Posted by Lethality | 1 Comment

Friday Update: The Final One – Choose Your Side – Sith Warrior vs. Smuggler

It’s truly the end of an era. Today marks the final official scheduled Friday update from BioWare on Star Wars: The Old Republic. In this time, they’ve never, ever skipped or missed a Friday Update. But I think we can cut them some slack, since, you know, they’re finally giving us the game and all!

For this swan song, the BioWare community creative team put together another Choose Your Side video, where members of the BioWare development team tell you who they think would win in a bar fight. This time, it’s the Sith Warrior vs. the Smuggler.

So while sit back and enjoy the mayhem occurring in the video, take a moment to reflect on all of the Friday’s you’ve spent waiting for moments like these. And then, calmly, hit alt-tab and get back to playing Star Wars: The Old Republic!

 

Read More

Posted by Lethality | 2 Comments

Friday Update: Jedi Consular Progression

One more Friday update down, three to go!

Today BioWare graced us with the long-awaited Jedi Consular progression video. Take the time to stop and smell the roses, because only three more Friday Updates remain!

The Jedi Consular is both a revered ally to the Republic and a dangerous adversary to the Empire. Their ability to revive fallen allies in combat and to manipulate the Force to remain hidden from their enemies makes them an invaluable asset. Get a small glimpse of the many paths of advancement for this powerful Force-wielding class.

What could the final three Fridays before release hold for us? Stay tuned to find out!

Read More

Posted by Lethality | 4 Comments

Gift Ideas For The TOR Fans On Your List!

While we wait for BioWare to crank out one of the final Friday Updates before the official launch of Star Wars: The Old Republic, we have a different kind of Friday update for you: Black Friday Update!

As many of you know, the day after Thanksgiving in the US has come to be known as “Black Friday” due to being the largest shopping day of the holiday season and leaving retailers “in the black” on the balance sheet. We thought this would be a great time to dig up a list of things bound to be found on the wish-list of every TOR fan – even if that fan is yourself! :)

Star Wars: The Old Republic

I would be remiss if I didn’t list the game itself here. While the Collector’s Edition may or may not be available at retail launch, you can still order the regular edition and get some Early Game Access. There’s still a chance TOR will be sold out, so pre-ordering may be the only way you get to play! Don’t get left behind – do eet now! $59.95 – Pre-Order Star Wars: The Old Republic.

Star Wars: The Old Republic 60-Day Game Card

Game time cards are a great way for people to pay for their time without having to use a credit card and needless to say they also make a great gift! We didn’t yet see any evidence of other denominations such as 30-day or others, but we have to assume they will be coming soon. $29.99 – Pre-Order Star Wars: The Old Republic 60-Day Game Card.

 

The Art And Making of Star Wars: The Old Republic

Usually found as part of the Collector’s Edition, BioWare elected to instead make this book available only through a separate purchase. For the hardcore fan and those who like a peek behind the curtain, this is a great gift! $26.40 – Order The Art And Making of Star Wars: The Old Republic.

Star Wars The Old Republic Explorer’s Guide

The nature of MMO games is that they change. Often. So sometimes it seems that these strategy guides don’t make a whole lot of sense to buy. However, for the completionist fan this too will be a must have. $19.49 – Order the Star Wars: The Old Republic Explorer’s Guide.

 

Razer Gaming Keyboard

Experience ultimate power and attain absolute control with the technologically revolutionary Star Wars™: The Old Republic™ Gaming Keyboard by Razer. Ten dynamic adaptive tactile keys intuitively present all your skills, macros, and hotkeys with matching iconography straight from The Old Republic™ MMO for faster key-bind accessibility. And the multi-touch full-color LCD track-panel below can be set to either respond to direct gesture input or display interactive in-game information for an exciting new way to experience the game. $249.99 – Order Razer’s SW:TOR Gaming Keyboard

Razer Gaming Headset

Hear the ambient noises of an alien world, the chaotic explosions in battle on Alderaan, or the iconic buzz of a lightsaber powering up behind you, thanks to the positional 5.1 surround sound power of the Star Wars™: The Old Republic™ Gaming Headset by Razer. Get clear, precise three-dimensional audio for the tactical advantage, preventing backstabs and pinpointing hotspots of action all around you. $129.99 – Order Razer’s SW:TOR Gaming Headset 

Razer Gaming Mouse

The Star Wars™: The Old Republic™ Gaming Mouse by Razer is also built with cutting-edge gaming grade dual wired/wireless technology to allow greater freedom of maneuverability when unwired without compromise on control or accuracy within the game. When the battery needs charging, switch the mouse to wired mode and jump back into the fray with zero downtime. $139.99 – Order Razer’s SW:TOR Gaming Mouse

