Star Wars: The Old Republic $48.92

Thank you OP! I've been looking for a deal on this.

very tempted but just can't get myself to pay $50 for a game that I can only play for 1 month before having to pay an extra $15 a month to continue to play, hope it goes F2P

^ understandable; thus is how the big MMOs are. I played WoW off and on for about a a year and a half, never was continuous and I would always just find deals on getting 60 day time cards. I'm still in my first month of SWTOR and it's been a ton of fun, feels like Mass Effect + MMO stuff put together. It's weird b/c I'm willing to drop the $13-15 to play an MMO but will not drop a dime on Xbox Live gold, I just won't pay for it b/c I don't think it's worth it.

I definitely don't think I'll sub to SWTOR continuously, I may even take a break after this first month and let a major patch release before resubbing. MMO keeps me from buying other games too haha, only other true backlog I have right now is Skyrim; didn't spend anything on the Steam sale last month =D

[quote name='Dark Lord Greg']very tempted but just can't get myself to pay $50 for a game that I can only play for 1 month before having to pay an extra $15 a month to continue to play, hope it goes F2P[/QUOTE]
an mmo going f2p usually means the game sucked

[quote name='aznguyen316']^ understandable; thus is how the big MMOs are. I played WoW off and on for about a a year and a half, never was continuous and I would always just find deals on getting 60 day time cards. [/QUOTE]

This. My plans exactly. I just cannot find any deals so far on time cards.

[quote name='sharpeone']This. My plans exactly. I just cannot find any deals so far on time cards.[/QUOTE]

Yeah, most of the time it was deals like B2G1 at Best Buy or something and the Wow cards would slip in and work, so maybe SWTOR cards will be the same since my BB's have tons stocked. Hoping the same with Amazon.

[quote name='aznguyen316']^ understandable; thus is how the big MMOs are. I played WoW off and on for about a a year and a half, never was continuous and I would always just find deals on getting 60 day time cards. I'm still in my first month of SWTOR and it's been a ton of fun, feels like Mass Effect + MMO stuff put together. It's weird b/c I'm willing to drop the $13-15 to play an MMO but will not drop a dime on Xbox Live gold, I just won't pay for it b/c I don't think it's worth it.

I definitely don't think I'll sub to SWTOR continuously, I may even take a break after this first month and let a major patch release before resubbing. MMO keeps me from buying other games too haha, only other true backlog I have right now is Skyrim; didn't spend anything on the Steam sale last month =D[/QUOTE]

true but still I think $13-$15 a month just to be able to play 1 game is too much while $3-$7 a month for Xbox Live to play any game online is a better value. Maybe MMO makers should consider a combined service where you pay 1 monthly fee and can play a number of different MMOs because if you want to play WoW and SW:ToR its around $30 a month. But I doubt this will ever happen. Wonder why not include something like 6 months with the purchase an MMO? I don't see how they can charge $59.99 for a game you can't play after the 30 trial

[quote name='akir']an mmo going f2p usually means the game sucked[/QUOTE]

not necessarily just not enough subscribers willing to pay the $15 a month to play that game and they can still make money by going F2P with micro transactions

I would be willing to pay $15 a month to try it out but the starter "fee" of $59.99 seems like a hurdle I just do not want to go over. I am sure MMOs are a blast but I really think their costs are not justified. Yes they update the game but the big expansions cost you money also. Microsoft gets so much crap for charging for online access yet MMOs can charge $180 (3x the cost) to play 1 game 10 million people playing WOW. Blizzard most likely makes as much as MS does on Gold every year.

[quote name='cancerman1120']I would be willing to pay $15 a month to try it out but the starter "fee" of $59.99 seems like a hurdle I just do not want to go over. I am sure MMOs are a blast but I really think their costs are not justified. Yes they update the game but the big expansions cost you money also. Microsoft gets so much crap for charging for online access yet MMOs can charge $180 (3x the cost) to play 1 game 10 million people playing WOW. Blizzard most likely makes as much as MS does on Gold every year.[/QUOTE]

It is still cheaper if you do the math.

