Star Wars Galaxies (SWG) has now gone through not one but two complete gameplay rebuilds, with the latest incarnation being bundled with three expansions in a single boxed set: Star Wars Galaxies: The Complete Online Adventures.

What you get is the core SWG game, originally set loose on the Internet in June 2003. You also get the popular Jump to Lightspeed expansion, which filled the vacuum of the original game by adding space zones and a wide range of starfighters, Rebel, Imperial and neutral, for players to master. The two other bundled expansions, Rage of the Wookies and Trials of Obi-Wan were released in 2005, and add new planets, quests and content inspired by Episode III: Revenge of the Sith. You also get a bonus DVD with “hours” of fairly pointless and trivial content.

What you also get is a game suffering from something of an identity crisis. The layers of gameplay enhancements sometimes sit uneasily on top of each other, like a strained makeover that can’t quite hide its host’s true age. Where the original SWG followed the philosophy that an MMO should give players the opportunity to “live” a virtual life in a fantasy world, with a corresponding emphasis on atmosphere, exploration and community, the latest iteration — called New Game Enhancement, or NGE — takes a more contemporary approach, epitomised by the wildly successful World of Warcraft. As such, the new SWG is more action-oriented, with an emphasis on combat and with a (sometimes obscure) path of quests that guide the player from induction through to elite status.

However, the new fast-paced gameplay still takes place on the same slow-moving expansive worlds of the original game. Much has been done to try and add flavour to these broad worlds, and to attempt to tie the land-based game in with its space-based brethren, but the end result is a game that feels patched together.

For example, the galactic civil war between the menacing Empire and the plucky Rebellion has received some much needed attention in the game, such as through dedicated PvP (player versus player) zones and factional control of certain key cities, but it’s still not as well integrated as factions in other MMOs such as World of Warcraft or City of Heroes/Villains.

There’s no question the new class and combat system is an improvement over the original nuanced system, but the question remains whether it’s a matter of too little, too late. The problem is, if you enjoyed the old “lifestyle MMO” feel of the original SWG, then there’s little for you in the game today. However, if you’re looking for a more action-packed, quest-based game, there are far better MMOs out there that have been designed from the ground up to give you such an experience.

Ultimately, if you can suffer the sometimes incongruous gameplay and the dated graphics, then there are many hours of content in SWG to keep you busy – but don’t expect to be blown away like the Death Star.

For
Wealth of content and rich iconic Star Wars environments.

Against
Often incongruous gameplay, dated graphics and diminishing community of players.