Never On Sunday

I’ve written before that the more I learn of upcoming MMO Star Wars: the Old Republic, the further my initial enthusiasm withers. No news since then has reversed that trend, but a recent video reporting on Operation: Eternity Vault has accelerated it. Amid wailing, demonic crescendos and booming timpani, we are informed that an even greater evil is about to erupt on the galaxy, an evil so absolutely huge as to dwarf even the war between Empire and Republic.

You know what that means, don’t you? It doesn’t mean turning the action up to eleven; it means setting aside the whole war thing and working together to defeat it, undoubtedly amid token snarling about how much everyone involved hates doing so. Just like the war-less World of Warcraft. Again. Also a sure sign that all that unique content isn’t going to be nearly so unique, nor so thorough, as promised.

I’m getting pretty tired, by the way, of all the Carmina Burana wailing and booming shit. Recent features designed to get the fanboys all riled up over glimpses of gameplay are positively loaded with it, and the choice seems to be intended to conceal what look to be very ordinary fights with very ordinary creatures, bots, and bosses. Careful editing of the tiny clips weren’t careful enough: you can spot light sabers chopping through foes without doing any apparent harm and head shots that mean no more than fewer hit points on the meter. Since the unofficial theme song of Dante’s Inferno won’t be gushing out the speakers while you play, it’s common sense to watch the video clips with the sound off. Supply a few whooshes and pew-pews of your own if you like. Without the soundtrack, gameplay looks depressingly shopworn.