Rating: 
Summary: I was in the Beta
Review: The developers have put a lot of time and really hard work into making this game the best they could. The testers also really put their hearts and souls into refining and improving as much as they could before launch.The graphics are beautifully rendered, multi-layered and very realistic. The gameplay is mission-based for adventurers, with a player-driven economy for crafters and socialites. (There is no "storyline" per se, as this is an MMORPG and you are expected to create your own stories.) Everyone is necessary, including merchants and entertainers. Combat and skills are layered (not leveled) and there is no way for someone to be completely self-sufficient or buffed up into "god" territory. (Not that characters can't get very skilled and very strong, but there is no way for one character to be the best at everything at once.) There are basic and advanced professions, as well as the ability to design new items, food, clothing, hairstyles, etc. Unlike other MMORPG's, it's not impossible to solo or for a newbie character to play alongside a more advanced character. All in all, this game was a pleasure for me to test, and I think that the SWG development team is releasing a product that everyone will enjoy thoroughly. You don't have to be a Star Wars geek to enjoy this game!(Granted, I think they'll get an extra level of enjoyment out of the little "surprises" the devs put in. Make sure to look for R2 3PO's pod where they crash-landed on Tatooine!) I highly recommend this game to Star Wars geeks, MMORPG fanatics and people who just love a detailed, complex, and richly textured RPG.
Rating: 
Summary: Fails to live up to the hype
Review: Star Wars Galaxies: An Empire Divided is based on the Star Wars movies we have all come to know and love. The idea is that you can immerse yourself in the Star Wars universe and be like Han Solo, Luke Skywalker, and other Star Wars characters in the movies. If you participate in the Galactic Cival War and join the Rebellion or the Empire, you can engage other living players in combat. You can explore 10 planets from the Star Wars universe, interact with the enviornment, and fight computer controlled oponents like creatures, stormtroopers, etc. The problem is that the game does not feel like Star Wars. Nor is the game immersive. There is no emmersion because the same computer controlled characters appear randomly in front of you again and again. You have no control over what appears in front of you and when it appears. Its all random. The game is boring because you have to do many repetitive uninteresting tasks in the game so your character can advance enough for you to be able do the supposedly fun things you want to do. Player versus player combat is seldom fun. Its usually a chaotic mess of players fighting each other in a melee that you cant make heads or tails out of. Only the most advanced computers can stay connected to the game servers under the strain of internet latency this cuases. There are many bugs in the game that are not fixed. Game breaking bugs that will aggrivate you and cause you to waste time. The internet latency in some parts of the game are impossible for some computers to withstand. The only good thing this game has going for it is the graphics. This game has possibly the best graphics of any massive multiplayer game in the market today.
Rating: 
Summary: Beta Tester's Thumbs Up.
Review: Star Wars Galaxies wasn't made for *them* it was made for you - that's if you're an older gamer, roleplayer, casual gamer, or fan of the movies. *Them* are the d00dz that probably chased you off any MMORPG you've ever been curious enough to try. The interface is straightforward and easy to make sense of - with the mouse alone you're in good stead to start your adventures but there's also much depth in systems as you learn. Character creation offers a dazzling variety of graphical options and once you get into the game there are even more ways to customize your appearance. This is a skill, not class, based game and a given character can learn all the beginning skills of different professions he's interested in but over time he may want to cash some back in to make room for specialized abilities. There's good in-game help and community support features if you're seeking for Roleplayers, Newbie Helpers or just other folks Looking For Group (LFG). Careers include combat oriented classes like Marksmen and Brawlers who can evolve into specialties like Pistoleer, Teras Kasi martial artist, Combat Medic, Commando or Squad Leader. There are support classes like Medics and Doctors or even Bio-Engineers (that can create beasts in the lab!). Adventuresome Scouts can evolve into Rangers or Creature Handlers among other things. There's a very real Tamagochi element to creature AI and how you treat your beast will effect how well he follows orders or how healthy he becomes as he grows. There are entertainers like Dancers and Musicians who have great animations and can produce entertaining flourishes to spice up dances or songs - they can also coordinate and work as groups. And there are all kinds of artisan specialities like Tailor, Weaponsmith or Droid Engineer - even Architect! Artisans experiment with schematics and seek out the best resources to make items or component for more complex items they can sell through the automated Bazaar system, through personal vendors in shops or face to face with clientel. There is a war on though, and few folks will pass up the chance to be a Rebel operative or an Imperial enforcer. How much conflict you want to be involved in is up to you. A player can elect whether to be covert (only able to engage NPCs but safe from other players) or overt (pure 24/7 PvP) and is able to switch back and forth at a recruiter after a suitable waiting period. You can get rank, items, training, droid or even NPC troops and vehicles from your faction. For those who shy away from even covert status there are spawned 'battlefields' for PvP with no serious consequences (loss of items or death) if one is just looking to experiment or for a diversion. These have been described by Devs as mini-games of CounterStrike with bases and temporary battlefield faction perks. Just pick a side... There are houses, mansions, harvesting and mining structures to buy. Furniture and decorations, as well as more functional items like crafting stations and vendors, are available to be placed inside permanent facilities. Factional characters will have bases and fortresses they can erect as well eventually. Eventually tools will be incorporated for player cities and politician character classes (that can be elected and in return build 'municipal' structures like hospitals and starports unavailable to architects) and the next big supplement is the Space Expansion which will bring adventurers to the stars. If you think I love this game you're right. The power differentials are minor enough that even beginning characters, and casual players, have an important place in things. More experienced artisans rely on their lesser fellows to supply important component parts. Even a weak combatant is welcome in a group of veterans because he's still capable of using his skills in ways to support the group. This is a game for everyone except hardcore powergamers. If you live to spend your entire waking life online in order to 'beat' a game, and systematically mine out all content, and think that griefing the helpless or dominating the weak is the point of MMORPGs - you're not going to like SWG. There is a hearty PvP component but it is elective. The most important components of gameplay can't be mastered by walk-thru's from stratics or abuses of macros - they're dynamically spawning POIs in the wilderness, not static camps, (though there are Star Wars 'theme parks' based on important locals like Jabba's or The Emperor's Retreat on Naboo - these offer canned missions that are more involved than the usual NPC based ones) and the interaction between players to build communities based on cooperation for mutual advantage. SWG is a game for the rest of us - the naive and the jaded and those with a realistically limited time to play games - who've been waiting for a MMORPG to finally get it right. Or as a Wookie friend of mine puts it "ROOAAARRRRRRRR!" ...
