least a lot of you) are big fans. Were its official servers not shuttered in 2011, Star Wars Galaxies would be turning 15 years old this month. Of all the Star Wars games to get the axe, this one is probably mourned the most. The MMO still holds a strong community and fanbase, as you will know from our posts here, or if you’re one of those fans. That is why it lended itself to an emulator to keep it going. Rather than dying a slow death in the canceled MMO graveyard, SWG refuses to die. Force Ghost has some theories as to why, which they cover in this article. It’s a very long piece that digs into…
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In Memorium: Star Wars Galaxies
Who remembers Star Wars Galaxies? We have talked about this game at length here on the site and it has a bit of a bittersweet tale as it was the most popular Star Wars game at the time that we started this site, in anticipation of Star Wars The Old Republic getting released. Many predicted SWG getting shut down with the new Star Wars MMO coming out, but we still hoped it wouldn’t be the case. Isn’t our world big enough for both? Alas, the doors closed on SWG and it is now only available from the SWGEmu, which we gave also written about extensively here, but if you’re looking to revisit SWG, you may like this post from ReforgedGaming.org. From the post: ” If you’re one of the few that has never heard of Galaxies, you may be more familiar with the title that “replaced” it. Star Wars: The…
Star Wars Galaxies: The Book
A new book celebrating SWG Galaxies is coming. Sounds exciting, right? This is a complete passion project for the author who has been working on it for the past 5 years or so. What do you think about a book about Star Wars Galaxies? SWG was one of the most popular Star Wars games and to this day, hardcore fans of SWG are still talking about those good ole days. What if you had a book written by a fellow fan to help commemorate the game and the great times it contained? You can learn more about it and follow the updates here on Facebook. Here’s a snapshot of the table of contents so you can get a good idea of what the book is about: It was shared, along with an FAQ from interested fans. This info from the author: What content can I expect to find in the book?…
Star Wars Galaxies: Awakens
Ever wanted to experience a Star Wars MMO between Episode 4/5? Introducing Star Wars Galaxies: Awakens. This is a fantastic and exciting project that will get you hyped up. It’s guaranteed to stir up those old nostalgic feelings about SWG and we think you’ll love it even if you never had the chance to play SWG. The Stella Bellum development team has something very interesting for you to check out. Start with this video, then find more information below. If this is giving you goosebumps, you’re going to want to head on over to learn more about the project, create an account, and learn how you can play yourself. Here is their mission statement which gives you a much deeper look into what they are doing and why. Check out StellaBellum to learn more. Go here to create an account. Here’s how to play (from their forums): Register at http://login.stellabellum.net to join…
Star Wars to Eve Online- Sandbox MMORPG Discussion
CaptainShack from TheXPGamers has a video from mid-2016 that you might have missed if you’re not a regular follower. As a forewarning, it does have strong language, like most of his videos, but you might find the topic of discussion interesting. What IS a proper sandbox MMO in the first place? How do you define it? CaptainShack is going to tell us how he defines it and then why he thinks many Star Wars games up to this point are not hitting the mark. So how does Star Wars measure up with Eve Online when it comes to the topic of sandbox MMO play? I have played MMOs since Ultima Online (mentioned in the video) and I played WoW from beta and did enjoy it. I understand the reasoning behind other MMORPGs basing their games on WoW. I mean, why fix what isn’t broken? That said, there has been a great need…
My First Steps in SWGEmu Andromeda
If you loved Star Wars Galaxies (like us) and you have started playing on the emulator, or if you’re just thinking about playing the emulator, you’ll want to check out this video. This is one player, Andrew Alderaan‘s views on the game in SWGEmu Andromeda. As you may already know, there are different servers you can choose to play on and these different servers will feature different styles of play or features sometimes. You can see in the comments section of the video that someone from the server, Violet.915, comes by to thank Andrew for his review and also expresses there have been updates to the server since the time this video was made. That’s actually one of the best parts about SWGEmu – it’s like a living, breathing entity. Things are always changing, constantly updating, and regularly improving. It’s not static. So give the video a look to see what you…
