The Old Republic: Episode 6 - Onboard the Esseles

This evening on SWTOR I had the good fortune of running into MattG and Anaria from the SWNZ Message Boards. They graciously teamed up with me and helped me through my first flashpoint - The Esseles.

(Image courtesy of Anaria)

It was a lot of fun, and I must say that the social aspect really adds to an already amazing game. The mission was also a great chance to upgrade some of my gear.

If you're ever looking to team up for a flashpoint, be sure to email me at relicsoftheforce@gmail.com and let me know your player name!

Shadows of the Empire Soundtrack

I've been using my my time in the US as a chance to fill several select holes in my collection. Up until now I thought I'd managed to secure all of the Star Wars soundtracks (Episodes I through VI and The Clone Wars). It turns out that I'd made a glaring omission however: the soundtrack for Shadows of the Empire. Today I was able to fill that gap.

I managed to pick this up from Amazon for only $12.06US ($14.74NZ). In my estimations Shadows of the Empire remains the crowning jewel of the Expanded Universe. While it was Timothy's Zahn's Heir to the Empire trilogy that reintroduced us to the Star Wars universe, SotE is what truly made us feel at home again. Even more incredible was the marketing attached to this multimedia release. The release of SotE included a novel, comic series, Nintendo 64 console game, action figures, Micro Machines, Action Fleet, and, yes, even a soundtrack. SotE really was everything but the movie.

SotE was released the very same year that I was first introduced to the original trilogy, and for that reason will always hold a special place in my heart. I couldn't be happier with this purchase!

The Old Republic: Episode 5 - Trial's End

This afternoon I finally completed the last of the solo quests on Coruscant. I'm now 1 XP away from level 16 (which is as high as the trial will allow you to go). I've also acquired some great new gear and managed to save up 20,000 credits (again, the maximum allowed on the trial).

Captain Revuge - kitted out and ready for action!

Now all that's left to do is await the free-to-play option so I can blast away from Coruscant and get on with exploring the rest of the SWTOR galaxy. There's no confirmation of the exact date for the switchover yet, but I'll be sure to keep you posted as soon as news comes to light.

The Old Republic: Episode 4 - Revenge of the Ship

Having returned to Coruscant several levels higher than when I departed, I decided to press on ahead with my class storyline in the hope of finally recovering my ship. Things were going well until I reached the lower docking bays of Coruscant and ecountered a pesky Bith that I simply couldn't overcome. Faced with this hurdle, I did what any self-respecting Republic citizen would do: I enlisted the aid if a couple of Jedi.

Masters Jorren and Vagens generously came to my aid and helped me take down my foe. Upon his defeat I was granted access to the docking bay he guarded - and finally discovered my ship.

Isn't she a beauty?

Words cannot describe how ecstatic I was to finally have her back. It may sound unusual, but the narrative was so engrossing that our reunion was a real moment of triumph. I love this ship - particularly the way it seamlessly blends elements of both its predecessors (see the Ebon Hawk) and descendents (see the Milennium Falcon). Unfortunately, in a cruel twist of fate, it turns out that trial players are unable to use their ship. This means I'll have to wait until the free-to-play option kicks in this November before I can take her our for a spin.

This is fine with me though. For now, it seems that the best plan is to spend my time on Coruscant levelling up and scraping together as many credits as possible. Then when I do finally leave, I should be in the best possible position to take everything the galaxy has to throw at me.

A ship-side selfie.

I simply cannot express my the depth of my gratitude to Jorren and Vagens. Without them, my ship would still be locked up and in enemy hands. Unfortunately another downside of the trial version is the inability to send message mail and items. This will change with the free-to-play transfer, and as soon as it does they'll be receiving a fat wad of credits in gratitude.

I'm rather looking forward to living the smuggler's life...

The Old Republic: Episode 3 - Return to Coruscant

Another day, another couple of levels higher. I've now exhausted the quests available on Ord Mantell, earning enough commendations in the process to buy myself a snazzy new Taloran jacket.

