Since December 13th I have been more or less dead to the world. With few exceptions, I have spent most of my free time playing the new Star Wars MMO from Bioware. It’s been bad folks. Not the game, but my complete absorption into this digital world.

The greatest thing for me in the game is the way that each class’ main story quest is handled. Unlike many games where you start off a peon and work your way up, in Star Wars: The Old Republic you hit the ground running. Whether you’re a Bounty Hunter or a Jedi, your character starts off as something of a proven property. For example, the Trooper class starts off their journey as a a junior officer joining an elite squad of Commandos called “Havoc Squad.” You’re not some private trying to find his big break. This means right off the bat your character is more skilled than most of the NPCs in the story. Or you might be an exceptionally gifted user of the force, or a bounty hunter called in to round out a team, etc. Bioware really tries to give your character a reason to not just go around killing dungeon rats till you get to level five. It’s refreshing and fun.

Bioware continues to preserve the story experience by trying to make you feel like you’re the only person in the entire universe experiencing your story. Class quests take place in instanced dungeons that make sure you’re the only person saving those hostages and you’re not waiting in line to kill the big boss. And it’s not only class quests that benefit from this. As you go through the game you will find more and more quests use this system, allowing you and your friends a bit of privacy and ease while completing your mission.

Overall, Bioware has really brought the MMO as close to the single player experience as I have ever played. With grade A voice acting, great story and brilliant game design Star Wars: The Old Republic has shown that there is a world beyond Warcraft.