$15 a month? Let's say you would normally spend $30 a month on a game (that most likely won't entertain you for a month) and i'm being generous.

A $40 expansion that adds a TON of content every year or two? $40 for a YEAR.

Constant patch updates adding new content for FREE.

MMOs are probably the most cost efficient entertainment there is.

[quote name='ShadowSx']It is still cheaper if you do the math.

$15 a month? Let's say you would normally spend $30 a month on a game (that most likely won't entertain you for a month) and i'm being generous.

A $40 expansion that adds a TON of content every year or two? $40 for a YEAR.

Constant patch updates adding new content for FREE.

MMOs are probably the most cost efficient entertainment there is.[/QUOTE]


True...except you are playing the same game. More content for sure but the same. I would even get bored only playing Mass Effect (a game series I have played a lot) for 2 years straight. My perspective is that I would have to be playing other games so a MMO is not right for me. If it works for people (and it does obviously) then I will not besmirch them their entertainment.

Well it depends on the person I guess. I played WoW for almost 6 years until I got bored and quit about a year ago.

[quote name='ShadowSx']Well it depends on the person I guess. I played WoW for almost 6 years until I got bored and quit about a year ago.[/QUOTE]


Yeah. I will eventually play this I am sure. It seems to be more single player focused so I guess I can hold off.

Sooooo tempting. I've got $30ish in amazon credit as well.

I figure I'll just play for the 30 days and then cancel. I can always pay the $15 for a month or get a good deal on a 60-day card if I feel the urge to play again.

Really good game. I'm not sure it has the same legs as WoW but the leveling is superb and I'll be playing at least for the next 60 days.

[quote name='cancerman1120']I would be willing to pay $15 a month to try it out but the starter "fee" of $59.99 seems like a hurdle I just do not want to go over.[/QUOTE]

My thoughts exactly. I'm going to wait for the price to drop to $30 or so.

What holds me from trying it is not only the $15 monthly cost, but that my 2 year old laptop most likely won't even run it. Gotta wait until I get a better computer to play PC games on.

[quote name='cancerman1120']True...except you are playing the same game. More content for sure but the same. I would even get bored only playing Mass Effect (a game series I have played a lot) for 2 years straight. My perspective is that I would have to be playing other games so a MMO is not right for me. If it works for people (and it does obviously) then I will not besmirch them their entertainment.[/QUOTE]

To be fair, you wouldn't be playing Mass Effect in a massive persistent world with thousands of other players simultaneously either.

But you and everyone else definitely have a point, it's a pricey venture if you don't plan on playing it regularly.

Also being a subscriber to many MMOS in the past, about the $59.99 price tag: I would agree its a much higher price than other MMOS at release, but I think this one can get away with it because of the sheer amount of personal storyline this game provides. It's almost like there's a single player RPG game inside of this MMORPG game. It definitely doesn't dump you out in the world with the only simple goal of "Do missions and get stronger." While that is something that ultimately takes place, there's a longer story behind it that keeps things much more interesting.

Guy here at work says this game will overtake WoW...I don't play MMOs at all, but I tend to think he's probably just enjoying the freshness of it. What do you guys think?

[quote name='cancerman1120']True...except you are playing the same game. More content for sure but the same. I would even get bored only playing Mass Effect (a game series I have played a lot) for 2 years straight. My perspective is that I would have to be playing other games so a MMO is not right for me. If it works for people (and it does obviously) then I will not besmirch them their entertainment.[/QUOTE]

Honestly, you can't say that until you try it. When I first picked up WoW I wasn't expecting to play it straight for 7 years. If you get wrapped up in an MMO you won't feel the need to play so many other games besides ones you have a huge interest in. Before I started WoW I bought a good amount of games, after I barely bought any.

My friend for example used to play WoW and loved it until his computer broke. Now he buys a lot of games but is constantly complaining he has nothing to play or no one to play with but he refuses to save up some money to buy a gaming quality computer to play SWTOR or WoW. So if anyone is thinking that $15 a month isn't worth it, then you've never tried an MMO, don't like MMO's or haven't found the right one yet.

