So the big question for me going into E3 this year was Bioware’s new MMO based on the amazing Star Wars games.  To be fair, there are a lot of questions lingering.  First, Bioware hasn’t done a MMO, and second the last Star Wars MMO was basically a fail of galactic proportions.

Still, those are just two concerns on a large table of questions.  When is it coming out, what are the playable races, will there be any reason to play in a party or is it all solo play, is there PVP, why are there so few classes, and on and on and on…

Last year we got a taste of the awesome ideas Bioware had cooking for Star Wars: The Old Republic.  We got a wicked trailer, we found out that every line would have voice acting and that the scope of the project was roughly equal to ten full games worth of story content.  That’s pretty intense.

Over the year we learned about the playable classes (Jedi Knight and Consular, Smuggler and Mercenary, Trooper and Imperial Agent, and Sith Warrior and Inquisitor) and that each class will have multiple companions available depending on the choices you make in the story path.  Plus there are a TON of planets to play on too.  All very, very cool.

Yet, with the game nearing it’s intended release date of Spring 2011, a lot of fans were hoping for a force-load of information and some serious gameplay footage.  Instead we found out that there will be PVP zones and everyone gets a ship that will serve as a house type unit.  A few 3-4 minute videos of gameplay surfaced, and an interview or two with developers happened, but that was about it really.

Oh, and a trailer.  A very sweet, but not really informative trailer.

I say this with a lot of love:  Bioware let me down.  I really wanted more information and unlike a year ago when a trailer was enough to send me into throngs of joy this year it left a sour taste in my mouth.

…well, to be fair I still freaked out for like 2 days straight on the trailer alone.  It was after I’d had a chance to process the lack of information that the sourness formed.

HOWEVER- there is still hope.  News has begun to surface that has got me a bit more excited.  A few magazines and blogs have begun sneaking out tidbits of info from their limited hands-on with the game.  Along with that there’s been some cool additions to the official site regarding things like playable races.  So, what have we learned?

Everything I’ve seen and read has suggested that if you like World of Warcraft there’s a very good chance you’ll like Star Wars.  If you thought WoW needed some work, you’ll still probably  like Star Wars.

While there are only a few basic classes, there’s a prestige class system intended to add depth to each class.  For example a Sith Warrior can become a DPS specialist or a tank depending on how you build.  This is done through talent builds or talent trees or whatever they call them in Star Wars lingo.  But, don’t worry about typecasting for a party role too much and losing solo play!  Bioware has made it a point to make every class a viable solo option through class abilities and the use of companions to help cover your weakness.  If you want to make a healer, you can still solo with the help of a few sidekicks willing to take and deal damage for you.  Cool idea huh??

Actual gameplay is real similar to WoW from what I’ve read.  For example: every class has their standard action bar, but Smugglers have the ability to take cover.  When they do a second unique action bar replaces the first.  Think of it like a rogue going in stealth.  Actions have cooldowns, different classes have unique action bars, etc etc.  I’m sure there are a lot of tweaks but I get the feeling Bioware is planning to keep the feel of the established success behind World of Warcraft.

Don’t worry though: it’s not all a new paint job on an old game.  The key difference is Bioware offers a huge story with choices that change your path as you go.  Friends become enemies, quests are gained or lost by choices, they’re promising romance and betrayals, and of course you can count on a ton of plot twists.  Another nice difference is they’re trying to avoid the ‘go get 7 of these’ quests.  I don’t know yet how successful that endeavor will be, but I’m glad they’re going to try.

Rumor has it that the first closed beta for the game will be happening in July.   That’s a good sign.  With some luck more news will trickle along the airwaves, and as I hear significant information I’ll gladly share it with you guys!   There are still a lot of questions.  A -LOT- of questions.  But, right now I’m keeping a high amount of faith in Bioware’s track record and the fact that what I have heard and seen so far has been great.

Here’s hoping.