Simply brilliant.
Just the fact of running free in Middle Earth and fighting orcs gives this game an atmosphere that distinguishes it from any other MMO, and all that energy is revitalized by outstanding visual design and and brilliant sound effects.Really so far no other game might rival this one in its visual design but Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures, and still LOTRO's mind-blowing sound effects leave any competition in the dust.
Many people who have ever read the book or love the movies have probably dreamed of entering Tolkien's world of magic, and this MMORPG definitively does the trick of simulating such a (geeky) dream. "So why should it be better than any other? World of Warcraft probably has more features..." May the undecided reply. And my answers is.. no, WoW does not have a lot more features than LOTRO. LOTRO has hobbies (like fishing etc.) horse riding, auction halls... it does not lack anything that any other MMO may have in advance, and if it does, the first expansion entitled Mines of Moria is on its way, so this game is at its best in every way possible. Although the game does not have much focus on PVP but the monster play sort of makes up for it, in its own way.
What you should expect to see in LOTRO (Lord of the Rings Online) is an exact copy of the Middle-Earth as described in the books. The storyline is an interesting one as you explore a "side" of the story that you did not see in the movies or read on the books. It's like if your character was cooperating and helping the Fellowship destroying the one Ring. You should expect a game so well accomplished that it can motivate you to read the books. If you have seen the LOTR (I'm not explaining this abrev, go figure) movies over and over again and read the books and whatnot you are certain to like this game and explore middle earth and all it's stories your way (unless you don't like games, but then again, why would you be reading this?).
This game is ambitions and well accomplished, definitively a must have for fans and anyone else who is a fan of MMO's. If you are not still convinced try the 14 days trial (that's right 14 days).
