SWTOR: Welcome Back

On a whim, I pulled down The Old Republic last weekend, and to my surprise, I've been having a great time.  I tried SWTOR at launch (thanks to a generous gift from my bro), but it didn't stick.  The expectations were too high--could it wrap in dialogue in a meaningful way, could it tell a story and still be an open and expansive universe?  Would it be the next big AAA title?

Blue Lightsaber, Big City
It fell flat against all those criteria, and I dropped it.  Now, a year and a half later, I'm back in and having a great time.  I actually saw the movies when they first came out (the first and best three), so I have Star Wars in my DNA.  What is cooler than wielding a light-saber, and whacking away at Imperials?

What's the difference with me this time around?  I think that I've convinced myself that The Old Republic is best view as Knights of the Old Republic 3.  There's you, doing your thing world to world, righting wrongs, and generally being Jedi-two-shoes.  And occasionally, you have the opportunity to team up with other people to accomplish other goals.  You really get the best of both worlds.

So my big takeaway from this experience is to take a step back and remove the expectations of what you think a game should be, and what the "internet" thinks a game should be, and try to see what the game actually is.  You may be surprised.

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