Rating:
Summary: SWG
Review: I have enjoyed beta testing SWG for the last two months and I can hardly wait for it to go live. It is unlike any MMORG I have ever played. As a Ultima Online junkie for the past 4 years I did not think I would play another online game. I have since quit UO and have dived into the Star Wars realm. The music truly is so exciting as you traverse vast landscapes in search of something to kill. And of course occasionally becoming incapacitated by a lair of large Worts. Traveling to different planets, swimming on Corellia, raiding a town of nomads, and dancing in a cantina makes this online world a gamers dream.
Rating:
Summary: Boring
Review: I have been a long time beta tester of this game and it is my first time playing an online game of this type. First and foremost George Lucas gave us a rich and deep universe filled with creatures and charecters that awed us as we sat in the theater. What LucasArts and Sony Online Entertainment dishes up is a static world where your goal is to run from one terminal to the next in an attempt at advancement. Cities are flat and one dimensional, in Mos Eisley one would expect to see creatures from every corner of the Galaxy working, playing and walking down the street, instead you see other players running back and forth attempting to master their fields. I just would not buy this game for quite some time, currently unstable, buggy and just plain boring.
Rating: 
Summary: NOT WORTH YOUR TIME!
Review: If you want the same old Everquest gameplay with Star Wars characters and places buy this game. If you want a truly evolutionary MMORPG with features like creating your own town, being a politician, owning your own store, creating your own guild or playing as a dragon wait for Horizons instead. I just feel that before everyone goes out and buys this game which will probably be the most expensive MMORPG coming out ...they should really look to see what else is out there. The only thing besides setting that makes MMORPGs different from each other is features and while SWG has the most features compared to any other MMORPG SOE has released Horizons is the one that has the most truly worthwhile, unique features more than Everquest 2, more than World of Warcraft, more than Star Wars Galaxies (Do your own research if you don't believe me). These games are just going to sell because of their names and I'm tired of that happening!
Rating:
Summary: A Great Game!
Review: I've been beta testing this game for the past two months, and have really grown to like it a lot. Don't believe what you hear- there's plenty to do, the graphics are great, and the game will only get better from here on out with the addition of things like vehicles and space expansion. I'm pre-ordering now and I can't wait to play!
Rating:
Summary: Beta tester review
Review: The NDA has now been lifted and I can say I have been playing this game for the past couple of months and it is a lot of fun. Like all multiplayer online games there is limited content and a few bugs at the start and I personally think they should have waited longer before going live with the game. With that said, even if you are online the very first day you will have a great time. The graphics are amazing and it really feels like you are in a star wars movie. I started in Bestine on the planet Tatooine and there are stormtroopers walking around, rebels (players) sometimes attack the town, people are going out hunting, crafting clothes weapons or armor, medics are healing the wounded etc. You can head out across the desert in search of Jabba the Hutt's palace (but watch out for aggressive animals and Sand People on the way) and after completing some missions you can get into the throne room and see Jabba himself. Maybe you can get a hunting party together of 20 experienced marksmen and go out hunting the Krayt Dragon, but be careful, you may not all come back alive. Not interested in fighting: Hang out in the cantina and join a band or dance troop, go to the medical center and heal some wounded, or just stand in the main square and chat. Want to build something: Become an artisan and work up towards being an Architech, a Droid Engineer, a Tailor or a Chef, building items and selling them to other players. Thats just one planet, and there are 9 other to explore: Head to Endor and hunt Ewoks (careful they pack a punch), explore Naboo and meet the Gungans, or head out in search of the Emperor's Retreat where you might come face to face with Darth Vader!. All in all a great game that will keep you immersed for months as they add new content and features.
Rating:
Summary: Beta Tester Report
Review: This game is the best of it's kind to date. The models are absolutely stunning. I have spent literally HOURS in the character creation module. When I first started talking to someone in the game I noticed that whatever I said, my character performed some corresponding body language. For example if I said I didn't know something, my character would look down and shake her head. If I said "doh", my character would wack herself on the side of the head. Movement is fluid and extremely lifelike. Gameplay is fun too. The AI is extremely varied... from things that run away from you to things that will silently stalk you. But there is more than just combat. This is the first game where I actually WANTED to craft. They added so many elements to crafting - surveying, bazaars, multiple crafting tools, player vendors, player owned shops... All of the worlds are completely different. Some are incredibly lush and beautiful, others are harsh but interesting. As beta ends, the game still has minor bugs, but they aren't the type that will keep you from enjoying this wonderful game.
Rating:
Summary: Great graphics and tons of content with more to come.
Review: At launch this game will have more content and better graphics than any other game every released. And with the money and muscle of Sony and Lucas Arts the content will continue to flow in with expansions packs. If this is your first MMORPG you may be a bit overwhelmed by the UI (user interface). The game offers the ability to switch professions without much penalty and for you non-violent types, you can easily exist in this game and enjoy being an entrepreneur with your very own store. For you extreme Star Wars fans, you will find tons of content based on movies and books.
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