Just for the sake of comparison this is what IGN did with SWTOR:
9.0
Presentation The dialogue and story is why you should want to play The Old Republic, and it’s presented excellently. The UI needs much more flexibility though.
8.5
Graphics It won’t push your machine very hard, but the style is consistent and recognizably Star Wars.
10
Sound Voice acting is superb throughout, the orchestral sound-track slips in and out effortlessly, and everything from blasters to alien-babble is pure Star Wars.
9.0
Gameplay PvP is brilliant, and the branching story is wonderfully complex. Classes are well-designed. A little quest variety wouldn’t go astray, though.
9.5
Lasting Appeal Hundreds of hours of content at launch for just a single character. Playing new ones reveals a wealth more.
IGN credibility score = 0
To be honest, the only one I disagree with there is the lasting appeal, however I will add one Caveat, this to me read like a review of leveling my FIRST 50 in SWTOR.
Leveling a second character brings it down a bit
The TSW review is also fair, people citing that the graphics score is too low are probably ignoring the currently bad animations now I am sorry, but the fact is those animations DO detract from the immersion and in TSW the Immersion factor is the games biggest selling point.
Presentation wise, the silent protagonist approach really annoys me, if you are going to do voice overs do them properly or not at all.
So yeah TSW I would score a 7.5 (above avarage) SWTOR I would have scored at 9 for my first play through and would reduce that down to an 8 now, They are both very good games which bring something new while retaining the famiiar. (You might not like story based leveling and voice overs and cutscenes but they are NEW.. and for that alone we should be grateful enough to atleast acknowledge there was some attempt at moving the Genre forward.
The problem is everyone expects the next MMO to feel like their first MMO and then lash out when it doesnt...
Read my prior post I have nothing but good things to say about TSW but lets be honest. 7 is a fair score for the game once you cut away your emotions regarding it. There are still bugs. While the graphics are very detailed the art style is not eye catching. The textures are well done and that is because DX11 is used. Tesellation is much better then bump mapping in regards to fine detials. Thats why on max setting a screen shot from TSW is much lager in size then say GW2. That said I found my self some how more impressed with GW2 visualy and it uses DX9 atm. The world its self looks amazing in TSW but the character models are very mediocre considering the tools TSW has. Not tash talking the game as I play it still and enjoy my Cabal etc. That said we are already having peeps not log in anymore because they are bored. I am not bored but I play games casual because I work so many hours and have kids. The hard core gammer however will tear through the content in the first month no problem. PVP is just plain bad. Its OK with me cause there are other aspects of the game that are good. Come on though throwing around raitings like 10 is just non sense. 10 should be reserved for truly great games and you should almost never see a 10. From what I have seen of GW2 id rate it like an 8 over all. Not even that would get a 10 for more then a few reasons but it would be off topic. I like and own both games btw so I am not trolling. Just saying everyone wants the game they play to be a 10. Its just non sense.
"Social media gives legions of idiots the right to speak when they once only spoke at a bar after a glass of wine, without harming the community ... but now they have the same right to speak as a Nobel Prize winner. It's the invasion of the idiots”
― Umberto Eco
“Microtransactions? In a single player role-playing game? Are you nuts?” ― CD PROJEKT RED
Realistically for a 2012 MMORPG that is now competing with F2P games with decent design etc. TSW is pretty poor in comparison. My personal rating and of course your all welcome to argue it.
TSW:
Graphics: 5 / 10 (Very poor graphics in comparison to other games)
Audio: 7 / 10 (Nothing mind blowing)
Gameplay: 6.5 / 10 (inconsistant in various areas in the game; skills, pvp , )
Longevity: 5 / 10
Bang for your buck: 5 / 10
Overall: 6
I know my score is very low to what most of you might say, however given this is a 2012 MMORPG there is no reason this game should not be better. I feel that this was a step down from AOC not a step up. I think they focused too heavily on building up catchy slogans that they forgot to actually make their game worthwhile. 512 skills that are redundant , pvp needs work, characters still restricted from zones based on gear instead of level. Changing the name of the number that you restrict players with does not change the game.
TSW is a tough game with no guide rails to how you build your character. The smartest, best mmo players can and certainly will gimp themselves a few times along the way. If you want to be challenged, TSW is the game for you. EvE is too, but that game made me cry sooo... If this is not what you are looking for the learning curve in TSW will surley take some points of your score.
