Lord of the Rings Online Review 351
The circle is now complete. With Turbine's release of Lord of the Rings Online: The Shadows of Angmar (LOTRO), the Massively Mutliplayer game figuratively eats the tail of its originator in ouroboros-like fashion. Tolkien's work begat Dungeons and Dragons, the PC gaming market, CRPGs, and finally Massive games, and last month's release of LOTRO beautifully reconnects the future with the past. Replacing dice-wielding friends around a table has even, wonder of wonders, been done well. Polished gameplay and cutting-edge graphics abound; In direct contrast to the lackluster response to Turbine's other MMOG, Dungeons and Dragons Online, Lord of the Rings Online has had an overwhelmingly positive reaction from fans. Read on for my notes from the experience of trying on Hobbit feet for a month, and a few words about why LOTRO's quality is notable and highly encouraging.
- Title: Lord of the Rings Online: The Shadows of Angmar
- Publisher: Midway
- Developer: Turbine Inc.
- System: PC
- Genre: Massively Multiplayer Online Game
- Score: 4/5 - This game is above average, and excels in the genre it supports. A classic for the genre, likely to be a part of a genre fan's collection, and well worth a look for every gamer.
It's telling, and more than a little disconcerting, to note that every Massively Multiplayer game launched since WoW has had a very hard time garnering attention from traditional Massive gamers. Some expansions have worked out well, of course, and Guild Wars has succeeded by dodging the barrier of a monthly fee completely. New AAA MMOGs, though, have been grimly received. Some of the biggest games launched since WoW include: The Matrix Online, ArchLord, Dungeons and Dragons Online, Auto Assault, and Vanguard. Though each of these titles offers some interesting gameplay elements, none of them have managed to capture even a noticeable percentage of the WoW-playing audience.
The simple fact, then, that Lord of the Rings Online is a polished, competently executed, and genuinely fun Massively Multiplayer experience is not to be taken lightly. Adequacy should not be confused with disappointment. LOTRO is, literally, the first brand-new MMOG worth playing since World of Warcraft. As depressing as that is to contemplate, LOTRO's success is great news for fans of the books and movies; no one is turning in their grave as a result of this game's launch.
In the broadest sense, LOTRO compares favorably to World of Warcraft because it borrowed many components from the current king of the genre. LOTRO has adapted the general 'feel' of WoW's gameplay to a wholly new setting and experience. The result is a MMOG that will be extremely intuitive to anyone who has played other Massive games. Characters are chosen from a selection of classes and races, spend most of their time completing quests, fight opponents by selecting class abilities from a hotbar, and can band together with other players to take on challenges too dangerous to solo. The game can primarily be played by yourself, but common chat channels called Fellowships ensure that players looking for more long-term social commitments can achieve their goals. It's a sign of the times that WoW's success almost seems to demand some level of imitation from other products to be competitive. It should be stressed, though, that LOTRO is not just a poor man's WoW. This is no cheap knock-off, and the game is categorically not trying to be World of Warcraft. It would be more accurate to say that Turbine has recognized quality, and attempted to ensure that their own product lives up to expectations.
This pause, the interest in the lives of the NPCs, results in a different pace than you might be used to in other Massive games. It's, of course, an intrinsic part of the gameplay that you can set your own pace in a Massively Multiplayer game. That said many games compel you to rush everywhere, getting as much done as quickly as possible, playing for long stretches at a time to grind to the higher levels. LOTRO just doesn't have that vibe. Certainly, you can churn through the content as fast or slow as you'd like. There were max-level characters on the game servers within a week or two of the game's launch. For those with more appetite for story, or those grown tired of that pace in other online games, the breathtaking graphics and well-told tales encourage stopping to smell the roses. There's also just no compelling reason to grind your way to max-level in this game. Right now a big chunk of highest-level content is still in development, and for a Massively Multiplayer game LOTRO is quite reasonably priced. Anecdotal evidence from my own experiences and the experiences of other players indicates that Lord of the Rings Online is the kind of game that is most fun to play in fits and spurts. A few hours one day, a few hours the next ... it's so much fun running around the Shire, it's easy to see why a player would be in no rush to leave the lower levels.
Another element that encourages lingering rather that rushing, and can help assuage the hardcore players that might otherwise grumble, are the deeds. Deeds are a unique element to Lord of the Rings Online, a kind of achievement system somewhat reminiscent of those earned on the Xbox 360. They're discovered by doing the act the deed requires for the first time; for example, many require a certain number of monsters to be slain. The first time you kill a wolf in the Shire, your UI notes that you've begun work on the 'Wolf Slayer' deed. This can just be a blind grind-fest, if you're so inclined, but players have found that most deeds can be accomplished simply by going about their normal business of questing and traveling. Killing wolves as you encounter them in your travels eventually results in the completion of that deed, without needing to ruin your play experience with senseless repetition. Instead of Xbox Live gamerpoints, deeds earn your character two things: titles and virtues. Titles are simply that, strings that can be added on to your name. Completing the Wolf Slayer deed, for example, nets you the 'Fur Cutter' title. It's a simple customization, but the large number of deeds in the game allows for players to represent themselves in a myriad of different ways.
