Star Wars: The Old Republic

Feature: The Top 10 PC Game News Stories For January 2010

Posted Feb 1st 2010 6:00PM by John Callaham
Filed under: Features, Starcraft II, Star Wars: The Old Republic

It's a new year and the first month of January 2010 was a busy one for PC gaming news. Part of the reason was the annual Consumer Electronics Show where there were a few interesting announcements that concerned PC gaming. However there were also plenty of other news items in the past 31 days that will affect us in the coming year.

In fact our normal top 10 list was so full of things we could report that we managed to stick in a couple of extra items as honorable mentions. If this list is any indication 2010 will be a very busy year for news in our industry.

Click on the image above to continue reading The Top 10 PC Game News Stories For January 2010

Gallery: The Top 10 PC Game News Stories For January 2010

10. Grand Theft Auto IV expansions finally announced for the PC

9. Hellgate London coming back to the US

7. GoG.com to add Activision-owned games to library

6. Star Wars: The Old Republic gets target launch date

// 2 Comments

All You Need To Know: The Old Republic

Posted Jan 21st 2010 9:00PM by James Murff
Filed under: Features, MMO, RPG, Star Wars: The Old Republic

Games that are coming out soon have a lot of unknowns that the average person might not know. Who is this character inspired by? Is all the talk of volumetric fog or cel-shaded graphics really worthwhile? Do the game mechanics really seem solid, or are they lackluster? In All You Need To Know we provide information to help you fully appreciate what these upcoming games have to offer.

Feed your head after the jump.

Check out our collection of Star Wars: The Old Republic related downloads here on Big Download!

Gallery: Star Wars: The Old Republic Screenshots

Continue reading All You Need To Know: The Old Republic

// 0 Comments

Mass Effect 2 among games named in 2010 Visual Effects Society awards

Posted Jan 19th 2010 3:00PM by John Callaham
Filed under: Modern Warfare 2, Mass Effect Series, Star Wars: The Old Republic

It's awards season in Hollywood and even games are not immune to be caught up in the glitter. This week the Visual Effects Society announced their nominees for their 2010 awards. As shown by The Hollywood Reporter, they include two game categories. One is for Real-Time Visuals which include two PC games; Modern Warfare 2's Gulag Extraction and Need For Speed Shift's World Sequence.

The other game related category is Visual Effects in an video game trailer. Again two PC games were nominated and both were from BioWare titles; Mass Effect 2 and Star Wars: The Old Republic. The winners will be named on February 28.

BioWare confirms Spring 2011 target launch for Star Wars: The Old Republic

Posted Jan 12th 2010 8:00PM by John Callaham
Filed under: MMO, Star Wars: The Old Republic

Last night during Electronic Arts' financial conference call an unnamed MMO was mentioned for a spring 2011 launch. Today BioWare's message board confirmed what we pretty much figured. Their statement says, "While we have not announced a specific date, we can confirm that we are targeting a spring 2011 release for Star Wars: The Old Republic."

Yep, that means the biggest MMO launch since Poptropica . . . er, World of Warcraft is still over a year away. BioWare's statement adds they still plan to reveal a lot of the 's details throughout 2010 and they also remind folks that they are still taking sign ups for the eventual beta test of the game. Will the game become the MMO champion? Time will tell.

Gallery: Star Wars: The Old Republic Screenshots

Star Wars: The Old Republic due in spring 2011?

Posted Jan 11th 2010 8:00PM by John Callaham
Filed under: MMO, Star Wars: The Old Republic

Electronic Arts' financial results may be below expectations, but the game publisher's CEO John Riccitiello is making some online waves with a statement about an unnamed MMO project that could be referencing the possible release date of BioWare's Star Wars: The Old Republic. During a financial conference call Riccitiello talked about "our major MMO" and added, " . . . the game is making great progress towards a spring 2011 launch."

Unless he was talking about All Points Bulletin (EA is publishing the game but does not own its developer) it's likely that Star Wars: The Old Republic is the game he was referencing. Of course that may mean the game is still well over a year away.