Lol...doubt most of them gave it a lower score than you because of that. Most seem to see that as a plus that enjoyed the game but found some issues in area.
Would imagine for many it is the likes of bugs, combat animations, game length, etc.
There are some aras the game excels in and others it is lacking. Not hard to imagine pending on what a player or reviewer finds important how they're overall view of the game would differ
1. For god's sake mmo gamers, enough with the analogies. They're unnecessary and your comparisons are terrible, dissimilar, and illogical.
2. To posters feeling the need to state how f2p really isn't f2p: Players understand the concept. You aren't privy to some secret the rest are missing. You're embarrassing yourself.
3. Yes, Cpt. Obvious, we're not industry experts. Now run along and let the big people use the forums for their purpose.
Oh... you mean it isn't an IGN review then? It's a Nathan Whatsit (whoever the f... he is) review? Change the title of the thread!
SWTOR lasting appeal: 9.5... "brilliant PVP" ...I'm still laughing.
The sound in TSW is so, so good that I always look at that first in any review. Anyone giving it less than 9, looses credibility right then and there with me.
I guess the notion that 2 different people can still have different opinions of what is good and bad while still working for the same company is too grand for you to understand.
You mean sort of like how ridicule through hyperbole and sarcasm is lost on some? Yeah.
Poe's law.
If you agree with me I retract my statement.
I do disagree with the review a little. Sound and graphics could certainly use a bump of 1 at least, but dragging up the score of another game review made by another reviewer lacks any logical sense what so ever.
Oh... you mean it isn't an IGN review then? It's a Nathan Whatsit (whoever the f... he is) review? Change the title of the thread!
SWTOR lasting appeal: 9.5... "brilliant PVP" ...I'm still laughing.
The sound in TSW is so, so good that I always look at that first in any review. Anyone giving it less than 9, looses credibility right then and there with me.
I guess the notion that 2 different people can still have different opinions of what is good and bad while still working for the same company is too grand for you to understand.
You mean sort of like how ridicule through hyperbole and sarcasm is lost on some? Yeah.
Poe's law.
If you agree with me I retract my statement.
I do disagree with the review a little. Sound and graphics could certainly use a bump of 1 at least, but dragging up the score of another game review made by another reviewer lacks any logical sense what so ever.
The title of the thread refers to IGN which gives the review more credibility than saying "Nathan Whatever." You can't have it both ways: either both the bloated SWTOR review and TSW reviews are done by IGN or they're done by different individuals and shouldn't be compared. But in the end, it doesn't matter. IGN published it as their review and it's 100% legit to compare it to any other IGN-branded review regardless of which employee/contractor did it.
As to the comparison... Having played both SWTOR and TSW I can tell you that SWTOR PVP deserves, at best, a 2/10 but IGN refers to it as Brilliant...really? Did they even try anything beyond 1 game of Huttball? If PVP is part of "Gameplay" I'd rate SWTOR 5/10 at best.
And the graphics of the buggy DX9 Hero engine get an 8,5 while the DX11 TSW gets a 7? Can't buy that either.
Lasting appeal for SWTOR a 9.5? I leveled a Sorcerer, an Assasin and a Bounty HUnter all to 50, got totally bored hanging around the station LFG for literally hours with little luck (even as a healer lol) and was out of there by the 3 month mark... 9.5? Yeah right. But TSW gets a 6.
You know what the basic difference is and why TSW is not getting sucked-up to and gushed over by reviewers all over the net? It's simple: TSW does not have the history, fan base and cachet of Star Wars. TSW is (gasp!) an original IP. It doesn't have legions of SW fanbois drooling over the chance to pay homage to it in a review... not to mention the legion of Bioware fans before their numbers were depleted after the SWTOR fiasco.
I don't really care who at IGN does which review - they're all IGN reviews and for IGN to have any credibility as a review site, they need to exercize some editorial consistency when giving out numbers. If TSW is a 7 over there then the shameless WOW in space known as SWTOR couldn't be any higher than 5 or 6 for me to give their review any consideration.
