Little did I know yesterday that, peanut butter sandwich in my left hand, mouse in my right, when I clicked on that link called "gmail," my life would be so much more awesomer. And it was, as I laid my eyes upon my Early Access TOR e-mail. From that point forward, law clients got a little less of my attention as my gut boiled with anticipation. I was in.

And it's awesome. I can say that because I have loads of awesomeness in me to compare to. The game experience is just really good. So I want to pass that along. Without spoiling the story or other cool aspects of TOR, let me give you some of my initial thoughts from my gaming experience.

1. Being on with the guild is great. I got an automatic invite when I first launched my character, and was immediately greated by Halc in the familiar and as-to-Halc-appropriate green guild text. Everyone is very helpful and excited to be there. By the end of the day, we were over 100 members and growing. According to Fremoc, that's about 90% main characters too. It's awesome walking around in game and seeing DJB tags under names. After 16 years of being in this club, this is such a cool change, almost a mix of IRC and awesome gaming.

2. The Sith Inquisitor story is rad. That's all I'll say about that.

3. All of the force powers are very satisfying to use. Lighting is the bomb. Saber combat feels right for the most part. The most amazing thing is the sound. This game has the most impressive soundtrack and effects I've heard. It flows well and I am really thrilled that they go into combat music at the right times. It's epic.

4. If you played any MMO before, you'll feel right at home here. There are some quirks that need to be ironed out in the interface, but it's good for the most part. Not so close to WoW, for example, that it's a straight copy, but close enough to have a good feel. On the other hand, if you are new to MMOs, there doesn't seem to be a lot to help walk you through things like social functions and guild functions. Just ask us for help.

5. Leveling is the right pace. The game is a little on the easy side, but the second you aren't careful you can find yourself in trouble. They keep skills and crafting away from you long enough for you to get accustomed to the game. It's well-done in that respect.

Couple things that tripped me up:

• No capitals or spaces in names. "Jac" was taken, and "JacCotelin" ended up as "Jaccotelin". weak. Be wary. Also you may want to make multiple characters right away to "reserve" names.

• Turn on the option that shows light side and dark side choices, otherwise you may choose something you think is dark, but it's really light.

I am having a lot of fun so far and look forward to another great night of gaming with my Magical Internet Friends.

Cheers,

Jaczor