Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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65 of 73 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Finally, A Franchise-Themed MMORPG Done Right, April 24, 2007
Fun:5.0 out of 5 stars
I've been playing since the middle of closed beta. I never leveled up very far, but I have nonetheless spent countless hours in Middle Earth, primarily as a Hobbit. Now I plan to purchase a Lifetime Membership!!
Lord of the Rings Online is, of course, a Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game based on the story of J.R.R. Tolkien's work, The Lord of the Rings. The game is true to the books, as much as the New Line Cinema motion pictures were, although not so much true to the movies (which it doesn't try to be). What I find impressive is that every little corner of Middle Earth that was mapped out in the books have in fact been mapped out here in LOTRO--and indeed the books were plentifully detailed in maps and in written descriptions of the fictional universe of Middle Earth. But, for the most part, the subtleties of what is described in the book have been referenced if not fully implemented in the game, particularly in the Shire, all the way from the Sackville-Bagginses to the former Baggins home on the top of the hill at Bag End to the shoeless hobbits' feet! Of course, most LOTRO players will put shoes on their hobbit feet since shoes add armor, but at least the NPCs (non-player characters) are true to the shoelessness.
One step into Michel Delving and you'll quickly notice the unique music system implemented in the game. People are often standing around holding their lutes playing Stairway to Heaven or Row, Row, Row Your Boat. The ability to play notes directly into the game world has been implemented, albeit not in any way comparable to MIDI-driven music software.
While the graphics and landscapes and sky effects ("ooohh, pretty rainbow!", "wow, look at that flock of birds in the sky!") are very impressive, I must concede that the animations such as those of wildlife and monsters are not flawless, particularly where the beasts are idle. But these animation deficiencies are made up for when in combat, with few exceptions. For example, one of the Mature Bear attacks is simply a deep inhale, followed by the loudest bear growl you ever heard, as your character's hair stands on end and the steam from the bear's lungs fills the screen. Or, witness the presence of a Black Rider, and suddenly the screen starts zoom-blinking (very cool effect) and you start to see flashes of The Eye. These are player experiences that go a long way toward immersion of playing agaisnt NPC enemies.
There is an adequately diverse crafting system that would seem interesting but for the fact that it is a money sink. During the betas, farming in the Shire was lucrative, but profitability was dropped by the developers after players showed up in droves to stand around the workbench processing seeds.
The quests are plentiful to keep you busy indefinitely, so long as you are willing to leave the local vicinity. By the time most of the basic quests are completed in Eriador (which will take at least a couple months for most casual gamers), a free expansion will be offered in June. The quests are not typically grinders. For example, in The Shire, some of the quests will involve sneaking past Nosey Hobbits or Hungry Hobbits to deliver the mail or a mushroom pie from one town to another. One quest involves sneaking past a rooster to pick up chicken eggs. Another quest is to simply catch a little kid at midnight pretending to be an evil monster. Of course, these are "safe" starter quests; otherwise, there are plenty of quests that, for example, involve fetching a stolen item from a monster encampent, or killing off a monster boss. (As with some other MMORPGs, one learns that in these dangerous types of quests it is best to find nearby players and create a fellowship, since the power of two is better than the power of one, and success of one typically means success for the other as well.)
The game is not flawless, but I think that where there were compromises and cut corners the game makes very wise trade-offs. Stiff animations for incredibly immersive subtleties, for example. Because trade-offs do exist, I wish I could knock off 1/2 star, but this game seems so much more than just a 4/5 game.
People talk about how this game copies that game, but The Lord of the Rings franchise is the origin of so much modern folklore for RPG elements it's surprising to me that a LOTR-based RPG hasn't been tried before. I suppose no one was daring enough to take on the challenge of bringing Tolkien's work to life with honorable results. I'm really glad that Turbine did, though, because LOTRO is a real treat for fans of LOTR. And for what LOTRO tries to do and be, it does it exceedingly well--not necessarily to be a WoW-killer but to bring Tolkien's work to life in an immersive world full of other real players just like yourself in a PvE environment that would give absolute sheer joy to anyone who fantasized being in Middle Earth after reading the books.
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24 of 25 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Immerse yourself in Middle Earth, June 24, 2007
Fun:4.0 out of 5 stars
As a huge fan of JRR Tolkien I review this game with a bit of a bias. While there have been video games set in Middle Earth before, none of them has offered what this one does: complete freedom to quest, explore--just immerse oneself fully in the world Tolkien created. As a gateway into Tolkien's world this game succeeds admirably--as an MMORPG in general, however, it can't avoid the shadow of a little game called World of Warcraft.
The comparison is inevitable since WoW is and has been the dominant force in MMORPG gaming since its release in 2004. In reviewing this game, then, I will sometimes compare it to WoW.
Audience/community: This game targets both LOTR fans and MMORPG gamers in general. While I believe Turbine intended to shoot for a more mature audience for Lord of the Rings Online than is present in World of Warcraft I think this is only partially the case. I have encountered immature and annoying people in LOTRO just as I do daily in WoW. The Middle-Earth community as a whole is more mature, but I suspect that will change if LOTRO can ever rival WoW's popularity.
