Review – Star Wars The Old Republic: Shadow of Revan

I started playing Star Wars : The Old Republic in early access end of 2011. I played nonstop until summer 2013. I never got into any MMORPG prior to this, even though I tried WoW. I loved the older Knights of the Old Republic games and am a major Bioware fan, whether Star Wars, Dragon Age or Mass Effect.

Source: Wookieepedia.

Source: Wookieepedia.

I picked up SWTOR again in June 2015. I didn’t regret it. I loved the original game (and finished all of eight classes’ basic storyline up to level 50). The first expansion, Rise of the Hutt Cartel was decent and a fun ride but overall I wasn’t overwhelmed with it. So far, I have only finished both expansions with my Jedi Knight (Guardian/Light Side).

The Shadow of Revan expansion proved to be one of my all time favorite gaming moments. Story, battles, character development made for the right mix. I can’t wait to play it with all my other classes and find out about the Empire side as well as the little differences everyone’s backstory may have on the overall narrative.

The story was amazing and drew from so many big things from the Star Wars universe. Getting to interact with certain characters (Satele Shan, Shae Vizla, Revan) was very engaging. I liked the new allies (Theron Shan, Lana Beniko, Jakarro) too and appreciated how their group was quite diverse.

The gameplay was clever. Being able to complete flashpoints in solo mode won me over right away. I didn’t expect it (I hadn’t read so much about the game developments while not playing SWTOR). I also like the new discipline system they introduced on a game wide level about the time of the release. I prefer them to the former skill trees.

The Shadow of Revan missions felt like a nice balance between tasks and combat. Seeing new worlds is always a treat and finishing the story on Yavin IV was very symbolic. I had many feels coming from the movies while playing it (going through the destroyed Jedi temple on Tython in the prelude made me reflect on Revenge of the Sith and cry, which can prove problematic in the middle of beating on enemies).

Shadow of Revan kept its promises and even exceeded my expectations. As much as I am looking forward to the third expansion (Knights of the Fallen Empire) and how visually great its trailer was (it lacked female characters for my tastes), it has a lot of work ahead after the second one. What I am most excited about now is the storytelling aspect Bioware announced.

What about you ? Did you play SWTOR and any of its expansions ? How do you feel about the upcoming one ?

Looking for more Star Wars? Check out the new series of Star Wars Saturdays posts on Sourcerer!

15 responses to “Review – Star Wars The Old Republic: Shadow of Revan

  1. I’ve really enjoyed SWTOR too. The Tales of the Jedi/Knights of the Old Republic era is my favorite in the EU, so I was excited to have an mmo dedicated to it. When I have free time, I’ve been leveling a light side bounty hunter lately, but I haven’t had a chance to try the expansions. Looking forward to the new one.

    Liked by 1 person

    • I’d love to see movies about the Old Republic Era. They could easily get inspiration from many characters in the game too. My first BH was Light Side and she’s the one I’m getting through the expansions right now. My second one may be more dark side. What specialization did you choose for yours?

      Liked by 1 person

      • Yeah, I would definitely watch something based on the cinematic trailers they’ve made. Mine is a powertech with an emphasis on damage, unlike her good-two shoes trooper husband who heals…

        Liked by 1 person

        • Mine is a DPS powertech too! I played most of the specialization but sucks at healing. If you want your group to die, ask me to heal! I’m best suited for DPS, regardless of the class and types of weaponry. When I started the game, Force users weren’t as natural to me, but it’s changed. I enjoy the different classes so I have versatile gameplay and stories. So the healing trooper husband must be a commando!

          Liked by 1 person

          • He is. I liked the idea of having star-crossed lovers in different factions in the same legacy. I started out as a Force user as a Marauder and that was a mistake. He’s so squishy, I thought the game was much harder than it actually is.

            Liked by 1 person

          • I like the legacy system and how the characters can have ties. My very first character was a Sith Marauder. She was the only one I didn’t get to 50 / finish original class story. I picked her up and cruised through things. I prefer the Jedi Guardian (and probably Sith Juggernaut) but the Marauder, I got the hang of her at some point. And the storyline is pretty interesting, all the more if you play a “light side” Sith (as I did so far though if I go with a juggernaut I might try her dark side to see the differences).

            Liked by 1 person

          • Have you tried the different light/dark side variations of the inquisitor? Your final title changes based on it, even if you’re neutral.

            Liked by 1 person

          • I’m working on it! My Inquisitor/Assassin was dark side but my new Sorcerer is going to be light side. I also had my first Jedi Consular (Shadow) being Dark but the new one (Sage) is light side. When I play both specializations, I try to have one light and one dark to see even more of the differences!

            Liked by 1 person

  2. I’d love a console version, that just removed the online bits. The original kotor was special and I didn’t even know about a Revan expansion. I might check it out.

    Liked by 2 people

    • I wasn’t sold on the whole online bit but the game can easily be enjoyed solo, which is what I still do most of the time. There were several mentions of Revan in the original game but the second expansion’s story is centered on the character.

      Liked by 1 person

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  7. See… the thing is… I really disagree. I mean… like, with just about everything you said. I don’t see how this could possibly have “exceeded expectations” when matching them at best seems to have been a challenge.

    This guy seems to say it better then I could, though – goes over the points better as well.
    http://www.fivepointreview.com/robs-reviews/swtor-shadow-of-revan

    Like

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