"Social media gives legions of idiots the right to speak when they once only spoke at a bar after a glass of wine, without harming the community ... but now they have the same right to speak as a Nobel Prize winner. It's the invasion of the idiots”
― Umberto Eco
“Microtransactions? In a single player role-playing game? Are you nuts?” ― CD PROJEKT RED
TSW is as good, or better, in many of the areas the vasty over-rated SWTOR got good/outstanding grades. But just look at the review. Comprehend that one of the worst PvP supporting games in the MMO world got this write up:
9.0
Gameplay PvP is brilliant, and the branching story is wonderfully complex. Classes are well-designed. A little quest variety wouldn’t go astray, though.
A 9.0 for a story that DID NOT BRANCH in any significant or meaningful way despite the claims of the review, the horribly imbalanced classes they keep nerfing, rebalancing and wrecking and quite possibly the most bland and generic quests in the MMO market. If SWTOR had a 9.0 in that area, I'd still be playing despite the rest of the flaws. I wanted that game, more than any other MMO I've ever played, to succeed.
I still laugh over 'brilliant PvP.' It's some of the worst PvP in the MMO market.
I feel it's more a 7.5 or soft 8 but the review seems fair. We all know swtor got a better score than it deserved but that doesn't mean we should lower the bar for other games. It is good to see game sites giving more subjective reviews.
I feel it's more a 7.5 or soft 8 but the review seems fair. We all know swtor got a better score than it deserved but that doesn't mean we should lower the bar for other games. It is good to see game sites giving more subjective reviews.
Game sites should be giving objective reviews, not subjective.
When I'm looking at any game I want an unbiased opinion, I don't want to read their gushing/flaming of a game... that's subjective.
I want an objective overview of the pros/cons to see if it's worth further investigating. If I want a subjective view on a game I can go to a forum and read from people giving subjective reviews. When I read (rarely) a "professional" review I want it objective and not flavored by their personal tastes.
A review flavored by personal tastes is subjective or a Blog.
I feel it's more a 7.5 or soft 8 but the review seems fair. We all know swtor got a better score than it deserved but that doesn't mean we should lower the bar for other games. It is good to see game sites giving more subjective reviews.
Game sites should be giving objective reviews, not subjective.
When I'm looking at any game I want an unbiased opinion, I don't want to read their gushing/flaming of a game... that's subjective.
I want an objective overview of the pros/cons to see if it's worth further investigating. If I want a subjective view on a game I can go to a forum and read from people giving subjective reviews. When I read (rarely) a "professional" review I want it objective and not flavored by their personal tastes.
A review flavored by personal tastes is subjective or a Blog.
I agree, used the wrong wording but that is what I was trying to say.
having only played the BWE and watching videos, reading news and other info I'd give it a 7.5. I do think 7 for graphics and sound should be closer to 8. But thats Gamespot they don't want the overall score to be 8. Honestly don't care what anyone rates it. My opinion > all for me.
Lifetimer here. Loving and enjoying the game as well.
Agree with the overall review. I think bugs are really hurting the overall "scores" we are seeing from some reviews. It makes all the other "cracks" seem that much more bigger. As more things go wrong, the more critical you're probably going to be of everything else.
I can't remember the last time I've run into this many bugs in a product that wasn't in beta. I'm sure I experienced bugs in games like SWtOR and Rift... but they must've been so minor that I never consciously realized I hit a bug. In TSW, bugs and wonkiness are almost expected So yes, there is a distinct lack of polish that is dragging down the overall experience down. Even I've logged out in frustration.
There has been one particular mission that has been "fixed" each patch... and yet it still gets into a bugged state. It does make you question when you see "Fixed for real this time" in the patch notes.... and yet players are still running into issues :P
I will say, that I feel like many TSW reviews have been more on point/honest/realistic than other MMO reviews we've seen in the past.
having only played the BWE and watching videos, reading news and other info I'd give it a 7.5. I do think 7 for graphics and sound should be closer to 8. But thats Gamespot they don't want the overall score to be 8. Honestly don't care what anyone rates it. My opinion > all for me.
It's too bad that you rate it on BWEs since the game was already quite a bit different at release.
Sometimes I wish MMOs wouldn't give such early views of the game because it confuses people sometimes between what the "beta" of the game is and what is there at release.
I don't know what people compare the game to in order to give graphics a 5-7 though.. that must be some MMO that I'm not playing (and nobody else is either for that matter).
