I agree that competition is a great thing, and will cause all companies concerned to raise the game, but after viewing SWTOR with its claims of revolutionising the genre etc, I haven't seen anything core mechanics wise from the videos that differentiates from the standard set by WoW, which in return was taken from EQ/UO, heck even Meridian 59 to an extent.
The point is though, WoW is an older game, and there has been ample time for a developer with the time and money to come up with something new and different, but sadly I haven't seen anything from anyone yet, and the few times something new has been tried (Tabula Rasa?) it has flopped massively. I am hoping the release of these games will cause a shift in the dynamic, and maybe get WoW a bit less stagnant than it is right now, but ultimately there is only so much a company can do in an MMO. I guess after all the hype I was expecting something a bit more from SWTOR, but after watching the videos I am sadly dismayed. Yes, I know they are going on about the storyline and how you affect the choices etc, but lets be realistic here, if the core game itself is staid, old, and dull, then it won't impress for very long whatsoever.
Here's hoping they can get rid of any kinks and make a great game though, be nice to see some other competition for a change than Blizzard resting on its proverbial laurels