Star Wars: The Old Republic is now free to play. And, if you're anything like me and have an affection for Star Wars that goes back to watching the VHS Special Edition releases so often that you wore the tapes out, you'll want to try it. It's a great, well-balanced MMORPG, collecting everything great about Star Wars and Bioware games and the time of the Old Republic into one rad package. It has some issues – I'm noticing a strong outrage at the F2P model EA has set up – but it tickles all the right fancies.

But I don't want to talk about The Old Republic. Instead, I want to look back, almost a decade ago, to Star Wars Galaxies, that strange, confusing, grindy, sandbox, community run oddity that I admit I spent a year and a half playing.

Better late then never! ZAM's Mike B. aka Fony was a bit delayed on getting a BFF Report last week, but this week he's back with the BFF Report - Episode #95: The Top 5 Most Controversial Games of 2011! In this episode, Fony... well... he covers the top five most controversial games of 2011. That's pretty much self-explanatory.

Anyway, it's a great way to wrap up 2011 for those of you suffering from your post-holiday funk (it's been two weeks, get over it). If you're still in that "New Years" mood, why not check out ZAM's ongoing "The Top 5 Most Important MMOs of 2012" series? Original titles are running high, people.

Farewell Star Wars Galaxies! While you may be gone from the world, you'll still be considered, during your pre-NGE and pre-CU phase, one of the great examples of sandbox MMORPG gameplay. You were one of the few MMORPGs to create a living, breathing world with a unique vision, and for that, gamers around the world salute.

As a final farewell, Producer Tony "Teesquared" Tyson writes his a thank you to the Star Wars Community, and ZAM's own SWG Community Manager, Instigator, was romping about SWG during its final hours. Good night Star Wars Galaxies!

Goodbye to my beloved game, you shall be missed...



Star Wars Galaxies Servers have all been shut down, on December the 15th, 2011, at Midnight EST.

Galaxies Wide Score
SWG - Rebel 56% Imperial 44%
Ahazi - Rebel 26% Imperial 74%
Bloodfin - Rebel 11% Imperial 89%
Bria - Rebel 63% Imperial 37%
Chilastra - Rebel 43% Imperial 57%
Chimaera - Rebel 76% Imperial 24%
Eclipse - Rebel 69% Imperial 31%
FarStar - Rebel 66% Imperial 34%
Flurry - Rebel 69% Imperial 31%
Gorath - Rebel 77% Imperial 23%
Radiant - Rebel 87% Imperial 13%
Shadowfire - Rebel 93% Imperial 7%
Starsider - Rebel 72% Imperial 28%
Sunrunner - Rebel 4% Imperial 96%

Galaxies Wide Score
Rebel 56%
Imperial 44%



This is the last day of Star Wars Galaxies, the game comes down forever at 9PM PST, so I hope that you all have had fun, And may the force be with you, it was fun....

When Star Wars Galaxies shuts down on December 15, the Galactic Civil War will end with a definitive winner. How will the victor be decided? Sony Online Entertainment just released all sorts of details on how the final winner will be determined, and it all comes down to points.

"The war will be decided by points earned in the planetary control system. Whoever controls the galaxy at the end will win the war," SOE said. Of course, the company has put some systems in place to give hope to the faction that is currently losing the war. For example, points decay over time and more events to earn points will be added as the war ramps up.

Star Wars Galaxies isn't going down without a fight! The war's still on, and both the Rebels and Imperials still have a chance to reign victorious. May the Force be with you!

This is an important day in Star Wars Galaxies history. Not only does today's patch introduce Atmospheric Flight, which allows you "to travel the skies above and see the worlds of Star Wars Galaxies in a new way," but it's also your last chance to activate an account and participate in the MMO's final three months.

Star Wars Galaxies is shutting down on December 15 and the players will determine how the game ultimately ends. Basically, the winner of the Galactic Civil War on each server will change "what happens in the final moments." If you want to help say goodbye to Star Wars Galaxies, make sure your account is active today, September 15!

We've known for awhile that Star Wars Galaxies is shutting down on December 15, but Sony Online Entertainment just announced the first concrete details on how the 8-year-old MMO will end. It turns out the fate of the galaxy is in the hands of the players!

"Beginning in September, the ongoing Galactic Civil War will escalate further as both sides seek to decisively win the epic conflict. In addition to all of the current Galactic Civil War activities, new events and contests will provide you with new ways to earn Galactic Civil War points and advantages you can use to help your side win.

At a time and date yet to be announced, but prior to December 15, all Galactic Civil War points will be tallied by server. The side with the higher score will win the game, and the galaxy, for each server, as well as change the way the game will end and what happens in the final moments. Celebrations will be in order for those who win and, for the losers, let's just say they'll be going out with a bang.

Neutral players will also see new decorations in the Storyteller system that will allow them to host their own shutdown events if they choose to opt out of the final battles in the Galactic Civil War."

September 15 is your last chance to activate your accounts and get into Star Wars Galaxies for the final months. If you've been away from the game and you're looking to return for the galaxy-ending event, log into your Station Account and purchase a 30-day SWG Game Pass to reactivate your account. You'll only be charged once and can play until the game shuts down. If you have an SOE All Access pass, then you're ready to go! May the Force be with you!

Star Wars Galaxies is still shutting down on December 15, but that hasn't stopped the team from publishing a major game update today. Game Update 20 expands the Galactic Civil War into space, allowing players to participate in dynamic space battles and fight alongside or against Ace pilots such as Darth Vader, Luke Skywalker and Boba Fett. All of the details can be found in the patch notes, but here are the main features:

"Combat has heated up in the space above Tatooine, Corellia, Naboo, Lok, and Dantooine, and the Rebellion and the Empire are scrambling capital ships to bring a decisive end to the conflicts. Defend your capital ships or attack the opposing faction's capital ships to turn the battle to your side! Show your dedication to the cause and earn new craftable ships, including the T-Wing, the H6-Scurrg, and the Tie-Defender, space components, and more! Additionally, you can earn tokens for your efforts in space that can be used with new vendors located on Talus and Rori.

You won't want to miss new NPC duty missions, now available from many of the new space stations. Challenge the best NPC pilots in the galaxy. But, watch out! Some of these new missions may have an Ace pilot gunning for you!

Finally, if you're a Smuggler or Medic, you'll want to check out the Expertise updates to these classes, now live!"