Star Wars: The Old Republic hit the ground running this week and despite some crowded servers, its reception so far is seemingly positive. At a distance, the game may resemble World of Warcraft more ways than one. Visually, both titles might appeal to the lowest common denominator, in that they’re designed function with the average PC, yet feature beautifully crafted opening sequences. Being that they’re MMORPGs, both titles feature an ability-based interface and similar gameplay mechanics. However, one area in which The Old Republic really shines is its ability to tell a story. World of Warcraft has some incredibly deep lore, and the while the story is well-told, Bioware really excels. Here’s a documentary to explain why.

It looks like BioWare wants to reward players for pre-ordering their upcoming MMO, Star Wars: The Old Republic with early access and a in-game item. From what it looks like, you’ll be allowed to keep your character along with any items and experience you acquire when the game officially launches in November. Unfortunately, there’s no details in regards when that early access period will actually start. I imagine BioWare will e-mail you directly once you’ve entered your pre-order code. The free item included in both limited and standard editions of the game will allow you to change the color of your lightsaber or blaster bolts. I suppose that’s kind of awesome if you want your character to stand out in a crowd. I’m not really fond of paying a monthly subscription for a game, but I suppose I could deal with it as long as its better than Star Wars Galaxies — I’m sure if anyone could manage that, it’d be BioWare. Let’s just hope they’ll leave our shoulder pads alone.

Tim is a pro-blogger and freelance writer out of San Diego, California. In addition to Fanboy.com, several outlets he’s written for include the Japanese culture and entertainment blog, Japanator, and the collectible toy culture site Tomopop. For more information, follow him on twitter, or check out TimSheehy.com.

After last year’s teaser, a lot of gamers have been dying to see more of Bioware’s upcoming MMORPG, Stars Wars: The Old Republic. This year, they showed off a bit more by releasing the entire intro cinematic, and it looks absolutely gorgeous. It’s the company’s first MMORPG, and from what little I’ve seen of the gameplay, Bioware might have a product that can really compete with Blizzard’s powerhouse. It seems that I’m not the only one who feels that way either, as Razer has recent announced entire line of Star Wars: The Old Republic gaming peripherals. As Michael mentioned to me, they’re not quite as cool looking as their recent Tron Legacy tie-ins, but I still think they look pretty sharp. While they haven’t announced a solid release date, Bioware states the game should ship sometime later this year.

Tim is a pro-blogger and freelance writer out of San Diego, California. In addition to Fanboy.com, he serves as Features and Reviews Editor for the Japanese culture and entertainment blog, Japanator. For more information, follow him on twitter, or check out TimSheehy.com.

I really can’t get behind massive multiplayer gaming, at least when it requires large portions of my free time and an exorbitant monthly fee. Occasionally, however, a title catches my eye long enough for me reconsider that stance, and it would seem Electronic Arts and BioWare may have accomplished that very feat here. Their upcoming installment of the Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic saga, Star Wars: The Old Republic,  will be the first MMORPG in the series.  I thoroughly enjoyed the first game — I wish I could say the same for Obsidian Entertainment’s second installment of the franchise — and this recently released E3 trailer definitely looks promising, but now I’m left wanting more. Until then, I can only the game ends up being as good as its cinematics might lead us to believe.

Tim is a pro-blogger and freelance writer out of San Diego, California. In addition to Fanboy.com, he contributes to the ModernMethod Network of sites as the Features and Reviews Editor for the Japanese culture and entertainment blog, Japanator. He’s also an Assocaite Editor for the collectible toy culture blog, Tomopop. For more information, follow him on twitter, or check out TimSheehy.com

This is a cool looking documentary on the upcoming MMORPG game Star Wars: The Old Republic which is being developed by BioWare. There’s still no release date on this title, but it looks like it will be worth the wait when it comes out.

Frankly I wasn’t that crazy about the last three Star Wars films (three words: Jar Jar Binks) but of there are two things that George Lucas still knows how to do well it’s merchandising and preproduction art. These illustrations are for the upcoming second PC MMORPG Star Wars: The Old Republic — and I must say the images do inspire one to want to play with this mega multiplayer online title. 

Found via uk.gamespot.com.