Even though our friends at BioWare wouldn't let us video tape the gameplay demonstration that we were given, they said we could write about it, and we did just that in this article.

BioWare has frequently mentioned that, with Star Wars: The Old Republic, they're not just making Knights of the Old Republic 3, they're making 3, 4, 5, 6, etc. During our gameplay demo at E3 last week we got a taste of that metaphorical content pie and boy did it taste good! Obviously there is a major difference between a great demo at a convention and a solid game; however, if BioWare can continue with the progress they've already made, there is no doubt in my mind that the game will be a success. Maybe even a success comparable to World of Warcraft.

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Our demo started with a viewing of the now famous geekgasm of a trailer which was so significant, it undoubtedly interrupted Mr. Lucas' money counting. After the demo, our host, Dallas Dickinson, gave us a look at the Bounty Hunter and the recently announced Smuggler class. It's important to note that the Smuggler is going to be amazingly fun to play. I'm sure there is some naiveté in that statement, but hear me out. BioWare has created a "cover system" in which the Smuggler can see around walls, behind trees and other objects. To clarify, I'm talking about a cover system like within Gears of War. I can't speak to whether or not it has that much depth, but it will definitely be a key part of playing a Smuggler.

The meat and potatoes portion of our demo was called a "flashpoint", which is essentially a customized story event that can be both instanced and un-instanced forms of gameplay. In the particular scenario we were shown, a Sith and his Bounty Hunter friend were aboard an Imperial ship. We were notified that the Captain of the ship had been ordered to track down and apprehend a nearby Jedi, but he had refused said order. Our mission was to deal with the traitor and track down the Jedi.

We battled our way through Imperial Soldiers in order to get to the bridge, at which point we were faced with something Knights of the Old Republic fans will be familiar with: Dialogue, followed by a choice. That's right. I'm talking real, professional voice over dialogue that made me want to wet myself slightly. I digress…

Our choices were simple, either kill the traitor Captain, or spare his life. Our Guide, Dallas Dickinson, let us decide and informed us that whatever we decided would have a permanent impact on our character, and it would change the rest of the "flashpoint".

The obvious choice for me was to kill that dirty traitor. I mean, this is an MMO … right? That brings me to a reminder.  Every choice that you make in Star Wars: The Old Republic will have a lasting effect on your character and the world around you. There is no save button. You'll gain loyalty (faction) and you'll see a familiar Dark/Light meter that existed in KOTOR. After shouting "Off with his head!" we took command of the ship and began to discuss how we would track down the Jedi. That is … until the counter-offensive began.

At this point we were again asked to make a choice.  We decided to leave our newly promoted Captain in charge of things on the deck and head out to fight the soon to be boarding invaders.

One of the coolest parts of combat that we saw was how smoothly different classes complimented each other. In this example, our guide, playing the Sith character, was putting our enemies in an elevated force choke as the Bounty Hunter planned a strategic rocket that propelled our already air born combatant into a wall. The potential for popular combos that will promote teamwork was evident and will probably be a key aspect of competitive play.

After fighting countless enemies, we came to the big finish at long last. The very Jedi that we were looking for had come to us. Our fight with the Jedi was exciting and full of action. He had many unique abilities that kept us on our toes. In the end, however, he was no match for a Sith and a Bounty Hunter duo. After the defeat we looted his corpse for any treasure and to everyone's delight, we found an additional light saber. Since we were now duel wielding lightsabers and had completed our primary objective, it was clear that our Captain killing tour was now at an end.

Our Director of Content, Ryan Bohmann, had the opportunity to sit in on a demonstration in which the Captain was saved. However, the rest of the mission was nearly identical. After he read my article, he mentioned that the biggest difference was likely the cut scene. That said, all and all our first look at Star Wars: The Old Republic was an amazing experience that had me captivated from the beginning. Of all the games we saw at E3 this year, Star Wars: The Old Republic was definitely the most exciting.

Andrew "Tamat" Beegle
Editor-in-Chief
ZAM.com