As a single player game I would have given TSW a 8-9 but a 7 seems about right for a MMO. All the games social/multiplayer aspects seem tacked on at best with no really effort put into them.
Lifetimer here. Loving and enjoying the game as well.
Agree with the overall review. I think bugs are really hurting the overall "scores" we are seeing from some reviews. It makes all the other "cracks" seem that much more bigger. As more things go wrong, the more critical you're probably going to be of everything else.
I can't remember the last time I've run into this many bugs in a product that wasn't in beta. I'm sure I experienced bugs in games like SWtOR and Rift... but they must've been so minor that I never consciously realized I hit a bug. In TSW, bugs and wonkiness are almost expected So yes, there is a distinct lack of polish that is dragging down the overall experience down. Even I've logged out in frustration.
There has been one particular mission that has been "fixed" each patch... and yet it still gets into a bugged state. It does make you question when you see "Fixed for real this time" in the patch notes.... and yet players are still running into issues :P
I will say, that I feel like many TSW reviews have been more on point/honest/realistic than other MMO reviews we've seen in the past.
What bugs are you running into? I am probably more than half way through Egypt and I have encountered exactly three bugged missions (That all seem to work now though). Other than that the game plays perfectly to me. I am guessing the mission you are talking about above is the Black House which I have heard is still buggy for some.
I do disagree with the rating for graphics in the review. I think, on Ultra settings the game looks awesome. I also realize that you will either really enjoy the game or absolutely hate it. I have not spend a ton of time in PVP either as I am enjoying the PVE content and trying to build different skill decks.
For me, this game is almost as good as GW2 and far better than many other games that got MUCH higher scores from IGN.
they score gameplay 7/10 should be 8/10,personal 9/10
they score presentation 8/10 should be 9/10
they score lasting appeal 6/10...should be 8/10....personal 9/10
i dislike in TSW ; cut scenes & voice acting( devs should stop with that crap in MMORPG's) , PvP(tryed & still trying find some fun but it is bad
My response is of course purely opinion. However I cannot help but think that your grading system is more along the lines of heavily biased unless of course you can give us a really good reason why you give TSW almost all high ratings. IGN's score is fair if not a little too kind.
I ll told you...same as IGN's author review, it is personal opinion nothing else,I love game it is why
I enjoiying in gameplay,great comunity....finaly playing mmorpg in my favorite setting ,
Comments
To be honest, the only one I disagree with there is the lasting appeal, however I will add one Caveat, this to me read like a review of leveling my FIRST 50 in SWTOR.
Leveling a second character brings it down a bit
The TSW review is also fair, people citing that the graphics score is too low are probably ignoring the currently bad animations now I am sorry, but the fact is those animations DO detract from the immersion and in TSW the Immersion factor is the games biggest selling point.
Presentation wise, the silent protagonist approach really annoys me, if you are going to do voice overs do them properly or not at all.
So yeah TSW I would score a 7.5 (above avarage) SWTOR I would have scored at 9 for my first play through and would reduce that down to an 8 now, They are both very good games which bring something new while retaining the famiiar. (You might not like story based leveling and voice overs and cutscenes but they are NEW.. and for that alone we should be grateful enough to atleast acknowledge there was some attempt at moving the Genre forward.
The problem is everyone expects the next MMO to feel like their first MMO and then lash out when it doesnt...
Read my prior post I have nothing but good things to say about TSW but lets be honest. 7 is a fair score for the game once you cut away your emotions regarding it. There are still bugs. While the graphics are very detailed the art style is not eye catching. The textures are well done and that is because DX11 is used. Tesellation is much better then bump mapping in regards to fine detials. Thats why on max setting a screen shot from TSW is much lager in size then say GW2. That said I found my self some how more impressed with GW2 visualy and it uses DX9 atm. The world its self looks amazing in TSW but the character models are very mediocre considering the tools TSW has. Not tash talking the game as I play it still and enjoy my Cabal etc. That said we are already having peeps not log in anymore because they are bored. I am not bored but I play games casual because I work so many hours and have kids. The hard core gammer however will tear through the content in the first month no problem. PVP is just plain bad. Its OK with me cause there are other aspects of the game that are good. Come on though throwing around raitings like 10 is just non sense. 10 should be reserved for truly great games and you should almost never see a 10. From what I have seen of GW2 id rate it like an 8 over all. Not even that would get a 10 for more then a few reasons but it would be off topic. I like and own both games btw so I am not trolling. Just saying everyone wants the game they play to be a 10. Its just non sense.
