Product Details
 | The Lord Of The Rings: Shadows Of Angmar |
| List Price: | $29.95 |
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Product Description
The Lord of the Rings Online: Shadows of Angmar is an authentic recreation of Middle-Earth. In this massive multiplayer online game, you'll explore legendary lands & interact with famous characters like Gandalf and Aragorn. Create your own heroic story as the Fellowship embarks on their quest to destroy the One Ring. Defend the Free Peoples against Sauron's evil minion, the Nazgul Witch-King. Adventure solo or forge fellowships, battle hideous monsters and rise to fame in the most epic MMO ever launched.Product Details
- Amazon Sales Rank: #2561 in Video Games
- Brand: Midway
- Model: 50092
- Released on: 2007-04-24
- ESRB Rating: Teen
- Platform: Windows XP
- Number of items: 1
- Dimensions: 1.50" h x 5.25" w x 7.50" l, .72 pounds
Features
- The only MMO based on the extensive and beloved fantasy universe of J.R.R. Tolkien, and the first MMO to provide a compelling story behind players' actions
- Unique Combat and Advancement Systems -- game mechanics surpass skills and levels to include accomplishment, traits and titles to help you gain experience in a variety of ways
- Jump in as a monster and battle against other gamers in a fast, action-packed session of monster vs. player combat
- Besides in-game mail, chat, crafting and guild management tools, The Lord of the Rings Online uses next-generation features like integrated voice chat, instant messaging and automatically updated web pages with your characters' in-game stats
Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
The
Lord of the Rings Online: Shadows of Angmar puts you into the
greatest fantasy of all time. For the first time, you can immerse
yourself in the only authentic recreation of Middle-Earth to explore
legendary lands, interact with famous characters like Gandalf and
Aragorn, and create your own heroic story. The War of the Ring has
commenced! As the Fellowship embarks on their quest to destroy the One
Ring, you must defend the Free Peoples against Sauron's evil minion, the
Nazgul Witch-King. Adventure solo or forge fellowships, battle hideous
monsters and rise to fame in the most epic MMO ever launched.
FEATURES
- Epic Storyline - The Lord of the Rings Online is the only MMO based on the extensive and beloved fantasy universe of J.R.R. Tolkien, and the first MMO to provide a compelling story behind players' actions. It is the original epic world that serves as the source for all other "me too" fantasy games.
- Unique Combat and Advancement Systems - The Lord of the Rings Online implements unique game mechanics which surpass skills and levels to include accomplishment, traits and titles to help you gain experience in a variety of ways and to advance your character beyond traditional grinding.
- Monster Battles - Jump in as a monster and battle against other gamers in a fast, action-packed session of monster vs. player combat.
- Innovative Social Networking - The Lord of the Rings Online takes social networking tools to the next level. Besides in-game mail, chat, crafting and guild management tools, The Lord of the Rings Online uses next-generation features like integrated voice chat, instant messaging and automatically updated web pages with your characters' in-game stats. These innovative tools engage players, facilitate real-time communication and encourage community.
Customer Reviews
Finally, A Franchise-Themed MMORPG Done Right
I've been playing since the
middle of closed beta. I never leveled up very far, but I have
nonetheless spent countless hours in Middle Earth, primarily as a
Hobbit. Now I plan to purchase a Lifetime Membership!!
Lord of
the Rings Online is, of course, a Massively Multiplayer Online Role
Playing Game based on the story of J.R.R. Tolkien's work, The Lord of
the Rings. The game is true to the books, as much as the New Line Cinema
motion pictures were, although not so much true to the movies (which it
doesn't try to be). What I find impressive is that every little corner
of Middle Earth that was mapped out in the books have in fact been
mapped out here in LOTRO--and indeed the books were plentifully detailed
in maps and in written descriptions of the fictional universe of Middle
Earth. But, for the most part, the subtleties of what is described in
the book have been referenced if not fully implemented in the game,
particularly in the Shire, all the way from the Sackville-Bagginses to
the former Baggins home on the top of the hill at Bag End to the
shoeless hobbits' feet! Of course, most LOTRO players will put shoes on
their hobbit feet since shoes add armor, but at least the NPCs
(non-player characters) are true to the shoelessness.
One step
into Michel Delving and you'll quickly notice the unique music system
implemented in the game. People are often standing around holding their
lutes playing Stairway to Heaven or Row, Row, Row Your Boat. The ability
to play notes directly into the game world has been implemented, albeit
not in any way comparable to MIDI-driven music software.
