Two years ago, I sat in a ballroom at the Las Vegas Hilton, listening to the crowd go nuts over Sony Online Entertainment's official Free Realms announcement. Right at the front was a little boy who freaked out whenever the publisher said anything about the game; the kid looked at his father (a huge SOE fanatic) for approval and went bonkers whenever papa bear gave the thumbs up. The excessive enthusiasm was a bit odd, given that Free Realms was a virtual unknown in the competitive MMO space. I thought about him when SOE let me play the newest member of the family, Star Wars: Clone Wars Adventures.
You don't have to be a 12 year old to get excited about this (mostly) free-to-play video game. Although it follows the Clone Wars TV series and characters, you're able to customize an avatar using a wardrobe of Star Wars costumes from all six movies, including Boba Fett's helmet and Tusken Raider fatigues. And no, no word yet on the famous slave Leia outfit.