Having a hand in a characters’ creation changes the focus of a game from making us feel about the character to making us feel with the character. We’ve never had such meaningful agency over a Star Wars game before, but this kind of authorship would let us develop our characters according to our own interpretation of the lore and the events of the game. Mass Effect’s character creation tools are a little outdated now, but the series still shines when it comes to developing your character’s personality with a branching narrative and choice-based dialogue. Screw money and a career, that’s all I’ve ever really wanted. Think of how realistic it would make the Star Wars universe feel to see your character, exactly how you imagined them in the lead up to the game, decked out in Jedi robes and interacting with that universe. The latest iteration of their character creation system meets the perfect balance between being precise and streamlined, and the results are beautifully realised digital versions of the characters we want to roleplay as. BioWare proved with Inquisition that they know what’s important when it comes to making a rewarding character. BioWare have always led the pack with this, but the character creation systems we have now are a thousand times better than what we used for their past adventures into the series.

One of the most important game mechanics for immersing players is giving us control over our characters’ appearances and personalities. And I know that BioWare are still updating The Old Republic with some really high-quality Star Wars adventures, but the MMO doesn’t fulfill the immersive experience that a modern RPG could achieve. We all have our own ideas for a new Star Wars RPG, so what makes me think that BioWare are the ones who should bring the franchise into this generation of gaming? Games are the most effective medium for letting us live out our most beloved fantasies, and recent BioWare games like Mass Effect and Dragon Age: Inquisition have the perfect approach to character creation, narrative and combat to enable that fantasy.

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