Lord of the Rings Online: Shadows of Angmar
Review
This game brings the world of J.R.R. Tolkien to the online RPG crowd
by Rook & KingWilly
reviewed on PC
Rook continues:
Another odd twist to a standard class is the Lore Master. The Lore Master is as close to a mage as you are going to get starting off in Shadows of Angmar. Using the knowledge of the physical world around him, he creates magic-like results with alchemical ingredients and knowledge of his environment. Using his expansive knowledge on various subjects, he can fling alchemical fireballs or befriend denizes of the natural world. The Captain is the final and most interesting of the playable classes. Available only to the humans of Middle Earth, the Captain is more of a title bestowed a natural leader than it is a rank. This is not to say that all Captains must be group leaders, however. The Captain class is both a combatant and a group buffer. Able to don heavy armour in later levels and having a large selection of weapons, he is more than capable of handling himself in a fight. In addition to his combat prowess, his battle shouts and commanding shouts can boost the groups' combat effectiveness in coming battles or help the group recover from a fight going poorly. After reaching level 10, the Captain will also earn the right to recruit standard bearers who will carry his rallying banner into combat with him. As the Captain levels, more recruits will be made available to him.
KW:
There is one thing that I'm not really enthusiastic about though, and it probably goes for most MMORPG's. That is the combat system in LOTRO. I don't know if it's just me as a newbie, but combat is basically 'my character has more power than you, so I'll win'. There seems to be a lack of subtlety to battles. It is just slash, stab, slash, etc. Maybe, it's because I'm used to the Sid Meier's Pirates!' way of fighting... parry the enemy blows, thrust when he's open, and slash when he is off balance. There doesn't seem to be any of this sort of thing in LOTRO. Of course, this could also be because I'm still fairly low levelled and could improve as I level-up some more and my choice of attacks expands.
Rook:
Once the player is in the world of Middle Earth, they are immediately thrown into a story driven tutorial. The tutorial is short, but is enough to teach the basics. LotR Online does not make use of real time combat. It uses the MMO standard of turn-based attacks based on weapon speed and special abilities. As your character progresses, they will learn new skills and attacks. These attacks never become obsolete and grow in effectiveness as you level up. Eventually, as the player gains actual experience with the combat system, combination abilities and group tactics will begin to take shape. This is vital for the success of larger scale raids on later levels.
Throughout your travels, you will visit many obscure and less known areas of Middle Earth. In each of these regions you may stumble across miscellaneous personal achievement objectives. These objectives may take the form of exploring and discovering all of the ancient ruins in the area or defeating a certain number of bandits in efforts to keep the roads safe. In many cases, character titles will be rewarded for achievements attained. For example, the "Spiderfoe" suffix can be added to one's name after defeating 50 or so spiders. Afterwards, the advanced objective will open up showing that defeating 300 spiders will grant you a permanent bonus to the stats and/or skills of your character. These are not missions or quests. These objectives are completely independent of the quests given by NPCs, and add an interesting flair of individuality for players.
KW:
Overall, so far I am enjoying the thrill of being thrust into one of the greatest fantasy worlds ever written about. I'm sure that if Tolkien had a PC (and if he was still alive! - editors note), he'd be enjoying Lord of the Rings Online: Shadows of Angmar too.
Rook:
Lord of the Rings: Shadows of Angmar is thus far a solid title of the MOO genre. With scores of new Lord of the Rings fans jumping on the band wagon and those who knew the wonders of Middle Earth from the books, Shadows of Angmar offers a great chance to experience some of the obscure parts of the world from an adventurer's point of view. Though you may not be able to play as one of the primary characters known from J.R.R. Tolkien's stories, the player will be able to interact with them on more than a few occasions throughout their travels. In the long run, LotR Online may not be the WoW killer everyone is waiting for, but it will surely have a vast and loyal player fan base that will make Lord of the Rings Online a long-lasting and mainstream MMO.
8.0
fun score
No Pros and Cons at this time