“Microtransactions? In a single player role-playing game? Are you nuts?”
― CD PROJEKT RED
Realistically for a 2012 MMORPG that is now competing with F2P games with decent design etc. TSW is pretty poor in comparison. My personal rating and of course your all welcome to argue it.
TSW:
Graphics: 5 / 10 (Very poor graphics in comparison to other games)
Audio: 7 / 10 (Nothing mind blowing)
Gameplay: 6.5 / 10 (inconsistant in various areas in the game; skills, pvp , )
Longevity: 5 / 10
Bang for your buck: 5 / 10
Overall: 6
I know my score is very low to what most of you might say, however given this is a 2012 MMORPG there is no reason this game should not be better. I feel that this was a step down from AOC not a step up. I think they focused too heavily on building up catchy slogans that they forgot to actually make their game worthwhile. 512 skills that are redundant , pvp needs work, characters still restricted from zones based on gear instead of level. Changing the name of the number that you restrict players with does not change the game.
Anyway / rant off
6 or 6.5 at best and I am more versed in gaming than any employee at IGN so I believe I am right and they are off the mark honestly.
It deserves lower, but I can't complain.
1. For god's sake mmo gamers, enough with the analogies. They're unnecessary and your comparisons are terrible, dissimilar, and illogical.
2. To posters feeling the need to state how f2p really isn't f2p: Players understand the concept. You aren't privy to some secret the rest are missing. You're embarrassing yourself.
3. Yes, Cpt. Obvious, we're not industry experts. Now run along and let the big people use the forums for their purpose.
Poe's law.
If you agree with me I retract my statement.
I do disagree with the review a little. Sound and graphics could certainly use a bump of 1 at least, but dragging up the score of another game review made by another reviewer lacks any logical sense what so ever.
Red sounds pretty accurate. It's always fair to give a comparison rating, though I wish that were it's real rating.
The title of the thread refers to IGN which gives the review more credibility than saying "Nathan Whatever." You can't have it both ways: either both the bloated SWTOR review and TSW reviews are done by IGN or they're done by different individuals and shouldn't be compared. But in the end, it doesn't matter. IGN published it as their review and it's 100% legit to compare it to any other IGN-branded review regardless of which employee/contractor did it.
As to the comparison... Having played both SWTOR and TSW I can tell you that SWTOR PVP deserves, at best, a 2/10 but IGN refers to it as Brilliant...really? Did they even try anything beyond 1 game of Huttball? If PVP is part of "Gameplay" I'd rate SWTOR 5/10 at best.
And the graphics of the buggy DX9 Hero engine get an 8,5 while the DX11 TSW gets a 7? Can't buy that either.
Lasting appeal for SWTOR a 9.5? I leveled a Sorcerer, an Assasin and a Bounty HUnter all to 50, got totally bored hanging around the station LFG for literally hours with little luck (even as a healer lol) and was out of there by the 3 month mark... 9.5? Yeah right. But TSW gets a 6.
You know what the basic difference is and why TSW is not getting sucked-up to and gushed over by reviewers all over the net? It's simple: TSW does not have the history, fan base and cachet of Star Wars. TSW is (gasp!) an original IP. It doesn't have legions of SW fanbois drooling over the chance to pay homage to it in a review... not to mention the legion of Bioware fans before their numbers were depleted after the SWTOR fiasco.
I don't really care who at IGN does which review - they're all IGN reviews and for IGN to have any credibility as a review site, they need to exercize some editorial consistency when giving out numbers. If TSW is a 7 over there then the shameless WOW in space known as SWTOR couldn't be any higher than 5 or 6 for me to give their review any consideration.
“Microtransactions? In a single player role-playing game? Are you nuts?”
― CD PROJEKT RED
Why I think the review, like most reviews, is total crap.
This is the SWTOR review: http://pc.ign.com/articles/121/1214622p2.html
TSW is as good, or better, in many of the areas the vasty over-rated SWTOR got good/outstanding grades. But just look at the review. Comprehend that one of the worst PvP supporting games in the MMO world got this write up:
PvP is brilliant, and the branching story is wonderfully complex. Classes are well-designed. A little quest variety wouldn’t go astray, though.
