So Momroey recently got MMORPG hungry again after we had been discussing computer games and what not. She, like many others, has become bored of traditional PC games after playing MMORPG’s for a while. So she requested to reactive her EverQuest account again so she could continue playing her old character. Knowing I would end up getting sucked back in, I looked for another means to satisfy her needs. Thus, the story begins…
I looked up what’s hot on the MMO front and really didn’t see anything. Checked reviews and the top taker is still World of Kidcraft. Didn’t want to play any of the free MMORPG’s really because they tend to be full of Koreans or kids, which is a repeat of the Kidcraft. However, Gamespot gave LOTRO (see subject for definition kk thx) a high review. I looked it up a bit, and sure enough, I have found a prize.
LOTRO was and is being developed by Turbine, a company that made 4 other MMORPG’s of notable nature. However, this is their first launch with a much more talented staff that took all the risks they weren’t willing to take in the past. Instead of taking WoKidcraft and covering it up with the LOTR story line, which would have sold pretty good probably, they made a unique style MMO by combining many of the past dominators.
Notably, they took an idea that EverQuest did long ago, and abandoned, and launched it full fledged with more thought. The game is PvE oriented but has plenty of non-controversial PvP in the form of Monster Play. Once you reach level 10, you can create a level 50 monster NPC in a higher end zone where 40+ players hunt. This allows for an excellent PvP system while not introducing the rival wars in most PvP environments. It’s always nice to not watch your back 24/7 when your playing the low end so you get plenty of fun time. Rewards in the forms of titles and what not result from the monster play.
You pick a race and class at the beginning during creation. Class depends on your race. Surprisingly, the game has more unique classes instead of the same old thing you see in every game. There is no such thing as a cleric/priest at all. Instead, the powers of such has been spread into other arenas in different forms. So it isn’t completely the same thing over and over again. Instead of groups, there are fellowships (lawl). More intuitive system there as well.
The graphics and sound are impressive. They did a great job on compression so the world looks beautiful yet will play on almost anything. I can run the game on Ultra settings with minimum lag with an overclocked 7800 GTX. They didn’t over do the graphics like EverQuest II and Vanguard did, which turns out to be a good thing in the end. LOTRO's biggest bragging right thus far was the launch. It had by far the most successful MMORPG launch ever, and has been stable ever since.
Heavy quest system similar to that of WoKidcraft. That works very well for those who need guidance. Easy to get your friends started. The low end is very easy to get a good start. Content releases are free. Monthly fee is probably $15. There is a seven day trial which I’m playing with now you can get from their site
www.lotro.com. If a few others end up picking up interest, this will probably be my first full fledged MMO start up. The good thing about having the title LOTR on a game is there’s going to be invested new interest in the game for quite some time, similar to Blizzard using their Warcraft title on their recent MMORPG. I am on teh trial and seek fellowship!!!11one