Deeds aren't the only unique element LOTRO offers. The game's character classes are a nice tweak on the normal 'tank/mage/cleric' trinity that have been the standard in fantasy MMOs since EverQuest. While the basic party roles are all there, their Middle Earth wrapping pleasantly muddies the waters. The main Damage Per Second (DPS) class in the game, for example, is the Burglar, a rogue-type character. The character you'd expect to be most like the blaster/mage is the Loremaster, but he fulfills more of a crowd control role. He also has some healing skills, as do several other classes. The Minstrel is the primary healing class, but with multiple classes having the ability to heal it's not critical to ensure a Minstrel is in every party. This 'spreading the load' approach also allows Minstrels themselves to be a more front-line combatant than any priest or healer is in other games Their songs do damage to enemies, as well as providing short-term buffs for team-mates. Though for the most part these are all familiar roles in new packages, they 'feel' differently enough to provide a sense of novelty for veterans and new players alike.
Crafting within the game is well done, but simply doesn't feel as though it was made huge priority. You're forced to choose from one of three crafting classes, separate from your combat class. Each class has three vocations it covers, allowing for slightly more variety than in other games. While most of these crafts are par for the course, there are a few vocations that tweak things a bit. Farming, for example, is an actual crafting element in the game. You plant seeds, harvest crops, and sell them to other players; in Beta it was the best way to make money, and resulted in more than a few obvious jokes. There is also a Scholar vocation that has players collecting pieces of ancient wisdom together to make scrolls and potions. For the most part, though, crafting in Lord of the Rings Online is 'merely' competently executed. New players aren't introduced to the fundamentals of crafting explicitly enough before they're forced to make a choice, and after a choice is made quest support for crafting-friendly players can be a bit slack at low levels.
Early in the launch window as we are, there have been numerous complaints by players about the balance of the game's economy. While items seem well powered for their levels, and obtaining gear is a fairly well-tuned process, the costs associated with purchasing new abilities is astronomical. It's not out of the ordinary for a single new ability (obtainable from a trainer at a newly-achieved level) to cost half or more of the coin you have on-hand. Mileage will vary from player to player, of course, as some people place a higher emphasis on crafting and selling than others. The general consensus, just the same, seems to be that ability costs could use a revisit.
Given the respect for the setting it's another minor quibble, but the lack of any sort of tie-in to the Peter Jackson helmed movies is, in my mind, a lapse. Obviously, the license for that content is separate from the license that Turbine is working off of, and as such there's no reason to expect Elijah Woods or Hugo Weaving to make an appearance in the gameworld. Just the same, it's hard to listen to the kinda-generic fantasy music that greets you at login and not yearn for Howard Shore's stirring theme. Perhaps this might be a possibility in the future; that's one of the many beautiful things about the Massive genre - things are always changing.
One thing that doesn't need changing, though, are Lord of the Rings Online's simply stunning graphics. Years from now the choice to go photo-realistic will make the game look horribly dated, all while World of Warcraft's stylized vision remains fresh and crisp. In the meantime, LOTRO offers a simply jaw-droppingly beautiful online experience. EverQuest 2's attempt at realistic graphics in an online game have resulted in goofily appealing characters, but they don't quite capture what I think the game was going for. Middle Earth, on the other hand, is insanely beautiful. The first time you reach a high point in the Shire it is completely worth it to stop, turn your settings all the way up, and just stare across the fields. While the story wraps you into the gameworld intellectually, LOTRO's graphical presentation brings that world to life on a visceral level; New Zealand has nothing on that place.
For the Massive gamer tired of endlessly played options, or the Tolkien fan disappointed with the lore content in Battle For Middle Earth II, Lord of the Rings Online is the perfect balm. While it doesn't try to move the genre forward in any readily appreciable ways, LOTRO is such a well-crafted experience that it's hard not to enjoy yourself. For some, their time in Middle Earth will be just a vacation from other online worlds. For others, though, this may just be the game you've been waiting for. A slower pace, a beautiful presentation, and a gripping story are all readied and waiting just a bit down the road.
Sucks (Score:2, Interesting)
Frankly, I was really disappointed. The combat system sucks - it actually has a window that says things like "You hit the wolf for two points of damage". It felt like going back in time to the 80's.
And then the graphics might be pretty, but there is not physics system, or, believe it or not, collision detection. You can actually walk through people, even when you are fighting them.
And the tasks suck. Spending half an hour searching for wild flowers i
Re:Sucks (Score:5, Informative)
Despite all of these problems, I'm still pretty partial to WoW, so I'll be sticking with it instead of LOTRO. Plus the fact that WoW has a Mac OS X client is pretty important for us G4/G5 owning Mac users
No physics (Score:2)
On non-PvP servers, players could pass through pla
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I was playing a hobbit. And shouldn't it be my choice about what I do in the game? At the very least, it could display a message saying "A hobbit would never do that!" rather than "forbidden action".
