Gamespy's LOTRO review...

[Macaubre]

pc.gamespy.com/pc/lord-of-the-rings-online-shadows-of-angmar/785884p1.html

4 1/2 out of 5 stars. Nice review for a very nice game.

[Aberrant]

Nice. Good to see some other good MMO's hit the market. I had fun with this in beta, and am slightly tempted to play it till WAR comes out (or beta testing!). Though I do have my hands full with console games at the moment.

[Wrasse]

TBC got 5 stars.

pc.gamespy.com/pc/world-of-warcraft-expansion/759091p1.html

...and that's not a bad review for another rehash of a MMO.

[Zeli]

I did a very small bit of beta testing for it and it was a very good PvE game. The environments were beautiful and I liked the book you got that kept track of stuff and the titles were neat.

[Aberrant]

I did a very small bit of beta testing for it and it was a very good PvE game.

And thats the biggest thing that keeps me from playing.

[Macaubre]

wrasse said:

...and that's not a bad review for another rehash of a MMO.

Don't hate the man...

[Wrasse]

aberrant said:

I did a very small bit of beta testing for it and it was a very good PvE game.

And thats the biggest thing that keeps me from playing.

Yea, I like PvE and all but I've got WoW (as much as it does bore me at times)...from my experiences in WoW and other games I'm going to need a few things going in order to even consider another MMO:

1.) meaningful PvP (No, Mac, no 'monster' PvP )
2.) fun PvE when I feel all non-PvPish
3.) some form of community control (no silly names, etc.) - this will probably never exist


WAR is the only game that even comes close.

[Macaubre]

wrasse said:

Yea, I like PvE and all but I've got WoW (as much as it does bore me at

I've been doing the PVE content in WoW for the last two year and a half. How many times do you need to do 1-60 in a game before you start to wonder what the hell you're doing in it?

I'm playing LOTRO because I want to experience something NEW for a change. While we all agree that PVP content is a nice feature, it's not in LOTRO. It might be in WAR, but really, I'm not sold yet on that game. It'll have to show me it can be a good pve game too. Otherwise, how long before you get bored stiff doing the same thing over and over again?

2.) fun PvE when I feel all non-PvPish

LOTRO's pve content is fun and challenging. And the epic-quest line system makes it more worthwhile. Went thru Book I: Chapter 11 instance last night and that must have been the funniest 30 minutes instance I ever played.

3.) some form of community control (no silly names, etc.) - this will probably never exist

While there is some control on naming in LOTRO (you can't have 3 vowels in a row in your name and making gibberish name is quite hard), from what I gather, Turbine seems to be quite aggressive on policing the names of people. I rarely see stupid names. I did see someone running around with a "RenameBag" name; I asked him why he had Rename in his name, he told me that Turbine just renamed him and he'll have to do the rename process when he'd relog. His name was "Bagginz".

WAR is the only game that even comes close.

Hope you don't get disappointed... again.

[Macaubre]

New York Times' review:

www.nytimes.com/2007/05/04/arts/04lord.html?_r=2&ref=technology&oref=slogin&oref=slogin

[Aberrant]

I like the little bit in the Gamespy review about people playing instruments, and bands forming and touring the cities. Neat way to make the community immersive.

(Does his best Dwight impression) Question - can all of the classes solo well?

[Wrasse]

macaubre said:

WAR is the only game that even comes close.

Hope you don't get disappointed... again.

I won't...because if it isn't what Mythic is promising, I'll just not play it. But I think it will be.

I don't get wrapped up in these games as much anymore and would be fine just playing console games or another online game.

I'm glad you're having fun in LotR Online, Mac, it's just that...I'm not going to play the same game I've already played once, just wrapped in a different package. Especially since I've seen it, it wasn't all that impressive, there is no PvP and it's from Turbine, the kings of screwing up IPs.

We're just growing in different ways, Mac, we really need to see other games. I hope you understand and I do hope we can still be friends.

[Macaubre]

aberrant said:

(Does his best Dwight impression) Question - can all of the classes solo well?

I'd say yes. I played Burglar and Guardian (Guardian being my highest level at 19). Guardian is harder to play since a lot of the abilities are reactive (ie. you can do that ability only when you block. A few others only open up on parry, etc...). You can't just button mash and still win (as in WoW). You get a self heal that opens up when you successfully block an attack (it's called "Catch a breath").

For example, with a Burglar, you get a self heal that opens up only when the mob has a trick on it (ie. specific kind of debuff). I'd say it's not "better", its just different. And it's a lot of fun. Never though it'd be that fun playing a tank in a game, but I can solo effectively, but still kick ass in parties.

I'm not going to play the same game I've already played once, just wrapped in a different package.

Doing the "same" thing in LOTRO sure beats doing it yet again in STV or Desolace. I could do all those quests with my eyes closed at the end.

[Aberrant]

That sounds kind of cool.

All this talk of MMO's.....I would just go play Sims Online, but they nerfed the dudes.

[Macaubre]

aberrant said:

That sounds kind of cool.

It is! Unless you're named Wrasse and you're in constant hate mode.

aberrant said:

All this talk of MMO's.....I would just go play Sims Online, but they nerfed the dudes.

They cut their manhood ?

[Wrasse]

Unless you're named Wrasse and you're in constant hate mode.

Coming from you...this is funny on so many levels.