My Dreams Of Saving Middle-Earth (The Lord of the Rings: Shadows of Angmar (PC))

Member Name: bilbobaginz

Product:	The Lord of the Rings: Shadows of Angmar (PC)
Date:	05/07/09 (11 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Great effects and graphical detail.

Disadvantages: Bad gameplay and restrictive world!

When I first heard about this game through an Email sent by the makers, I was playing my heart out on World of Warcraft. I am a major fan of the Lord of the Rings films and so had to have ago at this very exciting looking MMORPG. sadly though, my excitement would soon end in disoppointment.

<--TheWorld-->
One thing which stunned me when first I started playing LOTRO (Lord of the rings online) was the incredible detail the general world had. Much like any MMORPG, LOTRO boasts a huge, open world which allows players to explore where ever they like without much restriction. A disoppointing factor which you discover almost instantly was the fact this game doesn't include many of the areas found in the Lord of the Rings books or films (yet). For example: there is none of Gondor or Rohan (even though these feature heavily in the films). This greatly upset my appetite for the game, and after playing through it abit my worst fears began slowly uncovering themselves.

<--TheCharacters-->
You cannot play evil characters in the same way you can on other MMORPGs. At the start you must pick a good character (Dwarf, Human, Hobbit or Elf) before continuing into the world. The characters, including the burglar, are incredibly similar to every other game of this sort. There is little advertising about the characters and the way they walk, talk, dress and fight. Clothing all seems to look the same - even when you eye up a higher level, they all seem to be holding the same shield, and the same sword. It seems to me that Codemasters have failed to add any depth to the characters profiles at all.

<--TheCombat-->
Fighting wild beasts is fun, but it can get very repetative. The range of weapons and skills your character possesses are impressive to a certain degree. The effects you make when using certain spells/moves are inventive, but the creativeness ends there. Quests are repetative and often boring. Similarly, instances can be boring, even though Codemasters have made them different to the traditional instance by including cinematics etc, they remain too similar to the slaying of monstors you do outside.

<--ThePVP-->
PVP is restrictive much like many other things on this game. When you reach level 10 you are able to create an evil character to be used in restricted areas. On your normal character you can then go and try to defeat these enemy players lurking around darker areas of the world. I never really tried this properly, but it did look pritty fun.. one side to the game they seemed to get right.

<--TheGraphics-->
The graphics (when set on ultra-high) bring this game to life. The water almost invites you to jump in and swim around with its depth of colour and reflective appearence. Similarly, the buildings (outside and in) are greatly detailed. Fireplaces and other flame effects look pleasantly inviting.

<--TheSoundtrack-->
Much of the soundtrack has been taken from the films (exactly what i wanted them to do). The soundtrack helps bring this game into motion as areal MMORPG, its just a shame they didn't think to make the game as good as the music!

<--Conclusion-->
Some people love it, some hate it. I like to think of myself as sitting in between. Many elements to this MMORPG are simply stunning, whilst the rest remains boring and repetative. I wouldn't recommend this game, but anyone who really wants to give it ago, go ahead, you may love it!

Summary: A good game for some.