Before i start i want to get a few things out of the way. I used to play WoW, now enough of that, that game will not be mentioned for the remainder of this review. I have been a fan of LOTR since i can remember so a bit of bias regarding the content and story is probably unavoidable but I would probably be a lot harder on it than I perhaps should be for the same reason. anywho, on with the reviewing part.... Lord of the Rings online opens in a very familiar way to other MMOs, the introduction of your race in middle earth, using a prologue of sorts which is a kind of tutorial. this part is the worst part of the game but I'm glad they got that out of the way early on because what follows is an immersive and rewarding jaunt in a setting that millions will already identify with, Middle Earth. for all of the LOTR buffs out there, the game as I see it is a wonderful interpretation of the spellbinding world created by Tolkein which is based far more along the lines of the books (all of them, from the Silmarilion through the book of lost tales ending in the third age) than the movies. This will of course leave some movie folk scratching their heads at certain characters, Tom Bombadil for example, but will not alienate them at all. Graphically it is sublime provided you have a good enough rig to ramp up the settings. Being able to stare at weathertop from the middle of midgewater is excellent, fighting looks smooth and is terrifically exciting when it should be. The UI is brilliant, borrowing much from other games and tweeking it where necessary... For me, the place where this game really, really shines is the depth provided through questing. You will NEVER run out of things to do, whether your chasing deeds, finishing quests or suffering from wanderlust you will have a wealth of options presented to you. Character progression is hardly unique but is more freeform than prior games thanks to the Deeds. For those of you who are worried about the size of the world, at present it takes about 2 hours to run from thorins gate to the misty mountains (west and east extremes of the current map) and about the same time to go from the barrow downs to the north of Angmar (South and North Extremes). Given that we only have Eriador to play around in at the moment, the world is going to increase to an unbelievable size. with the introduction of Rovannion, Gondor, Modor and Rohan the world will be enormous. there are plenty of other things I could cover in this review, but my advice is to go and check it out for yourself. the final word: Definitely check it out. Fans of MMOs and Tolkein alike will undoubtedly find something to love about this game and will more often than not, hang around to enjoy it.
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