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  1. Games
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  3. Star Wars: The Old Republic

Star Wars: The Old Republic review

BioWare's MMO is a triumph, but there's still work to be done

Reviews
By Hollander Cooper published 10 January 2012

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Why you can trust GamesRadar+ Our experts review games, movies and tech over countless hours, so you can choose the best for you. Find out more about our reviews policy.

Stay on target

Above: We got to check "walking away from an explosion" off on our bucket list for 2012

BioWare did a fantastic job of bringing the Star Wars universe to gaming in a bigger, better way than ever before. Many of the mechanics that are in place need work, but the emphasis on story is absolutely unparalleled in the genre, and the game is paced in such a way that it should be a treat for those new to MMOs. Where it falters is in properly combining the game’s innovations with the genre’s oftentimes archaic mechanics, and that’s something that will hopefully be phased out over time as BioWare enhances the end-game content and expands on the Legacy system to further incentivize players to come back for more.

Is it better than…

For those who skipped straight to the end

Massively-multiplayer online games are always a work-in-progress, so it’s not surprising that Star Wars: The Old Republic’s launch wasn’t flawless. What matters is that it’s an extremely satisfying experience that sets the stage for a bright future, so long as BioWare continues to support the game for the coming years with constant updates.

Note: This review is a living document. MMOs are constantly evolving, and if we see big changes we’ll update the text with links to articles detailing those updates.

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Hollander Cooper
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Former Features Editor at GamesRadar+

Hollander Cooper was the Lead Features Editor of GamesRadar+ between 2011 and 2014. After that lengthy stint managing GR's editorial calendar he moved behind the curtain and into the video game industry itself, working as social media manager for EA and as a communications lead at Riot Games. Hollander is currently stationed at Apple as an organic social lead for the App Store and Apple Arcade.

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