[quote name='tcrash247']Honestly, you can't say that until you try it. When I first picked up WoW I wasn't expecting to play it straight for 7 years. If you get wrapped up in an MMO you won't feel the need to play so many other games besides ones you have a huge interest in. Before I started WoW I bought a good amount of games, after I barely bought any.

My friend for example used to play WoW and loved it until his computer broke. Now he buys a lot of games but is constantly complaining he has nothing to play or no one to play with but he refuses to save up some money to buy a gaming quality computer to play SWTOR or WoW. So if anyone is thinking that $15 a month isn't worth it, then you've never tried an MMO, don't like MMO's or haven't found the right one yet.[/QUOTE]

It sounds more likely its his group of friends. I have a lot of friends I can play most/any xbox game with; very few picked up KOTOR.

It sounds like your group plays a lot of MMO's, and that if he wants to keep playing with you guys, he'll need his PC again.

And seriously, Diablo 3 is coming out soon. He needs to get on that.

First, let me preface this by saying I am a huge star wars fan. I knew I would play this game the moment it was announced.

I built a PC just to play this game. I did have some reservations about playing an MMO because of time restrictions and the fact that I wasnt sure I wanted to give up playing other games.

I've been playing for a month, and havent touched my 360 or ps3 more than a few minutes since. I want to go back and finish skyrim, play MW3, and others, but when I do get gaming time its very limited and I choose SWTOR each time.

As a Star Wars fan, this is the ultimate game. I'll go so far to say, for me, this is the game of my dreams. I absolutely love this game and every class is fantastic. If you love gaming and you love star wars, you owe it to yourself to play. Its not just the freshness, its a fantastic game with incredible production value and its fun and exciting.

I haven't played any MMO since LoTRO came out, and gave up on that fairly quick. I played WoW for about 2 years after it came out, but got bored... SWTOR has been AMAZING, I've been playing it whenever I get a free moment and have been neglecting my consoles as a result.

Been dying to finish Skyward Sword and get more Skyrim in, but I can't pull myself away from my Jedi Consular and can't wait to roll an Imperial Agent next.

I signed up to renew every 3 months.

[quote name='Phokis']It sounds more likely its his group of friends. I have a lot of friends I can play most/any xbox game with; very few picked up KOTOR.

It sounds like your group plays a lot of MMO's, and that if he wants to keep playing with you guys, he'll need his PC again.

And seriously, Diablo 3 is coming out soon. He needs to get on that.[/QUOTE]

It is partly an issue of us busy with PC gaming but when he did play WoW he played a shit ton solo. Ever since his PC broke, WoW left a void in him that he hasn't been able to fill with 20 different 360/PS3 games. An MMO is such a unique experience, $15 a month is a steal.

And he's such a hardheaded individual, there's almost no getting through to him. We've tried so hard to get him to save his money for a computer but he just won't listen, he'd rather buy almost every new console release, no matter how shitty they are. Once he asked me how Batman Arkham Asylum was and I said it was great but he should rent it because you can beat it in a day, so he goes and buys it and beat it in a day. I even tell him how amazing SWTOR is and say how much he's missing out on, I thought that would work but I was wrong. Whatever, I'm tired of trying to get him to see the light, guess he's content playing CoD by himself instead of playing SWTOR/WoW/SC2 with us as a group.

[quote name='ShadowSx']It is still cheaper if you do the math.

$15 a month? Let's say you would normally spend $30 a month on a game (that most likely won't entertain you for a month) and i'm being generous.

A $40 expansion that adds a TON of content every year or two? $40 for a YEAR.

Constant patch updates adding new content for FREE.

MMOs are probably the most cost efficient entertainment there is.[/QUOTE]
You can always bump up the numbers in an equation to make the cost look better.

[quote name='fadersdream']You can always bump up the numbers in an equation to make the cost look better.[/QUOTE]


So far here are my numbers...