Star Wars Galaxies Emulator: SWG Legends
You know how we love Star Wars Galaxies here. Honestly, I am a fan of SWTOR since release as well, but I still loved SWG and I do miss it and the community that was built around it when it was closed back in 2011. It’s great to see so many fellow fans come together to bring the game back in the form of the SWG emulator. While not exact, it is very much like the original game and it’s a real throwback for serious fans, or for those who have heard about SWG through the popularity of current Star Wars games, but who never had the chance to play it themselves. The emulator, Legends, has also had some updates to make it even better. NGE seemed to make it more streamlined, and more polished, which many players will agree with. The downside, however, was you couldn’t customize the character…
Remembering Fallen MMOs: Star Wars Galaxies
Did you play Star Wars Galaxies? We’ve talked about it a lot here before because it is still one of the most popular Star Wars games to date. If you missed out on it back then, there’s still a way for you to play it now, which we will add at the end. For now, let’s take a look at all that this video has to show us about SWG. In this video below, The Positive Gamer talks about what made SWG so popular, how it was different from other games when it first came out, and how it differed from other Star Wars games up to that point. There was player-built housing, within player-built cities, and it was an entirely new concept from other games of the type. It didn’t have tons of NPCs to fill roles within the world. Instead, the expansive world of SWG had players fill these roles…
Star Wars Galaxies Legends – A Day On Tatooine
We loved Star Wars Galaxies and if you loved it, too, there are still servers where you can play with an emulator. Details for that below. If you played, you might find the video below nostalgic and even if you didn’t play, it’s still fun to watch. You can check out three friends just enjoying a nice day on Tatooine in Star Wars Galaxies Legends. Give it a watch and see their gameplay and even learn a little more about the game if you never had the chance to play it. It’s just under 30 minutes of play time, so enough to give you a good feel for the combat and playstyle. If you did play, what were your favorite parts? What did you play? What did you love the most about it? Does this video bring back memories for you? CaptainShack, Tabby and Morph takes a look at the…
Revisiting Star Wars Galaxies
If you have fond memories of Star Wars Galaxies, here is a video that will take you back. If you’ve been playing over at SWGEmu, then you’ll also appreciate this video. If you’re a Star Wars or Star Wars game fan who has not played SWG, you will still find this interesting. The video below takes a look back into the very popular game. While the official servers closed before SWTOR launched, you can now play the game once more if you still have an original copy of the game. The emulator allows you to experience the game as it was before, despite the official servers being dead long ago. So whether you wish to wax nostalgic about SWG or learn more about this defunct game that Star Wars gamer fans keep talking about, you will appreciate this video. It’s going to take you from the very beginning of explaining…
Death of a Game: Star Wars Galaxies
Many of us remember, with differing degrees of fondness, Star Wars Galaxies. The 2003 MMORPG underwent many substantial changes in its lifetime before its close in 2011, and YouTuber nerdSlayer chronicles the rise and fall of the game in his recent video, “Death of a Game: Star Wars Galaxies.” nerdSlayer breaks his video down into two parts: first, he narrates the game’s timeline from its creation to its demise, and second, he analyzes what went wrong that caused the game to die. In the case of Galaxies, it’s interesting to reflect upon what should have been a very sound pedigree for the game’s development. LucasArts partnered with none other than the distinguished talent of Verant Interactive, best known for EverQuest. In addition, one of the lead developers on Galaxies was Raph Koster, lead designer from the other well-known MMORPG of the time, Ultima Online. Despite this, Galaxies had a very…
Last Player in the Galaxy