Razer Gaming Mouse Mat

Power and talent for the Force™ are nothing without focus. A hero without allegiance has no place in the galaxy. With the Star Wars™: The Old Republic™ Gaming Mouse Mat by Razer, choose to swipe either for the righteous good of the Galactic Republic or the ruthless domination of the Sith Empire. And secure your revered or feared status in the universe. $49.99 – Order Razer’s SW:TOR Gaming Mouse Mat

Star Wars: The Old Republic: Revan

The latest novel from author and BioWare Senior Writer Drew Karpyshyn is perhaps the most anticipated item on this list (other than the game of course!) If you’ve played Knights of The Old Republic and were curious what really happened to Revan, this book will bridge the gap between that game and TOR. $15.13 – Order Star Wars: The Old Republic: Revan

Star Wars: The Old Republic: Deceived

Once Star Wars fans caught a glimpse of the Deceived trailer, easily one of the best video game trailers of all time, there was no turing back. Our introduction to Darth Malgus set the stage for an epic story. $16.46 – Order Star Wars: The Old Republic: Deceived

Star Wars: The Old Republic: Fatal Alliance

Fatal Alliance by Sean Williams was our very first voyage into The Old Republic set around the timeline of the game. Of note, it highlights some Empire and Republic cooperation – will we see the same in-game? $7.99 – Order Star Wars: The Old Republic: Fatal Alliance.

 

The Jedi Path

While not technically a TOR-related item, this is a virtual must-have for any Star Wars fan, particularly those of the Jedi. This is an excellent collector’s piece that features a handwritten journal edited by many Jedi masters over time.  It explains the history and hierarchy of the Jedi Order, and what Jedi must know to take their place as defenders of the peace in the galaxy—from mastery of the Force to the nuances of lightsaber combat.   $62.99 – Order The Jedi Path Vault Edition.

The Book Of Sith

Counterpoint to The Jedi Path above, the Book Of Sith lets you explore your darker side and get the full story on some of the most famous Sith Lords along with their teachings. Of note for TOR fans, this tome does include writings of Darth Malgus. $62.99 – Order The Book Of Sith

All of these items are not only cool, but if you buy them through these links you are also helping support Ask A Jedi… and these Jedi robes ain’t cheap!

Happy shopping, and don’t get trampled out there. See you on Cyber Monday!

Read More

Posted by Lethality | 2 Comments

Friday Update: Hammer Station + The Art And Making Of Star Wars

In the midst of all the craziness that is the lift of the Fan Site Summit embargo, not to mention the media live streaming of the Beta, emerges yet another Friday update! Only four more of these before launch, by the way, in case you’re keeping track!

Today we get a video of the newly announced Flashpoint, Hammer Station. We actually got to play this during the Fan Site Summit and you can check out our impressions here! This is a hugely fun low-mid level Flashpoint for both factions:

The ‘Hammer,’ a powerful prototype battle station developed by the Republic, was thought to have been destroyed in the war, but it has mysteriously reappeared in the possession of the expansionist Advozsec. Determined to assert their new power, the Advozsec have been using the weapon to conquer neutral worlds in the Outer Rim. Now, before the Hammer can strike again, both the Galactic Republic and Sith Empire have set plans in motion to the station down.

Also as part of today’s update, we get a preview of The Art And Making Of Star Wars: The Old Republic. We did some coverage on this last week as well, and the guys over at TORWars even had a video of the book from the Fan Site Summit. This kind of thing is usually reserved for the Collector’s Edition of games, but since it isn’t included with TOR’s, you may just want to pick yours up now!

Read More

Posted by Lethality | 5 Comments

Friday Update: Biggest Beta Weekend – You’re All Invited! Plus DreamHack

In case you were wondering what Blaine Christine meant at PAX when he said “pretty much all of you should be getting into a Beta Weekend at some point or another”, now we know!  BioWare has just posted notification that an upcoming beta weekend will include EVERYONE who has signed up prior to November 11th:

How can you take part in this coming Beta Test Weekend? Well, for starters we are happy to announce that anyone who has signed up for our Game Testing Program prior to today, November 11th, will get invited! Invites will be sent in the coming weeks.

In addition, if you hadn’t signed up, there are sites all across the gaming web that will be running a special program, allowing you to get an invite as well! Click here to find a list of those sites.

Additionally, BioWare announced a big ‘ol SW:TOR LAN party to take place at DreamHack in Sweden later this month:

BioWare and LucasArts will be attending the event this year to give people the chance to play Star Wars™: The Old Republic™ before its worldwide launch on December 20th.

The countdown is on folks, less than 40 days to go until we’re all playing Star Wars: The Old Republic!

[UPDATE] BioWare has added an FAQ about this upcoming beta weekend: http://www.swtor.com/community/showthread.php?p=10672193#edit10672193

 

Read More