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Re:Sucks (Score:5, Funny)
Do you REALLY want to shoot that cute fuzzy animal? -- Yes/No/Cancel
Re:Sucks (Score:4, Interesting)
More DAOC comparisons:
- There's no Fishing Skill
- You can't swim under the water
+ Combat system allows you to click ahead to follow up your last spell/move
If you've never played World of Warcraft, you may like LOTRO. If you are looking for an alternative to WoW, this may or may not be the game for you. Personally, I've canceled both
Re:Sucks (Score:4, Funny)
n00b
Re:Sucks (Score:5, Informative)
Why does somebody with a really long name and title make it harder to right click on anything around them? Why does right clicking on them by accident (while trying to reach the mailbox their enormous name is in front of) cause a "General Error"? Why do quests tell me to go in the exact opposite direction of where I need to go, to fight Boars 12 levels below the quest level and thus not give XP?
Hell, why does a base stat (Fate) not work? Hello reviewer, a BASE STAT doesn't work! Thats not polished!
Why do I have a deed to kill 60 things in a swamp in the Lone Lands (followed by another deed to kill 120 of them if the pattern holds) when there are only seven spawns in the entire zone? The numbers worked fine for bandits (which there are lots of), but 180 kills with seven spawns? Even if there was no competition (and said mobs are a quest target too, so there is a lot of competition) that'd still take hours. Why does fast travel between zones have a level requirement, and normal horse travel take so bloody long?
Seriously folks. There is a lot of things to like in this game, but its certainly not "polished" yet. It could be a decent diversion if you're bored from WoW, but I think the reviewer was too busy drooling over the graphics to notice some major problems. (God forbid if he tries to level up Scholar, he'll have to spend days at a time camping low level ruins fighting bandits to search old pots, because you can't find the items you need anywhere else.)
That was my problem with it too, sorta (Score:3, Interesting)
The examples you gave are accurate, and probably more important on their own, but just to illustrate why I'd summarize it like that:
Take for example the content pack. It boasts (at least the announcement did) an epic raid for level 30's. Excuse me? Raids in WoW are at t
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Frankly, I was really disappointed. The combat system sucks - it actually has a window that says things like "You hit the wolf for two points of damage". It felt like going back in time to the 80's.
Pretty much every MMO I've played has this feature. It might be turned off or in another window by default, but I know for a fact that both WoW and EVE have it.
And then the graphics might be pretty, but there is not physics system, or, believe it or not, collision detection. You can actually walk through people, even when you are fighting them.
See above. You're not racing or playing Pac-Mac. So long as the terrain acts correctly, it's on par with the other major MMOs.
And the tasks suck. Spending half an hour searching for wild flowers is not my idea of fun.
Gathering tasks are pretty standard faire in MMO games. Sometimes they're annoying, but again, this isn't any different than any other mainline MMO out there.
And although the world is big, you can't really explore it - you can't open doors unless they are part of the plot, you can't smash crates or barrels or whatever to see what is inside them, you even can't fight the NPCs or animals unless it is part of the plot.
The animals thing is odd, but depending on the sort of serve
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No, but then I'm used to playing games like Doom, Quake, Half-life and GTA. I don't think it is acceptable for MMOs not to have features (like collision detection, basic physics) that other games have had for a decade, I see no reason for it.
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What exactly would that add to the gameplay mechanics of the typical MMO? Basic physics? I jump off stuff, I fall. If I fall far enough, I take damage. How is my enjoyment of the game effected by the fact that I walk through vendors?
It's just as likely that you're used to exaggerated physics as used in sandbox games. I mean, look at Crackdown if you want a good example of that. Furthermore, in twitch games like you mentioned, physics adds to the gameplay, but that isn't really the case in most MMOs.
Re:Sucks (Score:5, Interesting)
So then you'll probably say that's no problem, you can just go hostile, kill the offenders, and get on with your game. Since they're likely in the same faction as you, they should have to agree to go hostile with you. Of course they won't, since they have nothing to gain, so it would just be best to be able to turn hostile to anyone you want on a whim, right?
Nice try, no banana.
Once that happens, the griefers will run around killing low-level players and anyone else they like just for fun, and just to make them mad. Then they're likely to stop playing before making any kind of real progress.
It's just easier to leave collision off or almost off.
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One other item to add -- say you've got a group fighting a balrog or similar big baddie. It sure would be confusing and annoying if collision was turned on -- perhaps even enough to be a fun-killer. Could you imagine trying to communicate effectively enough? That level of coordination would be pretty much impossible, IMO.
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Just like most MMOs. WoW, for instance, hides that text on the Combat Log but you can still view it if you choose.
> there is not physics system, or, believe it or not, collision detection.
Just like most MMOs. Collision detection in an MMO would be a horrible drain on the server, especially as dozens of new players begin spawning in at the same spot. Yes, collision detection would have to be done at the server o
Re:Sucks (Score:5, Insightful)
If you're going to bash a game for not living up to expectations, at least make sure they're realistic expectations first.
