The Lord of the Rings Online
Much of my time lately has been taken up by The Lord of the Rings Online. By some small miracle I was actually selected for the closed beta test. I have to say, it’s pretty cool. I signed a non-disclosure agreement which, while I haven’t actually read it, I’m sure it says I can’t tell you much about the game. But I’m pretty sure they can’t sue me for just talking about it in broad terms.
From a game-play standpoint, it’s pretty much a carbon copy of all the other MMORPGs out there. So don’t expect anything particularly creative or inspired. There are only two things that stand out to me. First is the quests. There are lots and lots of them, they have good directions, they have good rewards, and sometimes they even have a smattering of plot. Indeed there is even the “Epic” plot which carries you through a long series of quests that parallels the journey of the ring-bearer and his companions. Very cool. The other thing is the crafting system. I’ve not actually used it yet myself, but everyone is talking about it. The general opinion seems to be that it’s a cut above the competition.
From a Tolkien-lover perspective, it’s a conflicting story. The game is lovingly rendered with rich detail and stunning graphics. It’s obvious that the people who made this game knew their stuff and enjoyed their work. Walking through the Shire, climbing Weathertop, hiking out to Rivendell; these are real treats. However, all this combined with the mindless hack-n-slash gameplay and hordes of players with stupid names (Seeing “Exocize” the dwarf of the “Click Here” kinship takes you right out of it) really makes for a bit of a disappointment in many ways. But then, if they kept out the idiots, who would pay the bills?
Myself, I’ve been sticking to the quests and having a pretty good time. This keeps me out of the “kill another 100 spiders to get to the next level” syndrome and keeps me in decent XP and loot. And hey, it’s free. I may well get bored with it before the beta is up in a couple of months, but for now I’m having fun.