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The Lord Of The Rings: Shadows Of Angmar Review (continued)
More User Submitted The Lord Of The Rings: Shadows Of Angmar Reviews
Date: 2007-06-24
Immerse yourself in Middle Earth
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.
Date: 2007-06-24
Tolkien meets MMO
I've been playing MMO's since the days of EQ1. MMO's have undergone various transformations since EQ1. Dark Age of Camelot, Star Wars: Galaxies, Shadowbane and Everquest 2 - there have been many pretenders to the throne originally held by the original Everquest. Then along came World of Warcraft - and other MMO's paled by comparison. World of Warcraft is still sitting pretty at the top of the MMO mountain, but Lord of the Rings is making a game effort to get there.
However, there are some weaknesses in the game. Tradeskills are tied to professions as opposed to being standalone entities. As with all MMO's, grouping is a bit hit or miss, although the loot tables are significantly beefed up compared to other games.
All in all, LOTRO really does cater to the casual gamer better than any other MMO currently available. However, as the game matures and new content is released ... that may change
Date: 2007-06-14
Another mundane MMO
Are you looking for an MMO with interesting game-play, innovative combat, and an immersive environment? Well LOTRO is the last place you will find it.
The Game-play is is much akin to World of Warcraft. Heard that a lot in reviews? Well it's true. The developers took the simple and mundane aspect of older MMO's quests and interactivity and made that the only aspect of LOTRO's game-play, just like world of warcraft. All quests and interaction with the quest giver is point and click and follow a simple instruction. There are hundreds of quests to cover for the fact that it took only a few minutes to write them. Of course all quests are simply a rewording of 'go get this, go kill this, go talk to this person, and escort someone here/there'. That's right, you will do thousands of quests that are nearly identical and you will stop reading quest dialog around your tenth quest. Fun eh? No.
The Landscape art is nice. It is better than any game I have seen if you have a quad xeon that allows you to run graphics at full, otherwise it looks pretty bad. The character art is horrid with the exception of hobbits, and unfortunately one elf looks like every other elf, every hobbit looks like every other hobbit, etc. The character creation is very limited, and changing the 'build' of a character only puffs them up or deflates them, like a balloon. Brilliant. The armor for the most part is horrid, except the heavy armor class around level 30 and up.
The sound is really a poor experience. The music is even worse. It's not that the music is horrid, but that it loops roughly 12 seconds over and over, for hours. The battle sounds are very repetitive, and the developers even managed to replace some of the okay sounds with much worse sounds, after the recent content update.
The classes are very restricted and are a copy of every other MMO. There is no configurable abilities or skill tree though, or anything involving unique character development except 'traits' which are nearly useless stat modifiers and a few mundane skills later on. They are a reward for killing the same thing over and over for most of them, and the developers must have thought they were clever when they named the rewards for mass murder things like 'empathy' and 'compassion'. Of course they mean little to nothing and you will play your class the exact same way as everyone else because there is no choice.
Combat is bad, there is little to say except that you will be staring at the combat bar the whole game because almost every skill is based on a 'cool-down', a time you wait before activating it again. Because the combat is button mashing, and has little to do with what your opponent is doing, you will pretty much be bored the most during combat. Yes combat is 90% of the game. All the combat graphics are pretty garish to add another layer of garishness.
Community. Well there are some Role Players, most have abandoned playing the game because it's so poor and just hang out in the only area with a decent environment, the shire. Role players make up the population that will actually group, and be considerate and mature. They are a very small minority. If you want to see what they rest of the community is like visit the official forums, you'll learn all you need to know (hint: look in the first impressions forum too). I guarantee the community is by far the worst part of the game. You'll also get a taste of exactly how the developers feel about their customers.
Of course people will buy it, it says Lord of the Rings on it and is made by a company with a cult like following. I suspect a lack of such a popular trademark would have this game cancelled before it was ever released, but you know, brand loyalty is some peoples lives. You will meet them in Lord of the Rings Online in large numbers.
Date: 2007-06-13
Just buy it!
I play all the MMORPG's that come out and I was not expecting this one to be all that great since I was not a huge Lord of the Rings fan. At least not to the degree that some people are. Wow, was I surprised! It's hard to describe the feeling playing this game, but it is made in such a way as to promote people playing with each other without forcing them to. People as a result are different than I have ever seen in a game like this. I play it every day when I get home and love it more all the time. The crafting system is different from others I have seen and all the players seem to really enjoy it. And yes, I played World of Warcraft as well. I have since cancelled my account there and play on this one currently. Give it a try, it's a whole different feeling that will surprise you.
Date: 2007-06-10
LOTRO : Reviewed by a gamer for a gamer
I bought Lord Of The Rings Online or LOTRO and found it to be quite fun, However since I left World of Warcraft to play LOTRO and the game has'nt yet evolved that far yet I found it boring. Plus once to get to level 40, Unless you have 4 friends that are your level ,On the same quest, and Are on when your on, you have to grind to level 50. lvl 50 is the level cap. So in conclusion, Its $[...] a month for a good game that is lacking because its so new. If you do buy this game tho, Either be a Hunter, Guardian, or Champion. All the others are useless trust me I know.
Happy Gaming: Mountaindew lvl 16 Lore-master....Nimrodel.
The Lord Of The Rings: Shadows Of Angmar Reviews Page: 10 of 10 Prev<< 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
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