SWTOR: $60

Must buy purchases that I didnt buy due to SWTOR:
Uncharted 3 - $60
Skyrim - $60 + $25 for guide book
Arkham City - $60
Battlefield 3 - $60

Rental fee for above games - $15

In 2 months, I've saved nearly $200 from not buying this games at launch when I normally would have all because of SWTOR. I knew I wasnt going to invest a ton of time in them but I still wanted to play. Had SWTOR not been around, I would have bought all of them and played them in depth.

I am also hooked on this game now. The MMO I played most in the past was Star Wars Galaxies, which I lost a couple years of my life to (I think I mastered 23 professions before unlocking my Jedi back in the day). I've played others like WoW and Rift off and on since then. The storyline in this is great, it really is as involved as a single player game would be, in an MMO shell. I think it is a worth successor to KotOR. This may be the newness talking, considering that I loved Rift for the first 4 months and then hit a wall and stopped playing, but I am only level 17 on my first character and already looking forward to playing other classes for their stories.

Great game, it's a lot of fun and it feels less MMO ish and more singleplayer is which is great.

The game still has problems with some machines and well this game can push my machine to the limits while doing nothing. I played most of the big PC games (witcher 2, skyrim, battlefield 3) and not one of them taxes out my system like this game does. It's a great game, but it has it's share of performance problems.

I gotta give my nod of approval on this game. I've tried EQ2, CoH, Champions, WoW, L2, and this is the only one I'm truly enjoying and sticking with.

Also, it's the only game that stopped me from playing Skyrim, haven't touched it since SWTOR came out. That says something, doesn't it?

I was unsure about this game (being my first MMO ever) and was even close to picking it up at the full price but just couldn't do it, until I saw this deal.

Anyways, my coworker/friend won't stop talking about it so I blame him for possibly making me lose all my free time.
MMOs never really piqued my interest, but neither did action RPGs until I played Skyrim, which I absolutely love.
And it looks like my fairly-new-to-gaming, fairly-newly-wedded wife is extremely interested in SWToR so I maybe we'll play together.

^ cool you'll have fun with it. With it being your first MMO you'll have a bit to learn in terms of "mmo language" but go, enjoy have fun and /1 chat with any questions you may have =D

Game is pretty fun... but there are a lot of issues. Including muddy character textures.

http://www.swtor.com/community/showthread.php?t=162569

Read up and decide if you want to get it now or wait.

Oh, you just wait

[quote name='egonpax']I was unsure about this game (being my first MMO ever) and was even close to picking it up at the full price but just couldn't do it, until I saw this deal.

Anyways, my coworker/friend won't stop talking about it so I blame him for possibly making me lose all my free time.
MMOs never really piqued my interest, but neither did action RPGs until I played Skyrim, which I absolutely love.
And it looks like my fairly-new-to-gaming, fairly-newly-wedded wife is extremely interested in SWToR so I maybe we'll play together.[/QUOTE]

Really wish there was a trial/demo version of TOR, but that probably won't be out for ~6+ months (assuming it hasn't gone F2P by then).

I'd really like to try it out, but when I played in one of the weekend-beta's it was nigh unplayable on my oldish machine (old dual-core w/ 7600gt). I'm also reading everywhere that people with even high-end machines are having problems just running the game (i5/i7's w/16gb Ram, and 1gb 580's).

That said, great deal for someone with the rig to run it. MMO's rarely go on sale right after release (xpac's included), unless they go belly-up.

Just got this today! Great game! Even though it's running on all low settings with shadows off and 1000x700 resolution on my 2010 HP DV7 lappy, it's still great looking and runs like butter. The audio is what this game is all about anyways.

Debating getting this but I dont have a computer capable of playing this right now. I'm expecting to have one later this year.

[quote name='Apostle22']So far here are my numbers...

