Unfortunately, this Friday’s update isn’t as big as the past few weeks for Star Wars: The Old Republic. However, I am pleased to reiterate the announcement that Blood of the Empire: Issue # 4 is now on the cyber-shelves, ready to be read! Check it out for yourself, or check after the break for the summary of the story that’s unfolded between the pages, as well as things to note. Take note that Spoilers WILL be present, so I’d advise not reading my thoughts and summary before you’ve caught up.

It’s Friday, and that means it’s time for another update from Bioware on your most anticipated game of 2011: The Old Republic! If you happened to have missed the sneak peek from yesterday, I strongly advise you take a look! A lot of good notes were on there that may or may not end up in this segment as well. Today, we receive the official first glimpse into the companion characters of tOR! Also, I’ll be reviewing an article posted yesterday over the Sith Warrior class, and one of his/her first companions. Read more after the break.

Well, it seems to have become a habit for Bioware to leak some form of information to a random source on the internet or in Europe by every Thursday, and this week is no different! IGN.com was blessed with the gift of an interview with Bioware’s James Ohlen, as well as an exclusive peek at what’s to come tomorrow! After the break, I’ll delve into the nitty-gritty and show you what you can probably expect from tomorrow. Thank you Quinn for the tip.

And now, as per yesterday’s sneak peek: Bioware presents us with the planet of Hoth as well has a new issue of Blood of the Empire (#3)!  Since we covered the lore of the planet yesterday, after the break you’ll find my breakdown of everything and my thoughts on the matter.

For those of you who follow the Dev Tracker for Star Wars: The Old Republic, this is something you’ve already learned about a few hours ago. For those of you who don’t, however: Sean Dahlberg of the SW:tOR forums has confirmed “exclusive coverage” from Video Gamer that Hoth will, in fact, be a major planet in The Old Republic! A bit more after the break.

On show 53 Samm and Musco are joined by Fo to run through all of the exciting releases of the week. The first confirmed species, Bounty Hunter game mechanics, and an explanation of TOR's Advanced Class System. Oh and a face punch from a grizzly bear, enjoy!

I’m sad to say that today’s update is simply a repeat of a piece given out yesterday. But for those of you who would prefer something released through Bioware directly: Here’s their gift to you! (edit:) In addition, we also received a developer blog discussing the “Creation of worlds”…Read more after the break!

Today, we received a HUGE update for Star Wars: The Old Republic in the form of an exclusive reveal to European sources. Fair? Maybe not. But at least we get the second-hand effect of the news filtered through a game journalist’s un-keen eye! Please read the “Hands-On: Bounty Hunter” and the “Advanced Classes” article up on Eurogamer to make your own thoughts and comments, I’ll provide a short summary and my notes after the break for those who would rather not or see what I think.

On show 51 we decided to bring in the full boat of hosts again to talk about another huge update week from BioWare. An entire new section of the site, a book announcement, and more Biographies. BioWare is not being stingy with news so let us hope it continues!

French gaming magazine Consoles+ reveals the release date and first details for the sequel to the 2008 game that has sold over seven million copies worldwide.