punch it, Chewie!

The lack of space flight at the launch of Star Wars Galaxies further emphasized how little effort went in to making it a Star Wars game. Granted, you could take a shuttle or transport to anywhere on a planet's surface or another planet altogether, but your journey is restricted to a loading screen. It was also a giant tease to look up and watch Imperial shuttles fly over Mos Eisley, or see Imperial Star Destroyers orbiting the planet, reiterating the limits of the game. The Jump to Lightspeed expansion may finally increase the user base that SOE was aiming for initially. I have to admit I'm very interested: after trying out the Artisan class and improving my crafting skills, the new Shipwright class may further compliment this profession. After all, there is guaranteed to be a huge market for spaceships. I mean everyone will want to fly their own X-Wing or TIE Fighter during spacefaring missions, which will probably evoke the same style of play as X-Wing Alliance. I'm even starting to see this new dimension of gameplay as an extension of Freelancer - except in the persistent world that was originally intended. Being able to craft new components or upgrade your ship's weapon systems will certainly add more to an increasingly complex gameworld. Most significantly, though, entire career paths will become available to those that wish to spend more time in space, whether you want to run spice for the Hutts or defend the Outer Rim from the Empire. Some careful play balancing must be considered though, because the game can't become unappealing to remain on the ground, or allow players to spend too much time in space. Otherwise it turns into X-Wing vs. TIE Fighter, where only the twitch gamers prevail and roleplaying becomes irrelevant.

Also included in the expansion are specific Jedi skill paths and quests, instead of the completely obscure methods that made their way onto the internet late last year. Given what's involved with levelling up skills, I can only imagine how much time was wasted to figure out the correct path of progression. There will be a lot more Padawans running around, and given the time period the game takes place in this doesn't make a whole lot of sense and takes a bit of uniqueness out of the whole thing (if you're a stickler for Star Wars timelines, that is). But, it is a Star Wars game, and player demand for a Jedi character class was understandably high. Furthermore, knowing that this profession would be available right away, the game becomes more appealing for new players. In fact, you will be able to pursue the path of the Jedi as soon as the next game publish, Secrets of the Force. Jump to Lightspeed is a step in the right direction, and coupled with the official game publishes the developers are constantly building the universe into a truly engaging Star Wars experience.

cool beyond repair