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Re:Sucks (Score:4, Informative)
Ok, let me get this straight... a message telling you the bunny isn't a valid target is unacceptable, and show lack of polish. While having arrows sail right through it, (which looks like a BUG) is ok? Seems pretty arbitrary to me. Personally I'd rather be told why my arrows are continuously missing.
You should be able to attack NPC but be aware that there are consequences. The system should handle situations like that gracefully. For example if an important merchant NPC in a city gets attacked, let the city guards show up to arrest the character. And if the merchant dies anyway, let it re-spawn. Make the stupid action that the character want to do available but make it not worthwhile.
"worthwhile" is an useless word. If people *can* do something, people will do something, even if its not 'worthwhile'. In EQ for example, for a long time you could kill the merchants and other NPCs. Its pretty annoying if you head to the bank or baker or quest giver and find he's not there because someones killing him / killed him.
Consequences? Let the city gaurds show up? Well, then we'll just kill them TOO. If we can raid a dragon-god-lava-monster with legendary artifact weapons I'm pretty sure a few gaurds who haven't stepped out of their village shouldn't be an obstacle.
EQ1 had a social aggro system... if you attacked an NPC nearby gaurds would attempt to kill you in response. So players just banded together and killed the gaurds too. The merchants didn't drop anything, gave practically no experience. Bored players killed them. Jerks who wanted to interfere with other players killed them. Eventually players complained because they couldn't finish quests and what not, and a lot of npcs couldn't be attacked, and even some entire areas became combat-free.
That would be my expectations and I think that they are both reasonable and realistic since even Ultima 6 had smart solutions for situations like that (I think it was released 1990 - that's 17 years ago).
ultima 6 was single player. quite frankly, yes, a lot of things had to take a gaint step BACKWARDS in order to accomodate keeping a few thousand players in any sort of reasonable sync.
Re:Sucks (Score:5, Insightful)
I can't tell if your just being sarcastic or not. People aren't modding you funny though, so I'm not the only one who thinks you at least *might* be serious.
The combat system sucks - it actually has a window that says things like "You hit the wolf for two points of damage". It felt like going back in time to the 80's.
Par for the course:
World of Warcraft:
http://www.rpgfan.com/reviews/wow/wow3.jpg [rpgfan.com]
"Your Shoot Bow hits Onyxia for 92."
"Onyxia suffers 99 Nature damage from Bryna's Serpent Sting."
EQ2
http://www.jeffmaloneshirtlesspvp.com/images/EQ2_
"Tynsil's Mark of Nobility heals Doobers for 43 hit points."
"Udaho's Ghastly Shroud regenerates 133 points of absorption."
Personally I don't think it is "polished gameplay" if you try, for instance, trying to do something like shoot a sheep with your crossbow only to receive an error message - yes, really! an error message saying something like "disallowed action".
So you aren't allowed to shoot the sheep, big deal. They aren't 'opponents' or 'killable creatures', they're just animated background, like a torch, or tree.
And calling that an "error message"? What is it supposed to say when you perform a disallowed action?
Did you also complain when you tried to lockpick a goblin?
And although the world is big, you can't really explore it - you can't open doors unless they are part of the plot, you can't smash crates or barrels or whatever to see what is inside them, you even can't fight the NPCs or animals unless it is part of the plot.
Go play everquest one. It lets you really explore. Of course, the moment you step into the side room the YOU-hating level 65 shadowknight leader was sitting in he executes you on the spot. Or when you get sent to see so-and-so, you can spend 3 hours checking nearly every room in the city, only to find out after much frustration that so-and-so only comes out at night, and he walks around too, and if you don't catch up to him in time his path takes him right to the level 65 shadowknight -- who kills him. (And you too if you happen to be nearby.)
Modern MMORPGs got rid of all that stuff because a lot of players complained bitterly about how it wasn't fair. All that open 'Exploration' was wasting time when looking for things, perpetually getting them lost, and often getting them killed. They wanted maps, and waypoints so they couldn't get lost. They wanted higher level aggressive mobs to be well marked, and far away. They didn't want to open doors and find BIG THINGS that could and would kill them.
So they got what they wanted.
Its sad really.
Re:Sucks (Score:4, Insightful)
For what its worth, I agree, the MMORPG genre can and should evolve, and his criticisms are valid of the genre.
But, if you buy a MMORPG today, and you see the damage scroll by in the text window, and you find this 'archaic and disappointing', then your expectations are WAY out of whack for the genre.
Its like climbing into a Volvo and then writing a scathing review about how they don't float, can't fly, can't dodge accidents, don't steer themselves, and require you keep pouring some sort of foul smelling liquid into them.
Those are valid observations, and I'm sure ALL of us would like like to see carsevolve to the point we have flying self navigating safe cars that run on dew drops. Nobody thinks cars shouldn't evolve.
But if you are going to review a modern car and the lack of these is 'disappointing' you deserve to be ridiculed.
