Star Wars: The Old Republic Preview

So here's my problem with BioWare's ambitious Star Wars MMORPG: it sounds genuinely revolutionary in theory, but in practice, the practice I've experienced at least, there's nothing revolutionary about it. Let me explain.

At EA's recent spring showcase event, I, once again, got the chance to play The Old Republic on servers whirring back at BioWare's Austin, Texas, studio. This time, I played as a level six Rattataki Bounty Hunter, one of eight classes that'll be included in the game. As all Star Wars fans know, the Rattataki are a near human species with chalk-white skin and bald heads. Asajj Ventress, a Dark Jedi from animated series The Clone Wars, is a Rattataki, for example (didn't have to Google Rattataki. Promise). Whatever level of Star Wars knowledge you have holed up in your head, you have to know what Star Wars Bounty Hunters are, right? The Sith Empire class is based on Boba Fett, perhaps the most-loved Star Wars character of all. Bounty Hunters kill for cash, usually while hovering ten feet off the ground and spraying flamethrower fire in Jedi faces. I'm detecting some puzzled looks. Boba Fett got swallowed up by that vagina with teeth monster in Return of the Jedi, remember? Sigh.

The thing is, while my hands-on was with a race and class I'd never previously played as, the experience offered little new information and felt disappointingly familiar. Given how long The Old Republic has been in development, and how many times it's been playable at preview events, I was hoping to at least glimpse some of the innovative features BioWare's been banging on about since the game was announced back in 2008. Alas, my hopes were dashed.

Before we get into that, let's give the poor Bounty Hunter the benefit of the doubt. Bounty Hunters begin life on Nal Hutta - the barbecue-coloured home planet of the bulbous Hutt race. My gameplay demo began in a dusty Cantina. Inside, NPCs were walking about, doing their business. Some of them had quests available for pick up. The main one in this area, picked up from the evil ball of flab that is Nem'ro The Hutt, instructed me to head towards a nearby village and kill all of its inhabitants - perfect work for an imperial-funded jet pack for hire.

Here's the deal: The Hutts ditched their original home world, Varl, after they killed it with pollution. They then settled on Nal Hutta, much to the annoyance of the primitive native race the Evocii. It's the Evocii, with their powerful tribal warriors, that we were ordered to sort out. James Cameron eat your heart out.

So off I trotted, holding W on the keyboard to run forward, moving the camera about with the mouse and occasionally jumping with flirtatious presses of the space bar. Inside the Cantina a band played out a ditty reminiscent of the Cantina Theme Tune from the first Star Wars film. Outside, Hutta's barren, sludge-infested wasteland presented itself. The once lush jungle planet has been reduced to something akin to Croydon on a Friday night - it is a cesspit of doom, depression and drunken down-and-outs. I bet the Hutta Tourist Board has a hard time selling the planet as a holiday destination for wealthy members of the Galactic Senate.

After a few minutes spent walking towards my clearly marked destination, I came up on the Evocii village and got my hands dirty with Bounty Hunter combat. The Bounty Hunter begins with six special abilities, all mapped to the number keys. Rapid Shot, your basic attack, fires a quick stream of bolts. Missile Shot fires a high damage rocket that knocks your opponents down and has an area of effect. The channelled Flame Thrower ability (check it out in FMV form in the game's glorious E3 2009 trailer) spews searing fire in a ten metre cone. The Electro Dart stuns your opponents for five seconds, making them susceptible to the Rail Shot, a heavy damage attack that only works against vulnerable targets. And finally there's the Vent Heat ability, used to cool down your weapons of destruction when they overheat. The Bounty Hunter's abilities aren't limited by mana, rage, energy or something else that's basically mana. They're limited by heat, ie, when you get too hot, you have to cool them down.