The Lord of the Rings Online: Shadows of Angmar (PC)

The storyline progresses using instances, though they are used in a different manner to WoW. Early areas of the game are separate from later areas. Once a specific quest is started the player will enter an instance at the end of which they will be in a different version of the game world, Guild Wars players will recognise this as it is near identical to the searing in the prophecies campaign. Later on in the game instances are dealt with similar to Guild Wars in that a quest will take you into an instance with your party, though regular questing takes place in a persistent world.

The games crafting system requires a significant amount of balancing. One of my characters is a woodsman, giving him access to the skills farmer, forester and woodworker. This profession requires the raw material wax before any goods can be made. Having to buy wax means that by the time you can craft a half decent weapon you could have purchased it many times over from a shop. Some items that are required for crafting seem to be dropped by creatures of a much higher level than the item you are trying to create. Fortunately my main character is a tinker and makes jewellery, there is no need to purchase additional raw materials and so this has turned out to be far more profitable. I’m fairly certain that the crafting system will be improved as time passes.

The beginning areas of the game are significantly different for each race. The Hobbits are interested in preparing for parties, delivering letters and all sorts of food related quests. Whereas the Elves have a far more combat oriented start. The difference in balance for the beginning areas and quests may annoy some gamers, whether intentional or not I think this imbalance excellently reflects the different races and adds to the appeal, it also stays quite true to the Middle Earth literature.

The greatest achievement of the game is its overall feel. It feels like a Lord of the Rings game, not like a faceless piece that has had Lord of the Rings painted across the top. There are numerous references to the books and films, and every corner you turn is filled with Middle Earth lore.

One point that I should make clear is the performance of the servers. There has been a significant amount of downtime since the games release. This downtime has significantly delayed this review as there have been several occasions when I have sat down to have a good few hours on the game to find out that the server has not been available. Initially there was an above normal amount of lag, this is frustrating especially as deaths early in the game prevent you from earning some of titles for your character. Codemasters have been committed to putting this right and as days pass performance has increased and downtime has decreased (although I am currently writing this part review as I can’t access the game!). Currently the main issue relates to peak times. When logging in during peak hours the subscriptions server cannot satisfy demand (even though the games servers can) and so players are unable to log in. As there has been such significant improvements since the game began these issues will not be reflected in the final score though gamers should be aware that there are likely to be problems in the immediate future.

The game is a welcome entry into a crowded market and accomplishes a lot. Codemasters have a little gem on their hands here and it is a welcome departure from the previous MMOs that they have inflicted upon Europe. If you like MMOs and are getting bored of WoW then LOTRO is definitely worth a purchase. MMO virgins will find a place in the game as its familiar setting and friendly learning curve offer a comfortable and enjoyable experience.