Lord of the Rings Online Review
A couple of weeks ago, I bought a copy of Lord of the Rings Online to give it a run around the block. It's a game I'd been anticipating for the last two years and I'm glad to say that overall it does not disappoint.
So, here's my review of Lord of the Rings Online: Shadows of Angmar.
LOTRO takes place at the same time as the events in Lord of the Rings, but covers a, generally, different part of Middle Earth and the War of the Ring. Players can choose from one of four Tolkien races: humans, elves, dwarves or hobbits. You can then, based on your race, choose from one of several classic MMORPG classes. There are captains, champions, guardians, hunters, lore masters, burglars and minstrels. Character creation is detailed, allowing you to make very unique characters, on par with the character creation detail level in Everquest 2, but still not as detailed as Star Wars Online, however it does allow more flexibility than the current MMORPG god, World of Warcraft. Skin tone, hair style, body build, facial features and even characteristic scars allow you to have the possibility of making your elf hunter (and you know you're going to make one) look different enough from everyone elses elf hunter. What's more, during the creation process you can choose which region your character is from, which allows for different visual creation options. For example, Gondorian humans can have dark skin, while a human from Rohan cannot. Additionally, name creation is very restricted. What this means is that you are confined to names that sound like they belong on Middle Earth, and there's a handy naming suggestion guide with each character class, specific to your character's region of birth. This has its ups and downs, as it keeps the game immersion from being interrupted by seeing names like kewlelfdude10101. But, it can be frustrating trying name after name before finding one that is allowable and hasn't already been taken.
Once your character is created, you go through the prerequisiste tutorial and a beginner's area before being transported to the world proper.
Graphically, LOTR is well done, but it's nothing that will blow your mind. It lacks the vibrance of World of Warcraft and the ultrarealistic color tones of Everquest 2. However, the style is very reminiscent of illustrator Alan Lee's Tolkien works, which makes the artwork fit with the subject matter. There are ancient, crumbling elven ruins, thick-walled dwarven fortresses and a host of creatures and monsters well-rendered enough to please. The graphics often harken to the LOTR films by Peter Jackson, but it's virtually never a direct copy. I assume this is because while they got the rights to use the book material, they did not have the rights to use images from the film.
Sound in LOTR is pretty good. There's some use of voice over, but generally for introductions, special scenes and very specific pieces of dialog. The monsters make a variety of cool noises and again, in little ways, it is clear that the creators tried to invoke the tone of the movies, even if they could not borrow from them directly. A dying bear gives a last mournful groan that sounds a lot like the dying cave troll in Fellowship of the Rings, for example. Additionally, the music is again reminiescent of the films, while being original. In some ways it reminds me of Jeremy Soul's work on Knights of the Old Republic and the Icewind Dale games, but it doesn't quite attain that level of emotional involvement. It is background music, and it does a good job at being that.
The interface is simple, intuitive, and quite often very similar to world of warcraft and everquest 2. There's no groundbreaking stuff here, but on the plus side the learning period is pretty short. There are several nice little additions which do make things easier. For example, you can choose which quests are visible at the side of the screen, which gives a brief synopsis of the quest goals. Unlike EQ2 and WOW, you already come equipped with multiple bags and backpacks, so there is no looking for crafters to make you 20-slot bags so you can carry around all your stuff. However, the inventory pictures are smallish and a lot of stuff tends to look similar, making inventory feel a bit cumbersome at times when you are looking for something. Movement is the old mouse or WSAD combination and there are plenty of hotkey options and a handy key guide comes with the game.
Game play itself is quick and easy, often engrossing, and probably where this game shines the most. It is specifically designed to make grinding not feel like grinding. Missions have a depth of story to them, even when it is the same kill/escort/gather/retrieve mission formats. There are far more story-driven mission chains than in WoW and EQ2, and there is a specific storyline called the epic quests that keep your character from just feeling adrift in the world. Probably the most refreshing new aspect and innovation of this game is the deed system. Deeds are like mini-quests specifically to counter the feel of grinding. They are found through random events, such as killing a particular type of creature or finding a particular item, and generally require you to kill x amount of a specific type of creature, use x power a specific number of times, or find all the landmarks in a region associated with a particular group. A complete deed generally gives you one of two rewards: a title, which you can cause to be displayed next to your name (such as Rivinn, Defender of the Halls) or special bonuses that enhance other skills. However, you only have a certain number of slots open at any one time for these bonuses, and going to a bard to have them applied to your character costs money. However this makes you think about how to build your character, and allows for more customization than leveling, again lending to more unique characters. Questing is fun, intriquing and moves at a good pace, and the stories behind the quests make them a tad more engrossing than WoW. And if you are a Tolkien fan then you are likely to find killing spiders for Tom Bombadill far more interesting than killing them for an EQ2 quest NPC that you never heard of.
