Star Wars: The Old Republic

This game is listed as "Fantasy" in its genre, instead of "Sci-Fi".

Why is that?

I wouldn't categorize it as Fantasy....but not as Sci-Fi either.

If anything, Star Wars was always a Fairy-Tale. So I guess Fantasy is actually closer than Sci-Fi.

Originally posted by singsofdeath

I wouldn't categorize it as Fantasy....but not as Sci-Fi either.

 

If anything, Star Wars was always a Fairy-Tale. So I guess Fantasy is actually closer than Sci-Fi.

I agree. Certainly it doesn't fall under the stereotypical Fantasy archetypes, but it's clearly not traditional sci-fi either. I imagine the fact that the game revolves around dudes with special powers who wave glowing swords at each other is what landed it squarely in this category to begin with.

SWG is sci-fi and its based on Starwars just like SW:TOR is.

Even though they aren't the same game, they are both based on the same backstory of blasters, space travel light sabers, the force, energy shields and aliens.

That seems considerably more Sci-Fi than fantasy to me.  And if its to be considered fantasy, which I disagree with, then atleast change SWG to fantasy too in order to stay consistant.

Originally posted by ompgaming

SWG is sci-fi and its based on Starwars just like SW:TOR is.

Even though they aren't the same game, they are both based on the same backstory of blasters, space travel light sabers, the force, energy shields and aliens.

That seems considerably more Sci-Fi than fantasy to me.  And if its to be considered fantasy, which I disagree with, then atleast change SWG to fantasy too in order to stay consistant.

Science-Fiction? Have you read classical Science Fiction works? Sci Fi revolves as much around Science as it does around fiction, that's why it is called Sci Fi. Star Wars on the other hand is a modern Fairy Tale. Knights, princesses, Magic (Force), Good vs. Bad in black and White, cute side-kicks (droids, Ewoks) and so on and so forth.

Regardless of how MMORPG.com classifies these games, that's what i was talking about.

I guess the fact that TOR is more aimed at the historical background of SWG so to speak could also lead to label this game Fantasy. ^^

Star Wars isn't sci-fi, strictly speaking.  It falls squarely under the category of "space opera".

Well, I've always thought SW was more fantasy than it was Science Fiction anyway.  I mean, there is a lot more to Science Fiction than just the setting - just as there is a lot more to Fantasy than Elves and Dwarves and Orcs.

Basically, the difference between these is the tone and concentration on a personal level.

Fantasy tends to allow the player to suspend disbelief in the attempt to tell a story.  Really good fantasy doesn't have to try so hard for you to somehow forget that none of the content is possible.  For instance, in Star Wars - we all know that a Lightsaber is a physically impossible item to weild... but it made so much sense, we forget all about that, and didn't even need any explanation as to how it actually works.  That doesn't even go into the bigger details of the lore... like the Force, Jedi, Lightspeed travel... etc.

Science Fiction on the other hand, goes out of it's way to explain how something is possible, or at least the most important factor of the story.  For instance, like in The Matrix - how Neo and Morpheus could defy the laws of gravity... They could do that because they were nothing more than computer code in what is percieved to be the real world.  Again, we don't question this, because it is explained in great detail throughout the entire first movie.

To put it plainly, Fantasy may or may not explain the content, but moreso asks you to forget about explanation so you may focus on the struggle of the protagonist, which is usually displayed without much guess work.  Science Fiction will use the content and explain it in effect to show the reality of the protagonist's struggles - a lot of times allowing you to guess at what is going on.

Fantasy is telling a story.  Science Fiction wants you to figure it out.

Star Wars is an  epic space opera franchise initially conceived by George Lucas. The first film in the franchise was simply titled Star Wars,

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_opera

Space opera is a subgenre of speculative fiction or science fiction that emphasizes romantic, often melodramatic adventure, set mainly or entirely in space, generally involving conflict between opponents possessing powerful (and sometimes quite fanciful) technologies and abilities. Perhaps the most significant trait of space opera is that settings, characters, battles, powers, and themes tend to be very large-scale.

Fantasy is a genre that uses magic and other supernatural forms as a primary element of plot, theme, and/or setting. Fantasy is generally distinguished from science fiction and horror by the expectation that it steers clear of technological and macabre themes, respectively, though there is a great deal of overlap between the three (collectively known as speculative fiction).

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fantasy

I'll take space opera for 50 please!

Starwars IS modern fairy tale, I agree with that. 

But is has far more in common with science fiction than it does with fantasy.  but, I'm not going to argue the point, you just can't argue with stupid.

But, I will say that Starwars has an extensive lore both before TOR and after SWG all lumped into the same story if not the same century.  If one is fantasy, then the other is too. 

Atleast put them together.  Its like saying EQ if fantasy but EQ2 is scifi because its set in the future of EQ.