loaded the high-resolution textures! The water detail has to be the most realistic I’ve seen yet in a game! Most important of all, I could feel the expansiveness that I came to expect of Middle Earth. Most MMO game areas have just that; areas or zones that you move from one to the next, be they seamless transitions or loaded areas. I felt it slightly in the starting area but once into the game proper it just about vanished. I could feel my fears beginning to diminish as I looked out over the Midgewater Marshes and I noticed a flat topped hill in the distance that could only be the Weathertop from the books. When I ran off in that direction, I learned that my guess was right.
If you’re starting to wonder if your machine can handle the graphical goodness, fear not. I’m only running a P4 3 .0 ghz with 256 AGP GFORCE with1.5 mgs RAM onboard and my machine ran very smoothly. It was a nice surprise. There were some graphical issues, most of them hereditary from the DDO engine such as the infamous ‘stuttering problem’. Luckily they were easily fixed after a few in game setting adjustments. LOTRO is the type of MMOG that the player can get excellent graphical quality without a beefy rig to run it.
An Unexpected Party
Games however can not be played on graphics alone so I set out to experience what LOTRO had to offer the MMOG player. Right off the bat, some people are going to be upset with the limited amount of classes available and their scope of abilities. It’s not a drawback however, but a strict interpretation of the Tolkien cannon. Paladins, Priests, Shamans, Bloodmages, Druids and the like weren’t found in Middle Earth so they didn’t include those classes. Instead they shaped the classes based off of the Tolkien lore, modifying them to provide those abilities every MMOG requires (like healing for starters). You have your Guardian (Tank/defensive fighter), Burglar (Thief), Lore Master (Wizard with pets), Captain (Melee fighter with buffs, pets and healing), Champion (Pure offensive fighter) Hunter (Archer/Ranger type) and Minstrel (Buffer/healer). The classes have an interesting mix of abilities and balance well in group efforts
Many gamers are calling LOTRO ‘WoW in Middle Earth’. The analogy is not that far from the truth. LOTRO’s approach to combat, crafting, economy and questing is similar to World of Warcraft in play as well as a few other MMOG’s. Players group together in ‘Fellowships’ in game like any other group effort in MMOG’s. Guilds are called ‘Kinships’ and their function is the same as any other. Travel in the game is similar to Dark Age of Camelot where you can buy a ‘ride’ to the next town (if you’ve been there already). Players can get access to mounts once they reach level 35 in the game. If you played WoW, you’ll get in the groove of things in no time. Some gamers are seeing this as a blatant rip off of WoW or another iteration of ‘Fast Food MMO gaming’. For me, if it works, use it. Why reinvent the wheel if the original gets you where you want to go?
The similarities end there however as LOTRO features a few different items. One of which is the ‘Traits’ system. Players in LOTRO earn special bonuses by completing quests or side quests (like kill 60 spiders or visit all the dwarf ruins in an area).Players can earn as many traits as they like but can only equip so many of a certain type. If a character wants a particular Trait build out he can choose from what he has for a cost in coin. Of course, if a quest or side quest doesn’t offer a trait that appeals to you, you don’t have to complete it.
Another differing aspect is how LOTRO handles death and dying in game. Hit points in the game are measured as ‘Morale’ and death is ‘Being Defeated ’ where respawning translates to ‘retreating. .Those classes that act as ‘healers’ don’t heal per se but ‘raise morale’ through a minstrel song or a Captain’s rallying cry. A little creative twist on healing since the dead don’t come back in Middle Earth but it works the same as any other MMO. In addition to this is the use of ‘Dread’. Encountering certain creatures (like Nazgul) or being defeated can hamper your abilities and reduce your ‘Morale’ by instilling ‘Dread’ in you, their opponent. This means that dying or going up against creatures can rob you of hit points before a weapon is even pulled. The dread effects that I’ve experienced so far are minor, but I’d hate to be around for the major ones!
One gaming element worth mentioning that sets LOTRO aside from the others is the PvP monster play. Once characters obtain a certain level, they are awarded special points (Destiny points) and the ability to take part in monster PvP. Like in the days of EQ1, players can choose to play as one of the servants of the Dark Lord and wage war against the free people (AKA other player characters). You can play as an Orc Hunter, a stealthy Warg, a crippling Spider, even a black Uruk Captain to name a few. While these ‘monsters’ don’t level like other characters do (fixed levels), you can perform quests or spend your destiny points to improve them. if you don’t use those points, you can allot them toward your good character’s abilities too! PvP combat takes place in a specified area so starting characters don’t have to fear an invading orc horde into the shire.
Oh and did I mention titles? A small thing really but worth mentioning. In the game you start out with the title of the place you come from or lineage such as ‘Arandune of Gondor’ or ‘Wildagard of the Fallohides. By completing certain quests, quests lines or performing a series of tasks, you get awarded additional titles your fellow players can recognize you by. You can be ‘Wildagard the Wary’ if you make it to level 5 without dying or ‘Uthgarn, orc slayer’ if you happen to kill a boatload of orcs. Titles can also be earned from crafting accomplishments as well. Yes, it’s window dressing but pleasant dressing at that.
