From the very beginning its easy to see Lord of The Rings Online isnt your standard MMORPG. From the very first character creation screen that allows you to customize features based on which region of Middle Earth you come from to movies that show you a small part of your chosen job abilities, its immersive and engaging. Though the race and class choices are limited by any standards, if youve read the Tolkien books youll see that they succeed in staying as close to the main character creations as possible.

Lord of the Rings Online: First Impressions

Author: Serenity

Edited by: Kristofer Brozio

Though its not readily obvious, the entire UI is customizable. Your UI can include as few or as many things as you wish, based on your class or your personal preferences. Simple commands and drag-and-drop features make it a perfectly painless process.

As you progress through the character creation and smoothly transition into a tutorial quest of sorts youre encouraged to pay close attention to the events that unfold. At first I found it a little annoying until I actually did pay attention. The tutorial quests and flashback sequences tie in with the main storyline quests for all races and they help to tie it all together smoothly.

While LoTR Online stays true to the basic MMORPG format, bringing the stories of Middle Earth sets them apart. Whether youre following the quest of the main storyline or simply spending your time honing your skills in the wild, your time spent in game will fly by. If the day is winding down and you prefer to leave the questing for another day, crafting is available to pass the time.

With integrated voice chat and instant messaging this game is a breeze for those who are interested in grouping together to beat certain quests. This game calls groups fellowships and they make them more appealing than standard groups by offering fellowship maneuvers to enhance the skills of the entire party. If groups arent your thing, not to worry- this game is definitely something you can do solo if you choose.

By far, the most impressive thing about the game are the graphics. Though Turbine broke away from DDO style characters models and relied on Tolkiens books, they more than made up for it with the graphics. With weather effects and changes in lighting depending on the time of day in game, even the wind blowing through the trees is breathtaking.

Some people love the game. Some people dont like certain things about it. Even if MMORPGs arent the kind of game you would normally play, I urge you to try it.

Game Specs:

Minimum System Requirements:

Processor: Intel Pentium 4 1.8 GHz or equivalent

Video: 64 MB NVIDIA GeForce 3 or ATI Radeon 8500

DirectX:

DirectX 9.0c

OS: Windows XP

RAM: 512 MB

Disk Space: 7 GB available

Internet: 56kbps Modem

Optical Drive: 2x DVD-ROM

Recommended System Requirements:

Processor: Intel Pentium 4 2.8 GHz or equivalent

Video: 128 MB NVIDIA GeForce FX 6800 or ATI Radeon X850

DirectX: DirectX 9.0c

OS: Windows XP / Vista

RAM: 1 GB

Disk Space: 10 GB available

Internet: Broadband DSL/Cable

Optical Drive: 2x DVD-ROM