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Still Waiting for X-Wing 2

Still Waiting for X-Wing 2

When I think back throughout my long history of Star Wars gaming, no experience was more amazing than the first time I sat down and played X-Wing. This game was followed up by TIE Fighter, a game which I played even more than X-Wing, and to a lesser extent I also enjoyed X-Wing vs. TIE Fighter. Then there was X-Wing: Alliance, but the less said about that game the better. The point is, ever since TIE Fighter, I’ve been waiting for another Star Wars flight sim game to come along and blow me away. The inclusion of space combat is always the number one thing on my wishlist every time a new Star Wars video game is announced. So I was obviously excited when space missions were announced for The Old Republic. It was the number one thing I wanted to try out and eventually I got into the beta and was able to try my hand at space combat. And now that the NDA is down, I can finally share my experience with the rest of you.

I knew going into this that I wasn’t getting the free-flying X-Wing-style space combat that I really wanted. No, those hopes were quickly dashed by the words, “rail shooter.” For those unaware, rail shooters are those where your ship follows a predetermined path (as if it was riding on a set of rails) and you really only have control over targeting and firing your weapons. Despite my disappointment, I have been so starved for Star Wars based space combat that I didn’t really care.

When you first get your spaceship, there are three missions available to you. These three missions are fairly easy to complete and and are intended as training and introduction to the whole space mission mechanic. However, they are so easy that I found them to be somewhat boring, particularly the escort mission. Eventually, you do unlock missions with a higher difficulty and things do improve from there. The ability to upgrade your ship is also a welcome addition and really helps complete those higher level missions. And as a rule I enjoy whenever MMOs add “twitchy” elements to their gameplay.

The environments look really beautiful as well. Even if you play with your graphics on the lowest settings, it’s really something to see. And buzzing along the surface of an Imperial cruiser blasting away at its shield generators and turbolaser turrets is pretty damned awesome. Completing space missions give very nice experience awards and can be a really good way to level up.

Sadly, this enjoyment can quickly turn to tedium. Thanks to the rail shooter style of gameplay, every time you play the space mission it’s exactly the same as the last. The replay value of these missions is essentially zero. Still, they do offer a nice diversion from questing and another for people to level their characters up. And as long as you play each mission only once, you’ll never notice the repetitiveness. So, no, I didn’t really get what I wanted out of the space combat in SWTOR, but it at least gives me some way to pass the time while I wait for Lucasarts to release X-Wing 2.

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Mos Eisley Radio

MER Episode 50: Over The Dune

MER Episode 50: Over The Dune

Another PAX has come and gone, but we are still here! MER dings at 50 with Josh “Mr. Crayon Eater” returning to the show to share, along with Zach, some thoughts, impressions, and contagion fears after the con. Evan asks them about TOR news, some Warzone and Operation questions, and then we hear about EVERYTHING else they got to play, including more League of Legends and some cool new contenders like Firefall.

Feel free to discuss this podcast on our forums as well.

Music for this show was provided by General Fuzz.

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Discussion Topics
– Penny Arcade Expo
– Huttball Live
– Return to Alderaan Warzone
– Bioware Interviews
– Non-TOR Games and News

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Open Bounty

Open Bounty 007: SWTOUR

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Last month we traveled to Austin, Texas to participate in #SWTOUR at Bioware’s studio. During this time we were able to catch up with Damion Schubert and have a chat with him. In this episode we hit on companion characters, crafting and much more.
Discuss this episode on the FORUMS

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Mos Eisley Radio

MER Episode 37: The Summit

MER Episode 37: The Summit

Recently Bioware invited several fansites to participate in day dedicated to playing SWTOR. If you have been hearing about #SWTOUR…..well….this was that event. During this time we were able to get several of the fansites together to record an episode of MER. Also because we lacked the audio equipment needed to record this podcast the audio levels are a little weird at times. We apologize in advance. We still think you will love it. Join in on the discussion in our forums.

Joining us in this episode is the following guests.
Kathy and Carla from Corellian Run Radio
Dover and Sado from Darth Hater
Vall and Lord Hammer from TOR Syndicate
Tom and Tim of Tor-Talk
Musco of Torocast
Stephen of FUREUR

Music for this show was provided by General Fuzz.

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Discussion Topics
– Bounty Hunter and Agent story and mechanics
-The Black Talon Flashpoint
– Companion Characters

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Mos Eisley Radio

MER Episode 35: PAX Mortem

MER Episode 35: PAX Mortem

In this this week’s episode of Mos Eisley Radio we are joined by Stephen Reid (Senior Online Community Manager) and David Bass (Senior Community Coordinator) to discuss the ins and outs of planning a massive conference presence like PAX East. From booth design to queuing to why Bioware probably wouldn’t announce a release date at PAX, Stephen and David share some great insight into the community team.

Also, the time has come that I (Brooks) can announce this will be my last show with Mos Eisley Radio. Many of you know that I’ve been on the job search recently, and through a fantastic series of events, I’m joining Bioware as an audio editor on the creative services team. The best thing though? Mos Eisley Radio and Open Bounty aren’t going anywhere! Zach has some great plans in place to continue to bring the community top notch discussions about SWTOR. I’ve spelled out many more details and thanks on the show and on my “goodbye thread”.

Of course, we really want to hear your thoughts on the PAX East discussions, and there’s no better place to do that than on our FORUMS!

Music for this show was provided by General Fuzz.

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Discussion Topics
– The Taral V playthrough
– Booth design and Queues
– Is PAX the place to announce a release date?
– Top PAX East Moments
– Brooks’ Departure from MER, and new job at Bioware