Looking rather dapper if I do say so myself!

Having gained four levels since returning to Ord Mantell, I've packed my bags and jumped the first transport back to Coruscant. This time I don't plan on leaving until I'm on my own ship!

The Old Republic: Episode 2 - A Minor Setback

After another couple of hours I've reached level 10 and been given the opportunity to choose my advanced class. Although the Scoundrel comes with some cool stealth abilities, the chance to duel-wield and wear a duster as a Gunslinger was just too tempting.

Unfortunately I've hit something of a snag. Obsessed with having my ship returned, I've been pushing ahead in my character's story without placing a lot of focus on side quests. It turns out this isn't the smartest idea as these side quests are a necessity in order to level up at the appropriate rate. As a result of this, I soon found deep in the underbelly of Coruscant going up against foes more than twice my level. Things got hairier than an unkempt Wookiee.

Air taxis - my main mode of transportation for the foreseeable future.

Fortunately for me an incredibly helpful Jedi Knight intervened. After rescuing me from a rather sticky situation, she suggested I retrace my steps and spend some time honing my skills before forging on ahead. It's a difficult pill to swallow, but one I'll have to accept.

Yes, I frequent the cantinas more than most. But knowing what goes down in those joints, wouldn't you too?

After spending some time training on the Republic Fleet, I'm now back on Ord Mantell helping fight the good fight against the Separatist forces. Once I've completed the quests there, I should be in much better shape to head back to Coruscant and get my ship back!

The Old Republic: Episode 1 - Every Journey Has a First Step...

After a four-hour exam this morning I decided I wanted to spend the rest of my day doing something rather less grueling. Finally installing my free trial of The Old Republic seemed like just the ticket.

It was after a great deal of deliberation that I finally opted to go with the smuggler class. The character seemed to encapsulate all of the things I love most about Star Wars. It also means my progression will fit in perfectly with a few other Star Wars fiction projects I've worked on over the years.

I've spent a couple of hours playing now, and I must say the game is everything I'd hoped for. It's incredibly immersive and the locales are breathtaking. There's been a fair bit of run-and-fetch action so far, though this is due in large part to the fact that I've been ignoring side-quests and interactions with other players. For now, my main focus is on recovering the ship which was regrettably stolen from me in the opening moments of the game. At the moment I'm at level 8 and hanging out in a seedy cantina on Coruscant. Pretty soon I'll be heading to Black Sun's stronghold to search for clues regarding the whereabouts of my ship.

Hanging out in yet another wretched hive of scum and villainy.

The free trial will let me play up to level 15. After this, I'll have to wait until the game goes free-to-play in November before levelling any higher. I'll be posting regularly about my SWTOR adventures, so look for a new tab under the 'Holonet Index' on the left.

My character's name is 'Revuge', so if you too are a SWTOR player then feel free to add me as a friend and say hi. Maybe you can even show a newbie around the galaxy?

The Clone Wars Season 5 Premiere

This Saturday 29th September sees the return of The Clone Wars to our TV screens with the premiere of season 5. If you're not already getting excited about this, then you should be. Three days ago this preview was posted online:

Yes, that's Darth Maul, Savage Oppress and a platoon of Mandalorians meeting with Black Sun on Mustafar. You can see more of what Season 5 has in store for us in the trailer below:

It looks like this season will be absolutely dripping with Star Wars lore, and I for one can't wait!

Star Wars Model-Making at its Finest

Earlier this year I saw images of an incredible snowspeeder model featured at the Model-X 2012 Hobby Show in Auckland, New Zealand. The detail and craft that went into this model blew me away. It truly was a thing of beauty.