Here’s a fun, if not somewhat bittersweet, old video from Star Wars Galaxies. For those who played back then, it might bring some nostalgia, or even some sad feelings about the official shutdown of the game. While it’s now available to play again thanks to SWG emu, there was a time when we thought we’d never see this game again and it was sad for the players who had made this game their home for so many years. If you’ve ever experienced a game shutdown like this before, you know that it can really affect you personally. You put a lot of time and energy into the game. You meet friends and you invest time with these friends. You create characters and you time, attention, and even love into building those characters and leveling them up. The experiences of the characters are like your own experiences. So for all of…
Star Wars Galaxies – Evolution
Here is a fun video for any SWG fans out there, or just anyone who wants to see something interesting from an MMO perspective. Anachroschism has compiled a video of the evolution of their Star Wars Galaxies character. It’s a lot of fun and set to some great music and it really makes you reflect on the time and work that goes into making a character like this. This is an old-school video that will really take you back to the heyday of SWG if you were a fan and player at the time. If it doesn’t bring back the nostalgia feeling for you as a player, it’s still very interesting to anyone who enjoys this style of game even today. There’s something magical about creating a character and then watching it grow and progress throughout the game. Players spend many countless hours on these characters and it’s often a labor of…
Footloose (Star Wars Galaxies video)
Taken from one of the biggest hits of the 80s, this video recreates the last dance scene, using images taken from Star Wars Galaxies (MMORPG). It’s actually really well done and spot on with the scene from the movie. I’m not sure how many people were involved in making this video happen but they did a fantastic job. I can’t imagine the choreography and planning but it’s so much fun to watch. If you played SWG and you didn’t see this before, it’s a fun little blast from the past. Even if you did see it before, it’s fun to watch again. I love seeing how people would use an open game like SWG to create mini movies and scenes like this. It was also really common to see people recreate scenes from popular movies. So here we have two things you might never have thought would come together: 80s…
TOR TV: Star Wars Galaxies Trailer
Who remembers the excitement of Star Wars Galaxies for the first time? For many of us, this was an exciting time. We were going to get to experience Star Wars for ourselves, become immersed in the story, create our own characters… we were getting to BE Star Wars! It was awesome. If you never played SWG, you’ve probably at least heard us talk about it here. You probably have heard people in SWTOR talk about it. There’s a reason this game was so popular and still has a cult following even to this day. It’s no surprise, really, that fans would decide to pick it back up and revamp the project. If you never had the chance to see the trailer that sucked everyone in, or if you’re just looking for a piece of nostalgia today, check out the video below and experience it once again. We love SWTOR, of…
SWG “Winter”: A Review
Have you been wondering what people are thinking of the SWG server “Winter”? This isn’t meant to be a space to bash on other servers or things you don’t like but definitely a place to talk for a bit about Winter and see an opinion from someone who used to play in the SOE days. So far, the consensus seems to be very positive about this server. That said, let’s take a look at what one player thinks of the server. This review from Kimaria, who is not a dev or biased person, but just a player getting to test things, is very helpful if you’ve been wondering if you should try it for yourself: I’ve been testing there for over a month now and am floored by the amount of work that has been done. Server stability is excellent. Bugs are being addressed on a daily basis and staff…
TOR TV: Star Wars Galaxies – Duel of the Fates
Fan projects are so much fun. That’s one reason I write so much about them here. We love being able to share with you the cool, fun, and sometimes funny stuff we find from other fans online and around the globe. Sometimes you send it to us via Facebook or email and we love that too. I think Star Wars fans are some of the most creative people around. Seriously, I write about a lot of fan stuff but it’s the Star Wars fans that really put their heart and souls into things and seem to come up with some of the best and most creative ideas. Here’s a little project we found that recreates the Duel of the Fates from The Phantom Menace using Star Wars Galaxies. It’s a fun little watch even if you never played the game but bonus enjoyment if you were a fan of SWG, too. It’s…
A Look at Star Wars: Galaxies EMU