SWTOR: $60

Must buy purchases that I didnt buy due to SWTOR:
Uncharted 3 - $60
Skyrim - $60 + $25 for guide book
Arkham City - $60
Battlefield 3 - $60

Rental fee for above games - $15

In 2 months, I've saved nearly $200 from not buying this games at launch when I normally would have all because of SWTOR. I knew I wasnt going to invest a ton of time in them but I still wanted to play. Had SWTOR not been around, I would have bought all of them and played them in depth.[/QUOTE]

But your on CAG.

You could have had all of the above at these prices.

BF3: 30$ on BF
Batman AA: 30$ on BF
Skyrim 40$ at TRU, 17$ for the guide amazon
Uncharted 3: 30$ on BF

[quote name='Sir_Fragalot']Great game, it's a lot of fun and it feels less MMO ish and more singleplayer is which is great.
[/QUOTE]


I played some in the late part beta but haven't bought the final game, I would have to agree with you though. It does feel like a single player game, which is a good thing in my book since I don't like grindy, generic MMOs that lack story and atmosphere.

The main sticking point for me though is that I would be essentially being paying $15 a month on top of a steep upfront charge for what amounts to a single player game. At least it would be for me given my playing style if the beta was any indication. You can definitely solo and I did.

[quote name='OregonDealz']But your on CAG.

You could have had all of the above at these prices.

BF3: 30$ on BF
Batman AA: 30$ on BF
Skyrim 40$ at TRU, 17$ for the guide amazon
Uncharted 3: 30$ on BF[/QUOTE]


Also Arkham Assylum was $1 on Onlive if you caught their $1 sign up sale. I mean, you can justify or not justify whatever you want but bottom line is if a person is happy with something then it was worth it to them, but may not necessarily be to someone else.

...you can justify or not justify whatever you want but bottom line is if a person is happy with something then it was worth it to them, but may not necessarily be to someone else.

Click to expand...

Especially with an MMO purchase, which is a time-sink in and of itself. Playing one pretty much guarantees your time won't be spent with other games aside from that one, at least if you want to see/do/acquire the majority of the content.

Anyone who's played this already want to chime in on if it's worth it beyond the first month? Could I see pretty much 'everything' story-wise (aside from end-game raiding) within the first 30 days, or maybe a month afterwards?

Also, for a good time, everyone should check out the official forums. I'm not trying to incite anything or bash the game (I'd really like to play more of it), but good ing god the people on there are bat-shit crazy.

[quote name='NuclearPorkchop']Especially with an MMO purchase, which is a time-sink in and of itself. Playing one pretty much guarantees your time won't be spent with other games aside from that one, at least if you want to see/do/acquire the majority of the content.

Anyone who's played this already want to chime in on if it's worth it beyond the first month? Could I see pretty much 'everything' story-wise (aside from end-game raiding) within the first 30 days, or maybe a month afterwards?

Also, for a good time, everyone should check out the official forums. I'm not trying to incite anything or bash the game (I'd really like to play more of it), but good ing god the people on there are bat-shit crazy.[/QUOTE]

MMO forums are always like that...

To answer your question about a month being enough, yeah. For one story you'd get through by playing at least a couple of hours a day. Also, remember that there are 8 different ones and Republic/Empire basically have separate overall quest progression.

So with around 10% or so of your time to max level you'd be doing class quests while the rest is the same for each side. I find it fun enough repeating content due to the different voice actors, multiple dialogue options (even though they all lead to the same thing almost always), and optional leveling progression doing group missions, flashpoints, or the space missions/PVP. I'm the minority of course, but I'm all in for at least this year.

[quote name='Prismatico']He said some stuff....
[/QUOTE]

That's good to hear. I have zero interest in actually playing the game as an MMO or even with other people, unless my GF gets around to upgrading her video card. Are the class-specific storylines actually unique in their entirety, or do they differ only in the starting experience (like Dragon Age Origins)?

I elaborate on what I said earlier:

[quote name='NuclearPorkchop']That's good to hear. I have zero interest in actually playing the game as an MMO or even with other people, unless my GF gets around to upgrading her video card. Are the class-specific storylines actually unique in their entirety, or do they differ only in the starting experience (like Dragon Age Origins)?

