The CE Statue We Really Wanted!

Shae Vizila - Oh What Could Have Been....

Joking aside we probably would have paid more for a statue of Shae Vizla in the CE than BioWare's boy Malgus.  Shae was seen in the 'The Return' trailer blasting republic soldiers and for a few seconds in 'Hope' trailer.  It's that hot bad-ass bounty hunter that everyone loves.

Don't get us wrong Malgus is pretty dang impressive with his arm pointing out towards all the people he wants to kill.  But the dude is 80% ugly and 20% Darth Vader armor.  I don't think we need kids or spouses asking that question - "Good lord who is that on your desk?  Vader without his mask?".  Instead we want to hear ... "What's with the hot red head and can I get her number?".  BioWare/EA oh it would have been great to have the option between Malgus or Shae.  Maybe even a Republic type option.

Shae just like Malgus is made by the guys at Gentle Giant LTD.  And you can find out more about the statue as well as add yourself to the waiting list at their site.  Shae will cost you about $80 and while that does not include her phone number it could still be a good buy for the average collector.

PAX PLUS PRIME Post-Game

So what have we learned.....

The following is a collection of notes from various sites and the podcast 'The Republic'.  And all of it just sounds jaw dropping amazing.....  So huge thanks to DarthHater.com and The Republic.  Two sites we can't function without and their amazing coverage of this game.

PvP News
1.  Groups of 4 can queue for a PvP battlegrounds at launch.
2.  Open world PvP planet - Illum. Both sides fighting for control of either buildings on the planet or the planet itself.  Probably both.
3.  Combat is very visual - leading to eSports.
4.  At lunch there will be battle rings.... ?

Point 3 and 4 lead us to believe that there could be open spectator games/events.  Ladders and leagues to come etc.

Raid News - Specific to Eternity Vault 
1.  5 bosses in total to challenge you.
2.  3 hours total to run the entire instance.
3.  Split between ice, jungle, lava, prison, etc....  So a wide range of areas.

Character Information
1. It looks like the '-' can be used in a character name.  This is just from a beta shot so its not confirmed.  Thanks to The Republic for this one.

2. Mod-able gear - "Take a 10th level jedi knight robe and mod it from content at the highest level to make it just as good" - James Ohlen

3.  With the best gear - you will only be 10% better then those at your level.  Which implies the game is not based primarly on gear but on skill.

Beta Weekends! September
It's finally coming! For those of us that have been sitting on the sideline forever begging to get in.... Well we might just finally get to cross the line.


Release Date - Probably not the most important to some, but every important to many....  EA and BioWare are hoping to give the actual release date for the game after the September Beta Testing!  If everything goes well.

Fan Friday is Epic Eternity Vault Day

In what appears to be a mega showing of footage from BioWare but at the same time similar to what has already been released we get a much more detailed view of the Eternity Vault.  For those that just started to pay attention to this game the Eternity Vault is one of the two end raids in the SWTOR.

It's possible the footage was taken from the BioWare raid team that performed in Germany a few weeks ago.  Regardless Dallas does a good job as usual to walk us through the events.  And while he looks like he has had more sleep then normal someone needs to iron his shirt next time :)

Gameplay Movies = Happy Times!

You asked for it you got it!!!  Good lord.... its almost as if the NDA has been lifted.

Of the movies we have found this is our favorite.  PvP Warzone footage of a trooper.   In fact this was more enjoyable then many of the pre-canned movies made.  It's also a good example to other fan sites (Yes 'Darth Hater' i mean you!) of how to do a game play movie.  The commentating never gets annoying and makes us want to fly to Austin, TX and beat down BioWare's door.  It also makes us a tad more interested in the class.

But it gets better....   The following is the Sith warrior play through of the first mission or two on his origin world of Korriban.  It shows us basic combat and abilities with some minor intro into the classes story.  With a great running Q&A.

And here is part 2 that begins to show us the plot thicken....  While some may wish to not be spoiled we could not help but watch.  Honestly it did not cover enough of the story to ruin it for anyone on release.

ENJOY!! And huge thanks to the sites able to post this information.

Facebook Wednesday With Rockjaw Bonus!

It's Wednesday.  And its the one day of the week we have to load up facebook.  CURSE YOU FACEBOOK!!  But here it is...

The Jedi Shadow stands alone after an intense battle inside an Imperial encampment.

Now the Shadow is actually one of the classes we really want to checkout.  It almost sounds like some kind of stealth ninja mage.  But don't let us try and explain it. Please take a look at BioWare's description:

A Shadow serves the Jedi Order by being a silent observer and, when action is necessary, a subtle hand. To avoid rash decisions on the part of the Council, Shadows go unseen, gathering information and quietly thwarting those who seek to threaten the Jedi order. Employing Force techniques that cloud enemy minds, Shadows slip into hostile territory,and when necessary, they strike enemies down with deadly efficiency.

Additional Jedi Consular Information

But not only did we get a facebook image.  Mr Reid himself gave us a glimpse of their upcoming PAX Prime.

PAX! Wish we could go :(

Probing the PODS: The Cantina Band

We have a new POD that requires listening.  These guys are nothing short of interesting in a sea of bland boring SWTOR pods.  None of which we will name here.... 

Moving into our short list of PODS to listen too along with Darth Hater, The Republic, and TwoTORGamers, these guys have managed to grab our interest.  It's odd - but we think it has a lot to do with their level of excitement.  It's a positive listening experience from people that you would probably drink a beer with at your local.  In addition they had Scott Johnson from FrogPants Studios. 

Why is this great!?  Well Scott has the pod process down to a WoW.  Intro, schedule, quality sound and humor.  Humor being the key for us.  They also take the view of common sense.  And by that it appears they want all the information before making a call.  The voice of reason if you will.... something "The Instance" is known for among the WoW community. 

The show is hosted by Brian Brushwood and Adam Paulauski.  They do a great job and we recommend checking them out.  We also hope Scott makes a regular appearance on the show.  For more info head over to The Cantina Band.

Once Again BioWare Clears the ORIGIN Air....

To those that for some odd reason hate competition in an industry that always needs it and only want to use one product to download games Mr. Reid has a little to say in a thread called "EA has crossed the line".

Regardless of what other games may choose to do in their integration with Origin's desktop client, here's what our situation is:

You are not required to use the Origin desktop client to download, patch or play the game client for Star Wars: The Old Republic.

This applies whether you purchase The Old Republic via Origin.com or from a retailer in boxed form. You will not be forced to install the Origin desktop client.

There are still various consumer benefits to the client itself, but it's not required for The Old Republic.


This info of course has been released a few times.  Hopefully its the last time we have to talk about this service.  It's only used as a device to download the game.  Or for those that want to play BF3 and the next COD. 

Hopefully we can move forward and Mr. Reid can comment on the Sept Beta, or plans for release, or why the smuggler is going to face own the Bounty Hunter.  Things of IMPORTANCE PEOPLE!!!