We have talked a lot about Star Wars Galaxies here. It was a huge favorite of many before SWTOR and some fans just didn’t want to let go. I can completely understand why, and this is why it’s great that we have the SWG EMU to allow you to still experience the game you knew and loved so much. So, if you have not tried Star Wars Galaxies EMU, then this video might help you know if this is something you want to try for yourself. If you’re missing the “good ole’ days” and one of the last sandbox experiences where you truly had the ability to make nearly anything you wanted, then you might want to give this a go. In this video, he tells you all about modding graphics and whatever else you need to know about SWGEMU, the styling, what’s good about the game, what kind of…
SWTOR’s New Direction
SWTOR is changing. Those of you who have been around with us since the early days will note that it has changed a lot. This is bound to happen in any game that sticks around for years and the longer a game is around, the more it might change. Sechari of iamsechari.com wrote about this on his blog recently. He’s a big Star Wars fan and writes about his love of Star Wars and Star Wars games, to include Star Wars Galaxies, Knights of the Old Republic and of course, SWTOR. In this post specifically, he tells of how he had to say goodbye to SWG (along with the rest of us) and how he later made his way to SWTOR and got hooked. But it’s not all fairytale romance, of course. SWTOR has had its ups and downs and in some ways it has and continues still to change…
TOR TV: The World We Wrote – A Cinematic Tribute to Star Wars Galaxies
The World We Wrote: A Cinematic Tribute to Star Wars Galaxies [Globus] We love fan films. I loved SWG and since it was shut down in December of 2011, I have enjoyed seeing the various ways that other fans pay tribute to our beloved game. If you have not seen this video tribute to the game from Third Age Films, it’s really worth it. I feel a bit of nostalgia every time I go back and re-watch it. If you played SWG at all, you’re probably going to get some of the same warm and fuzzies when you watch this short film. It’s just over 5 minutes long so don’t feel like you have to give up a big portion of your evening to watch it. It’s hands-down one of the best SWG tribute videos ever. Check it out here: The MMORPG Star Wars Galaxies, launched in 2003, was shut…
TOR TV: Fett’s Vette (Original) featuring Mc Chris
Hello Star Wars Galaxies fans. When it comes to great Star Wars games, you cannot get past how awesome SWG was. As excited as we were to see SWTOR nearing launch, it came with the bittersweet news that SWG was going to close up shop. Thanks to the fans who love it enough to want to keep it alive, the game is not only still alive, but experiencing a new height of popularity with certain crowds. This makes us really happy! So with that, we want to bring you a little oldie but goodie from the YouTube vault. If you somehow missed this from the earlier SWG days, check out Fett’s Vette. This is a classic! What does a bounty hunter like Boba Fett need to keep taking those jobs for? Well, to finance his vette, of course! Here it is! Star Wars Galaxies is still available on Amazon, if…
SWGEMU: Vendors Disappearing and Basilisk Rollback
Something bad happened over with SWGEMU today recently. They were quick to update to the forums and Facebook to let members know what was going on. No excuses, no twisting of the facts but just a simply notification of what was happening and how they intended to fix it. As many members of the community have said, a roll back is better than vendor loss. They worked hard and quickly to try to correct the issue. Here’s the update in case you missed it. From SWGEMU forums: Well something got messed up pretty bad. Unfortunately bunch of vendors, shuttleports and starports went poof. While we are investigating the issue, we are making backups and trying to find the underlying cause. At the moment the worst case scenario would be a rollback. If that happens, and we are hoping it wont have to come to that, all characters created in the…
SWTOR vs. SWG: Place Your Vote Now
Gemtrix has brought us an interesting survey that they say they will leave up indefinitely to serve as a guideline for what people think about Star Wars: An Empire Divided vs. Star Wars: The Old Republic. This 73-question survey asks you to give answers to questions about each game. All questions are optional but the more you answer, the more data we all have about the games. Here is what Gemtrix has to say about how this will work: We are going to leave this survey up indefinitely, so as time goes on, we hope it will serve as a set of data points that bloggers can use when talking about these two games. The results will be posted weekly, so check back next week for the first set of results.