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Star Wars: The Old Republic expansion to launch April 14

It's finally here. More than a year after it debuted and months after it went free to play, Star Wars: The Old Republic is getting its first downloadable expansion, Rise of the Hutt Cartel, due to arrive on April 14 (or April 9 for early preorders). The obvious question is, what has it got that could tempt former players to come back?

First of all, a new planet and more story. Much of the appeal of BioWare and LucasArts' MMO is the way every quest takes place against the backdrop of the galaxy-wide struggle between the Empire and the Republic, and every player class ends up playing a different but pivotal role.

Rise of the Hutt Cartel picks up at the end of the original story: The Republic's beating back the Empire, and the war machine on both sides needs fuel (hey, it's more dramatic than trade sanctions). The resource-stripping Hutts decide it's a good moment to take over the galaxy and be generally slimy, as they are wont to do, but now you can shoot them. Yay! Actually you're fighting their mercs. What starts as a quick smackdown of the Hutts turns into something more urgent and planetwide, and as usual, it's all up to you.… Read more

SW:TOR Cantina Tour keeps the party going

What kind of community do you get for a game that's just over a year old, not to mention one notorious for a rapid drop from its high initial subscriber base?

Ever since my East Coast-based guild disbanded, I've been a party of one in BioWare's Star Wars: The Old Republic MMO. But 478 people RSVPed on Facebook for the San Francisco stop of the game's Community Cantina Tour on Friday.

Still half-expecting it would be just me, the developers, and a snack table, I showed up early. Was that long line of people us? Yes, judging by the woman in the Chewbacca backpack. I waited outside, chatting with friendly strangers about the game and admiring someone's fully detailed lightsaber replica, until we were ushered in to Jillian's -- a wretched hive of scum and billiards -- for mingling time and a standing-room-only Q&A session. … Read more

Star Wars: The Old Republic adds free-to-play

Well, that didn't take long. EA announced today that gamers can play the beleaguered Star Wars: The Old Republic MMORPG this fall for free, avoiding the usual $14.99 monthly fee. The company also announced a $14.99 price cut for the game coming in August; the cut comes packaged with a one-month subscription. … Read more

Star Wars: The Old Republic takes on World of Warcraft with force

After at least three years and an estimated $155 million, Electronic Arts and BioWare open their new massive multiplayer game, Star Wars: The Old Republic to general audiences on December 20.

The developers' hope is that the game will bring meaningful competition to the World of Warcraft-dominated online gaming market. Gamers and the "Star Wars" faithful, on the other hand, just hope the game is fun. We've been playing the game in an early release phase, open to customers who preordered the game and others.

Rich: Games in the MMO (massive multiplayer online) genre are notoriously hard … Read more