Video games: Jedi warriors in 'Star Wars: The Old Republic'

Over the past third of a century, no new fiction has engaged the popular imagination and become as thoroughly essential an element of mass culture as "Star Wars." There can't be many people anywhere who wouldn't at least recognize a lightsaber or Darth Vader.

Over the past decade, no video game has engaged a broader global community than "World of Warcraft." The first online game to enjoy global popularity, it had more than 12 million paid subscribers last fall. Yet it has lost about 2 million players over the past year, and now the original evil empire is at the door.

Electronic Arts just released "Star Wars: The Old Republic," a sprawling multiplayer online adventure that is the first legitimate competition that "World of Warcraft" has faced for the hearts, minds, hours and dollars of millions of players. "Star Wars" games have been around for decades, but "The Old Republic" provides the most extensive opportunity to become a Jedi warrior, Sith assassin, snarky smuggler or powerful sage.

An online, downloadable computer game such as "World of Warcraft" or "The Old Republic" entices players to commit time and emotion to a virtual character over years and to pay about $15 a month for the privilege. Most important, these persistent games populated by thousands of simultaneous players generate real-life relationships and communities. Over the next few years, the competition between "World of Warcraft" and "The Old Republic" might have far-reaching consequences for players and the companies behind them.

In the past couple of months, I have spent at least 125 hours in beta tests for "The Old Republic" and have played 30 more hours since the retail servers opened to people who ordered the game months ago. You don't play a game that much unless you're enjoying yourself. My Sith sorcerer is uncovering more mysteries of the Dark Side every day.

I've also returned to "World of Warcraft," playing it 20 to 30 hours a week.

Any notion that "The Old Republic" will be a "WOW-killer" is absurd. "World of Warcraft" boasts a variety, breadth and level of handcrafted content that no other game is close to matching. That said, "The Old Republic" is by far the best, most exciting online game since the original "World of Warcraft." It should be a "Star Wars" fan's dream.

BioWare and Electronic Arts reportedly have spent $125 million to $200 million making "The Old Republic." That would make it the most expensive game ever. It shows.

Yet Blizzard is clearly working to slow or stop the game's erosion of players from "World of Warcraft." In terms of the game's design, the overall tone and difficulty have become much more accessible to casual players. The sorts of high-level demons and dragons that traditionally would have been conquerable only by people who played dozens of hours a week can now be felled by pickup groups of moderately skilled players.

At the end of the day, "World of Warcraft" is still about swords and spells, elves and orcs. For a player ready to trade those in for lasers, spaceships and, of course, lightsabers, "Star Wars: The Old Republic" beckons brightly.