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I agree with most of your objections, but I think character collision detection is usually a bad thing in an MMORPG. WoW doesn't have it either and it makes it far easier to move around, especially in crowded areas. Guild Wars has it sometimes (forgot exactly how) but at these times I just found it annoying. Realism isn't al
Beware: Middle Earth license (Score:5, Funny)
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You can't read Elvish? Heh. Amateur.
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One License to bring them all and in the darkness bind them.
No support for me (Score:3, Insightful)
Except Tolkien.... (Score:2, Interesting)
Except for JRRT you mean.
I can't wait to be duel-spammed at Tom Bombadil's house....
As a purist who first ventured on to news groups nearly 20 years ago for the simple fact of discussing with other fans the work of Tolkien, I find an official game in the MMOG genre appauling.
I am sure this will get labeled flamebait or troll, but it was one thing when everyone was ripping on the professor and giving no credit. This is kicking in
Re:Except Tolkien.... (Score:5, Interesting)
Forget Bombadil, I want Wormtongue slitting Saruman's throat. At least Bombadil was left out completely. Saruman was brought in, developed, made an interesting part of the story, then dropped like a red hot palantir.
Re:Except Tolkien.... (Score:5, Informative)
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I did not know that, thanks. I'll have to get a copy. Does Saruman stab Frodo? How does Saruman make Wormtongue snap (obviously not in reference to killing Lotho, if they're not in the Shire). Are there any other critical story lines included in extended edition that were left out of regular? Thanks again.
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Re:Except Tolkien.... (Score:5, Informative)
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lol! gold....
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Re:Except Tolkien.... (Score:5, Interesting)
Seriously, what are you hoping to accomplish here? JRRT's work was great, I agree. The game is nothing like his work, I also agree. But I can't figure out how the game is diminishing the original work, or if it were, why you feel entitled to stop it -- one could just as easily argue that JJRT's work diminishes the game and that his books should be suppressed.
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That's like saying your parents never had any rights to you as a child because, after all, you're made of the same stuff all other humans have been for eons. No, your parents uniquely made you, and therefore, had a right to raise and make decisions on your upbringing.
Yes, Tolkien 'borrowed' the stuffs of lore, but he so u
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Re:Except Tolkien.... (Score:4, Insightful)
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Two words: Michael White. Look up his thoughts on what Tolkien would have thought of the movie.
Tolkien did indeed sell the movie rights for 10k pounds in the late 1960s. However, both he and Christopher, apparently, stated it would not dramatize well. Also, knowing that he had a rather huge family to support -- and took up such extra jobs as grading jr school papers -- I would imagine he needed the money.
In any event,
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Bombadil was entirely unnecessary to the movies, but entirely necessary to Arda, to the greater telling of the cosmos JRRT created.
I also invite you to watch as many interviews with Peter Jackson & co. as possible. Very little tribute given to Tolkien. About the only person who
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I liked the movies too and have watched over and over. I do stress to others that this is not LoTR or Tolkien's work at all. It is an entirely different story as told by jackson and co. That it simply what it is....
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That thought would be correct except he specifically stated only his son, Christopher, could do so.
Unlike Lucas who has no problem with others dabbling in SW mythos, even directing and writing, etc., Tolkien was extremely picky and protective of his work. This is a well-known fact.
The risk, you see, is that Arda -- Tolkien's greater world -- is at risk
..."lack of an English mythology" err, Beowulf? (Score:2)
I guess the humourous retort would be "you're a troll, right?"
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tolkein [wikipedia.org]
Tolkein was a professor of Anglo-Saxon at Oxford University. He knew his way round the myths. But you don't need to be a professor at Oxford to have come across Beowulf.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beowulf [wikipedia.org]
There's vast tracts of English myths and legends and Tolkein clearly draws on them in his work, as
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Oh, and you get points for "Bah Humbug." That's a rare drop....
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Yes, they did draw things from the books that are not in the movies but the movies are still clearly the primary inspiration for the game.
Faithful to the books? (Score:5, Funny)
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You'll be sad to hear that he's an NPC, and as far as I can tell, can't be killed.
Accurate Review (Score:5, Insightful)
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I disagree. If you like games like World of Warcraft, then take a look, you might like it. But I love the books and really thought the game sucked completely. It's a game for fricks sake - above all it should be fun to play. Having a crappy combat system does not make for a good game, however faithful the game is to the books or pretty the graphics are.
Bizarre to review it so early... (Score:5, Insightful)
While it might be pretty (or as others have pointed out, have a very limited combat system), all of these things can change very quickly.
So, let us take for example, that it has a really strong story line: what is to say this continues next month when thousands of 13-15 yr olds coming charging in and act like asses (much like what happened with WoW)? Suddenly the story begins to slide tremendously.
Or Asheron's Call is another example. I remember signing up to Asheron's Call's beta test and enjoying it immensely (the Otholoi story was quite interesting). However, as time went on, the story was down right pathetic, and monthly updates were mostly patches and nerfs. Story went by the wayside.
