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Game Details

Released 24 April 2007

Format PC

Developer Codemasters

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The Lord of the Rings Online: Shadows of Angmar

Review
Replicating a vast swathe of Tolkien’s Middle-earth, LOTRO offers a rich and beautifully detailed game environment which, it’s clearly hoped, will give both the legions of Rings fans and the 8 million World of Warcraft players a new place to while away their hours. But while the fidelity to Tolkien lore is faultless and the glorious vistas bring a tear to the eye, the impressive setting for this massively multiplayer Rings translation isn’t backed up by ground-breaking gameplay.

For seasoned MMO players there’s precious little new here, the usual blend of crafting professions, quests and monster grinding enhanced only by slightly more emphasis on story. More lamentable, though, is that almost no effort has been made to cater for those drawn solely by the license. The lack of a decent tutorial leaves more complex game elements well out of reach for non-gamers, while the any attempt to explore the wilds of Middle-earth at early levels is met with a swift demise. A solid enough game for the initiated, then, but a missed opportunity to reel in the wider Tolkien fanbase.


Reviewer: James Dyer

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Average user rating for The Lord of the Rings Online: Shadows of Angmar

I am a big fan of MMORPG, and i was greatly looking forward to this one, and I wasnt disappointed. The graphics are excellent, the quests are vast and it includes an excellent fellowship quest facility which is involving and testing. As for the down side, it does look and play incredibly similar to the World of Warcraft engine, and players would certainly notice this. But if your like me, who loves World of Warcraft and enjoys having a bit of a Tolkien twist, you'll love it. ... Read More

wolf1987 About me

18:43, 15 May 2007 | Report This Post

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