Star Wars: The Old Republic Preview
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The Trooper uses earn-and-spend action points rather than the mana-like pool of Force. The basic-but-still-pretty-effective blaster rifle attack builds them up and then his other abilities spend them: a concentrated damage-over-time stream of rifle fire that pins and stun the enemy; a light grenade and a heavier "sticky" one; and a rifle-butt melee blow that knocks the Trooper's opponent to the ground. To rest and recharge during fights, hit a button and the Trooper does a Marine-style rifle twirl animation while his health builds. It's a simple selection for a low-level character, but true to Neri's word it feels powerful and fun and a perfect fit for the character class.Good. The less it feels like an MMO, the better.
Like the Inquisitor demo, it's a strictly single-player experience. We all play offline in separate instances of the same mission. As RPG gameplay goes, it's slick, accessible, pacey and enjoyable - but in common with everything LucasArts, EA and BioWare have shown of The Old Republic so far, there's nothing massively-multiplayer about it. They've shown an appealing and obviously high-quality game, but they simply haven't shown us an MMO yet.