I elaborate on what I said earlier: [/QUOTE]

General reply: 8 unique storylines, 4 for each faction. 30 days you could get one character to max level but that would take up most of your time but you'd be skipping out on flash points and heroic quests that don't give good exp. Some storylines are better (taste according) but I'm going to be playing for at least 90 days.

Don't treat this game like an MMO but more like KOTOR 3 that you can play with friends.

If you are not a big Star Wars fan I would definitely skip this. The gameplay is not worth what this game costs. I strongly believe pay to play MMO's are ridiculously overpriced. I never thought I would pay to play one and the only reason I got this is because it was Star Wars and I needed another Christmas gift for my Fiance (She is a big Star Wars fan and loves the KotR games).

But anyway, let me focus on the game itself. If you don't know by now that you really want to play this game, at least wait a few months. The game is FULL of bugs right now and the interface is a bit rough. It is playable, but they definitely released the game way too early. I guess developers find it acceptable these days to release broken, unpolished games and start making money while they slowly work on finishing them.

For example, several of the most annoying bugs involve companions which are various characters who join up with you and fight alongside you. Often the game bugs out and your companion basically turns into a corpse lying down and warping around the screen as you move. In cut scenes the companion frequently appears solid black (there are MANY graphical glitches in this game). As you transport around the map the companion often does not respawn and you have to try and get him to come back. You have to send him on a mission and wait for that to end or if you have multiple companions summon a different one and resummon the one who disappeared. It is very annoying and if you don't realize he disappeared you might start a fight and die.

The game was pretty fun for the first several hours due to the story and full voice acting, but it starts to get less exciting very quickly. The story quests are written well, but side quests are too similar and have gotten a bit too repetitive. One thing that bugs me is the skills are just too similar. I would like to see a lot more variety. For example on my Sith Sorcerer I basically just can shoot lightning, swing my light saber, heal, or create a temporary shield around allies.

I play Guild Wars and nearly everything about the game is superior and there is no monthly fee. There are tons of skills that all feel unique and the skill set you pick is very important and sets you apart from other players. In this game every player of one class is very similar.

Playing through Guild Wars is much more fun to do with friends. This game is really a single player game with the ability to play coop. The problem is most quests are designed to be done solo and if you play with a friend there is no challenge (unless you skip most of the side quests and are low level). I think the maximum group size is only 4 outside of operations which I have not gotten to yet.

I could go on and on, but I am a pretty disappointed. I never thought I would play long due to the fees and there has been nothing that makes me feel like I would want to keep playing this for more than a few months. I will probably play 2-3 months and then go back to Guild Wars while waiting for Guild Wars 2 to come out.

Deal is Dead. Back to $55

Anyone interested I am selling sealed copies of this game for $45 shipped. PM me or follow the link in my signature.

[quote name='mr_bungle']Guy here at work says this game will overtake WoW...I don't play MMOs at all, but I tend to think he's probably just enjoying the freshness of it. What do you guys think?[/QUOTE]

I think you could spend so much time in it, you could forget your life, any lowball sales you were supposed to be running, answering PM's.. all sorts fo things!!! If a SW fan, and you like MMO's, and are comfortable spending $15 a month.. you will love this game.

The reason I stopped playing WoW was because I ran out of stuff to do. I'm sure there will be a solid play base of more casual players, but to break into the mainstream they are going to have to provide continual end-level content.

I want this game so bad, but I recently got Gears 3, Battlefield 3, Saints Row the third, Skyrim, and my laptop video card just blew up on me. So I'm going to have to pass on this one unfortunately.

I got the first 2 KOTOR games right when they came out and the first remains one of my all time favorites. Hopefully I'll get around to this.

[quote name='Dark Lord Greg']true but still I think $13-$15 a month just to be able to play 1 game is too much while $3-$7 a month for Xbox Live to play any game online is a better value. [/QUOTE]

A better value is paying $0.00 to play online a month like you do on Steam or the PS3.