Control: This is LOTRO's biggest downfall. While the interface is very accessible and combat is relatively easy to perform, the action lacks the fluidity that WoW has. The characters are somewhat stiff and awkward as they fight--something I expected from a game like this until a couple years ago. It is not enough to seriously hinder the game, but it is a significant drawback for anyone who plays WoW.
Gameplay: The gameplay is excellent. Not only are there more than enough quests to go around, there are also side objectives called Deeds which don't give your character experience but which do provide for added customization. Depending on how you spend your time (exploring, killing many of a certain type of enemy, etc) you can earn "traits" and titles for your character which can be used to make him or her all your own. Traits go beyond the typical talent points acquired through leveling--they give your character bonuses through charity, wisdom, and other such attributes. You can also earn titles for your character, from such things as "Wolf Slayer" to protector of such and such a town. This is a great aspect of the game and certainly adds to the enjoyment of creating and building a character.
The game features professions which are about what you'd expect from an MMORPG. They are enjoyable and easy to get the hang of. One area this game does fall a bit short in, though, is player vs. player combat. PVP takes place through "monster play," which just isn't quite the same as all-out PvP with your own character.
Graphics: The graphics on this game are absolutely gorgeous, and certainly one of the high points of the game. The landscape and terrain, the towns and cities, the water...everything is just pristine.
Storyline: This is another of LOTRO's strong points. There are many interesting storylines in each area as well as an "epic" storyline which is basically a quest chain that has more far-reaching consequences in Middle Earth than the "go kill some of those wolves" variety. As your character grows and progresses he/she becomes more valuable to the overall cause of Middle Earth.
I have enjoyed this game very much. At the end of the day, however, I ask myself one question. Would I play this game if it weren't set in the LOTR universe? The answer, quite frankly, is that I probably would not. It's not that the game has any huge flaw or that it's not enjoyable (it is)--it's just that without the LOTR franchise the game would come up even shorter of MMORPG greatness.
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19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A Review from a Veteran MMORPG Player., September 28, 2007
Fun:5.0 out of 5 stars
I've been playing MMORPGs (Massive Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games) now for about three years. My MMO gaming experience includes Star Wars Galaxies, World of Warcraft, Guild Wars and Lord of the Rings Online. I thought I would post a simple review of the game that was posted simply in terms of POSITIVES and NEGATIVES, from the perspective of a veteran MMORPG player.
POSITIVES
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* Graphics. Turbine did an excellent job creating the world of middle earth. Immersion is NOT a problem in this game.
* Character customization. You can modify hair styles, facial features, skin color, eye color, and much more. In addition, the ability to use dye in order to customize your appearance is nice. Also, you don't have the problem with "clown armor" that games like World of Warcraft has. That is, armor that is multicolored and un-coordinated. Using dye, you can make any armor set look sleek.
* Quests. There are so many quests in this game that I feel like I will never run out! I never find myself endlessly grinding for XP. Turbine did a good job with the quests and the associated story lines.
* Crafting. The crafting system is terrific. Albeit, it is expensive to level your skills up. For this reason, I usually recommend that someone level their character first, THEN focus on crafting.
* Server populations. There are plenty of people playing this game. And the people that play seem to be much more mature than other populations on other games.
* Sound. The battle sounds are SUPERB. Battles sound like swords, axes, shields, maces, etc. are actually swinging and contacting each other.
* Limited presence of magic. Many fantasy games are heavy into the magic aspect of the game. Consistent with the lore of Middle Earth, magic has a presence, but it is limited. You will not find a super-class of characters that are all-powerful arcanists. This is a nice change. Rather, swords, maces, axes, bows, crossbows, and clubs reign supreme. There is a cloth-wearing class that dabbles in magic, but again... it is limited.
* Potential for future expansion. If you look at the world map, the area that the current game world is occupying is only a small percentage of Middle Earth. There is tremendous potential for opening up new areas and dungeons.
NEGATIVES
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* Hardware demands. Unless your computer is state-of-the-art, you will likely find yourself playing in the medium graphics quality setting.
* Customer service from Turbine. I spend quite a bit of time on the Turbine website and I just don't feel like they are communicating with us like other gaming companies communicate with their player base. Turbine is quick to share lore and other items of a Middle Earth nature, but they rarely comment on errors, future expansions, etc. I just don't feel like I'm in touch with the developers like I did when I played Warcraft.
* Inability to make significant addon's for the game. Many other games allow you to generate new mapping software or completely new user interfaces. Turbine allows you to skin the user interface, but nothing more. So it seems that the community will not be permitted to generate many addons for the game. Even though I do not feel that I need to many addons for LOTRO, I do like having that option.
* Mounts. The mounts in the game need a bit of work. The animation is far from perfect. I feel as if mounts were an afterthought addition to the game. My character has a mount, and while I do enjoy it, I feel as if I am dismounted too easily by random mobs. Furthermore, the speed boost is not tremendous.
* Demands on servers. Sometimes the servers turn down your graphic settings on YOUR end so that it can improve server performance during busy periods. This can be frustrating, but isn't intolerable.
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