The Lord of the Rings: Shadows of Angmar (PC): Everything it needs to be and more! (The Lord of the Rings: Shadows of Angmar (PC))

Member Name: Ryuke

Product:	The Lord of the Rings: Shadows of Angmar (PC)
Date:	11/01/09 (27 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Great community, Superb graphically, Deep storyline, Ever expanding, Total value for money

Disadvantages: Monthly fee may put some off (but don't let it!)

The Lord of the Rings Online (refered to as LOTRO from here on) always had big shoes to fill, with other online rpgs on the market setting high standards. The likes of World of Warcraft (WoW) with it's record breaking subscription numbers and many releases not managing to topple WoW from it's throne.
In my opinion, it has done a much better job than WoW has.

Graphically LOTRO surpasses that of World of Warcraft. The Vibrant, detailed and lush environments look like they have been pulled straight from a painting. The feel of this virtual Middle-Earth is definately there, recreating (very believably) everything we have read from Tolkiens books and lore. Whether you are playing on Ultra High settings, or have the options toned down to fit your system, you won't be disappointed here!

Sounds and music have not been overlooked either, and the game has a wonderful musical score which will play in the background depending on your situation. Entering the Shire and you have jolly music with pipes and strings filling your speakers, or entering into combat and you have more epic sounding music with crashes and drums. Each area of Eriador (the playable area available with The Shadows of Angmar) has it's own distinct sound, creating the perfect atmosphere.

The gameplay is your typical online rpg clone with a few twists. Turn based combat, skill queues, a list of special attacks, level system to progress through with new skills gained as you make your way to the level cap and of course the wide open world to adventure in with thousands of other players at once. LOTRO brings a few new elements to the table with Fellowship skills which are special attacks only completable in groups with other players, an innovative player music playing system, and PvMP (player vs monster player) which is a new take on the usual Player vs Player (PvP) mode. These new additions are welcome, and the familiar systems mean the game is easy to access for veteral online rpg players or newcomers to the genre.

Value wise, LOTRO definately accounts for the initial price of the game and the monthly subscription fee (as with all massively multiplayer online role playing games.) Out of the box, there is much to see and do and very little to hinder you from doing what you want technically bug wise. The developers are constantly adding to and expanding the game and story, with updates every few months opening up more of Middle Earth to explore, new quests and features, more story to plow through and fixes to the existing content. All this for no extra charges or cost to you!
The expansion has also recently launched named Mines of Moria, which expands on the story even further and starts taking the playable areas outside of Eriador and into Moria and Lothlorien! Great stuff!

Technical Bits
Minimum Specifications
CPU: 1.8 GHz or Athlon equivalent: 1800
RAM: 512 MB
Video card: 64 MB, DirectX 9.0c
HDD Space: 7 GB
DVD drive: 2x
Internet connection

Recommended Specifications
CPU: 2.8 GHz or Athlon equivalent
RAM: 1 GB
Video Card: 128 MB
HDD: 10 GB
DVD: 2x

Subscription Fees
Sterling 8.99
Euro 12.99
Dollar 14.99

Conclusion
Easily one of the most polished mmorpgs currently available on the market right now. Has been unable to topple WoW in terms of subscription numbers, but don't let that put you off, LOTRO is a much better game with more polish, atmosphere and fun to be had. The developers care for the game and their players and are constantly expanding and adding new features. The new expansion has managed to bring a lot more players to the game as well so you will always find someone around if you need any help getting started.
I have been playing for over a year now and have no intention of getting off the LOTRO train just yet, and if you are fans of The Lord of the Rings lore then I could not recommend this any higher!

Summary: Move to virtual Middle Earth now!