I rate games by the degree to which they destroy my social life. I once thought Civilization III and Medal of Honor were bad, but Star Wars - An Empire Divided, could end a marraige or turn you into a hermit (at least in real life, plenty of friends can be made in-game). This game is AWESOME!
I've never seen a game this complex and engrossing. To start, you customize the character you want from one of six species, then modify the 3-D model's body, face, and features. You choose from one of five novice professions, which can branch to like 20 elite professions. For example, if you want to be an architect, you start as an artisan, concentrate on the homebuilding tree, gain experience, then become a novice architect and go from there. This is what originally interested me in the game, since I've never really liked fantasy. But the chance to become a medic, architect, or musician, instead of just a swordsman dwarf or archer elf, seemed interesting. Indeed, it has been.
The player economy seems to work very well. Because one person cannot be a master in more than two fields at once, and you can't have more than one player per server (each server is a galaxy), players cannot be self-sufficient. They have to buy and sell to get what they need. And with the diversity of demands, everything from tailors needing hide, to architects needing metal, to pistoliers needing more advanced firearms, the economy is quite vibrant.
The only complaints I have about the game are the server down-time and bugs. Yes, they could have waited in Beta more, but the more players they have reporting bugs the more errors they can find. In a game this wildly complex there will likely always be a bug or two. Like books, software isn't necessarily completed, it's simply released. However, instead of beta-testing for another 6 months, I'm glad they released the game now. It's worth playing, there's a bug report function in the game, and server downtimes are announced on the Star Wars Galaxies site. Also, your first month with the game is free to give you time to determine whether or not you like it.
There are lots of great things about this game, but one of the most interesting is the fact that you're dealing with other people, and you can make friends through this game. That, and that the escalations your characters go through while gaining experience are really neat. While a lot of players are upset that they aren't an uber-character straight out of the box, people who stick with the game grow attached to it because they make characters very strong. It's rewarding to come across a newbie being chewed to death by kreetles (large Tattooine insects), flailing for life, and you easily destroy all the bugs and their lair in six shots because you've mastered the Pistolieer profession.
The animated battles in this game are great. The characters dodge, roll, blast, shoot from under the belt, dive and shoot, trade swords, or parry pike thrusts. There's even an unarmed martial art in this game.
I've had the game a month now, and no one I know of has become a Jedi or opened a force-sensitive slot. Some fanboys seem upset about this. Well, just because it takes months to even discover how to become a Jedi, and there's no guarantee you'll unlock your character's force slot, doesn't mean the game is bad. On the other hand, if there's a Jedi in a galaxy, that player's a legend. This stands up with the esteem of Jedis in the movies. They're rare, legendary, and powerful. If you want to be an insta-Jedi you can always pick up Knights of the Old Republic.
Another thing about this game that's really cool are the player cities. I'm in one now, and it's basically all friends who play at the same time of day and have professions that compliment one another. We have a PA hall at the end of the street, then a street full of player houses, stores, etc. There are constant block parties and you never have to scrounge and scrape to get a hunting party going. We have doctors and entertainers in the PA hall, so if you come back from a hunt or mission or raid, the doctors and dancers and musicians heal you, you give them a slice of the mission reward, and everyone's happy. The artisans in our guild (tailor, armorer, weaponsmith, architect) give us discounts, since I supply materials, and money-trading is done within the guild in case someone needs to buy something big like a factory or whatever.
The game can be disheartening if you're just starting out. It's hard to find your niche in the economy, and it takes time to gain experience. But, so what? It imitates life. And if it takes you a month or two to gain an elite profession, just think how long it takes in real life. And in the meantime, you come across other people with your level of talent and you bond with them. Or, if you're not socially inclined, you can just be a lone wolf and take destroy missions for money.
Overall, it's a very cool game. There have been a couple development bumps along the way, but if your computer is a steady mount, this game will go nicely. Also, the bugs and servers have improved steadily in the past month. There's a lot more I'd like to say about how fun this game is, but the best thing I can say is go buy it.
Also, if you get the collector's edition, your character starts off with sunglasses, which aren't available or tradeable. Definitely look kinda leet and cool with those. Wish I'd bought 'em!
-- JJ Timmins
Top reviews from other countries
M. G.
Not the same, but still a great option
Reviewed in the United States on May 7, 2009Verified Purchase
Amazon Customer
一人でもできるMMORPG
Reviewed in Japan on December 5, 2003Verified Purchase
どぶろく
映画の中のエキストラのような感じ
Reviewed in Japan on May 17, 2004Verified Purchase
Amazon Customer
Great game, great launch
Reviewed in the United States on July 7, 2003Verified Purchase
Matt Dickinson
Great condition
Reviewed in the United States on October 2, 2021Verified Purchase