This week I had the good fortune of being introduced to the man behind this model – Steve, aka ‘Snibo1’ over at the SWNZ message boards. Steve’s been a fan of the saga since the release of A New Hope in 1977 and has amassed a sizable collection of Star Wars merchandise since then. An incredibly gifted modeller, he’s now turned his attention to scratch-building Star Wars vehicles.

Steve is a member of the Waikato Scale Model Club and won ‘Best Sci-Fi Entry’ last year for his snowspeeder. You can also find him on the Kiwi Modeller message boards under the name ‘Steve’. He's just finished work on a second project – a diorama of Red 4 during a refit approximately six months before the battle of Yavin. The model is based on the old MPC X-Wing Kit which Steve has scaled up to twice the original size. The entire model is around 400mm long.

(Images courtesy of MattG and Steve)

Steve is now working on a fully lit model of the shuttle Tydirium. Fortunately for us, he's considering making these models to order. If you’re keen on adding one of these stunning pieces to your collection, then be sure to get in touch with him via the message boards above.

The Hunt Is On - The Vintage Collection 3 3/4" VC116 Republic Trooper (The Old Republic) Update

As the Vintage Collection prepares to wind down, there's now only one figure left on my huntlist that I'll be keeping an eye out for - VC116 Republic Trooper (The Old Republic).

(Image courtesy of rebelscum.com)

DorkSideToys.com are currently listing a release date of November 30th 2012 for this figure - the same as that which appeared on Amazon.com before the figure became unavailable. I'll be visiting New Zealand in December, so my plan is to spend a few weeks scoping out the shops both here and back home for what I can only assume will be a very sought after figure. If I don't have any luck in stores, I'll have to look into sourcing the figure online when I return to the US.

Clone Wars Volume 2 DVD

Today my third and final Amazon purchase arrived: Volume 2 of the Clone Wars micro series on DVD.

This series was never released on DVD in New Zealand, though fortunately a friend picked up Volume 1 for me in Australia a few years ago. Volume 2 proved to be far more elusive however. When I found it on Amazon for $13.46US ($16.40NZ) I jumped at the chance to add it to my collection. With this acquisition, I've now completed my Star Wars DVD library.

As fond as I am of the the new The Clone Wars CGI series, I think I'll always prefer the micro series. There's something about the animated style that suits the narrative perfectly. In many ways, the Clone Wars series included a lot of elements missing from the prequels.

Fortunately the micro series still stands as canon. Volume 1 (Episodes 1-20) and the first episode of Volume 2 (Episode 21) serve as an important prequel to the events of the CGI series. Some of the most important highlights include the knighting of Anakin, and the reciprocal gifting of R2-D2 and C-3PO to Anakin and Padmé respectively.

We're yet to see whether the remainder of Volume 2 (Episodes 22-25) will bookend the conclusion of the CGI series. These episodes provide a riveting account of the invasion of Coruscant, the kidnapping of Chancellor Palpatine, and the events leading up to Anakin and Obi-Wan's arrival in the opening moments of Revenge of the Sith. I've got my fingers crossed that the CGI series finishes just short of - or at least runs parallel to - the telling of these events.

I really can't wait to sit down and watch these episodes again!

The Hunt Is On - The Vintage Collection 3 3/4" VC101 Shae Vizsla (Old Republic Bounty Hunter) Found

Today the second of my Amazon purchases arrived - the incredibly hard to find VC101 Shae Vizla (Old Republic Bounty Hunter).

I managed to pick this up for $24.79US ($30.64NZ) - not a bad price considering the rarity of this figure. Shae will go great with the Darth Malgus I acquired earlier this year!

The Hunt Is On - 30057 Anakin's Podracer Found

Today the first of my Amazon purchases arrived - 30057 Anakin's Podracer.

I'd been hoping to find this set ever since hitting the states, so I was rapt to find it online for only $1.59US ($1.99NZ). This sculpt is a vast improvement on the model from 4485 Mini Sebulba's Podracer &Anakin's Podracer and will go great with the new version of Sebulba's podracer.