Groups are called, appropriately, fellowships, and the game incorporates a similar "chain attack" special moves system like that found in EQ2. Usually started by the burgular in the group (making them very valuable), all the members of a fellowship choose a color during group combat. The right combination sets off a "group combo" move.
Now where LOTR departs most from other games of its genre is in its PvP aspect. At 10th level you are given the option of creating a monster race character. Ettins, Spiders, trolls, orcs, uruk hai, etc. are available. Every level after 10 you receive destiny points that you can use to bump up this character, which starts off at level 40. You can then do evil missions with them or fight player characters using their normal characters in the ettinmoors. Currently, the later is underutilized because the game is so new there are not many players who have high enough level characters to fight the monster races. Still, it is really an interesting way to approach PvP, and who doesn't want to be one of the spawn of Shelob?
Another place where Lord of the Rings shines is its crafting system. Characters pick an overarching profession (such as woodsman), which gives them three different crafting skills. Two of these skills will be complimentary. The third will be related to your profession, but reliant on a crafting or gathering skill you don't have in order to fully utilize it. For example, someone with the woodsman profession will have woodworking (for making bows, spears, staves and other wood-based weaponry), foresting (for gathering wood for the woodworking skill, as well as for turning leather hides into usable boiled leather pieces) and farming (allowing you to grow fruits and vegetables in farm fields as well as good old hobbit pipe weed). The foresting and woodworking compliment each other well, but you're farming is primarily to provide resources to people with cooking skills. Further, the leather you make as a forester will aid armorers, who can make leather armor but can't cure the leather hides they need for the armor.
Crafting goes up in tiers (apprentice, journeyman and Master), which unlock new, more advanced recipes and allows you to use special items to give Master-level creations a little boost. Further, the tiers are all point-based, and you know exactly how many crafting points you will get with each item you make. There's no chance at failure, so you can easily figure out that making 25 Rowan spears at 8 crafting points each will get you the 200 points you need to become a journeyman first tier woodworker, thus allowing you to plan ahead. I'm sure crafting math guides are springing up all over already. While this takes away the fun mini-game aspects of crafting found in EQ2, and the unpredictability of when you will get crafting "raises" like in WoW or Ultima Online, it gives a certain stability to crafting that makes it easy and accessible to players who are not big on the crafting aspect, while still giving crafters something to sink their teeth into.
Overall, while innovative in places, LOTR is a solid MMORPG that takes what its predecessors has done and in most cases learns from them. The game play more than makes up for good, but not outstanding, graphics and sound and the Tolkien source material seems well-used. Quests abound, the storylines are rich and involving, the player races and character classes are well thought out, but except for a few surprises here and there we've seen them all before. The Tolkien fans are going to carry this game most likely, as except for a few little innovations, there is nothing new here for non-Tolkien loving EQ2 or WoW fans. I think the EQ2 types are going to gravitate towards its more "grown up" attitude a bit faster than WoW adherents, which could be trouble for EQ and EQ2.
It is fun, appropriately addictive, but you can also walk away from it without as much of that "just...one...more...level..." crack-like addiction of WoW. It's already stolen my girl Rae, who is one of those "I read the Similliarion (or however it's spelled)" types of Tolkien fans. It will also appeal to anyone who prefers to play on the role-play servers of other MMORPGs. It definitely did a better job with handling a known property than Dungeons and Dragons Online did, and is about as different as, well, the Lord of the Rings movies as compared to the Dungeons and Dragons movie.
The only game that's really going to be hurt by this game is EQ2, as it attracts the same kinds of players in general. The l33t crowd and younger players probably won't find it too appealing, and the jury is still out on whether PvP players will be interested in monster race play.
Future add-ons are said to include player housing too, which will be a definite advantage over WoW.