Gallery: Star Wars: The Old Republic Screenshots

Star Wars The Old Republic reveals new Sith-themed planet

Posted Jan 8th 2010 7:00PM by John Callaham
Filed under: MMO, Star Wars: The Old Republic

If it's Friday that means it's time for a new reveal over at the Star Wars: The Old Republic web site. With all of the upcoming MMO character classes now revealed, it looks like the game's developer BioWare might be introducing us to more original content they have planned for the long awaited game.

Case in point: today's reveal of Dromund Kaas. No, it's not a new punk band but the home planet of the Sith Empire in the game. The new screenshots of the planet show of a very lush and green planet that is mixed with some cold looking structures and a stormy sky. We are guessing that's what you get when your planet is full of dark side energy.

Gallery: Star Wars: The Old Republic Screenshots

More info on The Old Republic's Imperial Agent

Posted Jan 2nd 2010 5:00PM by John Callaham
Filed under: MMO, Star Wars: The Old Republic

Not even the New Year's Day holiday can keep BioWare from updating their official Star Wars: The Old Republic web site. This weekend the site offers up some new info on the previously announced Imperial Agent character class. Interestingly, some of the info on the page has been "redacted". That's appropriate for a class that's basically the "James Bond" of the Star Wars universe.

As the page itself says, "The Imperial Agent is an expert at infiltration, seduction and assassination." BioWare wanted to make a class that didn't quite fit into a typical Star Wars archtype and a super-spy class seems to fit the bill nicely without violating the spirit of the Star Wars universe. Now all we need are super-spy bad guys with lines like "No, I expect you to die."

Gallery: Star Wars: The Old Republic Screenshots

Feature: Big Download's Top 10 Most Anticipated PC Games Of 2010

Posted Dec 30th 2009 5:00PM by John Callaham
Filed under: Features, Action, FPS, MMO, RPG, RTS, Mass Effect Series, Starcraft II, Star Wars: The Old Republic, BioShock 2, Alpha Protocol, Crysis 2, Fallout: New Vegas, Star Trek Online, Supreme Commander 2

Over the past few days we have been going over a ton of upcoming PC games that are currently scheduled for release sometime in 2010. But what games are we personally looking forward to playing in the next 12 months. We went over our lists and picked the top 10 games that we can't wait to get our hands on in 2010.

Now a game on this list doesn't mean we think it will automatically be good. We have been suckered on titles that have gotten a lot of hype and have disappointed us after they actually came out. However the 10 games in this list do represent the PC games we are most excited to play and we are crossing our fingers that they will actually turn out to be worth the wait once they come out.

Click on the image above to continue reading the Top 10 Most Anticipated PC Games Of 2010

Gallery: Top 10 Most Anticipated PC Games Of 2010

// 2 Comments

Feature: 2010 PC Game Preview - RPG-MMO Games

Posted Dec 28th 2009 6:00PM by John Callaham
Filed under: Features, MMO, RPG, World of Warcraft, Star Wars: The Old Republic, Alpha Protocol, Fallout: New Vegas, Star Trek Online

So far Big Download has been looking at the action and first person shooter titles currently scheduled for a 2010 release. Today we take a gander at a number of RPG and MMO titles that are also scheduled for release sometime in the next year.

There's lots of MMO expansions due out next year including the latest one for the biggest MMO title around. But if you don't feel like playing online there's also plenty of other offline MMO games to choose from this year as well, and for once not all of them are fantasy based.

Click on the image above to continue readying 2010 PC Game Preview - RPG-MMO Games

Gallery: 2010 PC Game Preview: RPG-MMO Games

// 1 Comments

Star Wars: The Old Republic gets into the Sith in new dev movie

Posted Dec 26th 2009 3:00PM by John Callaham
Filed under: MMO, Trailers, Star Wars: The Old Republic

Recently BioWare revealed that their upcoming MMO Star Wars: The Old Republic will have two kinds of Force-enabled Sith classes, the Sith Inquisitor and the Sith Warrior. In a new developer diary movie posted on the game's official web site members of the game's dev team go into more detail on the ideas behind each Sith class

The trailer, which shows off some new in-game footage, talks about the differences between the fighting styles of each Sith class (even their light sabers have different design influences) and how BioWare is not treating the classes as just the "evil" side in the game.

