Recently several press outlets were invited by BioWare to play a section of The Old Republic, and today their impressions have been posted around the Web. Their time with the game focused on combat, story, companions, Flashpoints, and PvP, all as the Republic side. We will post some of the highlights of these previews below as well as a listing of all the various outlets’ writeups. Read more»

A lot of folks have gotten to check out Star Wars: The Old Republic so far at E3 and to make sure you get the best coverage possible, we are going to be gathering all the different previews and impressions we can find in one handy location. Check them out below:

• E3 2011: Hands-on with SWTOR’s Imperial Agent Operative (Massively)
• Hands-On: Beginning My Star Wars: The Old Republic Adventure (Wired.com)
• E3 2011: Star Wars: The Old Republic impressions (PC Gamer)
• Daniel Erickson Interview – Exclusive Info Revealed (Swtor Life)
• E3: General Things Learned (Darth Hater)
• Star Wars: The Old Republic E3 2011 Preview (G4tv.com)
• The Sith Assassin – Hands on with this Deadly Inquisitor at E3 (Video) (TORWars)
• E3 2011: Team Interview With Daniel Erickson (Darth Hater)
• Star Wars: The Old Republic preview (Game Informer)
• The More They Keep Telling Me Star Wars: The Old Republic Isn’t Like World of Warcraft, the Less I Want to Play (Kotaku)
• E3 2011: Star Wars: The Old Republic (Shacknews)
• E3 2011: Star Wars: The Old Republic Notes From E3 (1UP.com)
• E3 2011: Tatooine Live Stream Recap

More interviews and previews will be added as they pop up, so keep checking back for more! If you happen across any we have missed, feel free to post a link in the comments.

Last updated June 13, 11:15pm ET

After having a chance to play PvP in The Old Republic for the first time at the recent Fan Site Summit, many sites are beginning to post the details of their experiences. Let’s take a look at the facts gleaned from these play sessions.

Tanking in PvP
If you have ever played the role of a tank in other MMOs, you may be used to having a completely different spec when it comes to PvP as tanking abilities do not offer much. This is not so in The Old Republic however, as players specced as a tanking class will be able to hold their own in PvP. An example given was that a tank’s taunt ability, which usually attracts ai-controlled enemies to attack the tank rather than his companions, will make damage dealt to the other players around him less effective than if it is dealt on the tank. Lead PvP Designer Gabe Amatangelo explains:

If I taunt a player, they are going to do less damage to everyone except for me. And that less damage that they end up delivering — that difference is going to be tracked on the scoreboard for me. When I guard a player, fifty percent of the damage they receive is redirected to me. And of course, all my heavy armor and avoidance is going to come into play, helping them to survive as well as myself, and all the damage I take on their behalf will be tracked for my rewards at the end of the Warzone.

Rewards
There will of course be rewards for participating in and performing well at PvP. There are several different types of rewards players can gain, including tokens, experience, and credits. Rewards can be exchanged for consumables, or accumulated to be exchanged for PvP gear. Players who go on streaks while in warzones will be announced via voiceover, similar to Halo or Team Fortress 2.

Much more information was revealed at the Fan Site Summit, and you can get the full recap at sites like Darth Hater, Ask a Jedi, and others.

Today many websites have posted their hands-on impressions of Star Wars: The Old Republic after getting to play the game at press events during November. Below all the previews have been compiled from the official forums: Read more»

Below is a complete list of E3 previews and interviews including our own 2, thanks to the official site.

• StarWarsMMO – Interview with Tom Nichols
• StarWarsMMO – Star Wars: The Old Republic E3 Demo Preview
• 1Up – Star Wars: The Old Republic E3 2009 Preview
• Destructoid – Star Wars: The Old Republic Live Demo Impressions
• G4TV – Star Wars: The Old Republic Preview
• Gamasutra – Bringing Story to the Forefront In Star Wars: The Old Republic
• GameSpot – Exclusive Q&A – The Smuggler Profession and E3 2009
• GameSpot – Combat, Bounty Hunters, Smugglers, and Gameplay
• GameSpot – Star Wars: The Old Republic Stage Show
• GameSpy – Star Wars: The Old Republic E3 2009 Preview
• Giant Bomb – Interview: BioWare, Uncut
• Gophn – E3 2009 Exclusive Interview
• IncGamers – Star Wars: The Old Republic E3 2009 Coverage
• IGN – Star Wars: The Old Republic Demo
• Joystiq – Hands-On: Star Wars: The Old Republic
• Kotaku – Star Wars: The Old Republic Preview: Bam, Here It Is
• Kotaku – The Old Republic Wordier Than Entire Run of the Sopranos
• Massively – Star Wars: The Old Republic Demonstration
• MTV Multiplayer – Sex In Star Wars: The Old Republic?
• Now Gamer – Star Wars: The Old Republic Behind Closed Doors
• Rock, Paper, Shotgun – Star Wars: The Old Republic
• Shacknews – Ready to Play KOTOR 3 With a Few Thousand People?
• Ten Ton Hammer – Star Wars: The Old Republic E3 Demo Report
• Ten Ton Hammer – Update with Gordon Walton and Rich Vogel
• Time – A Disturbance in the Force
• Zam – Star Wars: The Old Republic at E3

Happy reading!

No new content update on the official page today unfortunately, but they have given us an official rundown of the E3 presentation, as well as roundup of previews and a list of their various E3 awards.

Read more here.

Here’s hoping next Friday is more exciting!

In the mean time, why not visit our forums and talk TOR. Speculation about the remaining classes seems to be the topic of the moment. Come discuss what you think/hope the remaining class anouncements will be!