If you are Tolkien fan and like MMORPGs, this is your game. If you're a more mature RPG gamer, this too is probably your game. If not, WoW will probably continue to serve you just fine.
So, here's my review of Lord of the Rings Online: Shadows of Angmar.
LOTRO takes place at the same time as the events in Lord of the Rings, but covers a, generally, different part of Middle Earth and the War of the Ring. Players can choose from one of four Tolkien races: humans, elves, dwarves or hobbits. You can then, based on your race, choose from one of several classic MMORPG classes. There are captains, champions, guardians, hunters, lore masters, burglars and minstrels. Character creation is detailed, allowing you to make very unique characters, on par with the character creation detail level in Everquest 2, but still not as detailed as Star Wars Online, however it does allow more flexibility than the current MMORPG god, World of Warcraft. Skin tone, hair style, body build, facial features and even characteristic scars allow you to have the possibility of making your elf hunter (and you know you're going to make one) look different enough from everyone elses elf hunter. What's more, during the creation process you can choose which region your character is from, which allows for different visual creation options. For example, Gondorian humans can have dark skin, while a human from Rohan cannot. Additionally, name creation is very restricted. What this means is that you are confined to names that sound like they belong on Middle Earth, and there's a handy naming suggestion guide with each character class, specific to your character's region of birth. This has its ups and downs, as it keeps the game immersion from being interrupted by seeing names like kewlelfdude10101. But, it can be frustrating trying name after name before finding one that is allowable and hasn't already been taken.
Once your character is created, you go through the prerequisiste tutorial and a beginner's area before being transported to the world proper.
Graphically, LOTR is well done, but it's nothing that will blow your mind. It lacks the vibrance of World of Warcraft and the ultrarealistic color tones of Everquest 2. However, the style is very reminiscent of illustrator Alan Lee's Tolkien works, which makes the artwork fit with the subject matter. There are ancient, crumbling elven ruins, thick-walled dwarven fortresses and a host of creatures and monsters well-rendered enough to please. The graphics often harken to the LOTR films by Peter Jackson, but it's virtually never a direct copy. I assume this is because while they got the rights to use the book material, they did not have the rights to use images from the film.
Sound in LOTR is pretty good. There's some use of voice over, but generally for introductions, special scenes and very specific pieces of dialog. The monsters make a variety of cool noises and again, in little ways, it is clear that the creators tried to invoke the tone of the movies, even if they could not borrow from them directly. A dying bear gives a last mournful groan that sounds a lot like the dying cave troll in Fellowship of the Rings, for example. Additionally, the music is again reminiescent of the films, while being original. In some ways it reminds me of Jeremy Soul's work on Knights of the Old Republic and the Icewind Dale games, but it doesn't quite attain that level of emotional involvement. It is background music, and it does a good job at being that.
The interface is simple, intuitive, and quite often very similar to world of warcraft and everquest 2. There's no groundbreaking stuff here, but on the plus side the learning period is pretty short. There are several nice little additions which do make things easier. For example, you can choose which quests are visible at the side of the screen, which gives a brief synopsis of the quest goals. Unlike EQ2 and WOW, you already come equipped with multiple bags and backpacks, so there is no looking for crafters to make you 20-slot bags so you can carry around all your stuff. However, the inventory pictures are smallish and a lot of stuff tends to look similar, making inventory feel a bit cumbersome at times when you are looking for something. Movement is the old mouse or WSAD combination and there are plenty of hotkey options and a handy key guide comes with the game.
Game play itself is quick and easy, often engrossing, and probably where this game shines the most. It is specifically designed to make grinding not feel like grinding. Missions have a depth of story to them, even when it is the same kill/escort/gather/retrieve mission formats. There are far more story-driven mission chains than in WoW and EQ2, and there is a specific storyline called the epic quests that keep your character from just feeling adrift in the world. Probably the most refreshing new aspect and innovation of this game is the deed system. Deeds are like mini-quests specifically to counter the feel of grinding. They are found through random events, such as killing a particular type of creature or finding a particular item, and generally require you to kill x amount of a specific type of creature, use x power a specific number of times, or find all the landmarks in a region associated with a particular group. A complete deed generally gives you one of two rewards: a title, which you can cause to be displayed next to your name (such as Rivinn, Defender of the Halls) or special bonuses that enhance other skills. However, you only have a certain number of slots open at any one time for these bonuses, and going to a bard to have them applied to your character costs money. However this makes you think about how to build your character, and allows for more customization than leveling, again lending to more unique characters. Questing is fun, intriquing and moves at a good pace, and the stories behind the quests make them a tad more engrossing than WoW. And if you are a Tolkien fan then you are likely to find killing spiders for Tom Bombadill far more interesting than killing them for an EQ2 quest NPC that you never heard of.
