I first tested the game 2 weekends ago. I played a Smuggler (completely solo) and tried to get as much leveling and content completion into my time as I could. I think that the self-imposed grind to try and get out of the prologue and into a starship ended up being a big mistake. I watched all of the VO stuff for each quest, but was very focused on "getting somewhere" and didn't really take the time to appreciate the unique combination of a solo RPG feel mixed with an MMO. After less than two days of playing this way, I ended up totally burned out, completely disappointed, and bored with the whole game. I wrote Bioware some choice reviews about the repetitive, generic nature of the mission objectives and combat and walked away feeling like this was just another generic MMO like WoW but dressed up with a Star Wars theme. I had made my mind up that I wasn't going to play it, and that was that.
Then my husband finally got a beta invite for this last big weekend. He already knew how I felt about the game, but I said that I would give it another chance so we could play together. Playing in a virtual world with friends/loved ones is one of my favorite aspects of gaming. This time, I took a totally different approach. We both played Jedi (he was a knight, I was a consular) so we could quest together from the very beginning. There were no self-imposed goals -- though obtaining that first lightsaber was pretty compelling -- and we both got swept into our stories, as well as each other's class story.
There was also a late night table dance that left my husband exclaiming to the world "This is the best MMO evar!"
We played the game all evening, and then woke up wanting to play some more the next day. That kind of excitement doesn't happen very often for me in a game, so I was surprised when it hit me that I was really, REALLY having fun with a game which I had completely denounced just two weeks earlier.
So, what made it different/better this time around? I think that there are a few factors:
1) I didn't care for the beginning planet for the Smuggler/Trooper. It felt too much like a generic, crowded war zone for my taste. The starter area for the Jedi, however, was lovely and allowed some moments of peaceful exploration between the combat.
2) The group play is like nothing I have ever experienced in another MMO... in a good way! I felt as captivated by my husband's story as my own and the social points just for playing with him felt like prizes.
3) I took time to try out the crafting and found it unique and fun, even though it devoured all my credits.
4) I realized that with parties only consisting of 4 people, my husband and I (with our two companions) could duo this whole game if we wanted to.
5) I allowed the game/story to set the pace instead of forcing my own leveling agenda onto it.
I think that number five is the most important difference in how I felt this time. TOR isn't just another grindreallyfasttocapandgetsomegear type of MMO. The story is what drives everything, and your involvement and choices change that story and shape your experience. I think that Bioware has made a very unique MMO that will be a more captivating experience than most.
But I'm still torn on whether or not I actually want to spend $160 (2 copies) plus $30 a month for us to play this game.
Here's the biggest reason (cost aside) why I might not buy/play TOR: because even though I love that this game is story driven and different, I'm still an end-gaming lets-go-kill-that-huge-monster-in-a-huge-group kind of girl. I love my raids! Not for the loots (though that is nice) but I love the challenge of 12+ people working together to overcome unbelievable odds to defeat an epic foe. I love the tactics of end-game raiding. I love the trial and error of a new fight. I love feeling a part of something bigger than just me and my story. And I have all that in LoTRO. I also have the name "LOTROgirl" everywhere, and that could end up being awkward. ;-)
The reason I might end up playing TOR is that it fills another game void I didn't really know I had before I tested it the second time. I can immerse myself in a story -- without the stress/tedium of end-game grind -- and be thoroughly entertained. I can also have it feel like a solo game on those days when I am not feeling like interacting with the MMO world, or when my amazing yet introverted husband wants to run something challenging with just the two of us. He reminded me yesterday that he is NOT and end-game/raid person and that he was thoroughly enjoying the TOR beta without consideration for what it would be like at cap. That ended up reminding me that once upon a time I enjoyed the experience of just playing and living in the MMO moment, too. And that's something I haven't felt in a really long time -- being captivated by a game without end-game goals and promises of fat loot.
As much as I'd like to say that I would play this game with the hope that there ends up being some awesome end-game, it's hard to make decisions based on what the future MIGHT bring us in a game. For now -- in the limited time I've gotten to try it -- TOR is enjoyable just the way it is, just in a different way than LoTRO is. Maybe there is room in my heart (and schedule) for both games. I'm still undecided.
Maybe a few more hours of beta testing will help... *clicks SWTOR icon*
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