What I find to be the greatest strength of LOTRO that sets it apart from the others is the content. Beyond your standard kill quests, LOTRO draws on every aspect of 
Tolkien’s work and new content not mentioned in the books are done in Tolkien manner and depth. Like DDO, LOTRO uses scripted events and instanced areas to give their quest lines and stories a greater depth and a better immersive experience for the player. This game was built around Tolkien’s work with the greatest of respect and offers its players all the themes from the books. While you won’t be affecting the course of ‘The One Ring’, you’ll have your chance to interact with many of the characters from the books such as Gandalf, Aragorn, and Elrond to name a few. There are many quests in the game that are small stories in themselves and the player can be pursuing these quests for many hours and levels of game time. Believe it or not, some people are actually turned off by this. I heard one guy complaining there was too much reading in the quests! In LOTRO, story is first, system is second.
A Knife in the Dark
When I first joined the closed beta, I was shocked by the level of polish the game had. Any bugs I came across were few and so minor that by today’s standards you could expect to see it when a game shipped. But LOTRO is not perfect however and sadly seems to suffer from current unpopular trends in MMO games to date. Kill quests are too numerous for my liking; Simply put, they’re filler and to be used sparingly. There are not many diversified quests in the game, as many of the areas in game are shared by all the races. What you complete as an elf or dwarf you’ll run into again as a man or hobbit. I was hoping for more variety based on your starting race but alas, it is not so!While I don’t think you can call it a drawback, it should be mentioned. You will NOT be able to run to Mordor in the game. The scope of the game takes place in the northwestern part of Middle Earth called Eriador. Since it is the ‘Shadows of Angmar’ it makes sense since Angmar is in the NW corner of Middle Earth. But if you were hoping to run to the Lonely Mountain or Mirkwood it ain’t happening. I’m not even sure if you can enter Moria . Yet, giving the developers credit, they’ve done a hell of lot of fleshing out this part of the world that’ll keep players entertained for hours on end. Making all of Middle Earth available to players with the same depth would take years and the business world for these games doesn’t allow for that luxury. Besides, just think of all the expansions you can look forward to! (That’s sarcasm by the way.)
Return of the King
While I can’t say LOTRO is the king of all MMOG’s as much as I like to, its ranks up there as one of the best. Both Tolkien fans and MMO gamers should take advantage of what LOTRO is offering. In the end, it’s a solid MMOG with a depth most online games of the market lack. Here’s you chance to walk that road…pursue it with eager feet!
Score: 4/5
Darke
The Lord of the Rings Online: One Game to Rule Them All?
When I first heard that there was going to be a Lord of the Rings based MMO, I could feel the cold hand of dread caress my spine. You see, I’ve been an avid fan of Tolkien’s work since I was a wee lad. Add to that being a dedicated MMO gamer, jaded by good and bad MMO’s and you get one critical and doubtful reviewer. I’ve watched a few attempts of developers over the years to bring Middle Earth to a MMORPG medium.(any one remember the isometric version featuring permanent death?). Here was an opportunity to travel in a land dreamt of for many years by legions of fans. The potential was staggering; it could be a game of legend or a failure of monumental proportions. The last thing I wanted to see was my beloved stories be mangled. (I’m still grumbling over the ‘Arwen’ madness in Peter Jackson’s movies!) When Turbine of Asheron’s Call fame and Asheron’s 2 shame took up the challenge, well, I had a bad feeling about this.
After a couple of years in development and a very long beta period, the digital gates to Middle Earth have opened. With curiosity burning in my mind and dread in my heart, I dared to cross the threshold to see how my long dreamt of land fared, steeling myself for the worst. Now that I’m back I’m here to tell you….it was a pleasant surprise!
A Window to the West
Well folks, even though I can be considered a Tolkien fanboy, I’m also a fair critic of MMO games. When I did my closed and open beta stint, I went in there looking for the shallow money making design that dared couch itself in Tolkien’s clothing. I didn’t find it. What I did find was a loving attempt to bring the magic and majesty of Middle Earth to the legion of fans and MMO gamers out there. The team at Turbine knew they were going up against one hell of a tough crowd to please and it’s been their baseline quality standard from the get go.First off, the graphics of the world are beautiful .They’re not cutting edge but they do the job a hell of a lot better than most MMOG’s out there now. Using the same engine from their other game, Dungeons and Dragons Online: Stormreach, I expected similar grainy and drab color palettes; None of that is here. I was blown away by the scenic vista’s and rich colors the game was showing off. The outdoor environments are excellent in color, form, and detail; weathered ruins lie covered with lichen while beds of flowers and grasses sway in an unfelt wind.