I would say, whatever you read in reviews (or hell, even if you aren't going to read any reviews) don't charge into this game until it matures a little. Since, much like Apple's early adopters, you usually get a nerfed product in the end. Wait until you can see whether the devs will continue the strong and fix up the weak stuff.
By the way, last I head, this game was being published by EA, don't we hate them? Or were we always at peace with Eurasia?
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I disagree. Certainly the game can change, and change dramatically on release, but reviewing MMORPGs early is a good way to inform me whether I should care enough to shell out my hard earned cash.
I'm a casual player. The fact that there's no high end content and there's no griping about the quality of low
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WoW vs Other (Score:3, Interesting)
With the brand name power of LOTR, you would think this would be able to strongly compete, but I think WoW just has too large of a player base and too much power in the MMORPG genre to really need to deal with losing a LARGE number of players. I mean, there are a ton of WoW players who are becoming weary after 2 years and looking for something new and might move on to a different game, but LOTR Online isn't going to be the WoW killer.
With more and more MMORPG games coming into the market, and the quality of these games getting better and better, it's just a matter of time until a game comes along that will have enough appeal to give WoW some trouble. Chances are players will start leaving slowly for other games (most likely after a major patch release), rejoining the real world, etc, but Blizzard's time will come soon enough and chances are they will be their own downfall.
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Better != Appeal. As any number of fans of any form of entertainment and most typical merchandise can tell you; sales and popularity are not a true indicator of quality or talent.
As far as giving WoW some trouble? Who cares. If you're playing a game that you like it's a game that you like
Uniqueness of LOTRO (Score:4, Interesting)
Deeds are interesting but hardly unique. The MMORPG that captured the spirit of deeds best was "City of Heroes". Even before Xbox 360, CoH allowed your hero to have cool titles. By defeating enough specific mobs or visiting a string of significant locations, even your lowliest characters could have cool titles such as "Dark Mystic" and such. If you were a lowly level ten superhero, you can pass by a unique location and collect a cool badge to tack on to your name. I think the badge/deed system is particularly good for retaining low level characters and for bored high level players.
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EQ2 (Score:2)
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I'm assuming you meant to say EQ2 predates LotRO, as 1. WoW was released during the same month as EQ2 and 2. WoW doesn't really have a title system like this... well, it does, but only for PvP and Arena stuff.
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You gain or improve a specific trait (fortitude, charity, determination, etc...) by finishing the particular deed associated with it. Each trait has multiple effects on your character attributes, for example it might increase your disease resistance by 2% and increase your agility by 2 points.
There about 10 or so traits, but you can only have a certain portion of them "equipped"
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They simply rebranded a grind. In wow we grind for rep, in lotro we grind for something else.
LOTRO's one horrid conribution is the reemergence of a rotten UI with no player ability to make it better. Turbine has never learned how to make a good UI and most suggestions fall by the wayside. EQ2 and WOW allow great modification of the UI
Forgive the AC... (Score:5, Interesting)
Zonk mentions that he misses Howard Shore's sweeping stirring score. He did not, however, mention the in-game music system, which is admittedly limited now but will be expanded with the June update. Starting at level 5, players can purchase the ability to use a lute or clarinet, and by equipping an instrument and typing
If you want to play the Shire theme, equip a lute, and plunk out 123 5 3 2 1, 356 8543 432.
One of the highlights of the game for me, so far, was after four of us defeated a Mountain Troll, I started a campfire, we all pulled out our instruments, and played a resounding round of Row, Row, Row Your Boat. (1, 1, 123, 32345, 888 555 333 111 54321)
You tell me that the Fellowship didn't really do that on Weathertop. Go on, try to convince me.
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Why the Movie Comparison (Score:3, Insightful)
Why? LoTR predates the movie by quite a bit, and I'm guessing that the market for this game is more the geeky market, than people who first think of Elija Woods when they think of Frodo. I'm rather glad that it isn't a movie tie in, to be honest, since I still don't feel that the movies were the best representation of Tolkein's works, since they were completely (and grudgingly unnecessarily) lacking in nuance. People coming to the game, with mostly experience from the movie, would be disappointed, and wonder what all that wretched "back story" is.
It is an interesting commentary on something or another, though, that its setting mentioned primarily as parity with with movie, and not with the books, or the rest of the canon. I would care more about little glimpses of events from the Similarian, and little snippets from Lost Tales, etc... It would add more context for me, than having Vigo Mortenson voice Strider.
Game isn't that Great (Score:5, Insightful)
As a person who has only a passing knowledge of LOTR, a license doesn't make this game any more enjoyable than any other MMOG. It ends up being just another cookie cutter MMORPG. Every minute I spent playing it felt like a chore and I have no intention of playing it again. Granted I hate WoW almost as much, but I recognize that it's a bit more polished in many ways.
Meh. (Score:2, Insightful)
Fantasy MMOs have run their course (Score:3, Interesting)
What MMORPGs need right now is a title that is revolutionary, a real sandbox game whose direction the players get to influence. Star Wars Galaxies was heading that way until Sony killed it with the gameplay changes. Age of Conan and Warhammer look promising but as it stands I expect disappointment.
