Star Wars Galaxies

Star Wars Galaxies is a science fiction MMORPG released in 2003 for the Windows PC platform. Developed by Sony Online Entertainment (Everquest) and published by LucasArts (Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic), Star Wars Galaxies has seen three expansions and several game updates since its initial release.

Receiving critical acclaim after LucasArts announced its plans to publish the title, the game has decreased in both sales and subscriptions over the past several years. http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/02/21/tech/gamecore/main1335511_page3.shtml In late 2005, Star Wars Galaxies released its last retail expansion pack, Trials of Obi-wan, and focused instead on providing game content updates for existing subscibers. http://www.mmogamer.com/10/18/2007/interview-jake-neri-discusses-star-wars-galaxies The game offers perks for long-time players and a gameplay experience more closely related to the Star Wars movies.

Star Wars Galaxies takes place during the classic Star Wars trilogy. After waking in a medical bay the player meets C-3PO and learns they have been captured by the Empire. During a short series of introductory quests covering inventory, combat, and the mission system, players are tasked with escaping via Han Solo's starship the Millennium Falcon. http://starwarsgalaxies.station.sony.com/en_US/players/guides.vm?id=60008

Though the game follows the general storyline existing between Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope, many sidequests offer original content for fans of the Star Wars expanded universe, including a content patch set on the outer rim planet of Dathomir. http://starwarsgalaxies.station.sony.com/players/content.vm?page=Current%20update

Players can also control the storyline in Star Wars Galaxies with the advent of the Storyteller system, devised to allow original quests. Players gain access to developer tools including non-player characters and props that can be arranged to tell a story. Other players are then invited to the quest and can complete it for rewards. http://starwarsgalaxies.station.sony.com/players/content.vm?id=66938&resource=features

Star Wars Galaxies is a MMORPG in the vein of World of Warcraft. Players complete objectives to earn experience points and gold that they use to train skills in various professions. More traditional, combat-oriented roles include the smuggler and officer professions, but the game also allows players to become traders by selling crafted items, or entertainers by playing music or dancing. http://starwarsgalaxies.station.sony.com/en_US/players/guides.vm?id=70001

Until 2005, players could graduate to the Jedi profession by opening a Force-Sensitive Slot, obtainable after finding holocrons and mastering the professions therein. http://www.swgalaxies.net/guides/jedi/ This was changed with the New Game Update, allowing players to create a new Jedi without any previous gameplay. http://starwarsgalaxies.station.sony.com/players/guides.vm?id=70002

While traders and entertainers gain experience via non-aggressive means, all combat classes follow the traditional leveling curve of the MMORPG genre, killing monsters and completing quests to reach maximum level. Star Wars Galaxies utilizes a combination of goal completion and skill leveling to help players master their chosen profession.

With subsequent expansions adding additional planets such as the wookiee homeworld of Kashyyyk, exploration is a large part of the gameplay experience. http://www.mobygames.com/game/star-wars-galaxies-episode-iii-rage-of-the-wookiees In 2004, Star Wars Galaxies allowed players access to their own starship.

The Star Wars Galaxies series comes from a long line of Star Wars games, yet it is the first in the MMORPG genre. Originally meant to release April 15, 2003, beta was extended due to a request by the developers for additional feedback. http://pc.ign.com/articles/389/389542p1.html An Empire Divided, the first game in the series, was available for purchase on June 25, 2003. Later that year LucasArts announced plans for Jump to Lightspeed, an expansion pack released in 2004 that added space combat and starships to the game. http://www.mobygames.com/game/windows/star-wars-galaxies-jump-to-lightspeed Subsequent releases of Rage of the Wookiees and Trials of Obi-Wan in 2005 heralded the last expansion packs available for the game, before the developer moved toward the content patch model. http://www.mobygames.com/game/windows/star-wars-galaxies-trials-of-obi-wan

The most notable change in the series occurred in 2005 when Sony Online Entertainment reworked several fundamentals of the game including storyline, questing, and combat in their New Game Experience. http://pc.ign.com/articles/675/675442p1.html Since then, players have received new content updates and veteran rewards for maintaining their subscriptins. http://starwarsgalaxies.station.sony.com/en_US/players/content.vm?page=Veteran%20Rewards

"A short while after the game's release, there's a lot of breadth to Star Wars Galaxies, but there isn't a lot of depth." — Gamespot http://www.gamespot.com/pc/rpg/starwarsgalaxiesaned/review.html

"It's your own personal Star Wars, just don't expect anyone to make a movie out of it." — IGN http://pc.ign.com/articles/428/428431p1.html