While
the graphics and landscapes and sky effects ("ooohh, pretty rainbow!",
"wow, look at that flock of birds in the sky!") are very impressive, I
must concede that the animations such as those of wildlife and monsters
are not flawless, particularly where the beasts are idle. But these
animation deficiencies are made up for when in combat, with few
exceptions. For example, one of the Mature Bear attacks is simply a deep
inhale, followed by the loudest bear growl you ever heard, as your
character's hair stands on end and the steam from the bear's lungs fills
the screen. Or, witness the presence of a Black Rider, and suddenly the
screen starts zoom-blinking (very cool effect) and you start to see
flashes of The Eye. These are player experiences that go a long way
toward immersion of playing agaisnt NPC enemies.
There is an
adequately diverse crafting system that would seem interesting but for
the fact that it is a money sink. During the betas, farming in the Shire
was lucrative, but profitability was dropped by the developers after
players showed up in droves to stand around the workbench processing
seeds.
The quests are plentiful to keep you busy indefinitely, so
long as you are willing to leave the local vicinity. By the time most
of the basic quests are completed in Eriador (which will take at least a
couple months for most casual gamers), a free expansion will be offered
in June. The quests are not typically grinders. For example, in The
Shire, some of the quests will involve sneaking past Nosey Hobbits or
Hungry Hobbits to deliver the mail or a mushroom pie from one town to
another. One quest involves sneaking past a rooster to pick up chicken
eggs. Another quest is to simply catch a little kid at midnight
pretending to be an evil monster. Of course, these are "safe" starter
quests; otherwise, there are plenty of quests that, for example, involve
fetching a stolen item from a monster encampent, or killing off a
monster boss. (As with some other MMORPGs, one learns that in these
dangerous types of quests it is best to find nearby players and create a
fellowship, since the power of two is better than the power of one, and
success of one typically means success for the other as well.)
The
game is not flawless, but I think that where there were compromises and
cut corners the game makes very wise trade-offs. Stiff animations for
incredibly immersive subtleties, for example. Because trade-offs do
exist, I wish I could knock off 1/2 star, but this game seems so much
more than just a 4/5 game.
People talk about how this game copies
that game, but The Lord of the Rings franchise is the origin of so much
modern folklore for RPG elements it's surprising to me that a
LOTR-based RPG hasn't been tried before. I suppose no one was daring
enough to take on the challenge of bringing Tolkien's work to life with
honorable results. I'm really glad that Turbine did, though, because
LOTRO is a real treat for fans of LOTR. And for what LOTRO tries to do
and be, it does it exceedingly well--not necessarily to be a WoW-killer
but to bring Tolkien's work to life in an immersive world full of other
real players just like yourself in a PvE environment that would give
absolute sheer joy to anyone who fantasized being in Middle Earth after
reading the books.
A Review from a
Veteran MMORPG Player.
I've been playing MMORPGs
(Massive Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games) now for about three
years. My MMO gaming experience includes Star Wars Galaxies, World of
Warcraft, Guild Wars and Lord of the Rings Online. I thought I would
post a simple review of the game that was posted simply in terms of
POSITIVES and NEGATIVES, from the perspective of a veteran MMORPG
player.
POSITIVES
---------
* Graphics. Turbine did an
excellent job creating the world of middle earth. Immersion is NOT a
problem in this game.
* Character customization. You can modify
hair styles, facial features, skin color, eye color, and much more. In
addition, the ability to use dye in order to customize your appearance
is nice. Also, you don't have the problem with "clown armor" that games
like World of Warcraft has. That is, armor that is multicolored and
un-coordinated. Using dye, you can make any armor set look sleek.
*
Quests. There are so many quests in this game that I feel like I will
never run out! I never find myself endlessly grinding for XP. Turbine
did a good job with the quests and the associated story lines.
*
Crafting. The crafting system is terrific. Albeit, it is expensive to
level your skills up. For this reason, I usually recommend that someone
level their character first, THEN focus on crafting.
* Server
populations. There are plenty of people playing this game. And the
people that play seem to be much more mature than other populations on
other games.
* Sound. The battle sounds are SUPERB. Battles sound
like swords, axes, shields, maces, etc. are actually swinging and
contacting each other.
* Limited presence of magic. Many fantasy
games are heavy into the magic aspect of the game. Consistent with the
lore of Middle Earth, magic has a presence, but it is limited. You will
not find a super-class of characters that are all-powerful arcanists.
This is a nice change. Rather, swords, maces, axes, bows, crossbows, and
clubs reign supreme. There is a cloth-wearing class that dabbles in
magic, but again... it is limited.
