Lotro

[dirtymeat80]

despite all the bad things I said about it, I pre-ordered today

had a buddy of mine that spoke very highly of it, and I guess I can't knock it till I actually play it.

so many games, so little time

[Prithivi]

Got a free trial in PC Gamer Magazine. I logged into it long enough to make a character and play through an opening scenario. It looked alright, but it's just not for me. Wizards should have spells, fantasy games should have spellcasters. But I did like the way you swing a weapon, the effect is pretty neat, it's hard to describe but it's like it tears through space time. If that makes any sense at all. Also, It's pretty pathed from what I've seen but like I said I didn't get very far, I'm too addicted to VG.

[Aredhel]

I tried it. Not really impressed.

They still have a ways to go, and granted, this is still beta, but VSoH was a lot more advanced this early on and it appears that they have some basic issues to overcome.

I do like the way lore is pulled thru all areas, but it's not a game I'll play. I'm glad I found out for myself, tho.

[Snowman]

Yea I've recently tried it!

Nice smooth game, they've done a good job on it really, considering how bad DDO was.

But its pretty basic! has a distinct arcady, wow feeling to it.. only 4 races, very shalow character customisation (you cant adjust height) the hobbits and dwarfs all look fat! no mounts until at least lvl 35, crafting is pretty simple...

And well, not that its a bad game, but after playing VG you get bored of it very quickly! - Its fun, but cant really take it seriously.

Worth playing! and may even be worth buying simply because of the amount of players it has.

But It has given me a deeper appreciation of VG.

[SwordMage]

Originally Posted by Snowman

Yea I've recently tried it!

Nice smooth game, they've done a good job on it really, considering how bad DDO was.

But its pretty basic! has a distinct arcady, wow feeling to it.. only 4 races, very shalow character customisation (you cant adjust height) the hobbits and dwarfs all look fat! no mounts until at least lvl 35, crafting is pretty simple...

And well, not that its a bad game, but after playing VG you get bored of it very quickly! - Its fun, but cant really take it seriously.

Worth playing! and may even be worth buying simply because of the amount of players it has.

But It has given me a deeper appreciation of VG.

I have been playing it for about 2 weeks now and it is definitely not aimed at the same audience as Vanguard. I get the feeling people who liked Horizons might like it.

They are tightly constrained by the LotR canon, which among other things, eliminates the possibility of a true wizard or ranger class (wizards are few and demi-gods, rangers are a separate, currently non-playable race).

Having not played WoW, I can't compare; however, I think it is misleading to draw too many comparisons between the two. LtoRo is story driven and it's PvP is almost a separate game (fully consentual, with separate player controlled monsters for low levels; separate zones). Visually it is stunning (especially with the high resolution textures that were only available from a few pre-order sources).

[dirtymeat80]

I'm having some fun with it. I won't really compare it to anything, ask I like to just play it for what it is. There's things I like about this more than VG, and there's things I like about SWG more than EQ2, and so on and so forth. No game will ever be perfect for little old me, so as long as I have fun, and meet some new people - good times for me.

and for only $10/month (pre-order bonus only), I'll keep a subscription for a while and see how it develops. Would like to see some graphic developments for the characters though, cause they're pretty bland atm.

Plus, it runs great on my pc here at work, so when I have downtime, I can jump on and kill a few beasts

[Naiya]

I beta'ed it extensively (having only recently uninstalled it)

it's a good game. taxing on your system with the memory it takes and no matter how HARD I tried to like it (and believe me - I tried. I mean heck, I was in DDO since alpha and tried to like that too), I simply could not.

I played multiple characters and even got into their PvP hook (and I'm not a PvPer) I simply could not find the enjoyment of the game.

I can point out several things I don't like about it, but when it comes down to brass tacks, it's just my individual play style and like/dislike/ambivalence to the Tolken world

[Snowman]

Originally Posted by SwordMage

Having not played WoW, I can't compare; however, I think it is misleading to draw too many comparisons between the two.

Its not mis-leading to compare! When asked for an '"opinion" its a natural brain function to compare.

If you read reviews of LOTR they point out that the system 'mechanic' is nearly identical to WoW, hundreds of players currently playing LOTRO are wow players.

Misleading?.. no its not misleading, its inevitable.

[Snowman]

Originally Posted by Naiya

(and believe me - I tried. I mean heck, I was in DDO since alpha and tried to like that too),

Aaah how my heart bleeds for you, I do was a huge PnP Desktop AD&D Fan boy, Loved ALL ad&d based games too many to list... As much as I tried and tried to like DDO, it simply wasnt ad&d at all.

I fear the same is true also for LOTR:O, actually its easier to like LOTRO than ddo.. but again, its not the same

I think its a Turbine thing, whatever will they copy next? lol

[Naiya]

Originally Posted by Snowman

I think its a Turbine thing, whatever will they copy next? lol

one thing I can say about LotRO, the beauty of this world shows the talent of the staff if given the proper resources to make a game. Someone once told me that if you wanted a second rate MMO launched quickly, go to Turbine*. With DDO, I believed it. With LotRO, I'm not so sure. This really has potential and will appeal to the fans of that genre.

I am not a member of the target audience. It did not appeal to my play style, but that does not mean it's a "bad" game by any means

*that same person told me "Sony Hates Gamers".... I think that person just doesn't like gaming companies