Free to play … kind of
The Old Republic is one of many MMORPGs that have embraced the “freemium” model. This means that most of the game is completely free, but players can improve their experience by paying for various perks (mostly interesting gear).
However, the free game does come with some catches. Your experience rate is slightly nerfed, and the amount of things like operations and flashpoints you can participate in may be limited. The only way to fully experience things is to become a subscriber, and this is also the best way to unlock the game’s many expansions.
Do you want to try everything on a budget? Membership for even just a month gives you permanent access to expansions, and guild membership can offer XP bonuses that offset the nerf when you go free-to-play.
A true story
To be honest, the story in most MMORPGs is really lacking. While the missions are interesting, in the end you feel like just another nameless killing machine wandering around a fantastic environment.
But The Old Republic offers a more immersive story on multiple levels. First, each character class receives a general story that unfolds as you approach the maximum level. So, among the inevitable random missions you collect, you never lose track of the story and development of your particular character.
Second, playing with others is engaging because your choices really matter. Some missions (most notably Flashpoints, which are the Dungeons version of this game) offer players options on what to do. These typically have a moral flavor, with a choice of “light side” and “dark side”.
The game randomly selects who to make the decision with. Therefore, you constantly have the ability to influence the overall mission. Plus, these decisions feel like real character development – for example, slowly find out how much your Jedi Guardian will stick to his code of beliefs in a galaxy of evil.
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