This is essentially a repeat of the exact same question listed below in the forums, but, to cut a long story short, or at least... shorter.. Yes it is worth buying, and its not so much still worth playing, as it has become more worth playing than before. There are servers that have very low populations, but if you stick to the main ones then you shouldnt have too many problems finding groups etc. As for not being able to post on the official forums, its fairly simple, only subscribers to the game can do so, and only after 14 days of paid membership i believe, which is why trial accounts etc cannot post either, which leads on to my next answer.... if your not sure about any game, whether its world of warcraft, or swg, or whatever, make use of the free trials to see if you like the game, a try before you buy option is always welcome, despite the hordes of chinese gold farmers or wherever they come from, who pervert the purpose of the free trials for personal gain. Its worth bearing in mind that the bad press/rumours about the game, are mostly over a year old, and things have changed a great deal since.