The Lord of the Rings Online is an MMORPG (Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game, for those of you who do not know) based in the world created by J. R. R. Tolkien in The Lord of the Rings. The game includes the Lord of the Rings series and the Hobbit by Tolkien.
Pricing - 8 of 10
The pricing of the Lord of the Rings Online (LOTRO) follows the normal pricing lines of other online games in its league. There is an initial $19.99 cost for the CD's or the Download from Direct2Drive. There is a 7-day free trial available from the website. The monthly service fee of LOTRO is $14.99, to be expected from a game of this caliber. The available Payment Method of PayByCash adds a point to this games Pricing score.
Leveling and Character Development - 9 of 10
The leveling system in LOTRO is one of great balance. The characters usually end up leveling at a good rate to follow the quest-lines. The leveling system, I believe, is suited to the game itself, as long as one follows quest-lines. The system incorporates the "Rest XP" which is a definite plus. The other aspect of this would include the Deed System in LOTRO which allows one to complete special "quests" to earn Traits to increase certain skills.
Quests - 8 of 10
The questing system of LOTRO is the standard MMORPG questing system, minus the clever use of rings as quest markers. The quests are marked with location, level of quest, and objectives. The quests in this game are very entertaining story-wise and the usage of Epic quests adds a good "change" to the game.
Community - 10 of 10
One of the best parts about this game is the community. LOTRO has the standard "grouping" system, referred to as a Fellowship, and the standard Guild system also. One thing that separates this game in the social level is the music system. The music system allows you to equip an instrument and use the number keys and/or the Shift and Ctrl keys to play different notes and move up and down octaves. This system allows one to play anything they want as long as they know the music. There are also a good amount of different instruments that you can choose from based on your race and class. You are also now a part of a family as a member of LOTRO, you can choose your Parents or Children. There is a long line of Family Tree that you can implant yourself within. There are also various emotes within the game, and you can unlock more by having an emote used on you so many times. Another GREAT aspect of the game is the developing Housing system. At the level of 15 you can purchase a house in any one of the various cities. Now, while this is a good idea for the game, the current cost of Housing is expensive for a level 15, and the upkeep costs are also painful for many lower levels. Another great aspect of social activity in LOTRO is the Title system. Never before have I seen a Title System that was this in depth. You can earn Food Titles for eating certain foods, Battle Titles for slaying a certain type of enemy, Survival Titles for not dying at 5 level increments all the way up to level 20 which is the spot for the best Survival Title, and others. All in all the social system in LOTRO is amazingly beautiful, with a ton of different options that before have only been available on non-graphical games.
Classes - 8 of 10
Next on the review list are the Classes, or the different options you have in battle. Though not entirely unique, the variety of options for battle, including skills, beats out a lot of MMORPGs. The battle system is very well developed, and has great graphical appearances.
Character Design - 8 of 10
The design of the characters is very nice. Each equipment appears on the character as it should, and you can customize your character with various options. Instead of certain options, the color scheme for skin depends on your selection from a wide variety of shades. The skin, hair, and eye colors are also dependent on the "heritage" you choose for your character. Each heritage appears differently and thus, different options. The characters may have a variety of hair-styles, and facial hair. Each race has its own options, and you may even add scars, freckles, etc on them.
In-game Movies - 6 of 10
The In-Game Movies in LOTRO is very poorly developed. When I first played the game, I did not even notice them. This is because they appear as a loading screen, thus I ignored it. The actual graphics of the video is nice and appealing, but is almost hidden from view. This is probably the only thing I can find wrong with the game itself.
Graphical Aspect - 10 of 10
The graphical aspect of LOTRO is very nice. On full settings, the game is amazing and very in depth. All the landmarks are very detailed and the rising of the sun actually causes play on water as it should. I am amazed by the quality of graphics on LOTRO. The character detail is also in depth and very Lord-of-the-Rings-ish.
Speed and Lag Issues - 9 of 10
Even on the crappy internet at my college, this game plays well. At home, on my decent cable, the game is good and fast and instantly responsive. I rarely get latency of over 100ms and this is very decent compared to other games I have played with some latency issues.
Story - 9 of 10
The LOTRO follows the Story line of the Lord of the Rings books very, very well, with actual in-game instances of the story that the character can experience themselves. The use of characters such as Gandolf and actual book characters is excellent and draws you into the game itself.
Length of Playtime - 10 of 10
The length of time you can play this game is unmeasurable due to its open ended aspects. This includes the collectible Titles and completing Deeds. Along with this is the Monster option of play, and the Housing system. With Titles coming from eating certain foods, living so long without dying, and killing a certain amount of creatures, this allows one to enjoy playing the game for long periods.
Summary
In the end, LOTRO scores a 8.63 out of 10. This game is among my top MMORPGs and it is recommended that you try the 7-day trial out to see if you like it. I am on the Brandywine server and my character name is Eiro, if you want to look me up. I will edit this posting if I change my character name anytime soon. Thank you for reading my review, suggest topics for future reviews, or give your opinion, thanks!
