One Game to Rule Them All
Well, maybe not exactly, but if Lord of the Rings Online: Shadows of Angmar continues on its present course, it just might be the “one game to rule them all.”
As someone who has gotten burnt out on Raiding and playing “end game”, LOTRO is a nice change of pace with fresh new content never explored before, wonderful graphics, great music and rich Lore.
After getting the taste of “end game” activities like Raiding, which is going through a game instance that requires at least 10, and upwards to 40 people, in order to beat, I’ve been put off with my level 70 warrior in the World of Warcraft. Blazing, well for me anyway, through the 60-70 content with my warrior already, I just didn’t feel like doing it with my rogue (65) or hunter (64).
Even playing with my other characters (levels range from 12-41) hasn’t been as exciting as it once were. And it’s probably due to the fact that I’ve gone through the same content three times prior. Aside from the Draenei and Blood Elf areas, the rest of Azeroth and the Outlands are the same ‘ole thing, even if I started playing on the opposite faction.
So what do I have to do to find some fun when I’ve been bored to tears with the World of Warcraft? Play a different game, of course! But not just any game. I’ve tried Everquest 2, which I had started upon launch and before WoW, but it couldn’t keep my focus. Little nit-picks here and there kept me from really enjoying the game.
Enter Lord of the Rings Online: Shadows of Angmar.
Lord of the Rings. J.R.R. Tolkien’s work. You know it’s going to have to be good because Turbine doesn’t just want game players who’re addicted to MMORPG’s, but they also want to attract fans of the books (and movies).
One of the draws is the graphics. While the character models aren’t all that great, but still better than WoW characters, the world itself is beautiful. The hills practically roll as the grass upon them sway with the breeze. Flowers and tree branches also sway in the wind. The water is among the most successive to appear as real water. Day and night transitions are well done and while the scenery is best seen during the day, the sky is best viewed at night.
Sound is implemented well but unlike Everquest 2, and like most MMORPG’s,most NPCs don’t have voice overs and the ones that do, have little clips. Ambient sounds and musical score all do well. However, it’s the music system, which allows players to play music, that deserves the limelight. Unlike other games where playing an instrument causes a predefined audio clip to activate, the music system in LOTRO allows the players to create their own music. Finding a nice secluded spot (at the time), I tried my hand at it and played a scratchy “Fade to Black” by Metallica. Luckily, for me, no FRAPS.
The quests have been of the usual fare. Kill x number of bears/wolves/boars/brigands and receive y reward and a nice chunk of experience points. There are, however, a few quests that are pretty interesting. One deal with the main story arc and how it weaves through the grander tales of the One Ring. There’s also the starter/introduction stage where you’re presented with a town in one condition. Once you’ve passed the introduction and are released into the open world, that same town is much different than what you’ve seen before. I’ve yet to encounter any other event that uses the same type of layering, but I wouldn’t put it past Turbine to make further use of this nifty feature.
Other interesting quests revolve day-to-day things such as crafting quests, where a citizen asks you to bring him or her a crafted item, and can even involve you to be a postman, delivering mail and trying to avoid nosey folk intent on rummaging through the mail bag.
I’ve gotten to level 22 with my first character, a hunter, but have yet to fully explore everything that can be done. I haven’t mastered my crafting nor have I done much group-centric quests. There are lots of things to do in Lord of the Rings Online: Shadows of Angmar and taking it at a slow pace makes it that much more enjoyable.
So… I’ve taken the plunge and it’s pretty nice.
