Why The Old Republic could take World of Warcraft’s Crown

Finally, there is some competition in the MMORPG genre. For what seems like forever, World of Warcraft owned the perfect formula for an MMO, and it showed with commercials touting millions and millions of players. Even as long as World of Warcraft has been on top, a number of ambitious games have tried to topple it with no avail, but the most recent MMORPG, Star Wars: The Old Republic, looks to have a chance and here's why:

World of Warcraft: Declining in Numbers

It is no secret that World of Warcraft's subscriber base has declined in numbers. Even as recent as a few months ago, it was reported that World of Warcraft had declined in recent years from 13 million to 10.3 million. Sure, it doesn't look like that much when you have millions of other subscribers, but it is, especially when Star Wars: The Old Republic is obviously going to take advantage of players bored of WoW and ready for another MMORPG.

And to be completely honest, it looks as if The Old Republic is already heading in that direction. How? The Old Republic was just released on December 20, and it has already been reported there are over one million subscribers making it the fastest selling MMORPG to date. I'm sure that news didn't help WoW's worries.

Everyone Loves Star Wars

If any of you have forgotten, Star Wars is one of the most beloved film series in history, even if Episodes 1-3 were a little iffy to some. If I remember correctly, Star Wars has made billions of dollars and is one of the highest grossing film franchises of all time. With a ton of lovable and interesting characters, and plenty of room to show off the Star Wars universe even more, Star Wars: The Old Republic creates an MMORPG experience that players can easily fall into.

Although the Star Wars to video game adaptations haven't all been stellar, there have definitely been a few games that have been off the charts and with the budget The Old Republic has available, it should be the best of the best.

HUGE Budget

Simply put, Star Wars: The Old Republic has a lot of money put into it and a lot of money at its disposal. FIrst off, the game is rumored to be created for upwards of 100 to 300 million dollars, and there is no telling how much more EA is willing to throw at it, which is a good thing. This allows for many things. More updates, patches and expansions are sure to be on the way as SW:TOR has the means to do so and in a timely manner. This will put faith in the MMORPG even if things go a little wrong.

Visually Appealing

It should come as no surprise that although World of Warcraft still houses an absolutely gorgeous world, the graphics are a little lacking compared with games of today. First off, it is completely understandable due to the huge world that World of Warcraft has and the amount of people playing that it can't take a complete graphical upgrade or players would suffer. Plus, it was released in 2004 and for 2004, the graphics are beyond their time.

Unfortunately, the huge budget Star Wars: The Old Republic has at its disposal allowed for the new MMORPG to integrate better graphics and arguably a more beautiful world throughout. And when it comes down to it, many people are all about the graphics and will turn for an MMO experience with better visuals.

More Story Involved

I know one thing I didn't like about World of Warcraft was a lack of more story integration. It seems like gameplay takes the front seat and the story takes a seat in the back of the truck. And that is fine, it is, after all, the formula that has worked for years and World of Warcraft did it perfectly.

However, in Star Wars: The Old Republic, the story takes center stage as not only will you be going to defeat a random enemy in some random area of play. There is a reason why you are headed that way and a consequence that makes you feel more immersed in your characters role in the Star Wars universe.

Voices Everywhere

Many players have said they love SW:TOR due to a small and simple thing, voice. Non-player characters, all of them, talk to you as you pass by. This small and simple change that World of Warcraft does not have is a great addition and yet another element to immerse players in Star Wars: The Old Republic instead of the still-on-top, World of Warcraft.

World of Warcraft, you may have to watch your back. I sense an arch nemesis in your midst in the form of Star Wars: The Old Republic.