* Potential for future
expansion. If you look at the world map, the area that the current game
world is occupying is only a small percentage of Middle Earth. There is
tremendous potential for opening up new areas and dungeons.
NEGATIVES
---------
*
Hardware demands. Unless your computer is state-of-the-art, you will
likely find yourself playing in the medium graphics quality setting.
*
Customer service from Turbine. I spend quite a bit of time on the
Turbine website and I just don't feel like they are communicating with
us like other gaming companies communicate with their player base.
Turbine is quick to share lore and other items of a Middle Earth nature,
but they rarely comment on errors, future expansions, etc. I just don't
feel like I'm in touch with the developers like I did when I played
Warcraft.
* Inability to make significant addon's for the game.
Many other games allow you to generate new mapping software or
completely new user interfaces. Turbine allows you to skin the user
interface, but nothing more. So it seems that the community will not be
permitted to generate many addons for the game. Even though I do not
feel that I need to many addons for LOTRO, I do like having that option.
*
Mounts. The mounts in the game need a bit of work. The animation is far
from perfect. I feel as if mounts were an afterthought addition to the
game. My character has a mount, and while I do enjoy it, I feel as if I
am dismounted too easily by random mobs. Furthermore, the speed boost is
not tremendous.
* Demands on servers. Sometimes the servers turn
down your graphic settings on YOUR end so that it can improve server
performance during busy periods. This can be frustrating, but isn't
intolerable.
Immerse yourself in Middle
Earth
As a huge fan of JRR Tolkien I
review this game with a bit of a bias. While there have been video
games set in Middle Earth before, none of them has offered what this one
does: complete freedom to quest, explore--just immerse oneself fully in
the world Tolkien created. As a gateway into Tolkien's world this game
succeeds admirably--as an MMORPG in general, however, it can't avoid the
shadow of a little game called World of Warcraft.
The
comparison is inevitable since WoW is and has been the dominant force in
MMORPG gaming since its release in 2004. In reviewing this game, then, I
will sometimes compare it to WoW.
Audience/community:
This game targets both LOTR fans and MMORPG gamers in general. While I
believe Turbine intended to shoot for a more mature audience for Lord of
the Rings Online than is present in World of Warcraft I think this is
only partially the case. I have encountered immature and annoying people
in LOTRO just as I do daily in WoW. The Middle-Earth community as a
whole is more mature, but I suspect that will change if LOTRO can ever
rival WoW's popularity.
Control: This is LOTRO's biggest
downfall. While the interface is very accessible and combat is
relatively easy to perform, the action lacks the fluidity that WoW has.
The characters are somewhat stiff and awkward as they fight--something I
expected from a game like this until a couple years ago. It is not
enough to seriously hinder the game, but it is a significant drawback
for anyone who plays WoW.
Gameplay: The gameplay is
excellent. Not only are there more than enough quests to go around,
there are also side objectives called Deeds which don't give your
character experience but which do provide for added customization.
Depending on how you spend your time (exploring, killing many of a
certain type of enemy, etc) you can earn "traits" and titles for your
character which can be used to make him or her all your own. Traits go
beyond the typical talent points acquired through leveling--they give
your character bonuses through charity, wisdom, and other such
attributes. You can also earn titles for your character, from such
things as "Wolf Slayer" to protector of such and such a town. This is a
great aspect of the game and certainly adds to the enjoyment of creating
and building a character.
The game features professions
which are about what you'd expect from an MMORPG. They are enjoyable and
easy to get the hang of. One area this game does fall a bit short in,
though, is player vs. player combat. PVP takes place through "monster
play," which just isn't quite the same as all-out PvP with your own
character.
Graphics: The graphics on this game are
absolutely gorgeous, and certainly one of the high points of the game.
The landscape and terrain, the towns and cities, the water...everything
is just pristine.
Storyline: This is another of LOTRO's
strong points. There are many interesting storylines in each area as
well as an "epic" storyline which is basically a quest chain that has
more far-reaching consequences in Middle Earth than the "go kill some of
those wolves" variety. As your character grows and progresses he/she
becomes more valuable to the overall cause of Middle Earth.
I
have enjoyed this game very much. At the end of the day, however, I ask
myself one question. Would I play this game if it weren't set in the
LOTR universe? The answer, quite frankly, is that I probably would not.
It's not that the game has any huge flaw or that it's not enjoyable (it
is)--it's just that without the LOTR franchise the game would come up
even shorter of MMORPG greatness.
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