A 9.0 for a story that DID NOT BRANCH in any significant or meaningful way despite the claims of the review, the horribly imbalanced classes they keep nerfing, rebalancing and wrecking and quite possibly the most bland and generic quests in the MMO market. If SWTOR had a 9.0 in that area, I'd still be playing despite the rest of the flaws. I wanted that game, more than any other MMO I've ever played, to succeed.
I still laugh over 'brilliant PvP.' It's some of the worst PvP in the MMO market.
The ediitor makes all the final decisions. And if the publisher gets blow-back, the editor gets fired.
7/10 is quite a good rating for a mediocre product.
I feel it's more a 7.5 or soft 8 but the review seems fair. We all know swtor got a better score than it deserved but that doesn't mean we should lower the bar for other games. It is good to see game sites giving more subjective reviews.
Game sites should be giving objective reviews, not subjective.
When I'm looking at any game I want an unbiased opinion, I don't want to read their gushing/flaming of a game... that's subjective.
I want an objective overview of the pros/cons to see if it's worth further investigating. If I want a subjective view on a game I can go to a forum and read from people giving subjective reviews. When I read (rarely) a "professional" review I want it objective and not flavored by their personal tastes.
A review flavored by personal tastes is subjective or a Blog.
I agree, used the wrong wording but that is what I was trying to say.
having only played the BWE and watching videos, reading news and other info I'd give it a 7.5. I do think 7 for graphics and sound should be closer to 8. But thats Gamespot they don't want the overall score to be 8. Honestly don't care what anyone rates it. My opinion > all for me.
Lifetimer here. Loving and enjoying the game as well.
Agree with the overall review. I think bugs are really hurting the overall "scores" we are seeing from some reviews. It makes all the other "cracks" seem that much more bigger. As more things go wrong, the more critical you're probably going to be of everything else.
I can't remember the last time I've run into this many bugs in a product that wasn't in beta. I'm sure I experienced bugs in games like SWtOR and Rift... but they must've been so minor that I never consciously realized I hit a bug. In TSW, bugs and wonkiness are almost expected
So yes, there is a distinct lack of polish that is dragging down the overall experience down. Even I've logged out in frustration.
There has been one particular mission that has been "fixed" each patch... and yet it still gets into a bugged state. It does make you question when you see "Fixed for real this time" in the patch notes.... and yet players are still running into issues :P
I will say, that I feel like many TSW reviews have been more on point/honest/realistic than other MMO reviews we've seen in the past.
It's too bad that you rate it on BWEs since the game was already quite a bit different at release.
Sometimes I wish MMOs wouldn't give such early views of the game because it confuses people sometimes between what the "beta" of the game is and what is there at release.
I don't know what people compare the game to in order to give graphics a 5-7 though.. that must be some MMO that I'm not playing (and nobody else is either for that matter).
As a single player game I would have given TSW a 8-9 but a 7 seems about right for a MMO. All the games social/multiplayer aspects seem tacked on at best with no really effort put into them.
What bugs are you running into? I am probably more than half way through Egypt and I have encountered exactly three bugged missions (That all seem to work now though). Other than that the game plays perfectly to me. I am guessing the mission you are talking about above is the Black House which I have heard is still buggy for some.
I do disagree with the rating for graphics in the review. I think, on Ultra settings the game looks awesome. I also realize that you will either really enjoy the game or absolutely hate it. I have not spend a ton of time in PVP either as I am enjoying the PVE content and trying to build different skill decks.
For me, this game is almost as good as GW2 and far better than many other games that got MUCH higher scores from IGN.
I ll told you...same as IGN's author review, it is personal opinion nothing else,I love game it is why
I enjoiying in gameplay,great comunity....finaly playing mmorpg in my favorite setting ,
IGN gave SW:TOR a 9 out of 10.
That says it all right there.
Their reviews are horseshit.
they score sound 7/10.....imho.it should be 8-9/10
they score graphic 7/10 ....imho should be 9/10
they score gameplay 7/10....imho it should be 9/10
they score presentation 8/10 .....imho it should be 9/10
they score lasting appeal 6/10...i sadly agree, but we shall see..