E3 2010: Bioware Shows Off ‘Star Wars The Old Republic ‘ Trailer

One of my personal faves in the ‘Upcoming PC and Mac Games We’re Dying to Play’ category, is Bioware’s upcoming ‘Star Wars: The Old Republic.’ The game known as ‘SWTOR’ to it’s eagerly-anticipating gamer fans, is a story-driven massively-multiplayer online game from BioWare and LucasArts. Explore an age thousands of years before the rise of Darth Vader when war between the Old Republic and the Sith Empire divides the galaxy.

With the ability to align yourself with the light or dark side of the force, you will be able to play some iconic Star Wars classes such as Trooper, Smuggler, Jedi Knight or Jedi Consular. Those drawn to the dark side can choose from a variety of classes as well, including the Bounty Hunter, Sith Warrior, Imperial Agent or Sith Inquisitor. Expect the ability to finely-tune your character’s class with a huge list of abilities and skills, so if you want to play a Sith Warrior that can rush into the fray and take a beating, your skills and ability choices will allow you to pull that off.

Hit the jump for more details on SWTOR character companions, the MMO aspects of the game, as well as a very special cinematic trailer released during E3 that will blow your socks off!

One of the more interesting character-related feature is the ability to pick up a companion that will provide commentary, local information and plot details from their own perspective. Every Star Wars hero needs a companion. Han had Chewie, Luke had R2-D2 — even Jabba had the cackling monkey lizard Salacious B. Crumb. Novice characters will discover their first companion early on in the storyline, however as you become more seasoned, more will rally to your cause.

And interestingly, while SWTOR is considered a true MMO and thus inter-player cooperation will help you get far in the game, Bioware is claiming that the majority of the game can actually be played alone. While many details simply do not exist about this exciting new game, one thing we do know, the release date has been pegged as somewhere in Spring 2011. Details about monthly subscriptions, beta testing, and other hot topics remain under tight wraps for now.

However, expect some big announcements this Friday from Bioware, as the company has indicated they will be doing a very special ‘Fan Friday’ in conjunction with the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) in Los Angeles. As they release new exciting information about Star Wars: The Old Republic, we’ll be updating this article daily to share the big announcements with you.