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Let people run the weapon/item/magic shoppes, let people create quests and rewards, let people build towns and band together, the quality of the player created content would far surpass and be much more fluid and
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The hard part is implementing this without impacting cash flow. That usually means appealing to the mob. Make some changes, and gaming public cries for bloody murder. Of course if it continues in one direction, then they vote with their wallets - by going to another game, where they get to be uber in that 'other' game.
Balancing the game to have the right mix of feeling uber and creating that 'magical, other world immersion' does not mix. Everybody wants to be Gandalf, not the wheat farmer that was responsi
The Unholy Union of LOTR and D&D (Score:3, Informative)
Fuck comparisons to WoW (Score:2, Insightful)
Wow is a lowest common denominator game. Why should we all want to aspire towards WoW? That's like saying, gee, 51% of the world is men, so all women should aspire to get sex changes so they should be part of the majority. Ridiculous, isn't it?
Personally, I played it for three months and sold my account (for a tidy profit, no less). I'm a huge Blizzard fan - wasted way too much of my college life on Starcraft and Diablo II. But don't aspire for the common denominator. Games should b
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You didn't like WoW, ok fine. Know one gives a rip.
Your post was just a petty and unwarranted attack on WoW. And your 'example' is crap.
Re:Fuck comparisons to WoW? (Score:3, Funny)
What's up with those screenshots (Score:3, Insightful)
Deeds are *not* unique! (Score:4, Insightful)
Ummm....no. The Deed/Title stuff is pretty much a direct copy of what City of Heroes has been doing for years with its "Badges" and Titles. There's nothing wrong with that. Its a neat game mechanic, that allows you to further personalize your character, and I'm damn glad to see other games picking up on it. Just don't go spreading myths that LotRO thought this up themselves.
I'd like to stress again what a nice feature this is, particularly for a game like LotRO, where you don't have nearly enough character creation options to differentiate yourself. A really obscure or difficult to achieve title can be a significant source of pride. I had one in CoH for working off a massive amount of death debt. You basicly have to die an impressive amount of times in a row to achieve this; sort of a perverse badge of incompetence. I wore it proudly.
A generally very well-done review (Score:2)
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So you don't know this game is already out, or anything about any MMO ever created... but because a bonehead has the ability to spellcheck and use proper English, it is an AMAZING REVIEW!!!1!1eleventy!
Get off your knees and zip up ole Zorky. What in the hell would drive anyone to even write a post like yours? Go read some real game reviews, better yet, go read other reviews of LotR by REAL game reviewers and then try again.
You fail teh Internets.
As always let me say... (Score:3, Insightful)
These "reviews" are just sad. I say it every time, and know it is always an instant ticket to -1's-ville but I've got Karma to burn. No one enjoys them and certainly no one is compelled to buy a game based on your words. They are like a self ego booster or something I guess for you, but what they show is how difficult it really is to write a solid review. They take lots of intelligence, time, attention to detail, and personal investment... and it is clear that you fail on every one of them.
Give it up already.
Inaccuracies in review (Score:2, Informative)
* Chat channels are not called Fellowships, your team/group is
* Burglars are not main the DSP class, hunters and champions are
* As others have pointed out, deeds/virtues are not unique to LotRO
* The explanation of the crafting system was all wrong
But otherwise I agree with his assessment of the game.
Demo (Score:2)
Lord of the Pies (Score:5, Funny)
You get experience you can use to level up your character for delivering pies?
This lead to the following line of thinking:
As we know, the one ring's power easily swayed the minds of men and elves and dwarves. Hobbits, however, were resistant to its effects, which is why one of them made an ideal ringbearer.
The Dark Lord Sauron knew he would need something of a different nature to tempt the hobbits. And thus the dark lord learned the craft of pie-making. There in the ovens of mount doom, he baked the master pie, the one pie to tempt them all.
Soon the aroma of this pie wafted over the free lands, and an army of hobbits went to mordor to take it. Sauron, holding the pie aloft in one hand out of their reach, and his mace grond in the other, fended them off until one of the river hobbits climbed up his back and took it from his hand. Sauron went down beneath a wave of hungry halflings while Isilgol snuck off into a cave with the pie. There he ate some of it and it transformed him into a creature unable to eat more pie, yet eternally taunted by its pleasant aroma... Fleeing the hobbits he hid beneatht he misty mountains, whose frequent fog and pine trees and wolves would mask the smell He lived in a state of torture with the pie for thousands of years...
Until one day Bilbo in the company of some dwarves (who were going to get back some beer a dragon had stolen from them) crossed those mountains and smelled the pie...
Oh come on people! (Score:3, Interesting)
Example:
"trying to do something like shoot a sheep with your crossbow only to receive an error message"
If you had actually tried for more the 5 minutes and more than just an elf you would have discovered that ELVES can't kill small furry creatures. Everyone else can and does, sometimes to an annoying degree. Why can't elves kill furry creatures? If you have to ask that then just go play Wow because you know nothing about the Tolkien world.
