Genre: MMORPG
Developer: Bioware
Publisher: Electronic Arts

For all of Bioware's accomplishments in the RPG mechanics department-- prior to their recent dip in form of course-- artwork has never been one of the company's fortes. The Old Republic largely bucks that reputation; the aesthetically pleasing scenery art is both colorful and rich, and the character art suffers a bit less than the Mass Effect games from the "uncanny valley" factor.

Mark Griskey, among others, were recruited to compose the title's soundtrack, and while none of the songs are particularly memorable, they evoke the famous Star Wars sensations quite well, while also strutting about some originality. As we've become accustomed to from Bioware's contemporary releases, the game's plentiful voice acting is wonderful, and really allows one to grow attached to one's character.

The Old Republic's gameplay scheme is lifted straight from World of Warcraft and its ilk, as are 80% of the mechanics. Also like World of Warcraft, the general gameplay flow is quest-heavy, and shuffles the player from area to area in a fairly linear manner. The formula works as well in this game as it does in Blizzard's aforementioned release, and is supplemented with highly entertaining class skills, excellent area layouts, refinements to genre staples such as crafting, a Mass Effect-like companion system, and a well-designed Diablo-style equipment socketing mechanic.

The Old Republic is a perfect marriage of World of Warcraft and Mass Effect, as practically every mechanic was borrowed from one of the two games. The game's dialog system-- which amazingly even allows party members to participate-- makes it much easier for players to feel connected to the world and their character. Unfortunately when all is said and done, The Old Republic is nothing more than an extremely polished World of Warcraft clone, and relies on cheap, gambling-like psychology just as much. This is a shame given the level of innovation that Bioware was promising throughout the project. It's still a very good game, just not genre re-defining.