Groups are called, appropriately, fellowships, and the game incorporates a similar "chain attack" special moves system like that found in EQ2. Usually started by the burgular in the group (making them very valuable), all the members of a fellowship choose a color during group combat. The right combination sets off a "group combo" move.
Now where LOTR departs most from other games of its genre is in its PvP aspect. At 10th level you are given the option of creating a monster race character. Ettins, Spiders, trolls, orcs, uruk hai, etc. are available. Every level after 10 you receive destiny points that you can use to bump up this character, which starts off at level 40. You can then do evil missions with them or fight player characters using their normal characters in the ettinmoors. Currently, the later is underutilized because the game is so new there are not many players who have high enough level characters to fight the monster races. Still, it is really an interesting way to approach PvP, and who doesn't want to be one of the spawn of Shelob?
Another place where Lord of the Rings shines is its crafting system. Characters pick an overarching profession (such as woodsman), which gives them three different crafting skills. Two of these skills will be complimentary. The third will be related to your profession, but reliant on a crafting or gathering skill you don't have in order to fully utilize it. For example, someone with the woodsman profession will have woodworking (for making bows, spears, staves and other wood-based weaponry), foresting (for gathering wood for the woodworking skill, as well as for turning leather hides into usable boiled leather pieces) and farming (allowing you to grow fruits and vegetables in farm fields as well as good old hobbit pipe weed). The foresting and woodworking compliment each other well, but you're farming is primarily to provide resources to people with cooking skills. Further, the leather you make as a forester will aid armorers, who can make leather armor but can't cure the leather hides they need for the armor.
Crafting goes up in tiers (apprentice, journeyman and Master), which unlock new, more advanced recipes and allows you to use special items to give Master-level creations a little boost. Further, the tiers are all point-based, and you know exactly how many crafting points you will get with each item you make. There's no chance at failure, so you can easily figure out that making 25 Rowan spears at 8 crafting points each will get you the 200 points you need to become a journeyman first tier woodworker, thus allowing you to plan ahead. I'm sure crafting math guides are springing up all over already. While this takes away the fun mini-game aspects of crafting found in EQ2, and the unpredictability of when you will get crafting "raises" like in WoW or Ultima Online, it gives a certain stability to crafting that makes it easy and accessible to players who are not big on the crafting aspect, while still giving crafters something to sink their teeth into.
Overall, while innovative in places, LOTR is a solid MMORPG that takes what its predecessors has done and in most cases learns from them. The game play more than makes up for good, but not outstanding, graphics and sound and the Tolkien source material seems well-used. Quests abound, the storylines are rich and involving, the player races and character classes are well thought out, but except for a few surprises here and there we've seen them all before. The Tolkien fans are going to carry this game most likely, as except for a few little innovations, there is nothing new here for non-Tolkien loving EQ2 or WoW fans. I think the EQ2 types are going to gravitate towards its more "grown up" attitude a bit faster than WoW adherents, which could be trouble for EQ and EQ2.
It is fun, appropriately addictive, but you can also walk away from it without as much of that "just...one...more...level..." crack-like addiction of WoW. It's already stolen my girl Rae, who is one of those "I read the Similliarion (or however it's spelled)" types of Tolkien fans. It will also appeal to anyone who prefers to play on the role-play servers of other MMORPGs. It definitely did a better job with handling a known property than Dungeons and Dragons Online did, and is about as different as, well, the Lord of the Rings movies as compared to the Dungeons and Dragons movie.
The only game that's really going to be hurt by this game is EQ2, as it attracts the same kinds of players in general. The l33t crowd and younger players probably won't find it too appealing, and the jury is still out on whether PvP players will be interested in monster race play.
Future add-ons are said to include player housing too, which will be a definite advantage over WoW.
If you are Tolkien fan and like MMORPGs, this is your game. If you're a more mature RPG gamer, this too is probably your game. If not, WoW will probably continue to serve you just fine.
posted by Dark Lord at 8:06 PM
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