"I got 2 characters to level 5 before losing interest. I've been playing MMO's since 2001, and not since Dark Age of Camelot has there been a more annoying world chat channel."
First off, do you know how little time it takes to get to 5th lvl? Maybe 30-60 mins? My god if you can't stick with a character for that long you don't deserve to be playing ANY game. What you need is a game that starts up and once you've created you character it just has a big message that scrolls across the screen that says "YOU WIN!!"
As for the chat channels, RTFM! The chat channels are HIGHLY customizable if you would just take the time to LEARN it. Oh WOW new concept, learn the game!! Every complaint mentioned regarding the chat channels is addressed in the game. Is it to much to ask you to simply take the time to learn how to PLAY?
"Why does somebody with a really long name and title make it harder to right click on anything around them?"
Once again, learn the game, if you took the time to look at your customization options you would see that ALL of those things are set-able, don't' want the floaty names? Hit the "N" key. OH MY GOD THE NAMES WENT AWAY! Don't' want to see you helmet or the other player's names? How about your cloak or shoes? Turn them off. All set-able.
"Played a hobbit minstrel for about 3 weeks. To do damage to a monster or beast I was playing a guitar at it. A mother fucking guitar. To do damage."
Um... then don't play a minstrel dumbass. Nobody is forcing you to.
Look, I've played both games from stress beta on. LOTRO is by FAR a better product at launch than WoW ever was and believe me that surprised the hell out of me. People keep talking about polish and your right LOTRO had plenty of bugs to work out but if you compare it to WoW when it first came out it smokes it hands down. People keep trying to compare a NEW game to one that's been out for over 2 years. Duh, the older one is going to be more polished.
"Wow, a comprehensive review of the game and there's no mention of PvP. 'Nuff said, I suppose! Warhammer Online, here I come!
And that is exactly why you won't find PvP in LOTRO. Doesn't fit the genre. Please, oh please go play another game!
"...Until one day Bilbo in the company of some dwarves (who were going to get back some beer a dragon had stolen from them) crossed those mountains and smelled the pie..."
Ok, now that was just damn funny! LOL But actually I like the idea of having quests that AREN"T all about just going to kill this thing or that. I actually tried seeing how far I could get without having to kill something. Granted it was after I had taken a character through the intro area (once you have taken a character though it the rest of you new chars on that server can skip the into area) so I was able to skip the intro area. But once in the new area I was able to get to almost 15th level without having to swing my sword, just crafting quests, delivering pies or the mail, find the hiding hobbit etc. Things like that. It was a nice change from the regula
Confusing review (Score:3, Insightful)
Another point - 'deeds' aren't unique to LOTRO, they are called 'badges' in CoH/V and have been around a couple of years. Ditto for the 'virtues' - 'accolades' in CoH/V. Ditto for 'titles' - both games use the same name.
"I'm sorry... (Score:2)
Nerf the Hobbit! (Score:4, Funny)
In the dead of night
A shimmewin' wight
Gweem of a bwade
And dah devew was paid
When dah axe comes down
A chiwin' sound
Steew against dah head
Anothaw Hobbit's dead
I'm a Hobbit swayer
A guitaw pwayaw
With a nasty habbit
Nerf the Hobbit!!! (hah hah hah)
AhhhaahooOhhh
Be vewy vewy qwiet!
I'm wookin' fo Hobbits...
I'm a mean mistweetah
A Hobbbit feastah
And I pwedict
A bwoody Eastaw
A scuwowing shadow
And dah shadow was dis Hobbit
And dah night aiwah echoes
Nerf dah Hobbit!!!
Nerf dah Hobbit!!!
Nerf dah Hobbit!!!
Nerf dah Hobbit!!!
Nerf dah Hobbit!!!
Nerf dah Hobbit!!!
Nerf dah Hobbit!!!
Nerf dah Hobbit!!!
Ohhhh...and dayah won't be any mow Hobbits awound
No mow Frodo Hobbit
No mow Bilbo Hobbit
And no mow gay sidekick Hobbits!
Ah ha ha ha ha
Be vewy vewy cawhafo
Nerf the Troll? (Score:2, Troll)
Keep wasting your modpoints, Hobbits (Score:2)
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I'm a troll now, am I? Was it the "gay sidekick Hobbits" line? Hobbits get mod points now?
Probably, but you're getting modded up now. I think you just have to approach pervy hobbit action more carefully. My humble submission:
He's got Legolas, he knows how to use him.
He never begs, he knows how to wooze him.
He's holdin Leg wonderin what to do with him.
Would the other hobbits want one if they could only find one?
One is pervy, the other is elfy,
Yeah, its alright.
Hes got hair down to his fanny.
Doesn't get dirty, even traipsing through Mordor.
Everytime he's prancin' he knows what to do.
Can walk on t
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Actually, I would sum up LOTRO as "CoH crossed with WoW with a LOTR theme". There's a lot of things I see in LOTRO that I first experienced in CoH (though, it might have shown up in other games before CoH.)
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About the only time I grin
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