Verdict: More than just a WoW clone with Hobbits and Orcs.
Ever since World of Warcraft (WoW) redefined the massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) genre, and proved that online role-playing games could be extremely profitable, developers have been falling over themselves in their efforts to grab a piece of the action.
The Lord of the Rings Online: Shadows of Angmar (LOTR) is the latest attempt at cashing in on the MMORPG phenomenon and, initially, you'd be forgiven for thinking it was just WoW with Hobbits.
However, there are some fundamental differences between WoW and LOTR, the most obvious of which is that LOTR takes full advantage of Tolkein's famous fantasy universe. You can play as a Hobbit, Elf, Dwarf or human in one of seven different character classes. The Guardian (essentially a warrior) and Burglar (basically a rogue) are standard fare in all RPGs, but there are some new classes too. These include Captains, which boost the morale of the party, and Minstrels, which can heal players through the power of music. The game also includes the characters from the books scattered around the maps as NPCs.
Rather than the gameplay being totally open-ended, as is the case with many MMORPGs, LOTR has a storyline that comprises different tiers of quests. These quests include general missions that offer experience, cash and items, trade quests, where you have to deliver player-created items (many of which you won't be able to make yourself, forcing you to trade with other people), plus storyline quests that move you through the lands, fighting evil and eventually battling Sauramon.
The gameplay is nicely balanced too, since the developer has limited the amount of grinding that you have to perform at lower levels, placing the emphasis on quests instead. However, it still took a week to advance a character from level 1 to level 17, which is still some way short of the level cap of 50.
Unlike some MMORPGs, the servers for LOTR are all based in Europe, which means that you might find it difficult to find players at certain times of the day. This will particularly annoy players who like to remain glued to their computer screens until 4am.
LOTR is a great game that's nerdy enough to appeal to the role-playing fan in all of us, but cool enough to play without feeling like a nerd. It looks the part and there are ample distractions and sub-plots, so you never feel as though you're being led down a pre-defined path.
On balance, I'd even go so far as to say thatit's a better overall game than WoW, although whether it will be as popular remains to be seen.
