Countdown to the Old Republic

Ah companions. My favourite part of Bioware games. One thing is certainly true: in Star Wars, EVERYONE has a companion character. Han’s got Chewbacca, Anakin had Ashoka, Jabba had that weird little monkey lizard, and now we’re all going to have one too. From Love interests to Padawans, each one we have is going to contribute to our game, making it just a little more interesting that it was the day before. You get your first one early, and as you go on, more and more will want to follow. I hope not too many though. Last thing I need on a covert mission is 20 various people standing behind me when I’m trying to sneak past Imperial guards.


I like that we’re going to be able alter how our companions view us. We can change how they see the world, or if we can’t, odds are they’re going to attack us. Yay! I give it a week before I tick a companion off enough for them to push me into a Sarlacc mouth.

We are being granted a wondrous gift call “The Affection System”. It's sort of based on the Dragon Age affection system and lets the player to alter his companion's feelings through his conduct, words and even presents. So basically means an extra person to shop for if you want to stay on their good side. It really depends on who the companion is and what sort of person the player is role-playing as. Meaning that you can twist someone to become your Dark side Apprentice, or even pull them back from the brink.

I really can’t wait for my first companion. Personally I want a utility droid; I just adore the cute little guys :P

Ok, this is the sign of a true Star Wars geek; a guy who plays a character in Star Wars when you don’t even see his face is coming to town and I still died when I found out. But then again, it is Chewbacca!! I’m serious! Peter Mayhew is back in the UK and will be in my home city. And my wonderful (and I must say dashingly handsome) other half is going to take me. So I must be very flattering in order to stay on his good side, so he doesn’t change his mind and not take me. I love Chewbacca. The giant walking shag carpet has always been one of the most iconic characters to me, because he was always there to remind me that not everyone in Star Wars is human. He’s the constant alien presence and it was awesome when he showed up in Revenge of the Sith, with every other Wookiee on Kashyyyk, backing Master Yoda up all the way. I will do my best for photos and will update soon!!

Lol, ok, did my 30th anniversary post like a good little girl, talked about how much I love Hoth and low and behold, look who showed up this Fan Friday. We're going to Hoth ladies, gentlemen and all unknown genders, the "Icy Graveyard". A tribute to our 30 year anniversary has been given to us. 3 moons, a 323 day year and 23 hours in a day, Hoth is not all that different to our home planet, if you ignore the great frozen wampa-infested wasteland.

But that's what gives this planet its rather unique charm, don't you think? In the very similar words of an unknown scoundral, there's nothing like a line of creatures that hate you and want to kill you to get the heart pumping, right? And to add to the heart racing action, the planet is contested as well. so not only will I have to worry about being eaten by wampas, there's going to be Sith on my tail as well. Forget heart pumping, I may as well have a heart attack right there on the tundra. Someone keep a tauntaun handy for me.... ;P

The Empire Strikes Back is so significant to Star Wars fans, for being the moment where evil actually seems to triumph over the good guys. Luke is rescued, having discovered his father is a psycho, one hand, his friend frozen in carbonite and sold to the highest bidder and everyone in the audience feeling pretty dejected. However it’s only three years until the Return of the Jedi, and frankly that 30th celebration is one I really can’t wait for.

Elyonn

The Hutts

Homeworld: Varl (relocated to Nal Hutta)

According to Hutt legend, Varl orbited two suns, Evona and Ardos, who were worshipped as gods by the Hutts. Evona was consumed by a black hole, and Ardos, in response, threw out its exteriour gas layers, devestating the planets orbiting it, including Varl which was left as a wasteland. However it is under recent speculation that the Hutts more likely devestated their own world during some ancient civil war.

Language: Huttese

Huttese is spoken across many planets, including Tatooine, due to the Hutts great influence across the galaxy. It is the second most commonly spoken language in the galaxy after Galactic Basic.

Average Lifespan: 1000 years

Fully grown Hutts can weight over a metric ton, and are resistant to many poisons and diseases, therefore rarely died of illness.

Gender differences: None

The Hutts are hermaphrodites, and therefore can fulfill the role of either mother or father to offspring.


Interesting Fact:

In Return of the Jedi, Jabba the Hutt was played by a one ton puppet, that cost half a million dollars to build, and had its own make-up artist. It required three people on the inside to man it, all of whom worked on the Muppets show.

Knights of the Old Republic, set nearly 4000 years before the films, was released July 2003, so I'm only 7 years behind on the times. But I'm going to catch up :) . Most annoying part of the game: you can't kill off Bastila until the end. I wanted to shred the stuck up cow less than 20 seconds after I found her. And yet I was not granted the pleasure. I swear I would have gladly let Malak rule the galaxy if he killed Bastila off for me but no. Her "Battle Meditation" (an ability you can learn in the second game so she's not so special) is the one thing going to help him control the galaxy. Personally, I'd have stuck with the massive space station.

The Old Republic is one of the most anticipated games of 2011, under the development of Bioware. Announced October 30th 2007, anticipation of the game has been high, with fans following every move of the Bioware team, from character profiling, game play, combat and world creation. Created with intricate detail, and with the promise that this game with revolutionise the MMORPG world, with its “Fourth Pillar” design, I have no idea how the programmers haven’t all broken down from stress.

The story of the game is the new crucial element. Bioware’s Knights Of The Old Republic games (KOTOR) were known for the ability to let the decisions of the character influence the world around them, from how NPCs interacted with you, what worlds you could visit, and ultimately the events in the conclusion of the game. Now Bioware have aspired to push this design even further, by using this idea in the Old Republic. And unlike KOTOR, there’s no what ifs this time. There’s no “I wonder what would have happened if I’d done this instead”, no going back and making the decision again. No ifs or buts, what you decide changes your game play completely.

Well, I’m looking forward to the launch, I hope you are too.


Elyonn Rand