PC Game Review: Lord of the Rings Online: Shadows of Angmar

I've spent the past weeks traveling through Middle-Earth. Sometimes I wander around as a burly Dwarf, hacking and slashing my enemies with my trusty axe. Other times I'm a graceful Elf, swift and sure with her powerful bow. Recently I've been protecting my fellow Hobbitses in the Shire from goblins and other fearsome creatures. And it's been a blast.

Turbine's long awaited The Lord of the Rings: Shadows of Angmar (LOTRO) was released on April 24, much to the delight of Tolkien and MMORPG fans alike. For $14.99 a month, anyone can assist Frodo, Gandalf, and the rest of the Fellowship in preventing Sauron and his armies from enslaving the Free Peoples of Middle-Earth.

There are four available races: Elf, Hobbit, Man, and Dwarf. Select one of seven classes, which determine your character's fighting style and role in the game. For example, Guardian class is for players who wish to tank. Not every class is open to all races. Naturally, you'll want a cool name to go with your character. Since it would be ridiculous to have 10,000 Frodos running about, filters prevent you from naming your character after an established Tolkien one. This includes derivatives such as "Lego1a5$". However, I wonder if you can get away with "Boromeer."

Once your character is ready, jump right into Middle-Earth. Your starting point and story line depends on your character's race. For example, Dwarves begin in Thorin's Gate while Hobbits begin in the Shire. However, while the main quest and most side quests differ for each race, many quests overlap for certain races. It's not uncommon to see Elves and dwarves in the same cave killing spiders. New players will spend about an hour or so in the Introduction stage, in which they complete several relatively simple tasks that help them acclimate to their character and to Middle-Earth.

It's clear from the get-go that the creators took great pains to stick to the source materials (The Lord of the Rings trilogy and The Hobbit) as closely as possible. Male and female characters are available for all races except Dwarves because in The Two Towers, Gimli speculates that there are no female Dwarves since he's never seen one. Similarly, unlike many fantasy MMORPGs, you can't really create a wizard/paladin/necromancer type of character, because in Middle-Earth there were only five wizards. Points to those who can name the other three besides Gandalf and Saruman.

At the moment, LOTRO is primarily PvE (player vs. environment). However, when a character reaches Level 10, Monster Play is unlocked, in which players can choose to play as monsters (e.g. Warg, Uruk-Hai) and duke it out. Monsters aren't customizable as the regular characters, but they start off at Level 50 and are badass. At the moment there aren't too many people participating in Monster Play since the game has only been out for a couple of weeks, but I expect this to change within the next couple of months.

In terms of graphics, I have to give a big hand to LOTRO. Middle-Earth is breathtakingly beautiful. The sun hitting crystal clear lakes and ponds looks terrific. I was awed when I saw the majestic Elven structures, and walking around the Shire really makes me want to live there. When I walked in Bag End for the first time, the geek in me squealed inwardly. It felt like I was in a celebrity's home. Naturally, its prior occupant wasn't there, out on some business involving a ring.

Article Author: Toni Schwartz

Toni is an Assistant Gaming Editor at Blogcritics Magazine. She's proud to be a gamer chick and a movie buff!

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