82 February 2012 BTM downtimecomputergames Star Wars: The Old Republic (PC) RATING: WHAT IS IT? Play Star Wars: The Old Republic and be the hero of your own saga in a story-driven massively multiplayer online game from BioWare and LucasArts. Explore an age thousands of years before the rise of Darth Vader when war between the Galactic Republic and the Sith Empire divides the galaxy. Choose to be a Jedi, a Sith, or from a variety of other classic Star Wars roles, and make decisions which define your personal story and determine your path. GRAPHICS: While still far from beautiful, it is definitely recognisable; not just as The Old Republic, but as a part of the Star Wars universe. The best example of this is the range of Bounty Hunter gear. Sith and Jedi classes seem to have got the short end of the stick though. Space missions can be particularly spectacular looking. Rushing through frozen asteroid fields or zig-zagging above a massive, blue planet has provided some of the most breathtaking visual moments. GAMEPLAY: Control is far too limited in space missions. Your movement is restricted to a single 2D plane, and you can’t adjust your craft’s speed. Moving along the 2D plane and a 3D environment at the same time just makes it look like your ship is wobbling through space. There’s also very little challenge on offer in these missions. There’s no opportunity to take a different path on replays. Enemies tend to act more like targets than something out to get you. Rage (PC) The great controls and useful weapon upgrades help make Rage’s shooting parts a lot of fun, but the storyline fails to create any real tension and the game’s characters, friendly and hostile, never do or say anything memorable. It isn’t revolutionary, but is an expertly crafted shooter. LA Noire (PS3) This team has taken a huge risk. LA Noire may not reach the emotional heights of a game like Heavy Rain, but it’s something everyone must try out. It reaches high and almost succeeds as a brilliant new type of video game narrative. NBA 2K12 (Xbox 360) The realistic, challenging, gorgeously animated gameplay carries across a cornucopia of modes. Playing legends of the past, the stars of today, and my own personal NBA rookie are all different flavours of radical. All of these modes alone or together make for a game that any basketball fan has to pick up. GAME OF THE MONTH Shooting for the Stars We took a look at the famed Star Wars: The Old Republic. Either we must have missed the point, or it isn’t as good as it promises to be. VERDICT: It isn’t bad, but it definitely could have been better.
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