Gallery: Star Wars: The Old Republic Screenshots

Tatooine to be part of Star Wars: The Old Republic

Posted Dec 18th 2009 7:00PM by John Callaham
Filed under: MMO, Star Wars: The Old Republic

Who knew that a backward desert planet would turn out to be one of the most important locations in the entire galaxy? The folks in the Star Wars universe may not know that fact but we certainly do. That's why Tatooine will be one of the many planet locations in Star Wars: The Old Republic, the long awaited MMO from BioWare, EA and LucasArts.

As usual the reveal was made on the game's official web site today. The web site indicates that a secret weapons program was once created on the planet by the mysterious Czerka Corporation. However that facility was abandoned 500 years before the start of the game. It looks like Tatooine could still be holding some very powerful weapons that few in the game know about. Interesting.

Gallery: Star Wars: The Old Republic Screenshots

BioWare reveals more on Star Wars: The Old Republic's Sith Inquisitor

Posted Dec 12th 2009 1:00PM by John Callaham
Filed under: MMO, Star Wars: The Old Republic

A few weeks ago, BioWare admitted that the eighth and final character class to be revealed for their upcoming MMO Star Wars: The Old Republic would be something called the Sith Inquisitor. Now the game's official web site has posted up even more info on this "evil" player class.

The Sith Inquistor can not only use the Force to move objects and otherwise become awesome, he can also drain the life force from its enemies. he can even project its "Force Lightening" that has become know as a big Sith power from the Star Wars movies. With all character classes now revealed we can expect more info on actual gameplay to be revealed by BioWare before its too-secret-to-even comment on products are out.

Gallery: Star Wars: The Old Republic Screenshots

Star Wars: The Old Republic reveals more info on Jedi Consular class

Posted Dec 4th 2009 4:00PM by John Callaham
Filed under: MMO, Star Wars: The Old Republic

While all eight character classes for Star Wars: The Old Republic have been revealed, the last two classes in the upcoming MMO from BioWare, EA and LucasArts were still something of a mystery. The game's official web site has now put up more info on one of those two classes, the Jedi Consular.

This class is apparently designed not just for combat but for diplomacy. Playing as a Jedi Consular the player will have "the insight and empathy to deftly handle charged conflicts that confound even the most cunning Senators and governors." However, that doesn't mean the character is all peace and love; they can also whip out a light saber and fight with the best of the Jedi Knights. The other player class, the Sith Inquisitor, has not yet been posted on the site, However our sister site Joystiq got a brief hands-on demo of the class and posted up their impressions.

Gallery: Star Wars: The Old Republic Screenshots

Star Wars: The Old Republic getting two novel tie-ins

Posted Dec 3rd 2009 9:00AM by John Callaham
Filed under: Culture, MMO, Star Wars: The Old Republic

On Wednesday, we reported that Star Trek Online was going to have a tie-in novel released next year. Now it looks like BioWare's MMO Star Wars: The Old Republic is getting not one but at least two such prose novels to help expand and promote the long awaited game.

The official Star Wars web site reports that the first such novel is set for release by Del Rey Books in July. The novel, titled Star Wars: The Old Republic: Fatal Alliance, will be written by Sean Williams. A second, and as yet untitled novel, is also in the works and will be written by Paul Kemp. We've already reported that the current online comic book that's being serialized on the game's official web site will be collected into a trade paperback later in 2010. The writer of the comic book, Rob Chestney, will also write a Old Republic-based short story that will be posted on StarWars.com at some point.

Gallery: Star Wars: The Old Republic Screenshots

Alderaan is new location in Star Wars The Old Republic

Posted Nov 28th 2009 11:00AM by John Callaham
Filed under: MMO, Star Wars: The Old Republic

BioWare continues to expand the locations that players will be able to check out in Star Wars: The Old Republic. This week BioWare updated the MMO's web site to show off yet another new planet addition; Alderaan. Fans of the Star Wars franchise most likely know the planet already as the adopted, and later destroyed, home of Princess Leia.

In the timeline of the MMO, Alderaan has actually withdrawn from the Republic and the planet is now in a massive civil war. Will House Organa survive? Well of course it does. Otherwise, Leia could not live to see her planet blown up by the Death Star. Such is life.

Gallery: Star Wars: The Old Republic Screenshots