Packaging Art of the LOTRO, used fairly.
Please visit www.lotro.com for a full copyright details.
This was announced to be the fantasy game of all time, and since the moment beta was announced gamers rushed by the thousands to obtain a beta key. When it was released, the game started receiving a lot of good press, but nonetheless there was some bad press aswell. Being in the beta myself, I tend to agree with this other beta player fellow's oppinion, which tends to be one of the LOTRO bad press out there.
Strike one, the beta
I got in the beta with the first stress test, and I wasn't suprised seeing all the hoopes and blows the servers did that day. There were some minor bugs in the game especially with the quests, most of the features weren't polished, but all that wasn't what got me disappointed. It was the fact that the world itself, as a MMORPG, didn't make any sense. I'm also a Lineage II player (although I've played very little on retail servers) and I've got a pretty high standard when it comes to MMORPGs.
Anyway, I'm fan of Tolkien's work (even though I haven't read the books just yet) and just like more than half of LOTRO's players I had to have and play this game. A friend suprised me with a 60-day pre-paid game card on my birthday last year, but I didn't have the time to play util this year.
The comeback, a year after
I started playing the game last weekend, as an Elven Hunter named Gildorwe. I first tried playing on a more relaxed server, but it seems it was too relaxed (hardly ever seen another player around) so I decided to switch to the Laurelin English role-playing server, with which I am more pleased. They say that login queues are very likely, but I haven't yet experienced one.
The game is much more polished now, and I found the first 13 levels to be quite entertaining. Discovery is probably the defining keyword of the experience so far: there's a lot of things that need be discovered, from game mechanics, to UI and back.
At a glance
The game is most enjoyable in fellowships, so the smartest things to do is play this game with a pack of friends. Of cours, you'll find people in the game, and you'll even become friends, but it's never a sure gathering. I found a couple of fellow role-players who I enjoy playing with, but I can't be online too much and it kinda sucks for all of us, since epic quests usually require fellowship playing is order to be completed.
You'll find yourself wandering alone sometimes, especially when you'll be completing some side-quests or doing crafting, but those aren't very every-day situations. And speaking of wandering, the amount of walking in this game is driving me crazy... Renting horses is somewhat expensive, and you can't have your own just until level 35 (or 25 if you purchase the Gold Edition).
The graphics and sound are superb, and if you're one of the lucky people to have had a massive investment in hardware, this game makes it pay off. Even with medium grade hardware the game still looks nice and moves smoothly. The amount of customization options to get the graphics just right for your hardware setup proves this area was very well take care of.
I'm going to play this game as much as I can in the following 45 days of initial subscription. You can expect a full review soon! Well, not too soon, because I'll still play some Lineage II, and take care of business and hobbies.
1 comment:
You write very well.
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