EA have announced that BioWare's upcoming MMO (Massively Multiplayer Online, like EverQuest/World of Warcraft) will in fact be a KOTOR title.
Mixed feelings about this. Bioware/Pandemic have done some great Star Wars titles in the past, but this will be the first since they were bought out by EA (Electronic Arts); a game company that pushes bland cookie-cutter franchises and has a reputation for treating its workers like slave labor. Creative companies always tank after a take-over. It's safe to say Bioware/Pandemic's best years are behind them.
Also, it's a bit late in the day for another MMO. War of Warcraft owns that market, with a few niche players like Eve Online. Hundreds of companies have scrambled to cash in, but they've all crashed and burned. It's a bit like saying "Wow! Coke and Pepsi are making a lot of money, so I'm going to launch me a cola-based soft drink". You'd fail. While KOTOR did get a good name, I think its the sunset years for the Star Wars franchise.
If I did decide to waste the next year of my life playing an MMO, it would probably be Eve Online (a space simulator with a pretty active community).
Then there's Sony's Star Wars Galaxies MMO. This was a brave attempt, lead by Raph Koster, a veteran in MMO design. Koster broke a lot of new ground in the design of MMO by trying to make it a truly interactive galactic community. Sadly, quality was a big issue and Sony panicked, firing Koster and turning it into a brainless first-person shooter, alienating its fan base. What will happen to Star Wars Galaxies. More to the point, will anyone care? One thing it taught us is everyone wants to be a Jedi, but you can't have an MMO where everyone is a Jedi. It just doesn't work. I hope EA crashes and burns on this one. They're long overdue to collect on their their bad karma.
http://www.gamespot....estnews;title;1
http://games.slashdo...8/1948222.shtml
PS. What the frack is up with the ChefElf forum? Supposedly there are hundreds of people reading these threads, but hardly anyone posting. There hasn't been much Star Wars news out there worth reporting. GL should have made a new franchise when he had the chance. Ah well. I may be the last man standing, but "Hi" to the old regulars who still lurk out there.
This post has been edited by Toru-chan: 18 July 2008 - 07:11 PM